The Traveler's Key to Ancient Greece: A Guide to Sacred Places [Paperback]

Richard G. Geldard (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1, 2000

The Eleusian mysteries, the Sanctuary of Apollo, the Theatre of Dionysus, the labyrinths of Knossos, the Delphic oracle---the book leads us to such sacred sites in the ancient way of spiritual pilgrimage. "The gods have not totally vacated the holy places," says Richard Geldard. "Any 'vacating' has to do with our own lack of awareness." He brings to life the mythology that shaped the brilliance of Greek architecture and art, integrating rare historical material with the most recent archeological data. The result is a specialty guidebook comprehensive enough to be the only one you pack, with commentary on: Major and lesser sites of the palace and temple cultures; Greek drama, philosophy, art, and sculpture; Sacred geometry and architecture; Gallery collections in three major museums. Whether you're an armchair or actual traveler, Traveler's Key opens access to the fabled wisdom enjoyed by pilgrims of old and to the living mythology that still has power to transform lives.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Geldard, who has authored several volumes on Emersonian philosophy and whose doctorate from Stanford is a combined degree in Classics and Drama, has compiled a massive and comprehensive guide equipped with helpful maps, diagrams, and drawings to Greece's many archaeological sites. First, he provides a historical background of the area, dating back to the hunters and gatherers, and explains Greek religion, architecture, and mathematics. He then takes the reader to the various sites, dividing them into the palace cultures, the temple cultures, and the lesser place and temple sites, with detailed descriptions of such places as Knossos, Phaestos, Delphi, Olympia, and Athens. Any traveler with fewer than six months to explore could not begin to see all the sites Geldard has presented here, which is why the guidebook is ideal for librariesDpatrons can decide for themselves which sites to investigate further. Still, though its pages are packed with useful information, this guide is probably a bit too academic for the average tourist.DMelinda Stivers Leach, Precision Editorial Svcs., Wondervu, CO
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 338 pages
• Publisher: Quest Books (May 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0835607844
• ISBN-13: 978-0835607841
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 4.2 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #813,540 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Richard Geldard is a full-time writer and lecturer living in New York City and the Hudson Valley. He is married to the artist and writer Astrid Fitzgerald.

Before turning to writing he was an educator, teaching English and philosophy at both the secondary, undergraduate and graduate levels. Before turning to full-time writing, he was a member of the faculty at the Pacifica Graduate Institute in Carpenteria, California, where he taught the Greek Mystery Religions. Prior to that he taught Greek Philosophy and The Science of Mind at Yeshiva College in New York. Presently, Dr Geldard is a member of the faculty of the University of Philosophical Research in the Online Masters Degree Program. (see uprs.edu)

Geldard is a graduate of Bowdoin College, The Bread Loaf School of English at Middlebury College and Stanford University, where he earned his doctorate in Dramatic Literature and Classics in 1972. He has also studied at St. John's College, Oxford and was a Visiting Fellow at the American School of Classical Studies in Athens, Greece.

Geldard is the author of ten books, including studies of Ralph Waldo Emerson and Greek philosophy and culture. He is also a frequent lecturer. In June, 2003, and September, 2003, he was a featured speaker at Faneuil Hall in Boston as part of the Emerson Bicentennial Celebrations. In June, 2005, he was the Keynote speaker at the re-instatement of the Delphic Games in Delphi, Greece.


Geldard delivered the Annual Flora Levy Humanities Lecture at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette on October 14, 2009


Dr Geldard has a web presence at rgbooks.com

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Superbly written, flawlessly produced, highly recommended., August 3, 2000

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Traveler's Key to Ancient Greece: A Guide to Sacred Places (Paperback)

The Traveler's Key To Ancient Greece: A Guide To Sacred Places is the ideal guidebook for exploring sacred locations that once were home to the secret mysteries at Eleusis, the oracle at Delphi, the Labyrinths of Knossos, the vast theater and healing center at Epidauros, the perfect symmetry of the Parthenon, and more! This unique and very special travel guide offers informative and expert commentary on the Hellenic world's palace and temple cultures and sites; Greek drama, philosophy, art, and sculpture; sacred geometry and architecture; and gallery collections in three major museums. Whether you are an armchair explorer or plan to be an on-site visitor, The Traveler's Key To Ancient Greece is a compelling, informative, superbly written and flawlessly produced introduction to understanding as well as visiting these sacred sites of antiquity.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The best book to take with you to Greece, February 25, 2003

By 

Nina H. Ward "M-Editor101" (New Bern, NC USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Traveler's Key To Ancient Greece (Paperback)

If your intention in Greece is to explore the wonders of the ancients, this is the best book to take. Of the several books I had with me, it was the most complete, detailed, informative and enjoyable--it was the one I came to trust and refer to the most often. Small enough to stuff into a pocket, it allows you to sit at the sites and read while looking at the ruins. The facts and suppostions were generally supported by other sources, so being able to rely on its accuracy is another plus.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars MUCH More than a mere guide book...A True Guide Book..., September 4, 2001

By 

A Customer - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Traveler's Key to Ancient Greece: A Guide to Sacred Places (Paperback)

This book is an excellent starting point for
anyone remotely interested in the ancient Greeks --
not merely the most famous ones of the 6th and
5th centuries B.C. Here interweave myth,
mystery, knowledge, mysticism (Pythagorean and
Orphic introductions), plus excellent explanations
of attributes and psychological aspects related
to the gods.
[here is a section from the "Introduction"]
Each site has its "myth," a term which means
a story of the life of a place, human being, or
god. All myths have meaning, and the task has
been to translate the myth into the myth-language
of our own era. For the most part, the language
of our mythology is the language of psychology.
And of course there are several styles of
psychological language: Jungian, Freudian, Adlerian,
and so on. In this case, the language goes back
to Plato and has been brought to the present
idiom through the work of Paul Diel, the late
Austrian psychologist.
Plato, the great voice of the journey of the
human soul, was the first Western writer to speak
of the idea of spiritual development, the idea
that a human being might lead his life in such a
way as to AWAKEN [my caps] within himself the
divine life. The possibility of such a discovery
makes Plato's works a psychology, or a study of
human behavior in the physical, intellectual,
and spiritual sense. Plato was indebted to the
voices of his own culture and his predecessors in
philosophy, both Eastern and Western [Orpheus;
Pythagoras]. These fragments from the past form
a living mythology which still has power to
transform lives. -- Richard G. Geldard.
*The Traveler's Key to Ancient Greece.* (1989).
* * * * * * * * *