The Cosmos in Ancient Greek Religious Experience: Sacred Space, Memory, and Cognition (Hardcover) (ISBN-13: 9781108488174)

In this book, Efrosyni Boutsikas examines ancient Greek religious performances, intricately orchestrated displays comprising topography, architecture, space, cult, and myth. These various elements were unified in a way that integrated the body within cosmic space and made the sacred extraordinary. Boutsikas also explores how natural light or the night-sky may have assisted in intensifying the experience of these rituals, and how they may have determined ancient perceptions of the cosmos. The author's digital and virtual reconstructions of ancient skyscapes and religious structures during such occurrences unveil a deeper understanding of the importance of time and place in religious experience. Boutsikas shows how they shaped emotions, cosmological beliefs, and ritual memory of the participants. Her study revolutionises our understanding on ancient emotionality and cognitive experience, demonstrating how Greek religious spaces were vibrant arenas of a shared experience of the cosmos.

Author: Efrosyni Boutsikas
ISBN-10: 110848817X
ISBN-13: 9781108488174
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Language: English
Published: 10/29/2020
Pages: 278
Format: Hardcover
Weight: 1.60lbs
Size: 10.10h x 7.70w x 0.70d