Haunted Greece and Rome


Book Description

Stories of ghostly spirits who return to this world to warn of danger, to prophesy, to take revenge, to request proper burial, or to comfort the living fascinated people in ancient times just as they do today. In this innovative, interdisciplinary study, the author combines a modern folkloric perspective with literary analysis of ghost stories from classical antiquity to shed new light on the stories' folk roots. The author begins by examining ancient Greek and Roman beliefs about death and the departed and the various kinds of ghost stories which arose from these beliefs. She then focuses on the longer stories of Plautus, Pliny, and Lucian, which concern haunted houses. Her analysis illuminates the oral and literary transmission and adaptation of folkloric motifs and the development of the ghost story as a literary form. In her concluding chapter, the author also traces the influence of ancient ghost stories on modern ghost story writers, a topic that will interest all readers and scholars of tales of hauntings.




Magic, Witchcraft, and Ghosts in the Greek and Roman Worlds


Book Description

In a culture where the supernatural possessed an immediacy now strange to us, magic was of great importance both in the literary mythic tradition and in ritual practice. In this book, Daniel Ogden presents 300 texts in new translations, along with brief but explicit commentaries. Authors include the well known (Sophocles, Herodotus, Plato, Aristotle, Virgil, Pliny) and the less familiar, and extend across the whole of Graeco-Roman antiquity.




The Book of Greek and Roman Folktales, Legends, and Myths


Book Description

The first anthology to present the entire range of ancient Greek and Roman stories- from myths and fairy tales to jokes Captured centaurs and satyrs, talking animals, people who suddenly change sex, men who give birth, the temporarily insane and the permanently thick-witted, delicate sensualists, incompetent seers, a woman who remembers too much, a man who cannot laugh-these are just some of the colorful characters who feature in the unforgettable stories that ancient Greeks and Romans told in their daily lives. Together they created an incredibly rich body of popular oral stories that include, but range well beyond, mythology-from heroic legends, fairy tales, and fables to ghost stories, urban legends, and jokes.




Greek and Roman Ghost Stories


Book Description

"Lacy Collison-Morley's 'Greek and Roman Ghost Stories' delves deep into the supernatural realms of ancient civilizations, offering a captivating anthology of spectral encounters from antiquity. As one of the foremost authorities on classical literature, Collison-Morley meticulously curates a collection of haunting tales that transcend time and space. Drawing from a rich tapestry of Ancient Greek literature and Roman supernatural tales, this anthology transports readers to a world where myths and legends intertwine with the mysteries of the afterlife. Through classical mythology narratives and ancient ghost stories, readers are immersed in a realm of eerie encounters and otherworldly phenomena. With each story carefully selected and presented, Collison-Morley showcases the enduring allure of Greek and Roman folklore, offering insights into the supernatural beliefs and cultural practices of antiquity. From supernatural legends to mythological ghost stories, this anthology serves as a comprehensive exploration of the paranormal encounters that have fascinated and intrigued readers for centuries. As a classic literature classic and spectral encounters compilation, 'Greek and Roman Ghost Stories' is a must-read for anyone fascinated by the intersection of history, mythology, and the supernatural."




GREEK & ROMAN GHOST STORIES


Book Description

This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you will see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work. This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.




The Phantom Image


Book Description

Drawing from a rich corpus of art works, including sarcophagi, tomb paintings, and floor mosaics, Patrick R. Crowley investigates how something as insubstantial as a ghost could be made visible through the material grit of stone and paint. In this fresh and wide-ranging study, he uses the figure of the ghost to offer a new understanding of the status of the image in Roman art and visual culture. Tracing the shifting practices and debates in antiquity about the nature of vision and representation, Crowley shows how images of ghosts make visible structures of beholding and strategies of depiction. Yet the figure of the ghost simultaneously contributes to a broader conceptual history that accounts for how modalities of belief emerged and developed in antiquity. Neither illustrations of ancient beliefs in ghosts nor depictions of afterlife, these images show us something about the visual event of seeing itself. The Phantom Image offers essential insight into ancient art, visual culture, and the history of the image.




Greek and Roman Ghost Stories


Book Description

Explore the haunted history of the Greco-Roman world in this illustrated edition of Lacy Collison-Morley's classic introduction to Greek and Roman ghost stories.




Greek and Roman Folklore


Book Description

Presents an introduction to Greek and Roman folklore, providing general background information, descriptions of traditional forms and prominent themes, overviews of characters, and much more.




Salonica, City of Ghosts


Book Description

Salonica, located in northern Greece, was long a fascinating crossroads metropolis of different religions and ethnicities, where Egyptian merchants, Spanish Jews, Orthodox Greeks, Sufi dervishes, and Albanian brigands all rubbed shoulders. Tensions sometimes flared, but tolerance largely prevailed until the twentieth century when the Greek army marched in, Muslims were forced out, and the Nazis deported and killed the Jews. As the acclaimed historian Mark Mazower follows the city’s inhabitants through plague, invasion, famine, and the disastrous twentieth century, he resurrects a fascinating and vanished world.