This lecture addresses the question of when and under what conditions the reception of Oriental traditions took place in ancient Greek culture. As a result of spectacular theories about the Oriental origins of Homer's epics, the question has once again become an issue of current interest, arousing controversial debate. Albrecht Dihle covers the relevant material step by step: from the Oriental loanwords used in Greek to the art-historical influences of the classical period, right up to the philosophical debates and the mystery cults of the later period. In doing so, his portrayal of the meeting and reciprocal exchange between the East and West in the course of ancient Greek history is at once both vivid and differentiated.

Albrecht Dihle, Köln.