In the Greco-Roman world, forgotten cults enacted arcane rituals whose secrets historian Hugh Bowden reveals…
EXPERT BIO
HUGH BOWDEN
Professor Hugh Bowden is head of classics at King's College London. He is the author of Mystery Cults of the Ancient World.
In the time of the Ancient Greeks and Romans, secret societies practised rituals, the knowledge of which has since been lost to time. These rituals, known as ‘mysteries’, continue to fascinate historians who seek to piece together disparate sources, from scant written accounts to evidence found at archaeological sites, in an attempt to further understand these fascinating cults. Professor Hugh Bowden of King's College London has spent many years studying Greek religion and to celebrate the release of his seminal work, Mystery Cults In The Ancient World, in paperback, he spoke to us about these groups, their various practices and the difficulties posed by researching something intended to remain secret.
In the introduction to your book, you define both the use of the word ‘mystery' and the term
