Dionysos and Immortality

This booklet is part of the Ingersoll Lectures, presented on the topic of the evolution of ancient Greek religion over several centuries, transformed partly in response to changes in politics and social systems as Greece transformed from a largely agrarian and rural region to a powerful commercial center for the region. The effect upon conceptions of the afterlife, spirits, and immortality in general, changed drastically through time and created a philosophical backdrop to Christianity. The cult of Dionysos and the Orphic Mysteries are discussed in some depth here and the text contains a full series of notes explaining some of the references therein.