The Secret Sacred : Mystery Cults in Ancient Greece and Rome

by: Stone, D.

The secret sacred : mystery cults in ancient Greece and Rome

Author:Damien Stone

With numerous images of artifacts, an illuminating investigationof the clandestine cults of the ancient world. 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 historicaltexts 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. Easterndeities 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 artifacts, this is a lively account of the concealed faiths of the ancient world.

216 pages : illustrations ; 22 cm

Subjects:
Cultes Grèce
Cultes Rome
Cults
Cults Greece
Cults Rome
Greece
Greece Religion
Grèce Religion
Mysteries, Religious
Mystères religieux
Rome
Rome Religion

Divine Egypt

by: Craig Patch, D. Hainline, B.

• ISBN-13: 9781588398048 / 978-1-58839-804-8
• ISBN-03: 1588398048 / 1-58839-804-8
• The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, 2025

The Secret Sacred : Mystery Cults in Ancient Greece and Rome

by: Stone, D.

• ISBN-13: 9781836391098 / 978-1-83639-109-8
• ISBN-03: 1836391099 / 1-83639-109-9
• Reaktion Books, London, 2025