"Classical Mythology in Context offers students an approach to understanding how Greek myths acquire meaning and significance in their historical, theoretical, comparative, and later artistic contexts. It integrates these four areas of inquiry into a dynamic, challenging, yet accessible format. Classical Mythology in Context is further distinguished by its inclusion of a robust se-lection of Greek sources, as well as Roman and Ancient Near Eastern texts"--

From Zeus to Europa, to Pan and Prometheus, the myths of ancient Greece and Rome continue to pervade the numerous facets of our existence. The author explores the rich history and varying interpretations of classical myth in both high art and popular culture as well as its ongoing influence in modern society.

This new edition of Anthology of Classical Myth offers selections from key Near Eastern texts—the Babylonian Epic of Gilgamesh, Epic of Creation (Enuma Elish), and Atrahasis; the Hittite Song of Emergence; and the flood story from the book of Genesis—thereby enabling students to explore the many similarities between ancient Greek and Mesopotamian mythology and enhancing its reputation as the best and most complete collection of its kind.

Classical Mythology offers newcomers and long-time enthusiasts new ways to navigate the world of Greek and Roman myths, beginning by exploring the landscapes where the myths are set. It then provides a richly detailed timeline of mythic episodes from the origin of the cosmos to the end of the Heroic Age--plus an illustrated mythological dictionary listing significant characters, places, events, objects, and concepts.

First published in 2001. Part of the Routledge Who's Who series, this is an accessible, authorative and enlightening definitive biographical guides to a range of subjects. Focusing on mythology, this book provides a uniquely comprehensive guide to world mythology beyond Greece and Rome with over 2,500 accessible and detailed entries. A complete historical and cultural context of each entry covering a wide geographical scope, from the Near East and Europe to Asia, the Americas, Australasia and Africa. Presented in an easy to use A-Z format this is the ideal reference resource for anyone interested in mythology.

In an innovative sequence of topics, Ken Dowden explores the uses Greeks made of myth and the uses to which we can put myth in recovering the richness of their culture. Most aspects of Greek life and history - including war, religion and sexuality - which are discernable through myth, as well as most modern approaches, are given a context in a book which is designed to be useful, accessible and stimulating.

This is a study of Greek mythology in relation to its original contexts. Part one deals with the contexts in which myths were narrated: the home, public festivals, the lesche. Part two, the heart of the book, examines the relation between the realities of Greek life and the fantasies of mythology: the landscape, the family and religion are taken as case-studies. Part three focuses on the function of myth-telling, both as seen by the Greeks themselves and as perceived by later observers. The author sees his role as that of a cultural historian trying to recover the contexts and horizons of expectation which simultaneously make possible and limit meaning. He seeks to demonstrate how the seemingly endless variations of Greek mythology are a product of a particular community, situated in a particular landscape, and with these particular institutions.

Romance, betrayal, passion, tragedy, violence, and scandal! Now you have an easy-to-follow guide to the drama and intrigue of classical myths.

Classical Mythology in Context provides a contextualized treatment of classical myth, combining ancient sources, comparative perspectives, theoretical approaches, and artistic interpretations. It encourages students to directly encounter and explore ancient myths and to understand them in broader interpretative contexts. It features a modular structure that coincides with the four main components of a classical mythology course: history, theory, comparison, and reception.

Myths reflect, reinforce, and sometimes subvert gender ideologies and so have an influence in the 'real world'. This is true in the present no less than when the Greek and Roman myths were created. The struggles to redefine gender roles and identities in our own time are inevitably reflected in our interpretations and retellings of these classical myths. Using the new lenses provided by gender studies and diverse forms of feminism, Lillian Doherty re-examines some of the major approaches to myth interpretation in the twentieth century: psychological, ritualist, 'charter', structuralist and folklorist. She also explores 'popular' uses of classical mythology - from television and comic books to the evocation of goddesses in Jungian psychology.