Customer Reviews

Portrait of a Priestess: Women and Ritual in Ancient Greece

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Portrait of a Priestess: Women and Ritual in Ancient Greece is a book I'd recommend to scholars. It is well researched and well composed. However, the topic is also of interest to those who enjoy exploring the ancient world and a woman's place in it. Women's lives in this historical period are difficult to access but Connelly has done so in a way that is both useful to those who work in the field and accessible to those who have a general interest and curiosity about the women who acted in and acted out the roles of priestess. An impressive collection of images is of interest to both groups of readers. RD Anderson

The status of women in the ancient world has long been a controversial issue. The traditional view of male historians has been that it was always a male-dominated world. Some feminists have countered this with arguing, on rather fragile evidence, in favor of prehistoric matriarchy and mother goddesses and so forth. Ancient Greece, in particular, has always been a kind of blank screen on which thinkers project their own image of what it was like. Most of the written evidence has suggested that women in ancient Greece were subordinate and secluded. Against this has been the fact that some powerful Greek gods were female and served by female priests. What these priestesses did,, and what their place was in society, has been somewhat mysterious because what we got from the historians and poets and playwrights was scanty. Connelly supplements this by a careful and scholarly (perhaps too scholarly for the general reader) examination of epigraphs and images.
The text is pretty hard going for the non-specialist but the pictures are great and it will make a handsome addition to a feminist coffee table although it will be a shame if it stays there. I think the large format is justified on more than esthetic grounds because Connolly's argument depends on her ability to bring to bear on the subject her abilities as an art historian and therefore adequate illustrations are needed. These are more than adequate; they are magnificent. It would be presumptuous to pronounce on the strength of her case without more expert knowledge than mine. No doubt other academics will be on the attack and it will be fun to see the fur fly in the Times Literary Supplement etc.
At the risk of quibbling I must break a lance in my ongoing battle against publishers who transcribe Greek inscriptions into lower case. Greek lower case was unknown before the Byzantines. I noticed that she does not mention the triple bronze serpent in the Hippodrome at Istanbul in her discussion of the Pythian oracle at Delphi. Is it authentic?

Wow! This is a substantial body of work! The author is articulate but not boring, a very difficult balance to achieve given the amount of material she is wrangling. Her hypothesis make sense and are well supported. The photography, graphics and composition are excellent. This is a book to savor, chapter by chapter. There is simply too much to digest quickly, especially since much of what is presented completely upsets long held paradigms. Kudos to Joan Breton Connelly for investing the time and effort to produce such a satisfying brain food banquet!

This is a fantastic book. I am a non-specialist and found it easy and understandable. The photographs are beautiful, and her understanding of the material complete. Having read the book, I feel like I have a much greater understanding of women's lives and the work of priestesses in the ancient world. This is a classic in the field and wonderful for both scholars and non-scholars alike.

Dr. Connelly has produced an outstanding piece of work on the subject matter. I highly recommend this easy to read and understand material. Many kudos are deserved. Simply put, an enjoyable read with a wealth of information.