The House of Hades

This detailed scrutiny of the ancient Greek perception and understanding of life after death is principally concerned with how the Greeks communicated their beliefs. The first part of the book examines the Greek cult of the dead through Homer's works, such as in the presentation of Patroclus' funeral, the hero's `psyche' and the underworld. Albinus secondly looks at the Orphic mystical tradition which originated in the 7th and 6th centuries BC and offered a more positive view of an individual's fate. The final section briefly examines other mystery cults, such as the Eleusinian cult. The argument, largely based on linguistic details, is aimed more at specialists in Greek mysticism than at a general readership.