Pindar and the Cult of Heroes

by Bruno Currie

Pindar and the Cult of Heroes combines a study of Greek culture and religion (hero cult) with a literary-critical study of Pindar's epinician poetry. It looks at hero cult generally, but focuses especially on heroization in the 5th century BC. There are individual chapters on the heroization of war dead, of athletes, and on the religious treatment of the living in the 5th century. Hero cult, Bruno Currie argues, could be anticipated, in different ways, in a person's lifetime. Epinician poetry too should be interpreted in the light of this cultural context; fundamentally, this genre explores the patron's religious status. The book features extensive studies of Pindar's Pythians 2, 3, 5, Isthmian 7, and Nemean 7.

Genres: Nonfiction

504 pages, Paperback

First published August 1, 2005

Reviews

[Mariana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Amazing for researching on Pindar... but this guy REALLY needs to reread The Iliad again...