{"title":"Books by Robert Garland","description":null,"products":[{"product_id":"9780691266176","title":"What to Expect When You′re Dead – An Ancient Tour of Death and the Afterlife","description":"An entertaining and enlightening book about how ancient peoples dealt with death—and what we might learn from themA lively story of death, What to Expect When You’re Dead explores the fascinating death-related beliefs and practices of a wide range of ancient cultures and traditions—Mesopotamian, Egyptian, Hindu, Jewish, Zoroastrian, Etruscan, Greek, Roman, Early Christian, and Islamic. By drawing on the latest scholarship on ancient archaeology, art, literature, and funerary inscriptions, Robert Garland invites readers to put themselves in the sandals of ancient peoples and to imagine their mental state moment by moment as they sought—in ways that turn out to be remarkably similar to ours—to assist the dead on their journey to the next world and to understand life’s greatest mystery.   What to Expect When You’re Dead chronicles the ways ancient peoples answered questions such as: How to achieve a good death and afterlife? What’s the best way to dispose of a body? Do the dead face a postmortem judgement—and where do they end up? Do the dead have bodies in the afterlife—and can they eat, drink, and have sex? And what can the living do to stay on good terms with the nonliving?Filled with intriguing stories and frequent humor, What to Expect When You’re Dead will be a morbidly delicious treat for every reader alive.","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56294538838389,"sku":"9780691266176","price":25.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9780691266176_8abf940c-76fa-48b1-8acc-72fe56e75040.jpg?v=1786014536"},{"product_id":"9781399098526","title":"Roman Legends Brought to Life","description":"The legends of early Rome are among the most memorable of any in the world. They are also highly instructive. They taught generations of Romans about duty and obedience. Duty and obedience might not seem to amount to much these days, but it was precisely these virtues that made Rome great. The legends are not, however, merely self-congratulatory and they are rarely simple exercises in nationalist propaganda. On the contrary, many reveal their ancestors' dark side, which they expose unflinchingly.   As in the case of Greek mythology, there is no authorised version of any Roman legend. The legends survived because they reminded the Romans who they were, what modest beginnings they came from, how on many occasions their city nearly imploded, and what type of men and women shaped their story.   Defeat, loss, failure. That's where this story - the story of the boldest, most enduring, and most successful political experiment in human history - begins. It's the story of how a band of refugees escaped from the ruins of a burning city and came to establish themselves hundreds of miles to the west in the land of Hesperia, the Western Land, the land where the sun declines, aka Italia. It's the story of a people who by intermingling, compromise and sheer doggedness came to dominate first their region, then the whole of peninsula Italy, and finally the entire Mediterranean and beyond.","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56298549969269,"sku":"9781399098526","price":20.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781399098526_35e25d5e-d23b-4237-a3a7-5cc81503dd88.jpg?v=1786020023"},{"product_id":"9781526776549","title":"Greek Mythology","description":"\u003cp\u003eA unique retelling of the Greek myths.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eEach myth is accompanied by a historical commentary and context.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eGreek mythology isn’t the equivalent of the Bible or the Qur’an. There is no standardized version of any myth. Myths aren’t sacred. Whether you happen to be Homer, Aeschylus, Sophocles, Euripides or any other Greek, or even you or me, every myth is yours to tell and interpret any way you like.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eJust to give one example. An oracle has decreed that Oedipus will kill his father and marry his mother. In Homer’s version, Oedipus carries on ruling in Thebes when he discovers he has fulfilled the oracle, whereas in the version that Sophocles gives us in his play Oedipus the King, Oedipus blinds himself and goes into voluntary exile.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThat said, certain details are unalterable. Oedipus has to be ignorant of the fact that the man whom he kills is his father and that the woman whom he marries is his mother, he has to fulfill the awful prophecy of the oracle, and he has to come to a realization of what he has done afterwards. But everything else is pretty much up for grabs.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eGreek mythology is very much alive and well in the contemporary world.