Religions of the Ancient World : A Guide (Harvard University Press Reference Library)

Rating:
Summary: a great guide to ancient Mediterranean religions
Review: The purpose of this book is to provide a student or layperson with a background to the religions of the ancient Mediterranean, emphasizing their influences on each other. It does a very good job, and is the only book of its kind that I know of. I recommend it--despite its considerable cost--to any student in this field, and very strongly to any interested layperson.

Imagine that for some reason one day you wonder about libation in Mesopotamian religion, or Hittite rites of passage, or Greek curses. If you want a brief summary of the known evidence and scholarly interpretation, this is the book you would go to. If you think you might someday find yourself wondering about the god Dagan, this book is yours.

The book is over 600 pages long, and although there is no reason for anyone to read it cover to cover, that would be possible and the organization favors it. (I'm trying to do that now.) The writing level is appropriate for college students or graduates, but jargon is rarely used, and well-explained. Each topic is covered briefly but thoroughly, hitting all the background points and giving a student a solid background for further study.

In the third part of the book are numerous black and white photos, their subjects consistently well chosen for their fame among scholars. I was pleased to find a picture of a Canaanite cult stand from Taanach that I'd only read about previously. There are perhaps 100 illustrations in all; with about 20 illustrations in color in the center of the book.

The first part of the book is a series of essays on various topics, each by well-known and highly respected scholars. At this time shoppers are unable to look inside the book to see the table of contents, so I will list the essays. The topics in the first part include:

"What is Ancient Mediterranean Religion" by Fritz Graf; "Montheism and Polytheism" by Jan Assman; "Ritual" by Jan Bremmer; "Myth" by Friz Graf; "Cosmology: Time and History" by John J. Collins; "Pollution, Sin, Atonement, Salvation" by Harold W. Attridge; "Law and Ethics" by Eckart Otto; "Mysteries" by Sarah Iles Johnston; "Religions in Contact" by John Scheid; "Writing and Religion" by Mary Beard; and "Magic" by Sarah Iles Johnston.

The second part of the book covers histories of the religions of various areas or peoples: Egypt by Jann Assman and David Frankfurter; Mesopotamia by Paul-Alain Beaulieu; Syria and Canaan by David P. Wright; Israel by John J. Collins; Anatolia: Hittites by David P. Wright; Iran by William Malandra and Michael Stausberg; Minoan and Mycenaean Civilzations by Nanno Marinatos; Greece by Jon Mikalson; Etruria by Olivier de Cazanove; Rome by John North; and Early Christianity by Harold Attridge.

The third part of the book resembles an encyclopedia, with contributors covering key topics in various regions. The key topics include Sacred Times and Spaces; Religious Personnel; Religious Organizations and Bodies; Sacrifice, Offerings, and Votives; Prayers, Hymns Incantations, and Curses; Divination and Prophecy; Deities and Demons; Religious Practices of the Individual and Family; Rites of Passage; Illnesses and Other Crises; Death, the Afterlife, and Other Last Things; Sin, Pollution, and Purity; Ethics and Law Codes; Theology, Theodicy, Philosophy; Religion and Politics; Controlling Religion; Myth and Sacred Narratives; Visual Representations; Sacred Texts and Canonicity; Esotericism and Mysticism.

And in case you actually read straight through, the book ends with an epilogue.

So that's it: a thorough scholarly introduction to every aspect of ancient Mediterranean religion. If that's what you want, I doubt you'll find a better book.

Rating:
Summary: NOT ancient world - near eastern world is more accurate
Review: This book is NOT about religions of the ancient world. Buddhism, Hinduism, Jainism, Taoism, Confuscianism, Shinto, Bon etc are not covered. If you are looking for a thorough examination of western religions from 3rd millineum BCE to 5 century CE then this is quite a book; however, as there is no treatment of half of the "civilized" world in this time frame then the book hardly can claim to treat religions of the ancient world. Apparently either India, China and environs had no ancient religions or they are not of this world -;)