Classical Mythology

by Morford, Mark P. O.; Lenardon, Robert J.

• ISBN13: 9780195308044
• ISBN10: 0195308042
• Edition: 8th
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2006-07-20
• Publisher: Oxford University Press

Summary

Building on the best-selling tradition of previous editions, Classical Mythology, Eighth Edition, is the most comprehensive survey of classical mythology available in one volume. Featuring the authors' clear and extensive translations of original sources, it brings to life the myths andlegends of Greece and Rome in a lucid and engaging style. The text contains a wide variety of faithfully translated passages from Greek and Latin sources, including Homer, Hesiod, all the Homeric Hymns, Pindar, Aeschylus, Sophocles, Euripides, Herodotus, Plato, Lucian, Lucretius, Vergil, Ovid, andSeneca. The authors incorporate a dynamic combination of poetic narratives and enlightening commentary to make the myths come alive for students. Offering historical and cultural background on the myths--including evidence from art and archaeology--they also provide ample interpretative material andexamine the enduring survival of classical mythology and its influence in the fields of art, literature, music, dance, and film. Classical Mythology, Eighth Edition, enables students to explore the fascinating nature of Greek and Roman gods, goddesses, heroes, and heroines, and to appreciate the most significant ancient sources of classical myths and legends. The book is beautifully enhanced by 22 color plates and 160 blackand white illustrations with lucid explanatory captions, as well as maps, a glossary, a companion website, and an instructor's manual. Classical Mythology, Eighth Edition, has been updated and revised to reflect recent scholarship, featuring:ulliThe most recent results of excavations at TroyliExpanded discussions of Asclepius, Antigone, and OrestesliMany new text boxes including those on Homer, Hesiod, and the worship of Artemisat BrauronliA new chapter (25) on Ovid's treatment of classical mythologyliIncorporation of local legends--for example, the myth of Bellerophon--in relevant myths and sagas (these legends, located in the former Chapter 25 in the previous edition, have now been distributed throughout the book wherethey best fit)liAn improved art program, with new images, better-quality reproductions, and improved mapsliNumbering of lines for all translations, for easy referenceliImproved indexes and updated bibliographiesliAn improved and updated companion website, including images and mapsliAn instructor'smanual and test bank (available for the first time)/ul

Table of Contents

Plates, Maps, and Figures	ix
Preface	xv
About the Authors	xviii
About the Website	xix
PART ONE THE MYTHS OF CREATION: THE GODS
Interpretation and Definition of Classical Mythology	3	(37)
Appendix to Chapter 1: Sources for Classical Mythology	26	(14)
Historical Background of Greek Mythology	40	(15)
Myths of Creation	55	(23)
Zeus' Rise to Power: The Creation of Mortals	78	(35)
Additional Reading: Parallels in Myths of Greece and the Ancient Near East	102	(11)
The Twelve Olympians: Zeus, Hera, and Their Children	113	(22)
The Nature of the Gods	135	(19)
Poseidon, Sea Deities, Group Divinities, and Monsters	154	(11)
Athena	165	(14)
Aphrodite and Eros	179	(31)
Artemis	210	(28)
Additional Reading: Selections from Euripides' Hippolytus	224	(14)
Apollo	238	(34)
Additional Reading: The Homeric Hymn to Pythian Apollo	259	(13)
Hermes	272	(20)
Dionysus, Pan, Echo, and Narcissus	292	(35)
Demeter and the Eleusinian Mysteries	327	(22)
Views of the Afterlife: The Realm of Hades	349	(28)
Orpheus and Orphism: Mystery Religions in Roman Times	377	(24)
PART TWO THE GREEK SAGAS
Introduction	394	(7)
The Theban Saga	401	(32)
The Mycenaean Saga	433	(33)
Additional Reading: Orestes and the Three Electras	446	(20)
The Trojan Saga and the Iliad	466	(56)
Appendix to Chapter 19: Meleager and the Calydonian Boar Hunt	513	(9)
The Returns and the Odyssey	522	(25)
Perseus and the Legends of Argos	547	(17)
Appendix to Chapter 21: Bellerophon	560	(4)
Heracles	564	(29)
Theseus and the Legends of Attica	593	(28)
Jason, Medea, and the Argonauts	621	(30)
Additional Reading: Jason and Medea in Euripides	637	(14)
Greek and Roman Legends in Ovid's Poetry	651	(12)
PART THREE THE NATURE OF ROMAN MYTHOLOGY
Roman Mythology and Saga	663	(44)
PART FOUR THE SURVIVAL OF CLASSICAL MYTHOLOGY
Classical Mythology in Literature and Art	707	(41)
Classical Mythology in Music, Dance, and Film	748	(57)
Glossary of Mythological Words and Phrases in English	805	(13)
The Greek Spelling of Names	818
Indexes
Index of Authors, Composers, and Titles	1
Glossary / Index of Mythological and Historical Persons, Places, and Subjects	12