Greek Mythography In The Roman World

By the Roman age the traditional stories of Greek myth had long since ceased to reflect popular culture, and become instead a central element in elite culture. This book illustrates the importance of semi-learned mythographic handbooks in the social, literary, and artistic world of Rome. One of the most intriguing features of these works is the fact that they all cite classical sources for the stories they tell, sources which are often forged.

By the Roman age the traditional stories of Greek myth had long since ceased to reflect popular culture. Mythology had become instead a central element in elite culture. If one did not know the stories one would not understand most of the allusions in the poets and orators, classics and contemporaries alike; nor would one be able to identify the scenes represented on the mosaic floors and wall paintings in your cultivated friends' houses, or on the silverware on their tables at dinner. Mythology was no longer imbibed in the nursery; nor could it be simply picked up from the often oblique allusions in the classics. It had to be learned in school, as illustrated by the extraordinary amount of elementary mythological information in the many surviving ancient commentaries on the classics, notably Servius, who offers a mythical story for almost every person, place, and even plant Vergil mentions. Commentators used the classics as pegs on which to hang stories they thought their students should know. A surprisingly large number of mythographic treatises survive from the early empire, and many papyrus fragments from lost works prove that they were in common use. In addition, author Alan Cameron identifies a hitherto unrecognized type of aid to the reading of Greek and Latin classical and classicizing texts--what might be called mythographic companions to learned poets such as Aratus, Callimachus, Vergil, and Ovid, complete with source references. Much of this book is devoted to an analysis of the importance evidently attached to citing classical sources for mythical stories, the clearest proof that they were now a part of learned culture. So central were these source references that the more unscrupulous faked them, sometimes on the grand scale.

This volume contains E. M. Berens’ "The Myths and Legends of Greece and Rome", being a popular account of Greek and Roman mythology. Covering the whole breadth of Roman and Greek mythology from the primordial Gods to the heroes of legend, this accessible book is highly recommended for those looking for for an introduction to the topic. It would make for a great addition to any bookshelf. The chapters of this volume include: “Greek Mythology”, “Myths and Legends of Ancient Greece and Rome”, “First Dynasty – Origin of the World”, “Uranus and Gaea”, “ Second Dynasty”, “Cronus”, “Rhea”, “Division of the World”, “Theories as to the Origin of Man”, “Olympian Divinities – Third Dynasty”, etcetera. We are republishing this book now in an affordable, modern, high quality edition - complete with a specially commissioned new introduction on greek mythology.

This book is a comprehensive catalogue of ancient Roman and Grecian Gods and Goddesses, with detailed descriptions of each deity, information concerning related festivals, retellings of legendary tales, and much more. Easy-to-digest and full of interesting information, this book is highly recommended for those looking for an introduction to Greek mythology. Contents include: “First Dynasty”, “Origin of the World”, “Uranus and Gaea”, “Second Dynasty”, “Cronus”, “Rhea”, “Division of the World”, “Theories as to the Origin of Man”, “Third Dynasty”, “Olympian Divinities”, “Zeus”, “Hera”, “Pellas-Athene”, “Themis”, “Hestia”, Demeter”, etc. Many vintage books such as this are becoming increasingly scarce and expensive. It is with this in mind that we are republishing this volume now in an affordable, high-quality edition complete with a specially commissioned new introduction on Greek and Roman mythology.

Roman mythology is closely linked in our minds to Greek mythology, and for a good reason. As Rome evolved into an empire, its people began to long for a mythical history to solidify Roman identity. Romans, however, were not particularly interested in the effort it would take to create these myths from scratch, so they borrowed them. Greece was not the only influence on Roman culture, but it was the most prominent one.Still, when the Romans appropriated these tales, they made them their own, renaming the leading players and infusing the stories with a good dose of Roman ideology. Crucially, Roman religion and myth were meant to be practical. They discarded the Greeks' affinity for poetry and philosophy and instead focused on structure and ceremony--the gods' stories became Rome's stories, providing a divine pedigree for its conquerors and the proper rituals for continued prosperity. In Rome, the gods, like everything else, existed to benefit the empire.This book will introduce you to those gods, to the heroes they helped (and hindered), to the monsters they created and killed, and to the world of ancient Rome where they were worshipped. The stories are not for the faint of heart. They are full of war and betrayal, of blood and sorrow, of long voyages and narrow escapes, and most of all, of the perilous thrill that awaits mortals that venture into the realm of the gods.

This Is A New Release Of The Original 1893 Edition.

The World of Mythology series introduces the myths of the world's greatest civilizations. The Classical world of ancient Greece and Rome has had an immeasurable impact on Western culture, but what inspired some of the greatest writers, philosophers, and architects of all time? Gods were not only worshipped, but consulted for both minor problems and victory in battle. The legends of mortals Heracles and Perseus were wrapped up in the lives of the immortals. Art and artifacts, as well as photographs of the landscapes immortalized in the tales, bring the world of Classical myth to life.