Religion in the Ancient Mediterranean World
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Religion in the Ancient Mediterranean World
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Narrated by:
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Glenn S. Holland
About this listen
Step back to a time when the mysteries of the universe could seem overwhelming. Cycles of nature kept predictable time with the sun, the moon, and the stars, yet crops failed, disease struck, storms ravaged, and empires fell without warning. In the region surrounding the Mediterranean Sea, people responded to such tumult with a rich variety of religious beliefs.
From these beliefs, we get some of Western civilization's most powerful texts: the Mesopotamian Epic of Gilgamesh, the Hebrew Bible, the Greek epics of Homer, Ovid's Metamorphoses, and the New Testament, among many others. Composed largely of stories of human interaction with the divine, these narratives gave ordinary people a window into the unfathomable realm of the sacred.
Archaeological remains show that ancient peoples also responded with a complex array of religious rituals, and their temples, cultic statues, funerary goods, and household devotional items are among the world's greatest cultural treasures.
Using such textual and archaeological evidence, these 48 marvelous lectures explore the religious cultures of the ancient Mediterranean world, from the earliest indications of human religious practices during prehistoric times to the conversion of the Roman Empire to Christianity in the 4th century of the Common Era.
You'll discover the religious traditions of a wide range of civilizations, including the ancient kingdom of Egypt; ancient Mesopotamia; ancient Syria-Palestine, including Israel and Judah; Minoan civilization on the island of Crete and the successive civilizations of the Greek mainland; and the city of Rome, whose empire dominated the entire Mediterranean world at the end of the ancient era.
PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your Library section along with the audio.
©2005 The Teaching Company, LLC (P)2005 The Great CoursesListeners also enjoyed...
What listeners say about Religion in the Ancient Mediterranean World
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 01-10-18
Nice introduction
Interesting introduction to the topics of ancient Egyptian, Mesapotamian, Jewish, Greek, Roman and Christian religion. I liked that the lecturer emphasised some of the similarities between them, and seemed to take a fairly objective stance. He does come across as a little dry in delivery, but I eventually got used to it. This is anyway mostly made up for by his clear and logical style and structure. I found it to be an enjoyable and educational listen!
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Davide
- 07-07-14
Contextualised overview on religion and philosophy
If you could sum up Religion in the Ancient Mediterranean World in three words, what would they be?
Informative, fascinating, revealing.
What other book might you compare Religion in the Ancient Mediterranean World to, and why?
No idea, this was the first book I listened to in this genre.
Which scene did you most enjoy?
Placing religions in the ocntext of civilisations made the book very interetsing, ot me to understand things I had not really picked up on during my primary and secondary studies. The distinction between philosophy, religion and to some extent magic is also eligtening.
Did you have an emotional reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?
No, just made for interesting reading.
Any additional comments?
Hebrew religion could be looked into more shematically, but I suppose it is compòlicated and beyond the objective of this particular book; also, I would have been keen to find out osmething more about the Persian Empire's religion(s).
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 04-02-23
Interesting and quite insightful
Good overview of historical religions in the Mediterranean region
Nice to see all the connections and historical developments
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