Dance and Ritual Play in Greek Religion (Ancient Society and History) - Softcover

Lonsdale, Prof Steven H. H.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0801867592 ISBN 13: 9780801867590

Publisher: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2001

Synopsis

In private and in public life, the ancient Greeks danced to express divine adoration and human festivity. They danced at feasts and choral competitions, at weddings and funerals, in observance of the cycles of both nature and human existence. Formal and informal dances marked the rhythms of life and death.

In Dance and Ritual Play in Greek Religion, Steven Lonsdale looks at how the Greeks themselves regarded the act of dance, and how dance and related forms of ritual play in Greek religious festivals served a wide variety of functions in Greek society. The act of worship, he explains, often implied engaging in collective rites regulated by playful behavior, the most common forms of which were group hymns and choral dances.

About this title

From the Publisher:

"This book offers a thorough and detailed review of the evidence for the function of dance to 'express divine adoration and human festivity in Greek culture.'"—New England Classical Newsletter and Journal

About the Author:

Stephen H. Lonsdale was educated at Harvard University and Cambridge Universities. He is the author of Animals and the Origins of Dance and Creatures of Speech: Lion, Herding, and Hunting Similies in the "Iliad".

About this edition

• Publisher: Johns Hopkins University Press
• Publication date: 2001
• ISBN 10: 0801867592
• ISBN 13: 9780801867590
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 384