Immerse Yourself in Ancient Greek Culture
Fiction
The behind-the-scenes life of the mythical Greek queen, based on the Oresteia, a trilogy of plays written by ancient Greek playwright Aeschylus. Brought to life with anecdotes of both luxurious palace life and ordinary citizens.
Received high praise from critics and readers.
Also by Miller: The Song of Achilles
In the house of Helios, god of the sun and mightiest of the Titans, a daughter is born. But Circe is a strange child — not powerful, like her father, nor viciously alluring like her mother. Turning to the world of mortals for companionship, she discovers that she does possess power — the power of witchcraft, which can transform rivals into monsters and menace the gods themselves.
Threatened, Zeus banishes her to a deserted island, where she hones her occult craft, tames wild beasts and crosses paths with many of the most famous figures in all of mythology, including the Minotaur, Daedalus and his doomed son Icarus, the murderous Medea, and, of course, wily Odysseus.
A page-turning novel that is also an exploration of the great philosophical concepts of Western thought, Sophie’s World has fired the imagination of readers all over the world, with more than twenty million copies in print.
It has been over 50 years since I read Renault’s series of books, yet I still remember liking them very much.
Nonfiction
Greek religion is filled with strange sexual artifacts – stories of mortal women’s couplings with gods; beliefs in the impregnating power of snakes and deities; the unusual birth stories of Pythagoras, Plato, and Alexander; and more. This provocative study suggests such details are remnants of an early Greek cult of divine birth. The author argues that many ancient Greeks believed non-ordinary conception was necessary to bring forth leaders, and that special cadres of virgin priestesses were dedicated to this practice. Her book has significant implications for the study of Christianity and other religions in which divine birth claims are central. The book’s stunning insights provide fascinating reading for those interested in female-inclusive approaches to ancient religion.
Definitive Study of Ancient Building Placement
Doxiadis is best known as an architect-planner, as something of a prophet whose outlook is focused on man’s worldwide future. But here, he looks back into the past, to the architectural roots of his native Greece.
He works out a theory that accounts for the seemingly unordered layout of the buildings in ancient Greek sacred precincts, proposing that the spatial relationships between the buildings were strictly determined according to a plan.
Doxiadis examines in detail nearly thirty sites, charts their layouts, and presents relevant linear and angular measurements. Numerous site plans and about forty halftones complement the text. The full references include many recent sources. The trim size of the book itself is proportioned by means of the golden section.