Portrait of a Priestess : Women and Ritual in Ancient Greece

In this sumptuously illustrated book, Joan Breton Connelly gives us the first comprehensive cultural history of priestesses in the ancient Greek world. Connelly presents the fullest and most vivid picture yet of how priestesses lived and worked, from the most famous and sacred of them--the Delphic Oracle and the priestess of Athena Polias--to basket bearers and handmaidens. Along the way, she challenges long-held beliefs to show that priestesses played far more significant public roles in ancient Greece than previously acknowledged. Connelly builds this history through a pioneering examination of archaeological evidence in the broader context of literary sources, inscriptions, sculpture, and vase painting. Ranging from southern Italy to Asia Minor, and from the late Bronze Age to the fifth century A.D., she brings the priestesses to life--their social origins, how they progressed through many sacred roles on the path to priesthood, and even how they dressed. She sheds light on the rituals they performed, the political power they wielded, their systems of patronage and compensation, and how they were honored, including in death. Connelly shows that understanding the complexity of priestesses' lives requires us to look past the simple lines we draw today between public and private, sacred and secular. The remarkable picture that emerges reveals that women in religious office were not as secluded and marginalized as we have thought--that religious office was one arena in ancient Greece where women enjoyed privileges and authority comparable to that of men. Connelly concludes by examining women's roles in early Christianity, taking on the larger issue of the exclusion of women from the Christian priesthood. This paperback edition includes additional maps and a glossary for student use.

joan Connelly . . . Has Produced A Fascinating Book On The Central Role Of Priestesses In Ancient Greek Society. Her Survey Is Fully Documented And Beautifully Illustrated. One Cannot But Admire Her Enthusiasm For The Subject And Her Deft Handling Of The Evidence.--colin Austin, University Of Cambridge, Coeditor Of aristophanes Thesmophoriazusae

there Was A Great Need For A Book Of This Kind. Through Direct Observation Of Artifacts, The Author Offers Many Original Ideas, And Even Manages To Correct Some Long-held Erroneous Readings Of Ancient Texts. Her Emphasis On The Important Role Played By Some Women In Classical Antiquity Is A Welcome Corrective To The Stereotype Of The Subordinate Female In The Greek World. The Remarkably Wide-ranging Material Will Be Of Great Interest Not Only To Archaeologists But Also To Scholars In Various Fields.--brunilde S. Ridgway, Professor Emerita, Bryn Mawr College, Author Of prayers In Stone: Greek Architectural Sculpture (c. 600-100 B.c.e.)

this Is The First Full Presentation In English Or In Any Language Of The Female Priest In The Ancient Greek World. Connelly Adduces Evidence That Women All Over The Greek World Had, As Priestesses, Positions Of Great Public Influence In Their Communities. I Predict This Study Will Have A Wide Readership By General Classicists As Well As Those Interested In Ancient Religion, Ancient Society, And Women In Ancient Greece, Not To Mention By Art Historians. This Promises To Be A Landmark Study.--stephen V. Tracy, American School Of Classical Studies At Athens, Author Of athens And Macedon: Attic Letter-cutters Of 300 To 229 B.c.

there Has Long Been A Need For A Book Devoted To The Role Of The Priestess In Ancient Greece. After Reading Connelly, No One Could Fail To Be Persuaded That Priestesses Could Play An Important Role In Society Or That They Were Given Significant Honors. This Book Will Do Much To Improve And Extend Our Understanding Of The Role Of Greek Women Both In Religion And In Society.--mary Lefkowitz, Wellesley College, Author Of greek Gods, Human Lives: What We Can Learn From Myths

the New York Times - Steve Coates

these Are Just Some Of The Influential Women Visible Through The Cracks Of Conventional History In Joan Breton Connelly S Eye-opening portrait Of A Priestess: Women And Ritual In Ancient Greece. Her Portrait Is Not In Fact That Of An Individual Priestess, But Of A Formidable Class Of Women Scattered Over The Greek World And Across A Thousand Years Of History, Down To The Day In A.d. 393 When The Christian Emperor Theodosius Banned The Polytheistic Cults. It Is Remarkable, In This Age Of Gender Studies, That This Is The First Comprehensive Treatment Of The Subject, Especially Since, As Connelly Persuasively Argues, Religious Office Was, Exceptionally, An Arena In Which Greek Women Assumed Roles Equal ... To Those Of Men. Roman Society Could Make No Such Boast, Nor Can Ours.

Archaeologist Connelly gives us the first comprehensive cultural history of priestesses in the ancient Greek world. Connelly presents the fullest picture yet of how priestesses lived and worked, from the most famous and sacred of them--the Delphic Oracle and the priestess of Athena Polias--to basket bearers and handmaidens. Along the way, she challenges long-held beliefs to show that priestesses played far more significant public roles in ancient Greece than previously acknowledged. Connelly examines archaeological evidence in the broader context of literary sources, inscriptions, sculpture, and vase painting. The picture that emerges reveals that women in religious office were not as secluded and marginalized as we have thought--that religious office was one arena in ancient Greece where women enjoyed privileges and authority comparable to that of men. Connelly concludes by examining women's roles in early Christianity, taking on the larger issue of the exclusion of women from the Christian priesthood.--From publisher description Introduction : Time, Space, Source Material, And Methods -- Paths To Priesthood : Preparation, Requirements, And Acquisition -- Priesthoods Of Prominence : Athena Polias At Athens, Demeter And Kore At Eleusis, Hera At Argos, And Apollo At Delphi -- Dressing The Part : Costume, Attribute, And Mimesis -- The Priestess In The Sanctuary : Implements, Portraits, And Patronage -- The Priestess In Action : Procession, Sacrifice, And Benefaction -- Priestly Privilege : Perquisites, Honors, And Authority -- Death Of The Priestess : Grave Monuments, Epitaphs, And Public Burial -- The End Of The Line : The Coming Of Christianity -- Conclusions. Joan Breton Connelly. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 365-381) And Indexes. Gives us a comprehensive cultural history of priestesses in the ancient Greek world. This title presents a picture yet of how priestesses lived and worked, from the most famous and sacred of them - the Delphic Oracle and the priestess of Athena Polias - to basket bearers and handmaidens. At the end of the second century B.C., Athenian worshippers set out in procession, marching from Athens to the sanctuary of Apollo at Delphi to celebrate the Pythais festival. Through her synthesis of archaeological, epigraphic, and literary evidence, Joan Breton Connelly presents a cultural history of Greek priestesses.