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThere are many narrative versions of the myths currently available, but this book will do something very different: it will give the characters the chance to tell their stories in their own words. In so doing, it will give both gods and humans the opportunity to reflect upon their life stories and, in places, justify their actions. In this way they will come across as real people, just as they are, say, in the plays of the dramatists.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56303132246389,"sku":"9781526776549","price":15.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781526776549_14208666-1fa0-4fa8-9fcf-3bb4c1369265.jpg?v=1786021847"},{"product_id":"9781526754707","title":"How to Survive in Ancient Greece","description":"Imagine you were transported back in time to Ancient Greece and you had to start a new life there. How would you fit in? Where would you live? What would you eat? Where would you go to have your hair done? Who would you go to if you got ill, or if you were mugged in the street? All these questions, and many more, will be answered in this new how-to guide for time travellers. Part self-help guide, part survival guide, this lively and engaging book will help the reader deal with the many problems and new experiences that they will face, and also help them to thrive in this strange new environment.","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56303320433013,"sku":"9781526754707","price":14.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781526754707_4bac1068-bcd4-4729-9050-060494971035.jpg?v=1786022526"},{"product_id":"9781624661297","title":"Daily Life of the Ancient Greeks","description":"\u003cp\u003eSignificantly expanded and updated in light of the most recent scholarship, the second edition of Garland's engaging introduction to ancient Greek society brings this world vividly to life--and, in doing so, explores the perspectives and morals of typical ancient Greek citizens across a wide range of societal levels. Food and drink, literacy, the plight of the elderly, the treatment of slaves, and many more aspects of daily life in ancient Greece also come into sharp focus. More than sixty illustrations are included, as are maps, a chronology, a glossary of Greek terms, and suggestions for further reading.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56304114893173,"sku":"9781624661297","price":18.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781624661297_2436a50e-d73d-4218-8789-81f42730bfe5.jpg?v=1786023735"},{"product_id":"religion-and-the-greeks","title":"Religion and the Greeks","description":"No area of Greek life was wholly untouched by religion, and a basic knowledge of this aspect of life is essential to anyone seeking a proper understanding of the classical world. In this engaging survey Robert Garland brings out the unique quality of Greek religion - its practical and worldly approach to man's relationship with the divine - and shows how religious ritual was integral to the daily routine of both public and private life.","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":57490244075893,"sku":"9781853994098","price":20.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781853994098.jpg?v=1786442129"},{"product_id":"what-to-expect-when-youre-dead","title":"What to Expect When You're Dead","description":"An entertaining and enlightening book about how ancient peoples dealt with death—and what we might learn from themA lively story of death, What to Expect When You’re Dead explores the fascinating death-related beliefs and practices of a wide range of ancient cultures and traditions—Mesopotamian, Egyptian, Hindu, Jewish, Zoroastrian, Etruscan, Greek, Roman, Early Christian, and Islamic. By drawing on the latest scholarship on ancient archaeology, art, literature, and funerary inscriptions, Robert Garland invites readers to put themselves in the sandals of ancient peoples and to imagine their mental state moment by moment as they sought—in ways that turn out to be remarkably similar to ours—to assist the dead on their journey to the next world and to understand life’s greatest mystery.   What to Expect When You’re Dead chronicles the ways ancient peoples answered questions such as: How to achieve a good death and afterlife? What’s the best way to dispose of a body? Do the dead face a postmortem judgement—and where do they end up? Do the dead have bodies in the afterlife—and can they eat, drink, and have sex? And what can the living do to stay on good terms with the nonliving?Filled with intriguing stories and frequent humor, What to Expect When You’re Dead will be a morbidly delicious treat for every reader alive.","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":57499203371381,"sku":"9780691268545","price":16.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9780691268545.jpg?v=1786694520"}],"url":"https:\/\/backstory.london\/collections\/author-robert-garland.oembed","provider":"Backstory","version":"1.0","type":"link"}