Ancient Mediterranean
Greece Classical Mythology
  CLAS109 • Classical Mythology

E X T E N D E D   O U T L I N E

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INTRODUCTION

secondary sources
  • Maurizio Classical Mythology in Context
    1. Classical Myth & Contemporary Questions
ancient texts
  • Hes.Op.42-104
    AUTHOR'S CONTEXT
    who: Hesiod of Ascra
    when: ca.700 BCE
    where: Boeotia (Mt. Helicon)
    summary: early epic bard of Panhellenic poetry

    NARRATIVE CONTEXT
    title: Opera et dies (“works and days”)
    where: the cosmos (Mt. Olympus)
    who: Prometheus (“forethought”), Epimetheus (“afterthought”), Pandora (“gift of all”) when: in the beginning; antediluvian
    summary: gift of fire; creation of woman from clay; etiology of human suffering; first unboxing...
    (Hesiod of Ascra Works and Days) — walkthrough 01-1
    • 42-49 Zeus hides fire (and ease) from man
    • 50-59 Prometheus (“fore-thought”) steals ember, hides it in a fennel stalk, gives it to man; Zeus gives evil in return
    • 60-82 Hephaestus > mixes earth and water, makes clay come alive
      • Athena > skills (i.e. weaving)
      • Aphrodite > desirability
      • Hermes > treachery
      gave her the name of woman, Pandora (“all-gift”)
    • 82-104 Epimetheus (“after-thought”) accepts her, despite his brother's warning; Pandora opens jar, releases all troubles and illness, save Hope
  • [Apollod].2.115-119
    AUTHOR'S CONTEXT
    who: Pseudo-Apollodorus
    when: 1st-2nd CE
    where: "Athens"
    summary: late compilation/summary of Greek myths
    NARRATIVE CONTEXT
    title: Libary
    where: Libya, Egypt, Ethiopia
    when: time of heroes (Heracles) before 1200 BCE (Trojan War)
    summary: Heracles tames savage regions, making them safe from foreign tyrants
    (Pseudo-Apollodorus Library) — walkthrough 01-1
    • 115 Heracles goes to Libya
      Antaeus, son of Poseidon, kills foreigners; H. wrestles him, lifts him aloft
    • 116-17 H. goes to Egypt
      Busiris, son of Poseidon, sacrifices foreigners to Zeus (Ammon), first the seer Phrasias [Chalbes]; H. sacrifices him and his son Amphidamas [Iphidamas]
    • 118 H. goes to Rhodes
      etiology of a curse sacrifice
    • 119 H. goes to Arabia / Ethiopia, then Caucasas 
      Emathion, son of Tithonus (and Eos, thus brother of Memnon); sailed South past far edge to appear North at the Caucasus; H. kills the Eagle, son of Echidna and Typhon; frees Prometheus (“fore-thought”)
lectures & videos
meet Dr.G :: unboxing :: ambassador
lecture L01
Up2DrG? E1 Muiderpoortstation
handouts
active reading
CR01 Hesiod Works and Days (Pandora), Pseudo-Apollodorus Library (Heracles)
    Memphite Cosmogony (Ptah, see also CR02)

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CREATION

secondary sources
  • Maurizio Classical Mythology in Context
    2. Creation
ancient texts
  • 2.1 Hes.Theog.
    AUTHOR'S CONTEXT
    who: Hesiod of Ascra
    when: ca.700 BCE
    where: Boeotia (Mt. Helicon)
    summary: early epic bard of Panhellenic poetry

    NARRATIVE CONTEXT
    title: Theogony (“birth of the gods”)
    where: the cosmos (Mt. Olympus)
    when: in the beginning; antediluvian
    summary: explanations about the origin of the cosmos, human life, various customs and social affinities
    (Hesiod of Ascra Theogony)— walkthrough 02-1
    see also: G. Nagy & J. Banks translation
    • HYMN
    • 1-115 [1-94] To the Nine Muses of Helicon / Olympus
         Zeus of Olympus slept nine nights with Mnemosyne (memory)
      • CATALOG
    • 116-122 [95-100] Chaos gives birth
         Tartaros and Eros (lust), Night and Erebus (darkness)
    • 126-153 Earth gives birth to Uranus
         with him births Titans (Cronus, Rhea, Pontus, Oceanus)
         and monsters (Cyclopes, 100-arms)
      • NARRATIVE
    • 154-206 [125-173] Cronus defeats his father, Uranus (Heaven)
         adamantine sickle, birth of Erinyes and Giants and Aphrodite (Cytherea)
      • CATALOG
    • 207-232 [174-190] Night gives birth
      Strife, Starvation, Neglect
    • 233-403 [191-337] gods and goddesses of the Sea mate
         daughters with Oceanus; nymphs
         monsters: Gorgons, offspring of Ceto
         birth of Helios (Sun), Selene (Moon) and Eos (Dawn)
      • HYMN
    • 404-452 [338-371] To the goddess Hecate
      • NARRATIVE
    • 453-506 [372-415] children of Cronus and Rhea; Zeus escapes to Crete
    • 507-615 [416-499] birth of Menoitius, Atlas, Prometheus and Epimetheus
         sacrifice (fatty bones), theft of fire (ember in fennel)
         clay-wife (Pandora) > suffering of man
    • 616-743 [500-590] Zeus & Olympians vs Titans
         110-arm allies Cottus, Briareus, Gyges
      • CATALOG
    • 744-806 [591-649] Tartarus, Night & Day, Sleep & Death, Styx
      • NARRATIVE
    • 807-880 [650-699] Zeus vs Typhoeus
      • CATALOG
    • 881-962 [700-759] Zeus' unions (and others)
    • 963-1024 [760-810] unions between goddesses and mortal men
  • 2.3 Gen 1-3
    AUTHOR'S CONTEXT
    who: Moses / J E P D sources / redaction under Josiah / editing post-exile
    when: ca.1200 / 1000 / 610 / 530 BCE
    where: Jerusalem
    summary: internal attribution to Moses, but various traditional sources were interwoven under Josiah and edited after the Babylonian exile

