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An Ancient Dream Manual Peter Thonemann (Forrest-Derow Fellow and Tutor in Ancient History, Forrest-Derow Fellow and Tutor in Ancient History, Wadham College, Oxford)

An Ancient Dream Manual By Peter Thonemann (Forrest-Derow Fellow and Tutor in Ancient History, Forrest-Derow Fellow and Tutor in Ancient History, Wadham College, Oxford)

Summary

Accompanying the new translation of Artemidorus' The Interpretation of Dreams in the Oxford World's Classics series, this volume aims to provide the non-specialist reader with a readable and engaging road-map to this vast and complex text and to the theory and practice of dream-interpretation in antiquity.

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An Ancient Dream Manual Summary

An Ancient Dream Manual: Artemidorus' The Interpretation of Dreams by Peter Thonemann (Forrest-Derow Fellow and Tutor in Ancient History, Forrest-Derow Fellow and Tutor in Ancient History, Wadham College, Oxford)

Artemidorus' Oneirocritica ('The Interpretation of Dreams') is the only dream-book which has been preserved from Graeco-Roman antiquity. Composed around AD 200, it comprises a treatise and manual on dreams, their classification, and the various analytical tools which should be applied to their interpretation, making Artemidorus both one of the earliest documented and arguably the single most important predecessor and precursor of Freud. Artemidorus travelled widely through Greece, Asia, and Italy to collect people's dreams and record their outcomes, in the process casting a vivid light on social mores and religious beliefs in the Severan age: this volume, published as a companion to the new translation of The Interpretation of Dreams by Martin Hammond in the Oxford World's Classics series, aims to provide the non-specialist reader with a readable and engaging road-map to this vast and complex text. It offers a detailed analysis of Artemidorus' theory of dreams and the social function of ancient dream-interpretation, while also aiming to foster an understanding of the ways in which Artemidorus might be of interest to the cultural or social historian of the Graeco-Roman world. Alongside chapters on Artemidorus' life, career, and world-view, it also provides valuable insights into his conceptions of the human body, sexuality, the natural world, and the gods; his attitudes towards Rome, the contemporary Greek polis, and the social order; and his knowledge of Greek literature, myth, and history. In addition, its accessible exploration of the differences and similarities between ancient traditions of dream-analysis and modern psychoanalytic approaches will make this volume of interest to anybody with an interest in the history of dreams and dream interpretation.

An Ancient Dream Manual Reviews

Concise and informative ... Thonemann entertainingly exploits the opening scene of Aristophanes' Wasps as a way of introducing and illustrating the practice of dream interpretation and the consultation of interpreters ... Thonemann goes to great lengths to situate Artemidorus in a context, and to explicate the practice of dream interpretation in relation to its social and cultural background; the chapter on the range of Artemidorus' reading is also illuminating ... an outstanding resource. * Malcolm Heath, Greece & Rome *
written in clear language, aimed at comprehension rather than ostentatious exhibitionism ... For those scholars wishing to delve deeper into the text, Thonemann grounds his analysis in linguistic knowledge too ... References to modern examples also provide greater understanding and supporting points with evidence from other ancient texts offer the reader a more substantial basis on which to study this unique text within the ancient context. * Anactoria Clarke, Classics for All *

About Peter Thonemann (Forrest-Derow Fellow and Tutor in Ancient History, Forrest-Derow Fellow and Tutor in Ancient History, Wadham College, Oxford)

Peter Thonemann teaches Greek and Roman history at Wadham College, Oxford. His published books include The Birth of Classical Europe: From Troy to Augustine (Allen Lane, 2010; with Simon Price), The Maeander Valley: A Historical Geography from Antiquity to Byzantium (CUP, 2011; winner of the Runciman Prize 2012), The Hellenistic World: Using Coins as Sources (CUP, 2015; joint winner of the Royal Numismatic Society's Lhotka Memorial Prize 2018), and The Hellenistic Age, 323-30 BC (OUP, 2016). He also writes regularly on all aspects of the ancient world for the Times Literary Supplement and the Wall Street Journal.

Table of Contents

Frontmatter List of Illustrations Maps 1: The Snake and the Whale 2: Artemidorus and the Oneirocritica 3: How to Interpret a Dream 4: The Body 5: Sexuality and Gender 6: The Natural World 7: Cities of Dreams 8: Books and Literary Culture 9: The Gods 10: Festivals and Games 11: Status and Values 12: An Invisible Empire Epilogue: Artemidorus after Antiquity Endmatter Further Reading Index

Additional information

CIN0198843828VG
9780198843825
0198843828
An Ancient Dream Manual: Artemidorus' The Interpretation of Dreams by Peter Thonemann (Forrest-Derow Fellow and Tutor in Ancient History, Forrest-Derow Fellow and Tutor in Ancient History, Wadham College, Oxford)
Used - Very Good
Hardback
Oxford University Press
20200116
256
N/A
Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.
This is a used book - there is no escaping the fact it has been read by someone else and it will show signs of wear and previous use. Overall we expect it to be in very good condition, but if you are not entirely satisfied please get in touch with us

Customer Reviews - An Ancient Dream Manual