In this volume; first published in 2006; Sandra Blakely considers technological myths and rituals associated with ancient Greek daimones; who made metal; and African rituals in which iron plays a central role. Noting the rich semantic web of associations that has connected metallurgy to magic; birth; kingship; autochthony; and territorial possession in both Greek and African cultures; Blakely examines them together in order to cast light on the Greek demons; which are only fragmentarily preserved and which have often been equated to general types of smithing gods. Her comparison demonstrates that these demons are more sophisticated and ritually useful than has been previously acknowledged. This book provides new insights into the position of technology in Greek myth. Providing a new methodology for the study of Greek religion; which uses comparative cultural material in a thoughtful and careful way; it helps close the fifty-year gap between the social sciences and Classical philology in the theoretical understanding and study of technological systems.
#867718 in Books Michael V Leggiere 2015-08-10Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 8.98 x 1.69 x 5.98l; 3.40 #File Name: 1107080541899 pagesNapoleon and the Struggle for Germany The Franco Prussian War of 1813 Cambridge Military Histories Volume 2
Review
5 of 8 people found the following review helpful. If you want a detailed account of the movements of ...By R. B. MacHattonIf you want a detailed account of the movements of the various armies involved in the Napolionic wars of 1813 in Germany this is your book. But if you are looking for an account of the actual combat then look elsewhere.2 of 4 people found the following review helpful. but at the same time easy to readBy Andrew LeeversI found this book very detailed; but at the same time easy to read. Loved it.13 of 19 people found the following review helpful. Half a Book.By Joseph KeyOne day this book will be a very valuable resource for an historian looking to write a complete account of the 1813 campaign in Germany. For the reader today looking for the above this is not the book. Mr. Leggiere book is notable more for what is not there than for what is there. Mr. Leggiere's first book dealt with Napoleon's operations around Berlin in 1813. So to avoid repetition he refers you to that book for these operations. So he doesn't deal with the battles of Grossbeeren or Denewitz. Fair enough. What's not so fair is that he leaves out all discussions of the operations of the Bohemian Army and the great battle of Dresden and it's aftermath. These subjects are mentioned only in passing. Also ignored is Napoleon and the French army; which he refers to as the Imperials. {As an aside I can certainly understand why the author uses this term; but whenever I read it I'm put in mind of Star Wars}. The author promises us a third volume in which he will deal with the Austrians and those battles which were neglected in this volume. In short this what I call a "Theses history". Meaning a work that purports to cover a particular subject; in this case Napoleon's 1813 campaign; but is more about putting forth an author's theories; than giving us a campaign history.In my review of Mr. Leggiere first volume I used the analogy of a pastrami sandwich with piles of meat between two slices of bread. For your everyday military historian the meat is the story of battles; generals; etc.; while the bread is the politics and diplomacy of the period covered; and which is generally only covered to provide context for the military operations. Mr. Leggiere is what I call an academic historian; for want of a better term. For him the politics and diplomacy of the period is the meat while the military operations are the bread surrounding the meat. Two examples will suffice to show the differences between the two approaches. A staple to any military history are early chapters going into detail on strength and organization of the various forces involved; their leaders; tactics; etc. Mr. Leggiere in neither of his works bothers to even deal with these things. Then there are the battle maps. The author provides 4 maps for the battle of Leipzig; which I must say are well done; but they are operational maps that show the whole battlefield; and his coverage rarely goes below corps level.Now that I've talked about what Mr. Leggiere hasn't done lets talk about what he's done. This is basically a history of the Army of Silesia commanded by Blucher; while it consisted of a number of Russian corps; it's generally thought of as the Prussian Army. The author goes into great detail on it's operations while basically ignoring the two flanking armies. This reinforces the books focus on Prussia and her aims and operations in the campaign. For what it does; deal with the politics and diplomacy of the period; the book does very well. But for anyone to refer to this book as the definitive account of this campaign is ludicrous.I give this book three stars in the hope that Mr. Leggiere's future book on this campaign will fill in enough of the books holes to justify this rating. This is not a book for the casual reader or military fan. This book if for those who have a special affinity for this period