    NARRATIVE CONTEXT
    title: Genesis, or Torah (“law”), or Pentateuch (first “five books”)
    where: the cosmos
    when: in the beginning; antediluvian
    summary: explanations about the origin of the cosmos, human life, various customs and social affinities
    (Book of Genesis) — walkthrough 02-2
    • 1.1-2.3 • first creation narrative (Priestly source)
      God (’El) creates by His word; on the second day God separates the chaotic waters behind the firmament (Dome of the Sky) and beneath the earth (the Deep); on the fourth day, He creates sea creatures; on the fifth, land animals; on the sixth, humans (men and women) in His image
    • 2.4-3.24 • second creation narrative (J or Yahwistic source)
      God (YHWH) creates Man/“Clay”/Adam from the dust, by breathing into Man's nostrils; next animals; then creates Woman/“Mother of Life”/Eve from Man
  • Memphite Cosmogony
    AUTHOR'S CONTEXT
    who: Egyptian scribe | restored by Shabaqo
    when: OK/EB (Old Kingdom / Early Bronze Age) Dyn.III-VI or MK/MB (Middle Kingdon Egypt / Middle Bronze Age) Dyn.XI-XII or 3000-2000 BCE | Late/Iron I (Late Period Egypt / Early Iron) Dyn.XXV or 700 BCE
    where: Menefer (Gk. Memphis) and On (Heliopolis "Sun-City")
    summary: local tale of demiurge, prominence of Memphis; for Egyptian speaking elite

    NARRATIVE CONTEXT
    title: Memphite Cosmogony (Shabaqo Stone)
    where: the cosmos
    when: In the beginning...
    summary: Ptah (craftsman and demiurge of Memphis), creation by thought/word; Re-Atum (solar deity and demiurge of Helioplis) Ennead ("Nine" gods of Heliopolis)...
    — walkthrough 02-3
    CoS 1.15; ANET 4-6
    • DEDICATION
      His Incarnation (pharaoh Shabaqo) has restored text in Temple of Ptah South of His Wall (Memphis) for Ptah Ta-tenen (i.e. of the primeval mound)
    • CREATION
      Ptah created Atum's image (the cosmos) through both heart (Horus) and tongue (Thoth); control of limbs > preeminent over all gods, people, animals, and crawling things; P's Ennead (nine gods) evolved through his teeth and lips (Atum's through seed and fingers); Shu (air) and Tefnut (moisture) emerge and give birth; sense allow conclusion to emerge > tongue repeats what heart plans
      • RESULTS
    • Atum and his Ennead born through Ptah; his heart plans and tongue commands divine speech (hieroglyphs) male and the female life-principles (ka), make all food (masc.) and every offering (fem.) through that word makes the loved and hated (moral code); life to the calm man, death to the wrongder; has made all construction and all craft
      • ROLE OF PTAH
    • Ptah “He Who Made Totality and Caused the Gods to Evolve” is Ta-tenen (primeval mound, Earth); gave birth to all, every good thing; his strength is greater; P. has come to rest after making everything—gods, towns, nomes, cult-places; modelled their bodies to what contents them, so have the gods entered their bodies, content and united in the Lord of the Two Lands
lectures & videos
lecture L02
handouts
active reading
CR02 Hesiod Theogony; Cosmogony of Esna (see also CR06)

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ORDER & REBELLION

secondary sources
  • Maurizio Classical Mythology in Context
    3. Zeus & Hera
ancient texts
  • 3.1 Aes.Prom.
    AUTHOR'S CONTEXT
    who: Aeschylus of Athens
    when: ca.470 BCE
    where: Athens
    summary: early dramatic poet, performances during the Festival of Dionysus; elite democratic adult, male, free, citizen audience

    NARRATIVE CONTEXT
    title: Prometheus Bound
    where: mountain (Caucusus) at the (NE) edge of the world
    who: Power (cratus) and Bia (violence); Hephaestus; Promethus, chorus of Oceanids
    when: in the beginning; antediluvian
    summary: part of dramatic trilogy, alongside Prometheus Firebringer and Prometheus Unbound; morality of tyranny vs democracy; fire as enightenment
    (Aeschylus of Athens Prometheus Bound) — walkthrough 03-1
    • 1-25 • Power (cratus - political “power,” cf. democracy) and Violence (bia - state's “violence”); Hephaestus forges unbreakable fetters, punishment for stealing fire for humans; collaborates in tyranny (20)
    • 26-69 • H. must chain banished immortal brother, Prometheus; punished by Zeus for “loving mankind” (53-4); “every ruler who's new is harsh” (68-9)
    • 70-98 • Power complains that P. gave humans a “power” reserved for gods
      H. knows power of friendship; must obey orders
      pain and suffering except for all but god on top, “only Zeus is free” (90)
    • 99-133 • be careful, he's too shrewd; learn that “next to Zeus he's stupid” (102)
      no one can say H. didn't do justice, except P.
      Power: don't blame me, “I am what I am” (122); why steal for those who die?
    • 620-683 • before P. humans had “wretched,” “babyish” lives (631-32) before I gave them intelligence (“how to”); did not know how to make brick or work wood (646-48, epic simile 649-51); did not now astronomy (659); numbers & letters (660-64) animal husbandry (669-72); seamanship (678-9)
    • 684-690 • Chorus of Oceanids: pity the tortured and humiliated; epic simile
    • 691-737 • before P. humans did not know medicine (695-702); dream interpretation, soothsaying, augury (703-22); did not know sacrifice (723-26); mining & metawork (732-35)
      fire allowed signs to shine through when eyes before were filmed over (i.e. enlightenment, 728-31), all culture (i.e. civilization) comes from Prometheus
  • 3.3a Gen 6-9
    AUTHOR'S CONTEXT
    who: Moses / J E P D sources / redaction under Josiah / editing post-exile
    when: ca.1200 / 1000 / 610 / 530 BCE
    where: Jerusalem
    summary: internal attribution to Moses, but various traditional sources were interwoven under Josiah and edited after the Babylonian exile

