Literature Archive
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When a Book of the Dead text does not match archaeology: the case of the protective magical bricks
Posted on January 17, 2013 | No CommentsConsideration of this funerary rite will show how and why the practical application of the ritual in tombs could differ from the tradition noted in manuscripts; in other words, cases where reality does not match the text. -
Homer and Oral Poetry
Posted on January 15, 2013 | No CommentsThe recent discovery of the prominent role of the oral tradition in the Homeric texts does not, however, eliminate the role played by Homer; his inventiveness is a major part of what makes the epics shine. -
The Apocalypse in Early Christianity
Posted on December 30, 2012 | No CommentsThe idea of a universal apocalypse was certainly not a novelty at the time of Jesus? crucifixion and the advent of Christianity. Long before Christ?s arrival, Jewish prophets had predicted the extermination of the world, which was contingent upon the arrival of the Son of Man, God?s sole redeemer for humanity. -
A Literary Criticism of the Classical Themes and Allusions Found in The Hunger Games
Posted on December 29, 2012 | No CommentsThe Hunger Games is a richly interwoven tapestry of numerous intriguing parallels to historical events and literary staples. Although set in a futuristic society, the chief inspirations for its narrative structure and themes are drawn from the ancient Mediterranean world. Classical themes and allusions permeate the first novel, and the connections to the classical are mythological, historical, linguistic, and stylistic in nature. -
The Monstrous and the Bestial: Animals in Greek Myths
Posted on December 29, 2012 | No CommentsIn the myths, the ancient GreeJcs were at times rather positive toward animals. The Olympian gods were often represented as wild animals, usually symbolizing some divine attribute. -
Instructive Irony in Herodotus: The Socles Scene
Posted on December 27, 2012 | No CommentsBy contrasting Corinth -
Memorization and the Transmission of Sumerian Literary Compositions
Posted on December 23, 2012 | No CommentsIt is widely recognized that nearly all preserved copies of Sumerian literary compositions were copied by apprentice scribes as part of their training in the Sumerian language. -
Nightmares in Ancient Egypt
Posted on December 17, 2012 | No CommentsThis paper will focus on nightmares in Ancient Egypt from the earliest times through to the Third Intermediate Period. -
The Menelaion: A Local Manifestation of a Pan-Hellenic Phenomenon
Posted on December 11, 2012 | No CommentsSparta, the mythological birthplace and home of the Homeric heroine, was alleged to have worshiped her at two sites, at a shrine within the polis and at a shrine several kilometers outside the polis.8 We know very little about the former shrine, but the latter has been archaeologically attested; the partial walls and foundations of a fifth-century BCE monument to Helen of Sparta and her husband Menelaos, known as the Menelaion, have been recovered on a ridge near the west bank of the Eurotas. -
Spartacus Mythistoricus: Winning Spartacus into the Mythical
Posted on December 11, 2012 | No CommentsThe Spartacus represented in these media is not the same Spartacus that the ancient sources wrote about. The representation of Spartacus' history has changed dramatically over the course of time and has, in fact,
