The Gods of Olympus: A History
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| Size | 27 MB (27,086 KB) |
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| Status | Available |
| Last checked | 14 Hour ago! |
| Author | Barbara Graziosi |
“Book Descriptions: The Olympians are the most colorful characters of Greek civilization. Even in antiquity, they were said to be cruel, oversexed, mad or just plain silly. Yet for all their foibles & flaws, they proved to be survivors, far outlasting classical Greece itself. In Egypt, the Olympians claimed to have given birth to pharaohs; in Rome, they led respectable citizens into orgiastic rituals of drink & sex. Under Christianity & Islam they survived as demons, allegories & planets. In the Renaissance, they reemerged as ambassadors of a new, secular belief in humanity. Their geographic range, too, has been astounding. In their exile, the gods of Olympus have traveled east to the walls of cave temples in China, west to colonize the Americas. They snuck into Italian cathedrals, haunted Nietzsche & visited Borges' restless dreams. In an original history, Graziosi offers the 1st account to trace the wanderings of these protean deities thru the millennia. Drawing on a wide range of literary & archeological sources, The Gods of Olympus opens a window on the ancient world & its lasting influence.
Preface: Simonides Was Wise
Introduction: A Family Portrait
Part I. Birth: Archaic Greece
Part II. Dialogue: Classical Athens
Part III. Travel: Hellenistic Egypt
Part IV. Translation: the Roman Empire
Part V. Disguise: Christianity &Islam
Part VI. Born again: the Renaissance
Epilogue: A Marble Head
Appendix: The Twelve Gods
List of Illustrations
Notes & Further Reading
Acknowledgments
Index”
