A cabinet of Greek curiosities : strange tales and surprising facts from the cradle of western civilization / J.C. McKeown.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

McKeown, J. C.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Classical antiquities.

Greece--Social life and customs.

Greece.

Greece--Civilization.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (304 pages ) illustrations

Place of Publication:

Oxford, UK : Oxford University Press, c2013.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

Like its whimsical predecessor, A Cabinet of Greek Curiosities collects an assortment of peculiar facts and amusing anecdotes from the culture of Ancient Greece. The ancient Greeks were a wonderful people. They gave us democracy, drama, and philosophy, and many forms of art and branches of science would be inconceivable without them. And yet they were capable of the most outlandish behavior, preposterous beliefs, and ludicrous opinions.Nearly everything in this book illustrates the not-quite-so wonderful aspects of Greek life and thought. Like its companion volume, A Cabinet of Roman Curiosities, this is an amusing and serendipitous miscellany of odd stories and facts, culled from a lifetime of teaching. In some ways, the book hopes to show how much the Greeks were like us. Politicians were regarded as shallow and self-serving. Fat people resorted to implausible methods of weight control. Even Socrates and the kingof Sparta used to entertain their children by riding around on a stick pretending it was a horse. Of course, their differences from us are abundantly documented, too-and the book may leave readers with a few incredulous questions. To ward off evil, were scapegoats thrown down from cliffs, fitted out withfeathers and live birds to give them a chance of survival? Did a werewolf really win the boxing event at the Olympic Games? Were prisoners released on bail so that they could enjoy dramatic festivals? Did Greeks wear an amulet, to promote virility, the penis of a lizard caught while mating? Did anyone really believe that Pythagoras flew about on a magic arrow? Other such mysteries abound in this wonderfully illustrated and charming journey into the "glory that was Greece."

Contents:

Food and drink

Children and education

Women

Sex

Animals

Athens

Sparta

Alexander the Great

Greeks at sea

Greeks and barbarians

Athletics

Homer

Drama

Spectators and critics

Books and papyri

Philosophers

Mathematics

Science and technology

Art

Tourists and tourist attractions

Religion, superstition, and magic

Prophecy

Words and expressions

The soros.

Notes:

Bibliographic Level Mode of Issuance: Monograph

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Description based on metadata supplied by the publisher and other sources.

ISBN:

0-19-998212-0

1-299-45686-3

0-19-998211-2

OCLC:

839686764