The Secret Sacred
Mystery Cults in Ancient Greece and Rome
Published on 15. September 2025
Book
Hardback
216 pages
978-1-83639-109-8 (ISBN)
Description
The Secret Sacred explores the hidden religious practices of the classical world. These cults, shrouded in secrecy, promised initiates a transformative afterlife. While many rituals remain mysterious, artworks and historical texts provide glimpses of their underlying beliefs.
The book examines Greco-Roman religious traditions and their divergence into mystery cults, including Bacchic ceremonies depicted in frescoes, Orphic gold tablets guiding souls in the underworld and the Eleusinian Mysteries celebrating Demeter and Persephone's cycle of rebirth. Eastern deities like Mithras, Isis and Cybele also feature in the cults discussed. The possible influence of mystery religions on early Christianity is also explored, drawing parallels with modern-day beliefs. Featuring the most recent archaeological discoveries and stunning museum artefacts, this is a lively account of the concealed faiths of the ancient world.
The book examines Greco-Roman religious traditions and their divergence into mystery cults, including Bacchic ceremonies depicted in frescoes, Orphic gold tablets guiding souls in the underworld and the Eleusinian Mysteries celebrating Demeter and Persephone's cycle of rebirth. Eastern deities like Mithras, Isis and Cybele also feature in the cults discussed. The possible influence of mystery religions on early Christianity is also explored, drawing parallels with modern-day beliefs. Featuring the most recent archaeological discoveries and stunning museum artefacts, this is a lively account of the concealed faiths of the ancient world.
Reviews / Votes
A fresh, wide-ranging, and accessible account of one of the most fascinating and under-studied aspects of Greco-Roman religion, drawing on both literary and material evidence. Richly illustrated and thoroughly up to date, this engaging study offers readers a compelling glimpse beyond the well-known aspects of official Greek and Roman religion, revealing a more personal dimension of how the ancient Greeks and Romans encountered the supernatural. * Julia Kindt, Professor of Ancient History, The University of Sydney, and author of The Trojan Horse and Other Stories * In this clearly written, well-illustrated and engaging book, Damien Stone pulls together hints in ancient texts, imagery, and archaeological remains to give insight into one of the more intriguing aspects of life in the Greco-Roman past, the "mystery cults" whose practices and teaching were known only to the initiates. * Margaret C. Miller, Emerita Professor of Classical Archaeology, The University of Sydney *More details
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Illustrations
69 illustrations
Dimensions
Height: 146 mm
Width: 224 mm
Thickness: 24 mm
Weight
396 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-83639-109-8 (9781836391098)
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Schweitzer Classification
Person
Damien Stone is an archaeologist who lives in Sydney, Australia. His books include The Hittites: Lost Civilizations (Reaktion Books, 2023).