This fascinating book offers a series of in-depth studies of the beliefs, attitudes, and rituals surrounding death in ancient Greece from the Minoan and Mycenean period to the end of the classical age. Drawing on a wide range of evidence--from literary texts, to inscriptions, to images in art--the author sheds light on many key, still problematic, aspects of Greek life, myth, and literature. Among the topics discussed are the world of the dead in Homer; grave monuments; the myths of Charon, Hermes, and the journey of death; and the shifting attitudes toward death in a changing society. The book also looks at the problem of "reading" this material within the context of our own culturally-determined beliefs.