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Festivals and Legends : The Formation of Greek Cities in the Light of Public Ritual

by: Robertson, N.

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Category: Mythology / Ancient Religion
Code: 8184
ISBN-13: 9780802059888 / 978-0-8020-5988-8
ISBN-10: 0802059880 / 0-8020-5988-0
Publisher: University of Toronto Press
Publication Date: 1996
Publication Place: Toronto
Binding: Cloth
Pages: 287
Book Condition: New
Comments: First Published 1992, Phoenix Supplementary Volume XXXI

War was a constant activity, almost a staple livelihood, in the cities of ancient Greece, and many public festivals served to promote and celebrate war. They entailed reunions of the whole community, often at the new year, for enrolling citizens or conducting games. Noel Robertson focuses on such festivals in Athens, Aprta, Argos, and two smaller centres, in order to reconstruct the social conditions reflected in the festival programs and settings.

He begins with a close analysis of the extant evidence, bringing together for the first time the many small, scattered indications in familiar sources. He uses in addition new epigraphic and archaeological evidence which has recently come to light at Athens.

Since ritual is by definition unchanging, public festivals can disclose earlier stages of social organization. Robertson also shows how the festivals gave rise, by way of aetiology (explanatory tales or legends), to some persistent misconceptions about the past.

 
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Festivals and Legends : The Formation of Greek Cities in the Light of Public Ritual

by: Robertson, N.

  • ISBN-13: 9780802059888 / 978-0-8020-5988-8
  • ISBN-03: 0802059880 / 0-8020-5988-0
  • University of Toronto Press, Toronto, 1996

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