3 Review(s)

"Ancient Art and Ritual" by Jane Ellen Harrison is a groundbreaking work that explores the deep connection between ancient religious rituals and the development of art in human history. Harrison, a classical scholar and one of the founders of modern anthropology of religion, argues that many forms of art, including theater, sculpture, and music, originated from primitive religious ceremonies and rituals.The book examines how early humans used ritual as a means of expressing and understanding their world, particularly through communal acts of worship and sacred ceremonies. Harrison delves into the role of myths and symbolic actions performed during these rituals, suggesting that they were the precursors to the structured forms of art that emerged later. For example, she connects the origins of Greek drama to Dionysian religious festivals, where choral singing and dancing evolved into formal theatrical performance.