Alicia Chrysostomou

Strange Superstitions and Curious Customs of the Ancient World Alicia Chrysostomou

This unique collection of bizarre customs and superstitions gives an insight into some extraordinary historical traditions, some of which have faded away, some which are still familiar, and some which may be due for re-introduction into today's society! When husbands from the oriental province of Pem left home on a journey of longer than twenty days duration, their wives were entitled to take another husband in the interim. People through the ages have had their own particular customs and traditions and have always looked with some amusement on those of their neighbours. These customs can evolve and change radically, and traditions which were commonplace 2,000 years ago can now appear bizarre or hilarious. In one ancient Ethiopian tribe, the wives of tribal members were shared. Anyone committing adultery with the wife of the tribal chief, however, was fined a sheep. An entertaining and fascinating anecdotal account of the beliefs of our predecessors, Strange Superstitions and Curious Customs of the Ancient World, is full of these quirky and weird accounts, taken from chronicles by our earliest known historians and geographers.