First U.S. Edition of Netherworld
Oracles of the Dead
ISBN-13: 978-1-59477-085-2
ISBN: 1-59477-085-9
Quality Paperback
Page Count: 480;
6.00 (width) x 9.00 (height)
Includes two 8-page color inserts and 76 b&w illustrations
Imprint: Destiny Books
Availability: Usually ships within 1-2 business days.
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About the Book
An examination of the shadow side of prophecy in human history and our attitudes toward fate and predicting the future
• Explores the divinatory techniques and traditions of classical Greece and Rome as compared with ancient China
• Contains new information concerning the location of the Greek Oracle of the Dead at Baia
• Shows how the latest discoveries in science may validate the system of the I Ching
• First U.S. Edition of Netherworld
Many methods for predicting the future, such as tarot, runes, the I Ching, and other divinatory oracles, can be traced back to ancient cultures. In Oracles of the Dead Robert Temple examines the Greek and Roman traditions and techniques of divination and compares them to those of ancient China. He reveals the real physical location of the "hell" of the ancient Greeks--known in antiquity as the Oracle of the Dead and used for séances intended to contact the spirits of the dead--and provides photographs from his explorations there.
Relating them to the ancient belief in the Oracle of the Dead, Temple examines the various mysteries associated with Delphi and the other oracles of the ancient world and explains how they were used to allow visitors to experience contact with the divine. Furthermore, his examination of the Chinese oracular system shows how the latest developments in science are validating the system of the I Ching.
About the Author(s) of Oracles of the Dead
Robert Temple is visiting professor of the history and philosophy of science at Tsinghua University in Beijing; fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society; member of the Egypt Exploration Society, Royal Historical Society, Institute of Classical Studies, and the Society for the Promotion of Hellenic Studies; and visiting research fellow of the University of the Aegean in Greece. He is the author of 10 books, including The Sirius Mystery and The Genius of China. He wrote, produced, and presented the documentary film Descent into Hell, based upon this book, for National Geographic Channel. His translation of the Epic of Gilgamesh was staged at the Royal National Theatre in London in 1993. He resides in England with his wife, Olivia. They are joint translators of Aesop: The Complete Fables.
Praise for Oracles of the Dead
"A uniquely powerful account of a hidden side to the story of mankind, as it affects us still today. Not only has Robert Temple revealed the secrets of the underground Greek Oracle of the Dead, which was lost and forgotten for more than two thousand years, but he has broken the spell that has kept the innermost secrets of the Chinese I Ching hidden for more than three thousand years. His research, whether carried out by crawling through dangerous ancient tunnels or prowling the corriders of the world's libraries like a panther on the track of a scent, is overwhelming."
Uri Geller, author of Uri Geller's Little Book of Mind-Power
". . . an amazing history of divination that is both revealing and educational."
Lesley Crossingham, New Dawn, Jan-Feb 2006
