Classical Mythology: The Basics (the Basics)

This new edition introduces the core elements of ancient Greek and Roman narratives about immortal gods and heroic humans and their influence throughout history. This book offers a clear, concise, and accessible introduction to classical mythology for students, scholars, and the general reader.

This new edition introduces the core elements of ancient Greek and Roman narratives about immortal gods and heroic humans. It explains how myths once shaped ancient ways of thinking, and how they have fascinated and inspired artists, writers, musicians, scientists, and scholars since.

In six clear and concise chapters, this book explains what myths are, sketches the main stories about divinities, heroes and heroines, and explores through specific case studies the ways in which they influenced modern culture, from Renaissance opera to contemporary video games and social movements. The second edition also features a new chapter analyzing how myths have been used in politics from antiquity to the present day. More than two dozen illustrations, maps, and charts complement the text. No prior knowledge of mythology is assumed, and the book incorporates the latest scholarship on classical mythology, providing annotated lists of further readings.

Anyone who has encountered Greek or Roman myths in literature, art, or pop culture and wants to know more about the cultural contexts for the stories will benefit from this compact book. Intended for a wide readership, the second edition of Classical Mythology: The Basics continues to off er a clear introduction to the subject for undergraduates, scholars, and the general reader.

1. Stories that stay, 2. Talking of gods, 3. Heroic dimensions, 4. Interpreting myths--symbols and societies, 5. Myths, media, memories, 6. Myth, politics, and the present.

Praise for the first edition: "This excellent book, by Stanford classicist Richard Martin, gives a packed yet pellucid overview of Greek and Roman mythology.... Managing in addition to find space to discuss the appearance of ancient myths in a host of modern media, Martin offers a superb presentation of classical mythology." (https://readingreligion.org/books/classical-mythology)

Robert A. Segal, Professor and Sixth Century Chair in Religious Studies, University of Aberdeen, UK.

Richard Martin is Professor in Classics at Stanford University and has thirty years’ experience in teaching an introduction to Classical mythology to undergraduate students. He is widely published on Homer, Hesiod, Pindar, Aristophanes, Theognis, and other ancient authors and genres in which mythic narration figures prominently.