Greek myths have long entertained and inspired people.  That has continued long after people stopped believing in the gods and heroes.  I was hooked on the subject during a 7th grade Mythology Class.  That summer I read the Iliad and the search was on to learn more and more.  One question about the myths that has always interested me is:

What is the connection between Greek mythology and Greek history?

The topic has frequently been discussed.  For example, there are exhaustive discussions of the historic and mythic aspects of the Trojan War.  However, I have not found a comprehensive analysis of the Greek gods, kings, and heroes of mythology in their intended physical place and historic perspective.

I happily read English versions of the ancient poets as well as many modern retelling of the myths; wondering if they preserved some historic truths.  Over time I began to notice that by comparing the myths, especially the genealogies, that they fit together into a surprisingly coherent narrative.  So I began to laying out the myths in chronological order, excluding version that did not fit with the overall story.  Then I compared the results to our historic understanding.  The exercise kept providing new insights into the myths – and to the historic narrative – that kept me happily studying the topic for years.

I wanted to compare my results to what the experts said, but I could not find any sources that discussed the topic in detail.  A connection between history and myth is obvious.  What is a surprise is how a comprehensive view of all the surviving myths provided obvious insights that aren’t clear when each myth is considered individually.  It was my brother Jerry who pushed me to present my findings in a book.  He said that there would be others who would enjoy reading my findings; to hear the myths retold from a new perspective.

My book, Greek Mythic History, tells the mythic history of Greece from the beginning of time up to the time that the poets began to record their stories.  It is the first book to tell the myths in chronological order and to weave into it known historical findings.  There are some interesting results that will surprise and challenge commonly held assumptions regarding myths place in history.  It isn’t history, it is what history would be if the myths were true.  I hope the readers will enjoy my findings as much as did discovering them.  I also hope to learn from readers who have something to add to the subject.