title: The nature of water: Greek thought from Homer to Acusilaos.
abstract: Greek philosophy finds its roots in the myth of Homer's and Hesiod's poems and especially in Orphism which introduced the concept of a soul separated from the body with an independent principle, psiche (soul), to be rewarded or punished after death. Orphism was an important step in Greek culture. It introduced the divine into man, the soul which does not die with the body and reincarnates. From Orphism started the need of rituals capable of separating the spirit from the body. From Homer to Acusilaos, water was a very important element which connected humans and gods, long before Thales of Miletus defined it the arche.
authors.affiliation: Istituto Italiano per gli Studi Filosofici, Naples, Italy. bluetoblue@libero.it
authors.forename: Rosa Maria
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: De Santo
authors.forename: Carmela
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Bisaccia
authors.forename: Massimo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Cirillo
authors.forename: Rosa Maria
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Pollastro
authors.forename: Ilaria
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Raiola
authors.forename: Luca Salvatore
authors.initials: LS
authors.lastname: De Santo
mesh_terms: D018645:Greek World / Q000266:history*; D049690:History, Ancient; D009229:Mythology; D014867:Water
chemical_list: D014867:Water