Gods, Heroes, and Monsters: A Sourcebook of Greek, Roman, and Near Eastern Myths in Translation / Edition 2

by Carolina López-Ruiz

Overview

Offering an expansive view of the ancient Mediterranean world, Gods, Heroes, and Monsters: A Sourcebook of Greek, Roman, and Near Eastern Myths in Translation, Second Edition, presents essential Greek and Roman sources—including work from Homer, Hesiod, Virgil, and Ovid—alongside analogous narratives from the ancient Near East—Mesopotamia, Egypt, the Hittite kingdom, Ugarit, Phoenicia, and the Hebrew Bible. Some of the sources appear here in English translations for the first time.

This collection stresses cultural continuities and comparisons, showing how Greek and Roman myths did not emerge in a vacuum but rather evolved from and interacted with their counterparts in the ancient Near East. Reinforcing this more inclusive definition of "classical," it is organized thematically, which allows readers to excamine each category of myth in a comparative and cross-cultural light. For example, "Part III: Epic Struggles: Gods, Heroes, and Monsters" provides sources that feature Greek heroes like Heracles, Apollo, Achilles, and Hector along with the Epic of Gilgamesh and other ancient Near Eastern selections that focus on the hero.

Gods, Heroes, and Monsters, Second Edition. shows how the literature, inhabitants, and intellectual traditions of Greece and Rome and the ancient Near East were inextricably intertwined. The book is enhanced by a vibrant, full-color, 16-pg. photo insert, and many new translations by editor Carolina López-Ruiz and others.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780190644819
Publisher:	Oxford University Press
Publication date:	06/15/2017
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	672
Sales rank:	631,978
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 8.90(h) x 1.50(d)

About the Author

Carolina López-Ruiz is Associate Professor of Classics at The Ohio State University. She is the author of When the Gods Were Born: Greek Cosmogonies and the Near East (2010), the coauthor of Tartessos and the Phoenicians in Iberia (OUP, 2016), and the coeditor of Colonial Encounters in Ancient Iberia: Phoenician, Greek, and Indigenous Relations (2009).

