The Mythology of the Night Sky - An Amateur Astronomer's Guide to the Ancient Greek and Roman Legends
Every amateur astronomer can easily recognize at least most of the constellations. For example, Orion: the brilliant stars Betelguse and Bellatrix form the shoulders of The Hunter, Saiph and Rigel his feet, and the bright diffuse nebula M42 makes a sword hanging from his belt, made up of three prominent stars. But how many of us know the story of Orion? What myths did the ancient Greeks weave around this mighty hunter that placed him so prominently in the sky?
Clear and direct in style, and with more than eighty photographs, maps and plans, Early Greek States Beyond the Polis is a widely relevant study of Greek history, archaeology and society. Catherine Morgan addresses the different forms of association experienced by early Iron-Age and Archaic Greeks by exploring the archaeological, literary and epigraphical records of central Greece and the northern Peloponnese.
The Shadow of Callimachus: Studies in the reception of Hellenistic poetry at Rome
Through a series of critical readings this book builds a picture of the Roman reaction to, and adoption of, the Greek poetry of the last three pre-Christian centuries. Although the poetry of the greatest figure of Greek poetry after Alexander, Callimachus of Cyrene, and his contemporaries stands at the heart of the book, the individual studies embrace the full scope of what remains of Hellenistic poetry, both high literary productions and the more marginal poetry, such as that in honour of the great goddess Isis.
Understanding Greek Sculpture: Ancient Meanings, Modern Readings
This text examines the contexts in which classical statuary was made and displayed, and restores its former cultural significance. It explains the techniques of the manufacture of Greek sculpture, and traces its production from the 8th century BC to the Hellenistic period. The author explores the effects the culture of heroes had on sculpture and the faith in deities in human form. Also examined are the causes of the "Greek Revolution", when sculptors discovered how to portray the human form more naturally.
Crafting wings out of wax and poems from the underground, Zeus and the Giant Iced Tea is a dreamlike voyage through poetic narrative format, blurring the line between poetry and fiction. Exploring the frenetic lives of Mexican cowboys, robots, sultans, Greek gods, and convenience store clerks, Zeus and the Giant Iced Tea shatters preconceived notions of poetry and instead offers a more accessible strain of literary free flow.
