"e;Greek Religion . . . already has the standing of a classic, and the publication of an English version, which incorporates new material and is in effect a second edition, demands a toast . . . Anyone who pretends to survey Greek religion must be phenomenally learned. Burkert is. His book is a marvel of professional scholarship."e; London Review of Books "e;This book has established itself as a masterpiece, packed with learning but also rich in ideas and connections of every sort. Its appearance in a good English translation is an event not only for Hellenists but for all those interested in the study of religion . . . nobody else could have produced an account of the subject of comparable range and power. This will be the best history of Greek religion for this generation."e; New York Review of Books Cover illustration: detail from an Attic vase, 450 B.C., showing a victory sacrifice (The Mansell Collection).

"Greek Religion . . . already has the standing of a classic, and the publication of an English version, which incorporates new material and is in effect a second edition, demands a toast . . . Anyone who pretends to survey Greek religion must be phenomenally learned. Burkert is. His book is a marvel of professional scholarship." London Review of Books"This book has established itself as a masterpiece, packed with learning but also rich in ideas and connections of every sort. Its appearance in a good English translation is an event not only for Hellenists but for all those interested in the study of religion . . . nobody else could have produced an account of the subject of comparable range and power. This will be the best history of Greek religion for this generation." New York Review of BooksCover illustration: detail from an Attic vase, 450 B.C., showing a victory sacrifice (The Mansell Collection).

Introduction.A Survey of Scholarship.The Sources.The Scope of the Study.Part I: Prehistory and the Minoan-Mycenaean Age.2. The Neolithic and Early Bronze Age.3. Indo-European.4. The Minoan-Mycenaean Religion.5. The Dark Ages and the Problem of Continuity.Part II: Ritual and Sanctuary.6. 'Working Sacred Things: Animal Sacrifice.7. Gift Offerings and Libation.8. Prayer.9. Purification.10. The Sanctuary.11. Priests.12. The Festival.13. Ecstasy and Divination.Part III: The Gods.14. The Spell of Homer.15. Individual Gods.16. The Remainder of the Pantheon.17. The Special Character of Greek Anthropomorphism.Part IV: The Dead, Heroes, and Chthonic Gods.18. Burial and the Cult of the Dead.19. Afterlife Mythology.20. Olympian and Chthonic.21. The Heroes.22. Figures Who Cross the Chthonic-Olympian Boundary.Part V: Polis and Polytheism.23. Thought Patterns in Greek Polytheism.24. The Rhythm of the Festivals.25. Social Functions of Cult.26. Piety in the Mirror of Greek Language.Part VI: Mysteries and Asceticism.27. Mystery Sanctuaries.28. Bacchica and Orphica.29. Bios.Part VII: Philosophical Religion.30. The New Foundation: Being and the Divine.31. The Crisis: Sophists and Atheists.32. The Deliverance: Cosmic Religion and Metaphysics.33. Philosophical Religion and Polis Religion: Plato's Laws.Notes.Bibliography.Index of Greek Words.Index.