Anteprima

(PHIL2204) -  Charis Tabakis

Descrizione del Corso

The purpose of this course is to examine the relationship between the human and the supernatural or divine elements in ancient Greek society, from the earliest appearances of chthonic deities in both island and mainland Greece to the Classical period. In doing so, we aim to gain a more accurate understanding of ancient Greek religion and its evolutionary trajectory, as well as the progressive refinement of conceptions regarding divine entities.

The most significant development in the long history of religious life on Greek soil is the emergence, in the early centuries of the second pre-Christian millennium, of a belief in powerful chthonic deities ― severe by nature but willing to be appeased through acts of worship, thereby transforming into benevolent forces. This belief reached its zenith approximately a thousand years after its initial appearance, accompanied by a fervent devotion that granted a sense of blessedness to the pious and sanctified their existence. This achievement became a fundamental and enduring characteristic of early Greek religion, elevating it to an equal status among the other intellectual and spiritual creations of the Greek nation.

Our intention encompasses the inception and evolution of religious beliefs in Archaic and Classical Greece, through the investigation of the iconic relationship between humans and the divine realm. Starting from Homeric poetry, the teaching will go through didactic epic and theological poetic expressions, reaching the dramatic works of the classical period.
 When tragic and comic poetry apeared, new forms of expression of the human drama are invented and a new chapter in the course of civilization begins.

Creation Date

martedì 12 marzo 2024