Psychology of Emotions in Antiquity. From East to West, for Understanding Emotions

This article carries out a systematic analysis of the way in which primary emotions were described and understood in Antiquity, starting from East to West. From the Japanese space to the Egyptian and Greek territory, across the Asian, European and African continents, following the paths of the most valuable road of those times - the Silk Road -, the article proposes a brief review of the way in which the six primary emotions identified by Paul Ekman were experienced: joy, sadness, anger, fear, disgust and surprise. Making an incursion into the history of psychology, namely the way in which the main religions and historical events influenced emotional experiences in Antiquity, the article attempts to demonstrate that certain primary emotions were not universal: emotions are understood and experienced differently, from one culture to another, from one religion to another, from one time to another.