Divine Soil: Grounds for Worship

This book advances the thesis that the gods and goddesses of Ancient Greece, and derivative Jungian archetypes widespread still in movies, can be related to specific ancient life ways and soils. Religious views for pastoralists, farmers, seafarers, hunter-gatherers, and warriors reflect what is important for their subsistence. When such diverse lifeways came together in the first cities, tribal deities persisted as polytheistic religions, and the most influential has been the religion of Ancient Greece. In this stunning synthesis Greg Retallack details soils at the temples of Ancient Greece as a basis for life ways of different gods and goddesses, from hunter-gatherers Apollo and Artemis to farmers Demeter and Dionysos. This book is copiously illustrated with classical artwork and the most famous Greek religious pilgrimage sites. This book is an introduction to the fundamental role of soils, not only in supplying food for our bodies, but also inspiration for our souls.


Gregory Retallack is an emeritus professor and Wikipedian at the University of Oregon, known primarily for his studies of ancient soils. He received a PhD from the University of New England in Australia, and then was a postdoctoral scholar at Indiana University, USA, before settling in Oregon. His research output of over 300 articles and a dozen books has garnered many accolades in the form of professional awards and fellowships. He is best known for demonstrating that soils have been a global thermostat back some 3.7 billion years.

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ISBN: 1-0364-4713-8

ISBN13: 978-1-0364-4713-7

Release Date: 15th May 2025

Pages: 113

Price: £66.99

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