Volume ΙΙ - 1948

Author Category Volume Page Year Language Laourdas V. BOOK REVIEWS 2 187 - 192 1948 Greek Title Axel W. Persson, The Religion of Greece in Prehistoric Times ("Sather Classical Lectures" XVII), University of California Press, Berkeley and Los Angeles 1942 Summary PDF In his study of Greek religion in the prehistoric period, Axel Persson presents a synthetic analysis of Creto-Mycenean symbols and examines their continuation into Classical Antiquity. He examines the relationship of ancient religion to mythic tradition of the Classical period, depictions of the “vegetation cycle” connected to death and rebirth, their similarity to religious symbols of Near Eastern cultures, the survival of Creto-Mycenean themes in Classical religion, and the presence of the vegetation cycle in Scandinavian Bronze Age religion. Despite possible objections to certain parts of the argument, Persson’s work is a valuable contribution to the study of Minoan, Mycenean and Classical Greek culture.