The Oracle of Dodona: The History of Ancient Greece’s Oldest Oracle
Written by Charles River Editors
Narrated by KC Wayman
4/5
()
About this audiobook
In ancient Greece, “no other practice was so universal than the consultation of oracles.” These holy sites were found in 260 locations around the Greek-speaking world, and they were considered the “most satisfactory means of ascertaining the future.” These sanctuaries were “set apart from the profane, ordinary world” and were in the beginning restricted to natural locations where the divine was thought to be “especially present.” They were set aside for special spiritual functions, and a state of purity was generally required of its participants. A historical tendency toward providing haven for criminals was based on the fear of shedding blood in a holy place, and the “fear that the evil magic would emanate from his curse.”
Despite the interest in Greek oracles, modern knowledge remains limited in certain respects, because cult history has become so intertwined with mythology that the lines separating one from another have been nearly lost. Modern scholars studying the oracles have tried to pull the shroud of mythology away from historical facts to illuminate the realities of the Greek cults, but the job has often proved trickier than imagined. If anything, the work of scholars has deepened the mysticism of the oracles rather than dispel it, in large measure due to documenting fascinating and mysterious stories about them. For example, much has been written about natural vapors and fumes that may have caused psychoactive effects in petitioners at oracles. Modern civilizations at times employ this argument to excuse the supposed ignorance of the ancient Greeks, and in some cases, such vapors have been identified and may indeed explain the activities at certain oracles. However, archaeologist Jelle de Boer, intimately associated with some of the most iconic Greek oracles, cautioned that “something can be extra-natural without being outright supernatural.”
More audiobooks from Charles River Editors
Ur: The History and Legacy of the Ancient Sumerian Capital Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Rape of Nanking: The History and Legacy of the Notorious Massacre during the Second Sino-Japanese War Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Gnosticism: The History and Legacy of the Mysterious Ancient Religion Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The East India Company: The History of the British Empire's Most Famous Mercantile Company Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Mossad: The History and Legacy of Israel’s National Intelligence Agency Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Cambrian Period: The History and Legacy of the Start of Complex Life on Earth Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Nineveh: The History and Legacy of the Ancient Assyrian Capital Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Project MK-Ultra: The History of the CIA’s Controversial Human Experimentation Program Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Legends of the West: Deadwood, South Dakota Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Pleistocene Era: The History of the Ice Age and the Dawn of Modern Humans Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Mysterious Midwest: Mysteries, Legends, and Unexplained Phenomena in America's Heartland Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Mysteries of the South: Ghosts, Legends, and Unexplained Phenomena in Dixie Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5J. Robert Oppenheimer: The Life and Legacy of the Father of the Atomic Bomb Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Life and Trial of Lizzie Borden: The History of 19th Century America's Most Famous Murder Case Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Arnold Rothstein and Meyer Lansky: The Lives and Legacies of the Gangsters Who Reformed Organized Crime in America Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsMadame de Pompadour: The Life and Legacy of French King Louis XV’s Chief Mistress Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Denisovans: The History of the Extinct Archaic Humans Who Spread Across Asia during the Paleolithic Era Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Battle of Hamburger Hill: The History and Legacy of One of the Vietnam War's Most Controversial Battles Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Culper Ring: The History and Legacy of the Revolutionary War's Most Famous Spy Ring Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Patrice Lumumba: The Life and Legacy of the Pan-African Politician Who Became Congo's First Prime Minister Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Fermi Paradox: The History and Legacy of the Famous Debate over the Existence of Aliens Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5
Related to The Oracle of Dodona
Related audiobooks
Egyptian Mythology: Tales from the Egyptian Pantheon Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Myths and Legends of Ancient Greece and Rome Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Roman Mythology: Tales From the Roman Pantheon Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe First Female Pharaoh: Sobekneferu, Goddess of the Seven Stars Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAncient Gods: The Anunnaki Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Celtic Mythology: Tales From the Celtic Pantheon Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Enigmas of the Ancient World Exposed Rating: 1 out of 5 stars1/5Egypt: Ancient civilization of Egypt with Egyptian mythology including the book of the dead Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Greek Mythology: Tales from the Greek Pantheon Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsApollo and Artemis: The Origins and History of the Twin Deities in Ancient Greek Mythology Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsNorse Mythology: Tales from the Norse Pantheon Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsEgyptian Mythology: Gods, Goddesses, and Medicine from Ancient Egypt Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Biblical Creation and The Dragon Myth: Mesopotamian Parallels in Hebrew Tradition Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsHathor: The History of the Ancient Egyptian Sky Goddess and Symbolic Mother of the Pharaohs Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Egyptian Mythology: An Enthralling Overview of Egyptian Myths, Gods, and Goddesses Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Book of the Dead: The History and Legacy of Ancient Egypt’s Famous Funerary Texts Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Egyptian Book Of The Dead: 4000 Year Old Secrets Of The Afterlife Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAncient Egypt: Egyptian History with Egyptian Mythology, Egyptian Gods and Religion Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Origins of the Gods: Qesem Cave, Skinwalkers, and Contact with Transdimensional Intelligences Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Greek Mythology: An Enthralling Overview of Greek Myths, Gods, and Goddesses Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Holy Grail Legend Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsHeliopolis: The History and Legacy of Ancient Egypt's Cult Center for the Sun God Atum Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThoth the Atlantean: His Legendary Legacy and Affiliation with the other Gods of Egypt Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Awakening Osiris: The Spiritual Keys to the Egyptian Book of the Dead Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Underworld in Ancient Mesoamerica: The History and Legacy of Mesoamerican Concepts of Death Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Sumerian Origins: Lifting the Veil on Ancient Mesopotamia Mysteries Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Viracocha: The History and Legacy of the Inca’s Creator God Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Occult Russia: Pagan, Esoteric, and Mystical Traditions Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5
Ancient History For You
The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire - Volume I Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/51177 B.C.: The Year Civilization Collapsed: Revised and Updated Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Emperor's Handbook: A New Translation of The Meditations Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Meditations Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Plutarch's Lives: Volume 1 of 2 Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Ten Caesars: Roman Emperors from Augustus to Constantine Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Epic of Gilgamesh Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Ancient Rome: The Rise and Fall of An Empire Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Past Mistakes: How We Misinterpret History and Why it Matters Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Hekate Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5How to Be: Life Lessons from the Early Greeks Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Histories Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5A.D. The Bible Continues: The Revolution That Changed the World Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Greek Mythology: An Elaborate Guide to the Gods, Heroes, Harems, Sagas, Rituals and Beliefs of Greek Myths Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Pandora's Jar: Women in the Greek Myths Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Ancient Greece 101: Greek History, Myth, and Civilization Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Egyptian Mythology: A Concise Guide to the Gods, Heroes, Sagas, Rituals and Beliefs of Egyptian Myths Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Babylon: Mesopotamia and the Birth of Civilization Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Roman History 101: From Republic to Empire Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Our Occulted History: Do the Global Elite Conceal Ancient Aliens? Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Underworld: The Mysterious Origins of Civilization Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Persian Fire: The First World Empire and the Battle for the West Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Chariots of the Gods Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Horse, the Wheel, and Language: How Bronze-Age Riders from the Eurasian Steppes Shaped the Modern World Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Caligula: The Mad Emperor of Rome Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Emperor of Rome: Ruling the Ancient World Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Alexander the Great Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5History Is Wrong Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Reviews for The Oracle of Dodona
1 rating1 review
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Interesting and informative, also well narrated. Would recommend if you want to hear more about Dodana.