Civic Rites
Democracy and Religion in Ancient Athens
1st Edition
Published on 3. May 2010
296 pages
978-0-520-94548-7 (ISBN)
Description
Civic Rites explores the religious origins of Western democracy by examining the government of fifth-century BCE Athens in the larger context of ancient Greece and the eastern Mediterranean. Deftly combining history, politics, and religion to weave together stories of democracy's first leaders and critics, Nancy Evans gives readers a contemporary's perspective on Athenian society. She vividly depicts the physical environment and the ancestral rituals that nourished the people of the earliest democratic state, demonstrating how religious concerns were embedded in Athenian governmental processes. The book's lucid portrayals of the best-known Athenian festivals-honoring Athena, Demeter, and Dionysus-offer a balanced view of Athenian ritual and illustrate the range of such customs in fifth-century Athens.
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Person
Nancy Evans is Associate Professor of Classics at Wheaton College, Norton, Massachusetts.
Content
Contents
List of Illustrations
Preface
Introduction / The City of Pericles and Socrates
One / Cleisthenes: The Family Curse behind Athenian Democracy
Two / Athena: Religion and the Democratic Polis
Three / Pericles: Empire and War in the City of Athena
Four / Demeter: Civic Worship, Women's Rites, and the Eleusinian Mysteries
Five / Alcibiades: Politics, Religion, and the Cult of Personality
Six / Dionysus: Civic Rituals of Wine, Theater, and Transformation
Seven / Socrates: Impiety Trials in the Restored Democracy
Epilogue / The City after Socrates
Glossary of Terms
Suggested Further Readings by Chapter
Bibliography
Index
List of Illustrations
Preface
Introduction / The City of Pericles and Socrates
One / Cleisthenes: The Family Curse behind Athenian Democracy
Two / Athena: Religion and the Democratic Polis
Three / Pericles: Empire and War in the City of Athena
Four / Demeter: Civic Worship, Women's Rites, and the Eleusinian Mysteries
Five / Alcibiades: Politics, Religion, and the Cult of Personality
Six / Dionysus: Civic Rituals of Wine, Theater, and Transformation
Seven / Socrates: Impiety Trials in the Restored Democracy
Epilogue / The City after Socrates
Glossary of Terms
Suggested Further Readings by Chapter
Bibliography
Index
