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Meredith Jack's avatar

Robert, are you sure Bacchus never conquered India? It would be interesting to see if there is any carryover from Greek Bacchanal into early Hindu celebrations, they both seem extravagant. Perhaps I just need to re-read McEvilley, it’s been a long time.

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Robert Boyd's avatar

Yes, I'm sure because Bacchus is a mythical character. He's made up.

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Meredith Jack's avatar

Aren’t most deities ‘mythical’ to some extent? I wasn’t talking about the ‘person’ Bacchus, more the ‘corporate’ Bacchus, the idea, believers, or followers. Pick your deity & someone has used them as an excuse to conquer somebody.

If this is to go on much further, alcoholic beverages will be a necessity.

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Andrew Feehan's avatar

Nice piece, Robert. I think Dürer and many others used magnifying glasses when rendering minute detail. And McEvilley deserves wider recognition for his work on syncretic relationships in the ancient near east. It's great that you mention him here.

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