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The Mythology
of the Greeks
Iliad
First written record of Greece
It contains the oldest Greek
Literature written in rich and
subtle and beautiful language.
 HOMER
 Greek mythology begins with him.
 presumed author of the Iliad and the Odyssey.
 He is also one of the most influential authors in the
widest sense, for the two epics provided the basis of
Greek education and culture throughout the Classical
age and formed the backbone of humane education
down to the time of the Roman Empire and the
spread of Christianity.
  The Greeks unlike the Egyptians, they made
their gods in their own image.
 For the Greeks, mankind became the center of
the universe.
Mythology of  Greeks always searching for beauty.
the Greeks  A real myth has nothing to do with religion.
 It is an explanation of something in nature;
how for instance any and everything in the
universe came into existence.
The Greek and Roman Writers
of Mythology
 OVID
 A Latin poet who wrote during the reign of
Augustus.
 He wrote the compendium of Mythology.
 He told almost all the stories and he told
them a great length.
The Greek and Roman Writers
of Mythology
 HESIOD
 A second writer that had a poor and bitter
life. He was a farmer.
 He wrote the “Works and Days” which tries
to show men how to live a good life in a
harsh world.
 THEOGONY – second poem; an account of
the creation of the universe and the
generations of the Gods.
The Greek and Roman Writers
of Mythology

 PINDAR
 Greatest lyric poet of Greece.
 He wrote Odes in honor of the
victors in the games at the national
festival of Greece.
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of Mythology

 AESCHYLUS
 The oldest among the three tragic
poets.
 He wrote Persians to celebrate the
victory of the Greeks over the
Persians and Salamis
The Greek and Roman Writers
of Mythology

SOPHOCLES
 Second of the three great ancient
Greek Tragedians.
 Thirty years younger than Aeschylus
 Fifteen years older than Euripides.
The Greek and Roman Writers
of Mythology
EURIPIDES (480 – 406 BCE)
 Younger, but a contemporary of
Sophocles
 He rarely won, with only 4 total wins
 He did not fundamentally change the
structure of plays, but was the first to
treat ordinary people as heroes.
The Greek and Roman Writers
of Mythology
ARISTOPHANES
 He is a great writer of comedy.
 He was an Athenian citizen belonging to the clan
named Pandionis, but his actual birthplace is
uncertain.
 Aristophanes’ greatness lies in the wittiness of his
dialogue; in his generally good-humoured though
occasionally malevolent satire; in the brilliance
of his parody, especially when he mocks the
controversial tragedian Euripides;
The Greek and Roman Writers
of Mythology
HERODOTUS
 First historian of Europe.
 Greek author of the first great narrative history
produced in the ancient world, the History of the
Greco-Persian Wars.
 Herodotus was a wide traveler. His longer
wandering covered a large part of the Persian
Empire:
The Greek and Roman Writers
of Mythology

PLATO
 Ancient Greek philosopher, student of Socrates
(c. 470–399 BCE), teacher of Aristotle (384–322
BCE), and founder of the Academy, best known
as the author of philosophical works of
unparalleled influence
The Greek and Roman Writers
of Mythology

APOLLONIUS OF RHODES
 He told the story of “Quest of the Golden Fleece”
The Greek and Roman Writers
of Mythology

THEOCRITUS, BION, AND MOSCHUS

 Three other Alexandrians who wrote about
mythology, they have lost the simplicity of
Hesiod and Pindar’s beliefs in the gods.
The Greek and Roman Writers
of Mythology
APULEIUS
 A Latin writer who wrote the story of “Cupid and
Psyche”
 Platonic philosopher, rhetorician, and author
remembered for The Golden Ass, a prose
narrative that proved influential long after his
death.
The Greek and Roman Writers
of Mythology

LUCIAN
 A Greek writer, who wrote the satirized the gods.
 he began a career as a public speaker, traveling
from city to city giving model speeches and
public lectures to display his eloquence and
probably also pleading in court.
The Greek and Roman Writers
of Mythology
APOLLODORUS
 A Greek writer, a very matter-a – fact and a very
dull writer.
 His date has differently set all the way from the
first century.
 Greek scholar of wide interests who is best
known for his Chronika (Chronicle) of Greek
history.
 The Greek and Roman Writers of
Mythology

PAUSANIAS
 A Greek ardent traveler; the author of the first
guidebook ever written.
 He never questioned any of the stories , but he
writes about them with complete seriousness.
 His Description takes the form of a tour of
Greece starting from Attica. It is divided into 10
books; the first book seems to have been
completed after 143, but before 161. No event
after 176 is mentioned in the work.
 The Greek and Roman Writers of
Mythology

VIRGIL
 Roman writer; he did not believe in the myths,
but he found human nature in them and he
brought mythological personages in life as no
one had done since the Greek tragedians.