    NARRATIVE CONTEXT
    title: Genesis Torah (“law”) or Pentateuch (first “five books”)
    where: the cosmos
    when: in the beginning; antediluvian
    summary: explanations about the origin of limated human lifespan, various customs, and social affinities; legitimacy of conquest and enslavement
    (Book of Genesis) — walkthrough 03-2
    • 6.1-4 • cause: monstrous violence (J or Yahwistic)
      breach of the divine-human boundary; the “sons of God” (’El) mate with human women, leading to 120-year limit of human life; beget violent “warriors of renown” (i.e. the monstrous   Nephilim)
    • 6.5-8 • cause: human wickedness (Priestly)
    • 6.9-22 • Noah and family chosen (P)
    • 7.1-5 • method: rain 40 days and nights (J? non-Priestly source)
    • 7.6-9 • Noah, family and animals board “ark” (giant rectangular box)
    • 7.10-12 • method: chaotic waters erupt from Dome of the Sky and the Deep (P)
    • 7.13-16 • Noah, family and animals board “ark” (giant rectangular box)
    • 7.17-8.22 • Noah et al. survive (P and non-Priestly interwoven)
      conclusion: thanksgiving sacrifice; never again will all life be destroyed
    • 9.1-17 • Covenant with Noah (P)
      do not consume animal blood (sign: rainbow)
    • 9: 18-29 • Curse of Ham
      etiology of viticulture and drunkeness; legitimzation of slavery;
      charter myth for conquest of Canaan
    • 10.1-32 • Generations of Noah (“Table of Nations”); toledoth (P)
      division of peoples by kinship
    • 11.1-32 • Tower of Babel (J)
      division of peoples by language
  • 3.3b [Apollod].1.48-50; 3.98-99
    AUTHOR'S CONTEXT
    who: Pseudo-Apollodorus
    when: 1st BCE
    where: "Athens"
    summary: late compilation/summary of Greek myths

    NARRATIVE CONTEXT
    title: Library
    where: Ancient Greece
    when: many generations ago (antediluvian)
    summary: Zeus (Jupiter) causes deluge; Prometheus helps Deucalion survive; he and his wife reseed people (laos) from stones (laas)
    (Pseudo-Apollodorus Library) — walkthrough 03-3
    Livius.org
    • 3.98-99 • cause: human wickedness
      impeity of the Sons of Lycaon
    • 1.47 • cause: violence of the monstrous  Bronze Race of warriors
      Deucalion and family chosen; board giant rectangular box
    • 1.48 • method: rain 9 days and nights
      conclusion: thanksgiving sacrifice
    • 1.48-50 • Generations of Hellen
      division of peoples by kinship
lectures & videos
D03.2 • L03.2.ppt | D03.3
handouts
active reading
CR03 Pseudo-Apollodorus
examples
sample notes | sample questions

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LIFE & DEATH

secondary sources
  • Maurizio Classical Mythology in Context
    4. Demeter, Persephone, & Hades
ancient texts
  • 4.1 H.Hom.2
    AUTHOR'S CONTEXT
    who: "Homer" | bardic tradition | redactor
    when: ca.1200 BCE | 900 BCE | 700 BCE
    where: Panhellenic cult; Eleusis
    context significance: bardic poet, oral performances; ritual performance at Eleusinian Mysteries

    NARRATIVE CONTEXT
    title: Homeric Hymn to Demeter (Lat. Ceres)
    where: Eleusis (Attica)
    when: timeless, in the beginning, when gods gained their attributes
    narrative significance: etiology of cult places and performances; explanation of seasons; social transition from maiden to wife; ritual purification at birth
    (Homeric Hymn to Demeter, Lat. Ceres) — walkthrough 04-1
    G. Nagy 2018 translation
    • 1.1-
      text
  • 4.3 Early Grass
    AUTHOR'S CONTEXT
    who: Kassite | Assyrian Sumero-Akkadian scribe
    when: Old Babyonian (OB), ca.1800 BCE | Neo-Assyrian (late), 650 BCE
    where: lower Mesopotamia
    context significance: elite male audience; ritual texts from royal archives; survival of Sumerian literature

