Religions of the Ancient World : A Guide / ed. by Sarah Iles Johnston.
Assmann, Jan, contributor.; Attridge, Harold W., contributor.; Attridge, Harold, contributor.; Beard, Mary, contributor.; Beaulieu, Paul-Alain, contributor.; Bremmer, Jan, contributor.; Cazanove, Olivier de, contributor.; Collins, John J, contributor.; Collins, John J., contributor.; Frankfurter, David, contributor.; Graf, Fritz, contributor.; Johnston, Sarah Iles, contributor.; Johnston, Sarah Iles, editor.; Lincoln, Bruce, contributor.; Malandra, William, contributor.; Marinatos, Nanno, contributor.; Mikalson, Jon, contributor.; North, John, contributor.; Otto, Eckart, contributor.; Scheid, John, contributor.; Stausberg, Michael, contributor.; Wright, David P, contributor.; Wright, David P., contributor.
2004
BL687 .R47 2004
Available Online

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Title Religions of the Ancient World : A Guide / ed. by Sarah Iles Johnston.
ISBN 9780674264823
DOI https://doi.org/10.4159/9780674264823
Published Cambridge, MA : : Harvard University Press, [2004]
Copyright ©2004
Language English
Language Note In English.
Description 1 online resource (736 p.)
Other Standard Identifiers 10.4159/9780674264823 doi
Call Number BL687 .R47 2004
Dewey Decimal Classification 200/.93
Summary Religious beliefs and practices, which permeated all aspects of life in antiquity, traveled well-worn routes throughout the Mediterranean: itinerant charismatic practitioners journeying from place to place peddled their skills as healers, purifiers, cursers, and initiators; and vessels decorated with illustrations of myths traveled with them. New gods encountered in foreign lands by merchants and conquerors were sometimes taken home to be adapted and adopted. A full understanding of this complex spiritual world unfolds in Religions of the Ancient World, the first basic reference work that collects and organizes available information to offer an expansive, comparative perspective. At once sweeping in scope and groundbreaking in format, the Guide eschews the usual encyclopedic approach, instead presenting, side by side, materials from ten cultures and traditions. Thus specific beliefs, cults, gods, and ritual practices that arose and developed in Mediterranean religions--of Egypt, Anatolia and the Near East, Mesopotamia, Iran, Greece, and the Roman world, from the third millennium to the fourth century C.E.--are interpreted in comparison with one another, and with reference to aspects that crisscross cultural boundaries, such as Cosmology, Myth, Law and Ethics, and Magic. Written by leading scholars of ancient religion, the essays in this guide sketch the various religious histories, raise central theoretical issues, and examine individual topics such as Sacred Times and Spaces; Prayers, Hymns, Incantations, and Curses; Sin, Pollution, and Purity; Death, the Afterlife, and Other Last Things; Divination and Prophecy; Deities and Demons; and Sacred Texts and Canonicity. Clearly and stylishly written, grandly illustrated, this comprehensive work welcomes readers as never before into the diversity and interconnections of religion in the ancient world.
Access Note Access limited to authorized users.
System Details Note Mode of access: Internet via World Wide Web.
Digital File Characteristics text file PDF
Source of Description Description based on online resource; title from PDF title page (publisher's Web site, viewed 18. Sep 2023)
Added Author Assmann, Jan, contributor.
Attridge, Harold W., contributor.
Attridge, Harold, contributor.
Beard, Mary, contributor.
Beaulieu, Paul-Alain, contributor.
Bremmer, Jan, contributor.
Cazanove, Olivier de, contributor.
Collins, John J, contributor.
Collins, John J., contributor.
Frankfurter, David, contributor.
Graf, Fritz, contributor.
Johnston, Sarah Iles, contributor.
Johnston, Sarah Iles, editor.
Lincoln, Bruce, contributor.
Malandra, William, contributor.
Marinatos, Nanno, contributor.
Mikalson, Jon, contributor.
North, John, contributor.
Otto, Eckart, contributor.
Scheid, John, contributor.
Stausberg, Michael, contributor.
Wright, David P, contributor.
Wright, David P., contributor.
Series Harvard University Press Reference Library
In HUP eBook Package Archive 1893-1999
Harvard University Press eBook Package Backlist 2000-2013
Linked Resources Online Access
Record Appears in Online Resources > Ebooks
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Frontmatter
Contents
Introduction
Note on Translation and Transliteration
Abbreviations
Maps
Encountering Ancient Religions
What Is Ancient Mediterranean Religion?
Monotheism and Polytheism
Ritual
Myth
Cosmology: Time and History
Pollution, Sin, Atonement, Salvation
Law and Ethics
Mysteries
Religions in Contact
Writing and Religion
Magic
Histories
Egypt
Mesopotamia
Syria and Canaan
Israel
Anatolia: Hittites
Iran
Minoan and Mycenaean Civilizations
Greece
Etruria
Rome
Early Christianity
Key Topics
Sacred Times and Spaces
Religious Personnel
Religious Organizations and Bodies
Sacrifice, Offerings, and Votives
Prayers, Hymns, Incantations, and Curses
Divination and Prophecy
Deities and Demons
Religious Practices of the Individual and Family
Rites of Passage
Illnesses and Other Crises
Death, the Afterlife, and Other Last Things
Sin, Pollution, and Purity
Ethics and Law Codes
Theology, Theodicy, Philosophy
Religion and Politics
Controlling Religion
Myth and Sacred Narratives
Visual Representations
Sacred Texts and Canonicity
Esotericism and Mysticism
Epilogue
Illustrations
Acknowledgments
Contributors
Index

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