A Handbook of Ancient Religions

Availability: In Stock. Ships from and sold by Boone Bridge Books.com.

Hardcover | Other formats

Description
A vivid, scholarly and eminently readable account of ancient religions from around the world.

Reviews

Descriptions, Reviews, Etc.

Library Journal (01/01/2007)
Hinnells (Oriental & African studies, Univ. of London; "The Zoroastrian Diaspora") has compiled a set of dryly factual articles by academics and researchers introducing the general reader to facets of ancient religion. Most chapters focus on a particular region or culture (e.g., Egypt, China, Aztec, and Incan civilization), with the exception of a more wide-ranging article on religion in the Paleolithic period. Some major geographical areas (e.g., Oceania, sub-Saharan Africa, North America) are not represented owing to a paucity of evidence surviving from ancient times. Common topics include rituals, magical practices, pantheons, conceptions of the afterlife, and the mutual implication of religion and politics. The contributors make a particular effort to highlight archaeological evidence as a way of overcoming the slanted perspective caused by a too-narrow attention to texts. Perhaps the most interesting feature is an overview of how presuppositions and biases influenced previous generations' interpretations of the religion in questionalthough the current volume may err in the opposite way by being merely informative. Recommended for academic and public libraries with deep pockets.Charles Seymour, Wayland Baptist Univ. Lib., Plainview, TX Copyright 2007 Reed Business Information.

ISBN: 0521847125 | EAN: 9780521847124
Publisher: Cambridge University Press  | Publication Date: January, 2007

Additional Information