Myths of the Greeks and Romans: Story, History and Reinvention

(3 Credit Hours) · Undergraduate

Incest and parricide, cannibalism and self-blinding: classical mythology has fascinated artists, writers, and thinkers throughout history, and this unit will serve as an introduction to this strange and brilliant world. We will move from the very first works of Greek literature (noting some of their precursors from the Near East) through to the closing of the pagan temples in late antiquity; on the way, we will encounter a variety of different stances an ancient people adopted with regard to their stories about themselves, their world, and their heroes.