Greek Religion: Archaic and Classical

Burkert's Greek Religion is the perfect handbook for any serious student of archaic and classical Greek religion. Burkert is a thorough scholar, and treats the diverse and complex problem of Greek religion from its Minoan-Mycenaean precursors through the esoteric Mysteries. Burkert cleanly and succinctly addresses Greek ritual practices and provides accurate and enlighteningdefinitions of the mainstays of Greek religion - from temple (naos) to cult image (xaonon) to the gods themselves. Burkert's text is an invaluable resource no student of classical studies should be without.

While the market for Mythology is flooded by books describing Greek Myth (with many excellent versions), too many have been reduced to neo-pagan re-usage, forcing the myths onto a modern metaphor. All too often, books cut and paste the myths into a new age ideal that melts Taosism, Buddhism, American SHamanism into a nasty blend devoid of any of the specific flavorings of any of these rich traditions.Burkett's book doesn't d othis. If you want to know how the Ancient Greeks PRACTICED religion, this is a great book, filled with fantastic detail. Burkett is neither a Frazer/Campbell Synthesist, nor a true Levi-Strauss Structuralist. Like the latter group, he delves into the details, discussing how the individual greek cities and cults practiced their religion.By the time the book is complete, the reader has a crystal clear picture of the everyday spiritual life of an ancient greek citizen, from the archaic to the philosophical (even the the curses and phrases).More than that, the book gives a clear definition of what a Polytheistic system of beliefs is like. I definite part of any student of Greek History or General Mythology and Religion.

Solid and fascinating scholarship. Burkert offers detailed and informative entries on the development of ritual, taboo and the slow evolution of the deities from numinous abstractions to theistic personifications; for example, the entry on how Hermes developed from a pile of rocks to Messenger of The Gods was fascinating. There also a few mysteries as well, such as the puzzling evidence that some of the cults of Hercules may have involved transvestitism. Perhaps the definitive text for students of religion; scholarly and solid without pandering to the neo-pagan hoopla.

Finally, a book that doesn't just go over the main Greek gods and goddesses, list a few of the festivals and some myths, and stop there. This book goes into great depth about what Greek religion was /really/ like, and the motivations, beliefs, and psychology behind it. Relying on archaeological evidence as well as other sources, this book gives an in depth look at ancient Greek religion, even confronting the issue of human sacrifice. Extensive notes in the back further flesh out this fantastic book, providing hundreds of other avenues and sources to explore. The author even provides an index of Greek words if you want to look a term up straight from the original Greek instead of wondering how it's been translated into English so you can look it up in the regular index. The writing might be slightly dense in some areas, but this isn't a problem as the subject is so interesting and so much information is presented. A truly scholarly book.

Burkert is one of the foremost scholars on Greek Religion, and this book is a fantastic foundation for people of all levels of knowledge, from beginner to graduate student. He covers important concepts, such as organization, sacrifice, and the pantheon, as well as regional and chronological variations. His book _Ancient_Mystery_Cults_ is also fantastic! Both books are great places to start your research into this subject and are invaluable reference tools for those of us in graduate school.