Table of Contents

, List of Maps, List of Figures, Introduction, Acknowledgments, Note on Text Arrangement, Transliterations, and Chronology, About the Editor, Contributors, Timeline, MapsPART ONE. AND SO IT BEGAN: COSMOGONIES AND THEOGONIESMESOPOTAMIAN1.1. Babylonian Epic of Creation: Enuma Elish1.2. Theogony of DunnuEGYPTIAN1.3. Egyptian Cosmogonies1.3.a. The Memphite Theology: Ending of the Shabako Stone1.3.b. "A Hymn to Life": Coffin Texts Spell 801.3.c. Excerpt from The Teachings for MerikareISRAELITE1.4. God's Creation, from the Book of Genesis 1GREEK1.5. Hesiod's Theogony1.6. The Demiurge, from Plato's Timaeus1.7. Orphic Cosmogony: The Derveni Papyrus1.8. Short Cosmogony in Apollonios of Rhodes' ArgonautikaPHOENICIAN1.9. Phoenician Cosmogonies1.9.a. Philon of Byblos: Excerpts from the Phoenician History1.9.b. Phoenician Cosmogonies Mentioned by DamaskiosROMAN1.10. Creation Myth in Ovid's Metamorphoses, Book 11.11. Two Short Cosmogonies, from Virgil's Aeneid and Eclogues1.11.a. A "Tyrian" Cosmogony, from Aeneid, Book 11.11.b. Cosmic Song of Silenus, from Eclogues 6PART TWO. MANKIND CREATED, MANKIND DESTROYEDMESOPOTAMIAN2.1. Mesopotamian Flood Stories2.1.a. Atrahasis2.1.b. Flood Story from the Epic of Gilgamesh, Tablet XIEGYPTIAN2.2. Egyptian Texts on the Creation and Destruction of Mankind2.2.a. Excerpts from the Coffin Texts2.2.b. Excerpt from the Book of the Heavenly CowISRAELITE2.3. Adam and Eve, from Genesis 2-32.4. The Story of Noah, from Genesis 6-9GREEK2.5. Hesiod's Prometheus, Pandora, and Five Races of Mankind, from Works and Days2.6. The Creation and Attributes of Mankind, from Plato's Protagoras2.7. Deukalion and Pyrrha: The Greek Flood, from Apollodorus' LibraryROMAN- LATE ANTIQUITY GREEK2.8. The Ages of Mankind and the Flood, from Ovid's Metamorphoses, Book 12.9. Virgil's Golden Age, from the Georgics, Book 12.10. An Orphic AnthropogonyPART THREE. EPIC STRUGGLES: GODS, HEROES, AND MONSTERSMESOPOTAMIAN3.1. The Epic of Gilgamesh (selections)EGYPTIAN3.2. The Disputes between Horus and Seth3.3. Egypt: Tale of the Shipwrecked SailorANATOLIAN3.4. Hittite Myths3.4.a. Anatolian Myth of Illuyanka3.4.b. The Hurro-Hittite Kumarbi CycleCANAANITE3.5. Ugaritic Epic Poems3.5.a. The Baal Cycle3.5.b. The Aqhat EpicISRAELITE3.6. Yahweh as a Storm God: Psalm 293.7. David and Goliath: 1 Samuel 17GREEK3.8. Homer's Gods and Heroes in battle: Iliad, Book 53.9. Apollo's Journey: The Homeric Hymn to Apollo3.10. Dionysos' many faces3.10.a. The Homeric Hymn to Dionysos3.10.b. The opening of Euripides' Bacchae3.10.c. Dionysos' birth and wanderings, from Apollodorus' Library3.11. Jason and the Argonauts, from Apollodorus' Library3.12. Argive Heroes: Bellerophon, Perseus, and Herakles, from Apollodorus' Library3.12.a. Bellerophon and the Chimaera3.12.b. Perseus' adventures3.12.c. Herakles' life and labors3.13. The Theban Saga: Oedipus and the Seven against Thebes, from Apollodorus' LibraryPART FOUR. OF CITIES AND PEOPLESEGYPTIAN4.1. The Foundation of a Heliopolis Temple by Senusert IANATOLIAN4.2. The Hurro-Hittite Song of Release (Destruction of the City of Ebla)ISRAELITE4.3. Cain and Abel: Genesis 44.4. The Tower of Babel: Genesis 114.5. Abraham's Test, from Genesis 224.6. Moses and the Israelites' Escape from Egypt, from the Book of ExodusMESOPOTAMIAN4.7. The Sargon Legend4.7.a. The Sumerian Sargon Legend4.7.b. Neo-Assyrian Sargon Birth LegendGREEK-PERSIAN4.8. Birth of Cyrus the Great, from Herodotos' HistoriesGREEK4.9. The Foundation of Cyrene4.9.a. Herodotos on the Foundation of Cyrene4.9.b. Cyrene in Pindar, Pythian Ode 54.10. Athens and Atlantis, from Plato's Timaeus and Kritias4.11. Theseus, an Athenian civic hero4.11.a. Theseus' exploits, from Apollodorus' Library4.11.b. The unification of Attica, from Plutarch's Life of Theseus4.12. Kadmos, Europa, and the foundation of Thebes4.12.a. The foundation of Thebes, from Apollodorus' Library4.12.b. The "Rape of Europa" and the foundation of Thebes, from Ovid's Metamorphoses, Books 2-3PHOENICIAN-WESTERN MEDITERRANEAN4.13. Tyre's Foundation Story, from Nonnos' Dionysiaka4.14. The Foundation of Carthage4.14.a. Carthage's Foundation, from Justin, Epitome of Trogus4.14.b. The Dawn of Carthage in Virgil's Aeneid, Book 14.15. Gargoris and Habis: Culture heroes in the western Mediterranean, from Justin, Epitome of TrogusROMAN4.16. The Foundation of Rome4.16.a. Beginning of Rome, from Livy's History of Rome, Book 14.16.b. Romulus and Remus, from Plutarch's Life of RomulusPART FIVE. EROS AND THE LABORS OF LOVEMESOPOTAMIAN5.1. Ishtar and Gilgamesh: Epic of Gilgamesh, Tablet VIEGYPTIAN5.2. Story of the Two BrothersISRAELITE5.3.Joseph and Potiphar's Wife: Genesis 39GREEK-ROMAN5.4. Aphrodite and Anchises: The Homeric Hymn to Aphrodite5.5. Medea and Jason, from Euripides'Medea5.6. The origins of Love according to Aristophanes, from Plato's Symposium5.7. Teiresias: A transgendered seer, from Apollodorus' Library5.8. "Hymn to Venus," from Lucretius' De rerum natura5.9. Aeneas and Dido, from Virgil's Aeneid, Books 1 and 45.10. Pasiphae and the Cretan Bull5.10.a. Minos, Pasiphae, and the Bull, from Apollodorus' Library5.10.b. Pasiphae's Passion, from Ovid's Ars Amatoria5.10.c. Minos and the Bull, from Ovid's Metamorphoses, Book 85.11. Theseus and Ariadne5.11.a. Ariadne's Fate, from Plutarch, Life of Theseus5.11.b. Ariadne to Theseus: Ovid, Heroides 105.12. Phaedra to Hippolytus: Ovid, Heroides 45.13. Penelope to Ulysses: Ovid, Heroides 15.14. Hermaphroditus, from Ovid's Metamorphoses, Book 45.15. Cephalus and Procris, from Ovid's Metamorphoses, Book 75.16. Hyacinth and Apollo, from Ovid's Metamorphoses, Book 105.17. Pygmalion's Statue, from Ovid's Metamorphoses, Book 105.18. Myrrha and Cinyras, from Ovid's Metamorphoses, Book 105.19. Caenis-Caeneus, from Ovid's Metamorphoses, Book 125.20. Achilles at Skyros, from Statius' Achilleid5.21. Cupid and Psyche, from Apuleius, The Golden Ass, Books 4-6PART SIX. DEATH AND THE AFTERLIFE JOURNEYMESOPOTAMIAN6.1. Sumerian poem Gilgamesh, Enkidu, and the Netherworld (Excerpt)6.2. Gilgamesh and the Underworld: Epic of Gilgamesh, Tablets X-XI6.3. Ishtar's Descent to the UnderworldEGYPTIAN6.4. Great Hymn to Osiris6.5. The Fight between Re and Apep, from the Book of the DeadGREEK-EGYPTIAN6.6. Isis and Osiris, from Plutarch's De Iside et OsirideGREEK6.7. Odysseus' Nekyia in Homer, Odyssey, Book 116.8. The Homeric Hymn to Demeter6.9. Instructions for the Hereafter: An Orphic Gold Tablet6.10. The story of Er, from Plato's RepublicROMAN6.11. Adonis, from Ovid's Metamorphoses, Book 106.12. Orpheus and Eurydice, from Virgil's Georgics, Book 46.13. Aeneas' Katabasis, from Virgil's Aeneid, Book 66.14. The Dream of Scipio, from Cicero's De re publica6.15. Psyche's Descent to the Underworld, from Apuleius, The Golden Ass, Book 6, Glossary of Technical Terms, Bibliography, References, Credits, Index of Places and Characters

