Chaos, Cosmos and Creation in Early Greek Theogonies: An Ontological Exploration (Classical Literature and Society)

Etymologizing Chaos and the search for order Cosmos and chaos in ancient cosmologies Th e ontology of chaos Rethinking the opening of Hesiod's Th eogony Ouranos and Kronos or how not to rule the cosmos Zeus, Oedipus and the King of Fiji Making a cosmos out of chaos Conclusion 2 Beyond the Golden Age: Sacrifi ce, Sharing and Affi nity in Hesiod's Mekone Hesiod and human origins Hesiod and ὁμόθεν Affi nity, consanguinity and the shared table of gods and men Sacrifi ce between sharing and separation Th e shared feast at Mekone Conclusion: Sacrifi ce and cosmology 3 Orpheus and the Reinvention of the Cosmos Orpheus amid the poets and philosophers Reconstructing the beginning of the Derveni Th eogony Protogonos and the early gods in the Derveni Th eogony Zeus fi rst, middle and last Recreating the cosmos Conclusion Contents v vi Contents 4 Dionysus Dismembered Early Orphism and circumstantial evidence Making sense of murder Body and soul in early Orphism From soul to sacrifi ce Appropriate off erings to the gods Conclusion: Sacrifi ce as the pivot of the world Conclusion: Protagoras and Greek Naturalism Naturalism and sophistic thought Protagoras' legacy Living in Protagoras' world Appendix: Some Key Orphic Texts Notes Bibliography Index Locorum General Index From the beginning of my PhD to the completion of this book, I have benefi ted from the help of countless friends, family members and colleagues. It is unlikely that this book would have seen the light of day without the eternal patience and support of my PhD supervisor, Dr Ashley Clements. I fi rst met Ashley during my studies as an MPhil student in Trinity and was immediately impressed by his combination of classical and anthropological acumen. During my time as an MPhil and PhD student, I have had the pleasure of attending multiple classes under his guidance and have learned a great deal from his wide-ranging theoretical and linguistic knowledge. Alongside Ashley, I must thank the Irish Research Council for funding my doctoral research and the Trinity College Classics department and in particular Dr Shane Wallace and Dr Martine Cuypers for allowing me to sit in on their reading modules. Th is certainly made learning Greek a great deal more fun. Further, thanks are also due to Dr Christine Morris and Dr Shaul Tor for their astute and constructive criticism during my viva and countless referral letters thereaft er. During the course of my research, I have also benefi ted immensely from presenting and discussing my ideas at conferences. In particular, I would like to thank the organizers and participants of the Prometheus Trust conference on 'Immortality' for providing an opportunity to discuss my ideas on Hesiod and Empedocles, and Dr William Matthews for his organization of an interdisciplinary conference on divination hosted by the London School of Economics. I have also benefi ted from the weekly reading groups at the Trinity Plato Centre and off er thanks to Professor John Dillon, Dr Vasilis Politis and everyone else involved. I doubt that I would have discovered the riches of Plato's Cratylus without this group. I must also extend my warmest thanks to the staff and researchers at the Long Room Hub and especially Professor Jane Ohlmeyer and Dr Caitriona Curtis. Th e reading groups and weekly coff ee mornings provided a welcome chance to discuss ideas in an interdisciplinary environment. During the writing of this book, I have been fortunate enough to teach in Cover Halftitle page Series page Title page Copyright page Contents Acknowledgements Abbreviations INTRODUCTION Myth, Philosophy and Ontological Pluralism Between myth and philosophy Ontologies and theogonies Summary overview 1 Cosmos and Chaos in Hesiod’s Theogony Etymologizing Chaos and the search for order Cosmos and chaos in ancient cosmologies The ontology of chaos Rethinking the opening of Hesiod’s Theogony Ouranos and Kronos or how not to rule the cosmos Zeus, Oedipus and the King of Fiji Making a cosmos out of chaos Conclusion 2 Beyond the Golden Age: Sacrifice, Sharing and Affinity in Hesiod’s Mekone Hesiod and human origins Hesiod and ὁμόθεν Affinity, consanguinity and the shared table of gods and men Sacrifice between sharing and separation The shared feast at Mekone Conclusion: Sacrifice and cosmology 3 Orpheus and the Reinvention of the Cosmos Orpheus amid the poets and philosophers Reconstructing the beginning of the Derveni Theogony Protogonos and the early gods in the Derveni Theogony Zeus first, middle and last Recreating the cosmos Conclusion 4 Dionysus Dismembered Early Orphism and circumstantial evidence Making sense of murder Body and soul in early Orphism From soul to sacrifice Appropriate offerings to the gods Conclusion: Sacrifice as the pivot of the world CONCLUSION Protagoras and Greek Naturalism Naturalism and sophistic thought Protagoras’ legacy Living in Protagoras’ world Appendix: Some Key Orphic Texts Notes Bibliography Index Locorum General Index "Cosmological narratives like the creation story in the book of Genesis or the modern Big Bang are popularly understood to be descriptions of how the universe was created. However, cosmologies also say a great deal more. Indeed, the majority of cosmologies, ancient and modern, explore not simply how the world was made but how humans relate to their surrounding environment and the often thin line which separates humans from gods and animals. Combining approaches from classical studies, anthropology, and philosophy, this book studies three competing cosmologies of the early Greek world: Hesiod's Theogony; the Orphic Derveni theogony; and Protagoras' creation myth in Plato's eponymous dialogue. Although all three cosmologies are part of a single mythic tradition and feature a number of similar events and characters, Olaf Almqvist argues they offer very different answers to an ongoing debate on what it is to be human. Engaging closely with the ontological turn in anthropology and in particular with the work of Philippe Descola, this book outlines three key sets of ontological assumptions - analogism, pantheism, and naturalism - found in early Greek literature and explores how these competing ontological assumptions result in contrasting attitudes to rituals such as prayer and sacrifice"-- Provided by publisher Acknowledgments -- Abbreviations -- 1. Introduction: Myth, Philosophy, and Ontological Pluralism -- 2. Cosmos and Chaos in Hesiod's Theogony -- 3. Beyond the Golden Age: Sacrifice, Sharing, and Affinity in Hesiod's Mekone -- 4. Orpheus and the Reinvention of the Cosmos -- 5. Dionysus Dismembered -- 6. Conclusion: Protagoras and Greek Naturalism -- Appendix: Some Key Orphic Texts -- Notes -- Bibliography -- Index