    NARRATIVE CONTEXT
    title: edin-na u2 saĝ-ĝa2-ke4 (Desert of Early Grass)
    who: dDUMU.ZI (Sum) / Du'uzi (Akk) / Thammūz (Heb)
    where: cosmos, lower Mesopotamia
    when: timeless, in the beginning, when gods gained their attributes
    narrative significance: ritual laments (balag); annual taklimtu (lying-in-state); importance of beer
    (In the Desert by the Early Grass) — walkthrough 04-2
    T. Jacobsen 1987 The Harps That Once... (p.56-84)
    • 1.1-
      text
  • Plut.Mor. 357A-D
    AUTHOR'S CONTEXT
    Plutarch of Chaeronea
    when: Roman Empire, 150 CE
    where: Greece (province of Achaea) or Egupt (Alexandria)
    context significance: Greek-speaking (Roman) elite; syncretism between Egypt & Phoenicia (Canaan)
    NARRATIVE CONTEXT
    title: Moralia: Isis & Osiris 15-16 [357A-D]
    where: Egypt > Byblus (Phoenicia)
    who: Isis (Osiris)
    when: timeless, in the beginning, when gods gained their attributes
    narrative significance: ritual purification at birth
    (Plutarch Moralia: Isis & Osiris) — walkthrough 04-CR
    • 1.1-
      text
lectures & videos
D04.1 | L04.2 | D04.3
DCpts 20Xp • aglio oglio e peperoncino (with garum) | Iron Chef: Ambassador
handouts
active reading
CR04A Isis & Osiris | CR04B Early Grass
examples
sample notes | sample questions
essay
guidelines | self & peer edit

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LOVE & STRIFE

secondary sources
Maurizio Classical Mythology in Context
5. Aphrodite & Eros, Hephaestus & Ares
ancient texts
  • 5.1 H.Hom.5
    AUTHOR'S CONTEXT
    who: “Homer“ | oral tradition (rhapsodes) | written compositon
    when: ca.1200 | 1000 | 700 BCE
    where: Panhellenic
    summary: bardic poetry, oral formulaic performance during rituals or symposia; elite (adult, male, free citizens) Greek audience

    NARRATIVE CONTEXT
    title: Homeric Hymn to Aphrodite, Lat. Venus, hence H.Hom.Ven.
    where: Troy/Ilium
    when: heroic era (generation before the Trojan War)
    summary: power of Lust; consequences of transgressing the divine/human boundary; gods share human passions but not human mortality
    (Homeric Hymn to Aphrodite, Lat. Venus) — walkthrough 05-1
    G. Nagy 2018 translation
    • 1.1-
      text
  • 5.1 CoS 1.108
    AUTHOR'S CONTEXT
    who: Sumero-Akkadian scribes
    when: MB/2000 | Early Iron/650 BCE
    where: Ur III | Nineveh
    summary: Sumero-Akkadian-speaking elite

    NARRATIVE CONTEXT
    title: Descent of Ishtar to the Netherworld
    who: d INANNA (Sum) / Ištar (Akk); d EN.KI (Sum) / Ea (Akk); d EREŠ.KI.GAL (Sum); d DUMU.ZI (Sum) / Du'uzi (Akk) / Thammūz (Heb)
    where: Mesopotamia
    when: distant mythical past, timeless ritual present
    summary: cycle of seasons; katabasis (descent); ritual undressing / dressing
    (Descent of Ishtar to the Netherworld) — walkthrough 05-3
    CDLI P497322, cf. Descent of Inana
    • 1.1-
      text
lectures & videos
D05.1 | L05.2 • D05.2
handouts
active reading
CR05 Descent of Ishtar
examples
sample notes | sample questions

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WISDOM & WAR

secondary sources
  • Maurizio Classical Mythology in Context
    6. Athena & Poseidon
ancient texts
  • 6.1 Aes.Eum.
    AUTHOR'S CONTEXT
    who: Aeschylus of Athens
    when: 458 BCE
    where: Athens
    summary: dramatic ritual performance, Great City Dionysia; third part of only surviving trilogy (the Oresteia) with Agamemnon and The Libation Bearers

    NARRATIVE CONTEXT
    title: Eumenides ("Kindly Ones," euphemism for the Erinyes, or Furies)
    where: Delphi > Athens
    when: heroic era (post Trojan War)
    summary: justice vs vengeance, male vs female; etiology of the Council of the Areopagus (court for capital crimes)
    (Aeschylus of Athens Eumenides) — walkthrough 06-1
    • 1.1-
      text
  • 6.3 Esna
    AUTHOR'S CONTEXT
    who: Egyptian scribes | Roman era transscription
    when: 3000 BCE (Dyn 1-2 Esna) or 550 BCE (Dyn 26 Saïs) | 2nd CE
    where: Iunyt (Gk. Latopolis, mod. Esna) and Zau (Gk. Saïs, mod. Ṣā al-Ḥaǧar)
    summary: audience of those literate in Egyptian hieroglyphs; during Roman Era; very late (last?) monumental composition in hieroglyphic script

