Ancient Myths

A witty, inspiring reckoning with the ancient Greek and Roman myths and their legacy, from what they can illuminate about #MeToo to the radical imagery of Beyoncé.

When 17-year-old Lilliana Young enters the Metropolitan Museum of Art one morning during spring break, the last thing she expects to find is a live Egyptian prince with godlike powers who has been reawakened after 1,000 years of mummification. And she really can't imagine being chosen to aid him in an epic quest that will lead them across the globe.

King Pelias promises Jason the throne if Jason can capture the Golden Fleece. Jason and his men, the Argonauts, depart on a great journey. After years of sailing adventures, Jason and his men arrive at Colchis, home of the Golden Fleece. Will Jason find what he's looking for?

Many ancient civilizations have influenced and inspired people in the 21st century. The Greeks and Romans continue to fascinate the West today. But of all the world's civilizations, none have intrigued people more than the Mayans, whose culture, astronomy, language, and mysterious disappearance all continue to captivate people. In 2012 especially, there was a renewed focus on the Mayans, whose advanced calendar led many to speculate the world would end on the same date the Mayan calendar ends.

Read this for free with your Kindle Unlimited Membership Greece is a colorful country and has always been the target of many tourists looking to have a relaxing time. However, what many people do not seem to know is that Greece also packs a rich history – all lying beneath the beautiful landscapes and beaches. Its history starts thousands of years before the Christian calendar was used – and each moment represents a cultural artifact that enriched more than a single country. Greece went through many wars – big and small. Some were fought because certain conquerors had their eyes on ...

You may have studied the ancient Persian Empire in school, but have you ever wondered what kinds of stories the ancient Persians told to themselves and their children? The roots of Persian myth extend back more than five thousand years to the culture of the Aryan people who migrated into Iran from India. Ideas from this ancient culture have enjoyed amazing longevity and are alive even today as part of the Zoroastrian faith, which is still practiced in Iran, India, and several other places around the world.

Everyone knows the story of Tutankhamun, but the ancient Egyptian civilization lasted for more than 3,000 years – which means there are loads more amazing tales to be told! Egyptologist and TikTok star Hugo D. Cook (aka Hugo the Egyptologist) has scoured ancient texts and translated hieroglyphs to bring readers stories of love, betrayal, and royal scandal featuring pharaohs, priests, gods, and goddesses.

Adrienne Mayor is renowned for exploring the borders of history, science, archaeology, anthropology, and popular knowledge to find historical realities and scientific insights—glimmering, long-buried nuggets of truth—embedded in myth, legends, and folklore. Combing through ancient texts and obscure sources, she has spent decades prospecting for intriguing wonders and marvels, historical mysteries, diverting anecdotes, and hidden gems from antiquity, medieval, and modern times. Flying Snakes and Griffin Claws is a treasury of fifty of her most amazing and amusing discoveries.

Mesopotamian Myths covers everything you'd want to know about Mesopotamian and Sumerian myths, including tales of gods and goddesses, creation myths, tales of kings and heroes, and also selections from the Epic of Gilgamesh. Get this captivating collection to know more about ancient times in Mesopotamia and Sumeria.

Francine Prose delves into ancient Greek and Roman literary sources, as well as modern representations of Cleopatra in art, theater, and film. She challenges the common narratives driven by orientalism and misogyny and offers a new interpretation of Cleopatra’s history from the lens of our own era.

High and Heroic, this is Epic Arthurian Fantasy at its deepest. Live it on the Inside – from the Intimate to the World-shattering. .Discovered in the remote forest swamp, the tall, powerfully-built stranger has seemingly appeared from nowhere... Badly injured and speaking an unknown language, he has no memory of who or what he is; or where he is from. Named as “Kyre”, he is dragged away, and forced to fight for his life. By sheer speed and violence, he defeats the sword-wielding patrol that found him. The troopers’ captain and a young woman member of a clandestine sisterhood each ...

Prince Neferkaptah has always loved learning. When he hears of a great book of knowledge called The Book of Thoth, he sets out to find it. But the gods have made his task difficult. Will Neferkaptah find the great book of the gods, or will he continue his search forever?

This is the story of Penelope of Ithaca, famed wife of Odysseus, as it has never been told before. Beyond Ithaca's shores, the whims of gods dictate the wars of men. But on the isle, it is the choices of the abandoned women—and their goddesses—that will change the course of the world.

You are born to a king, but marry a tyrant. You stand helplessly as he sacrifices your child to placate the gods. You watch him wage war on a foreign shore and comfort yourself with violent thoughts of your own. You play the part, fooling enemies who deny you justice. Slowly, you plot.

The Enuma Elish is widely known as the classic Akkadian creation myth, passed down from the Sumerian, and replete with all the gods one has come to expect from ancient mythology. But is this an accurate reading? Were our ancestors superstitious rubes who relied on supernatural forces to explain their own existence? Or did they perhaps know another story that we have long forgotten, but whose truths continue to echo in our subconscious and in modern-day technological phenomena. A fresh interpretation for a technological age, this is the first analysis of this ancient text to incorporate ...

Over their long lives, Greek myths have expressed a myriad of meanings. This erudite yet accessible exploration examines how the world's most influential myths have survived to the present, and how they have shaped our ideas on everything from family and society to sexuality and culture.

This audiobook is crafted not just for myth enthusiasts but for anyone seeking to understand the profound impact of these ancient stories on our modern world. Embark on your Viking journey today. Don't let the sagas of old remain a mystery.

On a bitterly cold night in January 1945, a heavily armored train pulled into the station at Breslau in German occupied Poland. Here, ancient tapestries, priceless masterpieces, and three hundred tons of gold looted from the treasuries of conquered countries were loaded aboard. Just before dawn, laden with treasure, the train pulled away from the station heading west and disappeared from history. Deep in the primeval forests of the Eulengebirge Mountains of southwestern Poland, a secret Nazi fortress lies buried, untouched by the passage of time. Here, in a labyrinth of tunnels, Hitler’s ...

The Greek and Roman myths have never died out; in fact, they are as relevant today as ever in their sharp observations about human nature. For thousands of years, they have inspired plays, operas, and paintings; today they live on in movies and video games. Oh My Gods is a contemporary retelling of some of the most popular myths by Philip Freeman, a noted classicist. These tales of errant gods, fantastic creatures, and human heroes are brought to life in fresh and modern versions.

Greek mythology continues to appear in popular movies and books today, but have you ever wondered about where these characters started out? Discover the origins of your favorite characters from Greek mythology with this collection of profiles to tell you who’s who in classical lore! In Greek Mythology, you will discover the backstories of the heroes, villains, gods, and goddesses that enjoy popularity in today’s shows and films.