The Oxford History Of The Classical World

often they are highly technical and imply that our beliefs are largely mistaken. (We are, for example, tempted to the belief tha ...

fundamental, independent of, and basic to, an explanation of the rest; and his views on this undergo change. In the Categories, ...

in the Poetics: poetry is 'more philosophic and of graver import' than history since it is not concerned with mere brute facts. ...

find it exciting but it is too difficult to have wider appeal. Plato writes about the soul in a way that is lofty and inspiring, ...

Greek Religion (By Robert Parker) Gods and Men Greek religion belongs to the class of ancient polytheisms: one can in very gen ...

Athena Shakes Hands With Hera. The goddesses symbolize the states of Athens and Samos. The relief crowns an inscription which re ...

Even historical individuals who displayed outstanding powers-warriors, athletes, founders of colonies-could become heroes. Above ...

of heaven. Similarities, not of name, but of attribute, suggest the Indo-European origin of certain lesser figures, Sun, Dawn, a ...

temple of Hera. The small buildings at the right are treasuries dedicated by Greek states, beside the tunnel leading to the stad ...

enforce his view. The seer knows, but the ruler decides. In life a layman could even challenge and defeat the experts on their o ...

But even these easy-going rulers insisted (Zeus in particular) on certain standards of behaviour without which life would have d ...

hunting catches, of spoils of war, and the like. In this case it was rather a meagre share, since they were given only the inedi ...

you will give.' In their prayers Greeks often alluded explicitly to this nexus of mutual benefit and obligation between man and ...

Religion and Society Economic historians have found that the modern notion of an autonomous 'economy' is inapplicable to ancient ...

The Oracle At Dodona. After Olympia Dodona was the principal shrine of Zeus, where he gave oracles through the rustling of leave ...

Divine Healing. A relief dedicated about 370 B.C. by Aeschmus to the hero healer Amphiaraus. The relief is in the form of a buil ...

of the archaic age defied assimilation. Late in the sixth century Pythagoras taught that souls migrated after death into other b ...

Dancing For Dionysus, on an Athenian cup by the painter Macron, of about 490B.C. The god is worshipped as a pillar, dressed, wit ...

A Herm From Siphnos, of the later sixth century B.C. Herms are stone pillars, topped with the head of the god Hermes and commonl ...

on his side. For their own Athena the Athenians clearly often felt a genuinely warm affection. Comic poets could even make good- ...