    NARRATIVE CONTEXT
    title: Cosmogony
    who: demiurge Neith (Gk Athena), Re-Atum (Gk Helios), Thoth (Gk Hermes), Nun (chaos water) where: cosmos, Ta-tenen (primordial mound), Egypt
    when: In the
    summary: creation by luminescence, speech, and intent; etymology ("people" > "tears")
    (Cosmogony of Esna) — walkthrough 06-2
    • 1. Father of the Fathers, Mother of the Mothers, Neith appeared out of herself in the Abyss (Nun, watery chaos); manifest as akhet-cow, then lates-fish
    • 2. made luminescent her eyes and light came into being; she said: “Let this place become a platform of land” (Ta-tenen), “the land of the waters” Iunyt (Gk. Latopolis/mod. Esna), which is also Zau (GSaïs/mod. Ṣā al-Ḥaǧar); everything her heart conceived came into being
    • 3. she made gods by pronouncing their names, separated the night from the day; Sole One (Re) created in the beginning [Re-Atum of On/Heliopolis, progenitor of The Nine, i.e. the  Ennead]
    • 5. she counted the four spirits, gave form to bodies and pronounced forms, that spoken came to be akhet-cow (horizon-cow) creates the august god (Re)
    • 6. people came from the tears of his eye, gods from the spittle of his lips; made him vigorous, his children will rebel against him; Re (“my son issued from my body”) will be king forever
    • Re manifests as Khepri in the morning, Atum in the evening, radiating forever ; The Eight became these gods (i.e. the Ogdoad) and this city Khemenu (“eight-city” Hermopolis/Ashmunein); (Thoth) born from excretions from the body of Neith in the body of this primordial egg
    • 8. within the shell Re was hidden in the midst of the Abyss (Nun) as Amun the Elder; fashioned gods in the name of Khnum
    • 9. he cried in the Abyss (Nun) when he did not see his mother, mankind came from the tears of his eye; he salivated when he saw her again, gods came into being from the saliva of his lips
    • 10. primordial gods pronounced as this goddess conceived them in her heart
    • 11. spittle from her mouth, produced in Nun (Abyss), transformed into serpent named Apep (Apophis); revolted against Re, its cohorts coming from its eyes; emerged from his (i.e. Re's) heart in a moment of bitterness (dḥr), name of Thoth (dḥwty); against the revolt, in his name of Lord of the Word of God, as Thoth, Lord of Khemenu, came into being Neith goes to her city of Iunyt (Esna), which is Zau (Saïs); suckled Thoth until strong
    lectures & videos
    D06.1 | L06.2 • D06.2 | D06.2
    handouts
    active reading
    CR06 Cosmogony of Esna, Plato Timaeus, Herodotus History
    examples
    sample notes | sample quotes

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    FROM HERMS TO HERMES

    secondary sources
    • Maurizio Classical Mythology in Context
      6. Hermes & Hestia
    ancient texts
    • 7.1 H.Hom.4
      AUTHOR'S CONTEXT
      who: “Homer“ | oral tradition (rhapsodes) | written compositon
      when: ca.1200 | 1000 | 700 BCE
      where: Panhellenic
      summary: bardic poetry, oral formulaic performance during rituals or symposia; elite (adult, male, free citizens) Greek audience [Hyde (1998) argues for c.520 BCE Athenian context, reflecting a challenge to an aristocratic land-owning elite using gift exchange posed by a democratic artisanal-mercantile elite using commercial exchange]

      NARRATIVE CONTEXT
      title: Homeric Hymn to Hermes; Lat. Mercury, hence H.Hom.Merc.
      where: Mt. Cyllene (Arcadia), Onchestus (Boeotia), Mt. Olympus
      when: in distant past when gods received their attributes
      summary: trickster god / thief; etiology of the lyre, first sacrifice, and cult sites
      (Homeric Hymn to Hermes, Lat. Mercury) — walkthrough 07-1
      • 1.1-
        text
    • 7.3a MMA 23.10.1
      AUTHOR'S CONTEXT
      who: Egyptian scribe Haremhab
      when: New Kingdom / 18th Dyn / ca.1336-1319 BCE
      where: Memphis region (Ptah Temple)
      summary: literate Egyptian elite audience; statue dedicated by Haremhab (or Horemheb) after the Amarna heresy, sometime during his service as scribe-general during the reign of Tutankhamun and Ay, before his own reign and his restoration of religious orthodoxy (ca.1319-1292 BCE)

      NARRATIVE CONTEXT
      title: Statue Inscription of Haremhab (bearing scroll with Hymn to Thoth), Metropolitan Museum of Art, accession no.23.10.1
      who: Thoth (Gk Hermes), Re-Atum ("Sole Lord," setting sun), Re-Harakhti (rising sun)
      where: Khmun or Khemenyu ("The Eight" Gk. Hermopolis); Mennefer (Gk. Memphis) and On (Gk. Heliopolis)
      when: timeless mythic past
      summary: memory and writing; balance-justice (ma‘at) vs chaos; judgement; transit to netherworld
      (Hymn to Thoth) — walkthrough 07-3
      • 1.1-
        text
    • 7.3b Plat.Phaed.270b-278e
      AUTHOR'S CONTEXT
      who: Plato of Athens
      when: ca.370 BCE
      where: Academy (philosophical school) in Athens
      summary: adult, male, literate, Greek elite audience

      NARRATIVE CONTEXT
      title: Phaedrus
      who: Theuth (i.e. Thoth, Gk. Hermes), Thamous (i.e. Amon, Gk. Zeus)
      when: long ago
      summary: speech and writing, relation to memory
      (Plato Phaedrus)— walkthrough 07-3
      • 1.1-
        text
    lectures & videos
    D07.1 | L07.2 • D07.2 | D07.2
    handouts
    active reading
    CR07 Hymn to Thoth, Plato Phaedrus
    how to
    how to map

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    FROM ADOLESCENCE TO ADULTHOOD

    secondary sources
    • Maurizio Classical Mythology in Context
      8. Apollo & Artemis
    ancient texts
    • 8.1a H.Hom.3
      AUTHOR'S CONTEXT
      who: “Homer“ | oral tradition (rhapsodes) | written compositon
      when: ca.1200 | 1000 | 700 BCE
      where: Panhellenic
      summary: bardic poetry, oral formulaic performance during rituals or symposia; elite (adult, male, free citizens) Greek audiences

      NARRATIVE CONTEXT
      title: Homeric Hymn to Apollo, or H.Hom.Ap.
      where: Delphi
      when: distant mythic past when gods gained their attributes
      summary:
      (Homeric Hymn to Apollo) — walkthrough 08-1
      R. Merrill, in T. Pepper 2011 translation
      • 1.1-
        text
    • 8.1b H.Hom.27
      AUTHOR'S CONTEXT
      who: “Homer“ | oral tradition (rhapsodes) | written compositon
      when: ca.1200 | 1000 | 700 BCE
      where: Panhellenic
      summary: bardic poetry, oral formulaic performance during rituals or symposia; elite (adult, male, free citizens) Greek audience

