Crowell S Handbook Of Classical Literature

Lively up-to-date guide to world's first great literature contains synopses, historical notes and critical analyses.

Alphabetically arranged, the volume contains entries on classical plays and playwrights; theatrical conventions; persons (real or mythical) and places mentioned; and terms used. Entries for the plays include historical data, lists of translations, summaries, and critical commentaries. Information from ancient sources on fragmentary and lost plays is included.

When our ancestors gazed upon the skies thousands of years ago they looked up into the center of Creation and saw a mighty Dragon, a great celestial serpent with wings circling ceaselessly above them, night after night, century after century. When the Dragon Wore the Crown is a ground breaking book that covers a period of over six thousand years, focusing on what astrologers would call the Ages of Gemini, Taurus and Aries and taking us through the period of classical astronomy with the Greeks and Romans (approx. 7000 BC-200 AD). When the Dragon Wore the Crown opens and closes with the Chinese mythological tradition and touches on Sumerian, Babylonian, Phoenician, Hindu, Norse, Native American and even Mayan myths, weaving together many of their celestial serpentine similarities. It focuses primarily on the role of the constellation Draco, the astronomical marker of the North Celestial Pole for literally thousands of years. The importance of this simple astronomical observation helped facilitate the study of the calendar, navigation, farming and social organization. The circuit of the seasons was marked by this cadence with the moving center guarding the position of the zodiacal circle for literally thousands of years. The secret of the circle was hidden in its center. The one had to be determined before the other. If the true center was not accurately observed and determined, the entire circle was off. This is a beautiful and informative book of discovery, following the mythology of various cultures as it evolved into modern astronomy.