Editorial Reviews

"Gods, Heroes, and Monsters: A Sourcebook of Greek, Roman, and Near Eastern Myths successfully reflects the current trend in Classical Studies toward viewing the ancient Mediterranean as an interconnected world, one in which people and texts circulated widely. By bringing such a rich variety of texts and mythological traditions together in translation, this collection will make it possible to offer introductory students a rich and complicated view of the ways in which the different cultures of the ancient Mediterranean interacted and influenced each other over time."—Carol Dougherty, Wellesley College

"In 1984, Walter Burkert argued that Greek myths ought to be viewed in a broad Near Eastern perspective. In this important new volume, Carolina Lopez-Ruiz presents a unique compendium of Egyptian, Hittite, Ugaritic, Biblical, Greek, and Roman sources that enable us to study the connections further. It includes many rarely or never before published texts in English enhanced by authoritative introductions and organized in novel ways that strike a good balance between student accessibility and high-level scholarship."—Nanno Marinatos, University of Illinois at Chicago

"This is an excellent sourcebook. Its main strengths are the great variety of sources included, ranging from the familiar to the less well-known; the outstanding translations introduced with up-to-date scholarship; and the extremely useful study aids: the detailed timeline and maps, the glossary of terms, and the bibliography with copious suggestions for further reading organized thematically."—Gary Matthews, North Carolina State University

"This title is, by a wide margin, the best anthology of its kind available. Among its many strengths: historical and cultural breadth of selections, the use of recent and new translations, the thematic organization rather than chronological or cultural, the use of the term 'Yaweh' in biblical selections where it occurs in the Hebrew, the use of both literary and epigraphic sources, and its affordable price."—Thomas M. Bolin, St. Norbert College

"Lopez-Ruiz has created an outstanding resource for the study of Classical mythology in a wider historical and geographical framework. With authoritative introductions placing each document in context, solid translations, and helpful annotations, this volume provides a convenient way to introduce students to the Mediterranean and Near Eastern antecedents of ancient Greek and Roman myths."—Deborah Lyons, Miami University (Ohio)

"Lopez-Ruiz's sourcebook is a very fine and wonderfully ample collection of mythological texts from the ancient Mediterranean area that will certainly facilitate the study and comparison of Greco-Roman and Near Eastern mythological themes and narratives. The timeline, introductions, notes, and bibliography are quite helpful and very well done."—William Hansen, Indiana University, Bloomington

"Gods, Heroes, and Monsters empowers students by granting them direct access to ancient mythological literature. The accurate, modern translations are contextualized by scholarly introductions that feature the current state of research on the various texts. Each section includes Greek, Roman, Near Eastern, and Egyptian texts grouped according to carefully chosen themes. This book will be an essential resource for any instructor wishing to teach ancient mythology in a manner that emphasizes sources and documents, yet remains accessible and enjoyable for undergraduates."—Marie-Claire Beaulieu, Tufts University

From the Publisher