      NARRATIVE CONTEXT
      title: Homeric Hymn to Artemis; Lat. Diana, hence H.Hom.Dian.
      where: mountain wilds, Delphi
      when: distant mythic past when gods gained their attributes
      summary:
      (Homeric Hymn to Artemis, Lat. Diana) — walkthrough 08-1
      • 1.1-
        text
    • 8.3 Xenoph.Eph.I.1-8
      AUTHOR'S CONTEXT
      who: Xenophon of Ephesus
      when: 2nd CE
      where: Ephesus
      summary: Greek speakers in the Roman Empire; romantic novel

      NARRATIVE CONTEXT
      title: Ephesiaka (“Ephesian Tale”)
      who: Artemis, Eros; Habrocomes, Anthia where: Ephesus
      when: long ago
      summary: age-grade transition to sexual maturity
      (Xenophon Ephesian Tale) — walkthrough 08-3
      • 1.1-
        text
    • Ov.Met.III.131-256
      AUTHOR'S CONTEXT
      who: P. Ovidius Naso
      when: ca.1 BCE / 1 CE
      where: Sulmo (Sabine) > Rome
      summary: Latin speaking elite, imperial patronage; exiled for impiety (Ars amatoria)

      NARRATIVE CONTEXT
      title: Metamorphoses
      who: Diana (Artemis), Actaeon
      where: Thebes (Boeotia)
      when: before 1200 BCE (pre-Trojan War), two generations after Cadmus
      summary: male gaze; divine retribution
      (Ovid Metamorphoses) — walkthrough 08-CR
      • 1.1-
        text
    lectures & videos
    D08.1 | L08.2 • D08.2 | D08.3
    handouts
    active reading
    CR08 Ovid Metamorphosis
    how to
    how to map | how to essay (& fold the cheese)
    essay
    guidelines | peer edit

    01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08 | 09 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | REVIEW

    ENCOUNTERING DIONYSUS

    secondary sources
    • Maurizio Classical Mythology in Context
      9. Dionysus
    ancient texts
    • 9.1a Eur.Bacch.
      AUTHOR'S CONTEXT
      who: Euripides
      when: ca.405 BCE
      where: Athens
      summary: dramatic ritual performance, Great City Dionysia

      NARRATIVE CONTEXT
      title: Bacchae
      where: Thebes
      who: Dionysus, Pentheus, Agave (and Maenads)
      when: mythical past when gods attained their attributes
      summary: rational vs irrational, ecstatic worship
      (Euripides Bacchae) — walkthrough 09-1
      • 1.1-
        text
    • 9.1b H.Hom.7
      AUTHOR'S CONTEXT
      who: "Homer" | bardic tradition | redactor
      when: ca.1200 BCE | 900 BCE | 700 BCE
      where: Panhellenic cult
      context significance: bardic poet, oral performances

      NARRATIVE CONTEXT
      title: Homeric Hymn to Dionysus (Lat. Bacchus)
      where: Mediterranean Sea
      who: Dionysus, steersman
      when: mythical past when gods attained their attributes
      summary: pirates transformed into dolphins
      (Homeric Hymn to Dionysus, Lat. Bacchus) — walkthrough 09-1
      G. Nagy 2019 translation
      • 1.1-
        text
    • 9.3 Catull.63
      AUTHOR'S CONTEXT
      who: C. Valerius Catullus
      when: 50 BCE
      where: Verona (Cisalpine Gaul) > Rome
      summary: Late Republic, neoteric poet

      NARRATIVE CONTEXT
      title: Attis
      who: Cybele ("Great Goddess"), Attis, galli/ae
      where: Dindymus (Pessinus)
      when: long ago
      summary: ecstatic castrati
      (Catullus Attis) — walkthrough 09-3
      • 1.1-
        text
    lectures & videos
    D09.1 | L09.2 • D09.2 | D09.3
    handouts
    active reading
    CR09 Homeric Hymn to Dionysus
    how to
    M09 • how to map | how to GoogleEarth
    how to essay & fold the cheese
    essay
    guidelines | peer edit | self edit

    01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08 | 09 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | REVIEW

    MAKING OF A HERO

    secondary sources
    • Maurizio Classical Mythology in Context
      10. Achilles: The Making of a Hero
    ancient texts
    • 10.1 Hom.Il
      AUTHOR'S CONTEXT
      who: "Homer" | bardic tradition | redactor | editor
      when: ca.1200 BCE | 1000 BCE | 750 BCE | 500 BCE
      where: Panhellenic
      summary: Greek aristocratic banquets

      NARRATIVE CONTEXT
      title: Iliad
      where: Troy/Ilium
      when: ca.1200 BCE
      who: Achilles (son of goddess Thetis & mortal Peleus) with Patroclus; Agamemnon; Briseïs & Chryseïs; Zeus, Hera, Hephaestus; Scamander/Xanthus; foe of Hector, son of Priam
      summary: buddy movie; mortality and fame; awful & awesome heroic wrath; proper honor
      (Homer Iliad books I, XXI, XXIV) — walkthrough 10-1
      • 1.1-
        text
    • 10.3a Gilg.
      AUTHOR'S CONTEXT
      who: "Gilgamesh" | oral tradition | redactor | editor
      when: ca.2500 BCE (Sumerian) | 2000 BCE | 1750 BCE (Akkadian) | 650 BCE (Assyrian)
      where: Uruk/Ur > Babylon > Nineveh
      summary: early epic

