Portrait of a Priestess by Joan Breton Connelly

This was another fabulous book, as was the other book of Connelly's I've read, The Parthenon Enigma.

In Priestess, she once again digs deep into a very specific aspect of ancient Greek culture, that of the priestesses who served the religious cults of the ancient Greek world.

Connelly does so on a level that speaks directly to me, not an academic, but far more knowledgeable of classical culture than the average reader.  The writing is structured in a logical order and easy to follow while at the same time so new to me.

One aspect of this book that I greatly enjoyed was the unveiling of 100+ specific priestesses who actually lived and breathed.  In almost every case we know her name, but in many instances we also know of her relatives, what cult(s) she served, and sometimes other revealing facts about her life.  This level of detail on so many ordinary citizens of ancient Greece is rare, and fascinating.

Oh how I wish Connelly will publish many more books, as these two have truly added to my love and understanding of ancient Greek culture.