1.

Record Nr.

UNISA996211849403316

Autore

Naiden F. S

Titolo

Smoke signals for the gods : ancient Greek sacrifice from the Archaic through Roman periods / / F.S. Naiden

Pubbl/distr/stampa

New York, : Oxford University Press, 2013

ISBN

0-19-023271-4

0-19-991641-1

Descrizione fisica

1 online resource (438 p.)

Disciplina

292.3/4

Soggetti

Animal sacrifice - Greece

Animal sacrifice - Rome

Greece Religion

Rome Religion

Lingua di pubblicazione

Inglese

Formato

Materiale a stampa

Livello bibliografico

Monografia

Note generali

Description based upon print version of record.

Nota di bibliografia

Includes bibliographical references and indexes.

Nota di contenuto

Invention of a ritual -- Venues and offerings -- Prayers and answers -- God says no -- Rules, rewards, and experts -- Markets and messes -- Detective story -- Demise of a ritual.

Sommario/riassunto

Animal sacrifice has been critical to the study of ancient Mediterranean religions since the 18th century. Two leading views on sacrifice have dominated the subject: the psychological approach of Walter Burkert and the sociological one by Jean-Pierre Vernant and Marcel Detienne. These two perspectives have argued that the main feature of sacrifice is allaying feelings of guilt at the slaughter of sacrificial animals. Naiden redresses the omission of these salient features to show that animal sacrifice is an attempt to make contact with a divine being, and that it is so important for the worshippers that it becomes subject to regulations of unequaled extent and complexity.