      NARRATIVE CONTEXT
      title: Gilgamesh
      who: Gilgamesh (son of goddess Ninsun & mortal Lugalbanda) with Enkidu; Ninhursag (aka Belet-ili or Aruru, the earth goddess); Utnapishtim; the harlot; foe of Bull of Heaven & Humbaba
      where: Uruk, E-anna (temple of Ishtar); Cedar (Pine) Forest,
      when: ca.2500 BCE
      summary: buddy movie; mortality and fame; awful rape; awesome heroic wrath; proper honor
      (Epic of Gilgamesh, tablets I, VIII)— walkthrough 10-3
      • 1.1-
        text
    • 10.3b Verg.Aen.
      AUTHOR'S CONTEXT
      who: P. Vergilius Maro
      when: 20 BCE
      where: Mantua (Cisalpine Gaul) > Rome
      summary: Latin speaking elite, imperial patronage (Iulian clan, descendants of Aeneas), forging the epic Rome deserves (1-6 plagiarizes Odyssey, 7-12 plagiarizes Iliad)

      NARRATIVE CONTEXT
      title: Aeneid
      who: Aeneas (Trojan son of goddess Venus/Aphrodite and mortal Anchises; father of Ascanius or Iulus) with Pallas (Greek, son of Evander); Mezentius (Etruscan); foe of Turnus (Rutilian) suitor of Lavinia (daughter of Latinus)
      where: Latium
      when: ca.1200 BCE (post-Trojan War)
      summary: awful & awesome heroic wrath; demonstrates virtus (manly valor) and pietas (devotion to gods and family); proper honor; mortality and fame
      (Vergil Aeneid books XI-XII) — walkthrough 10-3
      • 1.1-
        text
    • Herod.
      AUTHOR'S CONTEXT
      who: Herodotus
      when: 420 BCE
      where: Halicarnassus > Athens > Thurii
      summary: First narrative history in Greek, by “Father of History” / “Father of Lies”

      NARRATIVE CONTEXT
      title: History (historia, “inquiry”)
      who: Heracles, Dorieus of Sparta
      where: Eryx (Sicily)
      when: ca.510 BCE
      summary:
      (Herodotus History V.42-48; VII.158) — walkthrough 10-CR
      • Heracles vs Eryx; Dorieus of Sparta vs Phoenicians; charter myth
    • Paus.
      AUTHOR'S CONTEXT
      who: Pausanias Periegetes
      when: 2nd CE, Era of Good Emperors
      where: Greece
      context: travel guide for Greek-speaking Roman citizens
      NARRATIVE CONTEXT
      title: Description of Greece
      who: Cleomedes of Astypalaea
      when: 495 BCE
      where: Olympia (Olympic Games), Astypalaea, Delphi
      context: child murdering boxer ” hero
      (Pausanias Description of Greece VI.9) — walkthrough 10-CR
      • Cleomedes of Astypalaea, “last of the heroes”
    lectures & videos
    D10.1 | L10 • D10.2 | D10.3
    handouts
    active reading
    CR10 Pausanias, Diodorus, Herodotus
    how to
    how to essay | how to GoogleEarth

    01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08 | 09 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | REVIEW

    MAKING OF A HEROINE

    secondary sources
    • Maurizio Classical Mythology in Context
      11. Medea: The Making of a Heroine
    ancient texts
    • 11.1 Eur.Med.
      AUTHOR'S CONTEXT
      who: Euripides
      when: ca.430 BCE
      where: Athens
      summary: dramatic ritual performance, Great City Dionysia; outbreak of Peloponnesian War, height of Athenian power

      NARRATIVE CONTEXT
      title: Medea
      where: Corinth [Thessaly, Colchis]
      who: Jason of Iolcus (Argonauts) son of Aeson, Medea of Colchis (golden fleece) daughter of Aeëtes, Creon of Corinth, Aegeus of Athens (Aegean)
      when: heroic age, generation before Trojan War
      summary: awesome heroic wrath; proper honor
      Medea aided against fire bulls (magic cloak), dragon's teeth (warriors confused by rock), dragon guard (drugs), Talos (main vein), Pelias of Iolcus (vim & vigor); then Jason dumps her for Glauce daughter of Creon; M. kills bride and her own kids; asylum with Aegeus; foreign, female, powerless ” video, wisdom, witch; swears by her grandfather, the Sun; helps friends, harms enemies
      (Euripides of Athens Medea) — walkthrough 11-1
      • 1.1-
        text
    • 11.3 Ov.Met.VII
      AUTHOR'S CONTEXT
      who: P. Ovidius Naso
      when: ca.1 CE
      where: Sulmo (Sabine) ” Rome
      summary: Latin speaking elite, imperial patronage; exiled for impiety (Ars amatoria)

      NARRATIVE CONTEXT
      title: Metamorphoses
      who: Medea, Jason son of Aeson; daughters of Pelias; Aegeus; Hecate; Helios
      where: Iolchus (Thessaly)
      when: before 1200 BCE (pre-Trojan War)
      summary: foreign, female, powerless ” video, wisdom, witch; knowledge of potions (e.g. “fountain of youth” embalming fluid)
      (Ovid Metamorphoses) — walkthrough 11-3
      • 1.1-
        text
    • Diod.III.53-5, IV.17-9, 23
      AUTHOR'S CONTEXT
      who: Diodorus Siculus when: ca.50 BCE
      where: Agyrium (Sicily)
      summary: Greek speaking Roman citizens

