Imagining the Afterlife in the Ancient World

This collection of essays, predominantly by up-and-coming scholars, speaks to the desideratum in scholarship for a wide-ranging view of the Classical afterlife. Its editor Juliette Harrisson has drawn on the work of an international group of scholars to produce a diverse selection of essays, which between them cover aspects of the period from Archaic Greece to late antiquity. Beginning with an editorial discussion of the interface between writing, practice and 'belief,' the book's four parts deal with material evidence from Greece; evidence from Etruria and provincial Rome; and literary and late antique approaches to afterlife belief and practice. This will be a useful collection for anyone wishing to grasp the parameters of the growing field of study of the Classical afterlife. - Emma Gee, University of St Andrew's, UK Its breadth is such that it will offer almost all readers entree to new issues, topics, and subject matter. We may hope that future researchers will follow up on the questions that its contributors raise about the imaginary realm of the afterlife and its permutations in the ancient world. - Bryn Mawr Classical Review These essays attend to many fascinating aspects of imagining the afterlife: the literary/material portrayals, the creators of the representations, the bereaved persons and the wider communal settings, inter alia; as such, it is strongly recommended for scholars of classics and ancient religion. - The Classical Journal The regional boundaries of the collection means that the title is something of a misnomer, for readers will not find contributions on ancient Egypt or Mesopotamia, for example. Although the selections are situated in classical studies and some contributions include linguistic discussions and other specialist material that will be alien to the non-classicist, Greek and Roman passages are translated and terms defined. Harrisson's introduction is also helpful in setting the stage for Classicists and non-Classicists alike. Readers from the study of religions, archaeology, history, and other disciplines will find much of interest in this collection. - Gregory Shushan, Reading Religion