Walter Burkert facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Walter Burkert
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| Born | 2 February 1931 Neuendettelsau, Germany
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| Died | 11 March 2015 (aged 84) Zurich, Switzerland
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| Nationality | German |
| Alma mater | Erlangen University Munich University |
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Notable work
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Homo Necans (1972) |
| Awards | Balzan Prize (1990) Sigmund Freud Prize (2003) Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany (2008) |
| Scientific career | |
| Institutions | TU Berlin Zurich University |
Walter Burkert (born February 2, 1931 – died March 11, 2015) was a German expert. He studied Greek mythology and ancient religious practices.
He was a professor of classics at the University of Zurich in Switzerland. He also taught in the United Kingdom and the United States. Walter Burkert greatly influenced students of religion since the 1960s. He combined findings from archaeology (studying old things) and epigraphy (studying ancient writings). He also used the ideas of poets, historians, and philosophers.
Burkert wrote books about the balance between old stories and science. He studied the followers of Pythagoras, a famous Greek thinker. He also wrote a lot about ancient rituals and mystery religions. These were secret religious groups in ancient Greece. He showed how Greek religion was connected to cultures from the Near East and Persia.
Contents
Early Life and Studies
Walter Burkert was born in Neuendettelsau, Germany. He married Maria Bosch in 1957. They had three children: Reinhard, Andrea, and Cornelius.
He studied classical philology (the study of language and literature), history, and philosophy. He went to the Universities of Erlangen and Munich from 1950 to 1954. In 1955, he earned his doctorate degree in philosophy from Erlangen.
After getting married, he worked as an assistant teacher at Erlangen for five years. Then he became a lecturer there for another five years. In 1965, he worked as a junior fellow in Washington, D.C., for a year. Later, he became a professor in Berlin and a guest professor at Harvard University.
Important Work and Later Career
A new part of his career began in 1981. This was when his important book, Homo Necans, was translated into Italian. The book was first published in 1972. An English translation came out in 1983. Today, this book is seen as a key work about ancient Greek religion.
He was a professor at the University of Zurich from 1969 to 1996. He also visited the University of California as a professor for two years. In 1982, he gave lectures at Harvard. He was also a dean at Zurich University. In 1989, he gave the Gifford Lectures in Scotland.
Walter Burkert received many awards for his work. One of them was the Balzan Prize in 1990. He retired in 1996. He passed away in Zurich in 2015, at 84 years old.
Key Books
Walter Burkert wrote many books and essays. Three of his most important books are still used today to study ancient Greek religion:
- Homo Necans (1972, English version 1983)
- Greek Religion (1977, English version 1985)
- Ancient Mystery Cults (based on his 1982 lectures, published in 1987)
Understanding Ancient Greek Sacrifice
In 1985, Burkert studied old writings and pictures. He wanted to understand how ancient Greek sacrificial rituals worked. He also looked at how these rituals connected to myths.
Here is a simplified idea of how a sacrifice might have happened:
- First, a priest or leader would place a basket with tools and a bowl of water near the altar.
- People would wash their hands in the special water. They would sprinkle it on the altar, the animal, and the person offering the sacrifice.
- They would throw salted barley grains on the animal's head and into the altar fire.
- A piece of hair from the animal was cut and burned. Wine was poured on the altar with a prayer.
- After a moment of silence, flutes would play. The animal was then killed.
- Its blood was collected and spread on the altar. In old stories like the Iliad, women would shout in worship at this moment.
After the animal was skinned and cut, some inner parts were tasted and shared. A part was burned on the altar with incense. The rest of the meat was roasted and eaten by everyone. If the animal's insides looked normal, it was a good sign that the gods accepted the sacrifice.
In ancient stories, the priest would wrap the thigh pieces of the animal in fat. These were burned on the altar. Other bones and less meaty parts were also burned with wine. After this, people shared the roasted meal. Music and dancing often took place to honor the gods. At some big festivals, hundreds of animals might be sacrificed and eaten.
See also
In Spanish: Walter Burkert para niños
- Greek religion
- Mystery religion
- Potnia Theron