      NARRATIVE CONTEXT
      title: Bibliotheka (Library of History)
      who: Heracles, Amazons
      where: Scythia & Ethiopia
      when: before 1200 BCE (pre-Trojan War)
      summary:
      (Diodorus of Sicily Library of History) — walkthrough 11-CR
      • Heracles vs Scythian & Ethiopian Amazons; civilization vs. savagery; charter
    lectures & videos
    D11.1 | L11.2 • D11.2 | D11.3
    handouts
    active reading
    CR11 Diodorus of Sicily Library of History
    how to
    M11 • how to map | how to GoogleEarth

    01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08 | 09 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | REVIEW

    QUEST HERO

    secondary sources
    • Maurizio Classical Mythology in Context
      12. Odysseus and Quest Heroes
    ancient texts
    • 12.1 Hom.Od.
      AUTHOR'S CONTEXT
      who: "Homer" | bardic tradition | redactor | editor
      when: ca.1200 BCE | 1000 BCE | 750 BCE | 500 BCE
      where: Panhellenic
      summary: Greek aristocratic banquets

      NARRATIVE CONTEXT
      title: Odyssey
      where: Mediterranean world
      when: post-1200 BCE (after Trojan War)
      who: Odysseus son of Laertes, Polyphemus son of Poseidon (the cyclops), Circe, Eurylochus, Tiresias, (and Elpenor), Agamennon & Clytemnestra, Penelope
      summary: awesome heroic trickery & discovery; proper honor & hospitality; mortality and fame; civilization vs savagery; sedentary agriculture vs nomadic pastoralism
      (Homer Odyssey, books IX-XI) — walkthrough 12-1 | 12-CR
      • 1.1-
        text
    • 12.3a Gilg.
      AUTHOR'S CONTEXT
      who: "Gilgamesh" | oral tradition | redactor | editor
      when: ca.2500 BCE (Sumerian) | 2000 BCE | 1750 BCE (Akkadian) | 650 BCE (Assyrian)
      where: Uruk/Ur ” Babylon ” Nineveh
      summary: early epic

      NARRATIVE CONTEXT
      title: Gilgamesh
      who: Gilgamesh, Enkidu, Shamhat (the harlot), the alewife, Urshanabi, Utnapishtim
      where: Uruk
      when: ca.2500 BCE
      summary: awesome heroic discovery; mortality and fame; proper honor; civilization vs savagery; sedentary agriculture vs nomadic pastoralism
      (Epic of Gilgamesh, tablet X) — walkthrough 12-3 | 12-CR
      • 1.1-
        text
    • 12.3b Verg.Aen.
      AUTHOR'S CONTEXT
      who: P. Vergilius Maro
      when: 20 BCE
      where: Mantua (Cisalpine Gaul) ” Rome
      summary: Latin speaking elite, imperial patronage (Iulian clan, descendants of Aeneas), epic Rome deserves (1-6 plagiarizes Odyssey, 7-12 plagiarizes Iliad)

      NARRATIVE CONTEXT
      title: Aeneid
      who: Aeneas, Anchises, Sibyl; Imp. Caesar Augustus
      where: Sicily, Fields of the Blessed
      when: ca.1200 BCE (post-Trojan War)
      summary: demonstrates pietas (devotion to gods and family); awesome heroic discovery; proper honor; mortality and fame
      (Vergil Aeneid VI) — walkthrough 12-3
      • 1.1-
        text
    lectures & videos
    D12.1 | L12.2 | D12.3
    handouts
    active reading
    CR12 Homer Odyssey IX
    how to
    how to grade | scorecard | worksheet

    01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08 | 09 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | REVIEW

    QUEST HEROINE

    secondary sources
    • Maurizio Classical Mythology in Context
      13. Iphigenia and Quest Heroines
    ancient texts
    • 13.1 Eur.I.T.
      AUTHOR'S CONTEXT
      who: Euripides
      when: ca.412 BCE
      where: Athens
      summary: dramatic ritual performance, Great City Dionysia

      NARRATIVE CONTEXT
      title: Iphigenia among the Taurians
      where: Tauric Chersonese (mod. Crimea)
      who: Artemis, Iphigenia, Orestes, Pylades
      when: post-1200 BCE (after Trojan War)
      summary: male vs female, barbarian vs civilized |
      (Euripides of Athens Iphigenia among the Taurians) — walkthrough 13-1
      • 1.1-
        text
    • 13.3 A.P.Th.
      AUTHOR'S CONTEXT
      who: anonymous presbyter (church elder)
      when: ca.150 CE
      where: Asia Minor (mod. Turkey)
      summary: unorthodox novel, or “religious romance“; originally in Greek with copies in Latin, Syriac, Armenian, Coptic and Ethiopic (Ge‘ez); mutiple transtlations and citation by Church fathers show its wide dissemination and demonstrate the veneration of Thecla

      NARRATIVE CONTEXT
      title: Acts of Paul and Thecla
      who: Paul (of Tarsus), Thecla (of Iconium), Thamyris, Onesiphorus, Castellius, Alexander, Tryphaena
      where: Iconium, Antioch
      when: ca.50 CE
      summary: maiden preserves (unmarried) chastity; veneration of the preaching of St. Paul of Tarsus, divine protection from fire and beasts
      (Acts of Paul and Thecla)— walkthrough 13-3
      • 1.1-
        text
    lectures & videos
    D13.1 | L13.2 • D13.2
    handouts
    active reading | CR13
    essay
    guidelines | self edit | how to essay
    how to
    M13 • how to map | how to GoogleEarth | reference

    REVIEW

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    guide | quote bank | review session | essay conference sign-up
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