Dionysos / Richard Seaford.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Seaford, Richard.

Series:

Gods and heroes of the ancient world

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Dionysus (Greek deity).

Dionysus.

Physical Description:

xii, 158 pages : illustrations ; 21 cm.

Place of Publication:

London ; New York : Routledge, 2006.

Summary:

Dionysos is our oldest living symbol. First mentioned in texts of the thirteenth century BC, he was for the ancient Greeks the divine embodiment of wine, of mystery cult, and of the theatre, and even today is valued as a symbol of something fundamental to being human. With the power of his epiphany Dionysos broke down the barriers of individual consciousness, he merged the individual into the group. He did it not only by wine, but also in the transformation of individuals in the theatre, and in the rehearsal of death in mystery-cult. In this way Dionysos could embody the whole community, but could also be a refined philosophical symbol.

He was the most serious rival to the spread of Christianity, by which he was not entirely eliminated: his resurgences in Renaissance Italy and nineteenth century Germany are described in the final chapter of this book. Dionysos, a groundbreaking survey of one of the most enduring of Greek gods, provides an exellent reference point for study and will also be of interest to readers in related disciplines.

Contents:

Introducing Dionysos

Nature

Communality

Epiphany

Mystery-cult

Death

Theatre

Psychology and philosophy

Christianity

After antiquity

Dionysos and money, then and now.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages [152]-[155]) and index.

ISBN:

0415324874

0415324882

0203358015

OCLC:

63297760

Publisher Number:

9780415324878

9780415324885

9780203358016

Online:

Publisher description