Parallels: Mesoamerican and Ancient Middle Eastern Traditions a Tradition Review

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(More customer reviews)Diane Wirth has collected an impressive number of cultural parallels between the Old World (Near East) and the New World (Mesoamerica). She presents a large number of examples that show bearded figures in the early cultures of Mesoamerica which have usually been considered as beardless. These examples parallel Near Eastern cultural and physical features. She shows a close parallel between the characteristics of the Egyptian god Osiris and the Maya Maize god. She draws parallels in creation and renewal beliefs as well as in birth and resurrection as revealed in the iconography. She demonstrates how the World Tree (Tree of Life) is common to both Near Eastern and Mesoamerican beliefs. She reveals the similarities between the Egyptian and Mayan scribal traditions. Both hieroglyphic writing systems were highly developed and both used logograms, syllabic signs and determinative markers that aided in determining the meaning of ambigious glyphs. She uses the glyphs and the icons from works of art and sculpture to explain the complexity of these parallels. Diane is very qualified to do this kind of comparison. She has studied these things for many years and has been a student of many of the leading Mesoamerican scholars. I recommend this book to anyone interested in furthering their knowledge of the diffusion of culture from the Old World to the New. There are many excellent references cited that can lead one to a more comprehensive understanding of these two cultural areas.

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Invoke the Goddess; Visualizations of Hindu, Greek, and Egyptian Deities Review

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(More customer reviews)The strength of this book lies in the ritual baths and goddess meditations. While I thought the meditations were a bit too structured and guided, I appreciated the creativity behind them. It did surprise me, however, that the suggestion was placed where a goddess may refuse you during the meditation. I think planting that idea in someone's head is defeating the purpose of the working. It would have been better to say "how does the goddess respond to you" instead of going into the meditation worry if the goddess is going to refuse you. Also, there was little mention of thanking that goddess for her gifts/audience.
I thought the weakness of the book was in the Mundane Archetypes. For the most part, it gave the impression that the goddess are petty and the information did not necessarily follow the mythology presented earlier in the chapter - especially for Artemis (orgies?!). The book "Goddesses in Everywoman" by Jean Shinoda Bolen is a much better resources for this type of information. I think the author would have been better served to leave out these sections and maybe focussed more on the Tarot aspects.
I would recommend this book for the ritual baths and meditations (with less structure). I would not turn to it as a resource for goddess information. However, I was inspired to check out the author's bibliography to see where she got her background information.

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Religion in the Roman Empire (Blackwell Ancient Religions) Review

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(More customer reviews)This fascinating, well-written book provides a clear, and at times lively, introduction/overview of religion in the Roman Empire from Caesar to Constantine. James Rives walks the reader through the variety of beliefs/worship practices from North Africa to Britain, explores the ways in which local deities and practices travelled through the empire and how Roman deities were thought to interact with them, explains the differences among practice, myth, belief and art, and considers Roman imperial attitudes toward the multiplicity of religions under its rule. He does such a smooth job of organizing that it feels as if the information naturally falls into the categories he provides, and while this certainly isn't pop history it is very clearly written, with no jargon, and with interesting details and accounts of people's interactions with their gods/goddesses/lares/sacred sites. He concludes with an account of early Christianity that is remarkably unbiased--this is not a triumphal narrative of the rise of monotheism by any means--and he leaves the reader to consider what was lost, and what has been misunderstood, about a world where caves, groves and rivers were places where anyone could pause and talk to the sacred without intermediary. He also provides an excellent glossary of assorted deities and a very complete bibliography, as well as annotated bib. notes at the end of each chapter for further reading. I'd recommend this to anyone with an interest in the subject; as said, it's not a pop history, but certainly accessible to the educated lay reader (it reminded me a bit of Reuther's Goddesses and the Divine Feminine in terms of readibility/historically informed assessment of non-monotheist religion, and might appeal to anyone who enjoyed that book).

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Women in Ancient Egypt Review

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(More customer reviews)This is a very detailed book that I found invaluable when doing a research task on Women in New Kingdom Egypt. The information is organised into the Old, Middle and New Kingdom periods, and is backed up with numerous pictures and references to tombs.

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An idealised version of women appears everywhere in the art of ancient Egypt, but the true nature of these women's lives has long remained hidden. Robins' book, gracefully written and copiously illustrated, cuts through the obscurity of the ages to show us what the archaeological riches of Egypt really say about how these women lived, both in the public eye and within the family.

The art and written records of the time present a fascinating puzzle. But how often has the evidence been interpreted, consciously or otherwise, from a male viewpoint? Robins conducts us through these sources with an archaeologist's relish, stripping away layer after interpretive layer to expose the reality beneath. Here we see the everyday lives of women in the economic, legal, or domestic sphere, from the Early Dynastic Period almost 5,000 years ago to the conquest of Alexander in 332 B.C. Within this kingdom ruled and run by men, women could still wield influence indirectly—and in some cases directly, when a woman took the position of king. The exceptional few who assumed real power appear here in colorful detail, alongside their more traditional counterparts. Robins examines the queens' reputed divinity and takes a frank look at the practice of incest within Egypt's dynasties. She shows us the special role of women in religious rites and offices, and assesses their depiction in Egyptian art as it portrays their position in society.

By drawing women back into the picture we have of ancient Egypt, this book opens a whole new perspective on one of world history's most exotic and familiar cultures.

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The Intrepid Wanderer's Guide to Ancient Egyptian Goddesses Review

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(More customer reviews)Great book for those who like ancient Egypt and mythical characters. In this case: goddesses and cohorts. The book is loaded with information beyond the usual surface coverage. Scholarly but popular, witty. Nice mix. Goddesses are each profiled in "biographies". Maps, very good illustrations, photographs, etc. Attention to detail makes this book stand out, I'd say. Myths are covered, where the temples were found, how each goddess became important, their highs, their lows. Isis, Hathor, Nut, Wadjet, all the usual suspects. I really liked the survey of cult towns. Very unique. There should've been an index, though. An index would've been helpful because the author covers a lot of ground. But it's more an alphabetical reference guide with lots of fascinating extras, so not a huge quibble. A welcome addition to my library of the ancient world and mythology. Quite recommended.

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