New Heroes in Antiquity: From Achilles to Antinoos (Hardcover) (ISBN-13: 9780674035867)

Heroes and heroines in antiquity inhabited a space somewhere between gods and humans. In this detailed, yet brilliantly wide-ranging analysis, Christopher Jones starts from literary heroes such as Achilles and moves to the historical record of those exceptional men and women who were worshiped after death. He asks why and how mortals were heroized, and what exactly becoming a hero entailed in terms of religious action and belief. He proves that the growing popularity of heroizing the dead--fallen warriors, family members, magnanimous citizens--represents not a decline from earlier practice but an adaptation to new contexts and modes of thought. The most famous example of this process is Hadrian's beloved, Antinoos, who can now be located within an ancient tradition of heroizing extraordinary youths who died prematurely. This book, wholly new and beautifully written, rescues the hero from literary metaphor and vividly restores heroism to the reality of ancient life.

Author: Christopher P. Jones
ISBN-10: 0674035860
ISBN-13: 9780674035867
Publisher: Harvard University Press
Language: English
Published: 01/01/2010
Pages: 144
Format: Hardcover
Weight: 0.65lbs
Size: 8.30h x 5.60w x 0.60d

Review Citation(s):
Chronicle of Higher Education 12/11/2009 pg. 20
Reference and Research Bk News 05/01/2010 pg. 18