Greek Mythology: A Concise Guide

by Robert Carlson

Greek Mythology * * *Download for FREE on Kindle Unlimited + Free BONUS Inside!* * * Read On Your Computer, MAC, Smartphone, Kindle Reader, iPad, or Tablet. Greek Mythology is an enormous field of study and a brief guide is a daunting task for any writer. The myths have a way of entwining one with another, and it is difficult to present a coherent story line without feeling one has omitted the best part of the story. Inside you will read about... ✓ What Is A Myth? ✓ The Sources Of Greek Mythology ✓ The Creation Of The Universe And The Gods ✓ What Of Man? What Of Woman? ✓ The Greek Pantheon ✓ The Trojan War ✓ The Influence Of Greek Drama ✓ Two Greek Mortal Heroes In Mythological Tales This guide succeeds in presenting an overall sketch of the creation of the world and the battles that follow, resulting in Zeus taking his place as the supreme god and ruling the earth from Mount Olympus. It covers the creation of man, it seems, as a bit of an afterthought for the amusement of the Olympians and some of the most famous stories that have come down to us via the writings of the great dramatists of the Classical Age. There are concise biographies of the twelve gods that make up the Olympians as well as of the heroes of the Trojan War.

Genres: Mythology, Nonfiction, History, Greek Mythology, Historical, Ebooks, Amazon

53 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 3, 2016

Reviews

[Dannii Elle · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a solid first introduction into ancient Greek mythology. It provided an overview as to the major characteristics and abilities of some of the major gods as well as a concise version of the mythological creation of our universe. The details about the mortals these myths effected were scant but as a general overview to the topic I thought it did a good job at delivering all it did.

[Helena · Rating 3 out of 5]

Greek mythology is something I grew up with, watching cartoons and reading short stories. I still like to refresh my memory every few years at least because, as I grew, my opinions changed. As a kid I used to think so high of Zeus, being the God of all Gods you know. Now I'm finally mature enough to understand that he is, in fact, a little bitch.

This was a decent short overview but it lacked many stories dear to my heart. It also needs some editing since there were a few mistakes but that doesn't make it less enjoyable to read.

[Apollo Hesiod · Rating 5 out of 5]

i love Greek Mythology....reading this just makes me want to read more.

[haton. (ibookowl) · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5
it could've been better.

[Mimi · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've got a bunch of non-fiction books by this author, and wanted to gauge his accuracy by starting on a topic that I do know rather well.

Given that this book is as short as it is, it does give a rather good overview of the basics of Greek mythology.
In places, the chapters could be arranged differently, and there were a few weird (at least to me) jumps in content (like in Chapter 1 'What is a Myth', where the author starts out listing the different interpretations of 'myth', then suddenly goes on about Greece's geography and population).

All in all, it was a concise overview, just like the title promises, and, minus a few typos, errors (see below for notes) and weird grammatic choices, fairly accurate.
Particularly the beginning of Chapter 5 gives a good, very brief and abreviated overview of the evolution of the Greek Pantheon, starting with Khaos, and ending with Zeus' victory in the Gigantomachy.

A good starting point for someone who has no notion of Greek deities, and a quick refresher course for who does.

NOTES:
chapter 3 (loc 129/492): two blatant errors. 'Titian' instead of 'Titan',
and the 3 cyclopses are Steropes, Brontes and Arges not Argos (who's a god with a thousand eyes, not one)
Ch. 5, (loc. 262/492) "Demeter... She taught man how to grow corn. Corn (or maize) is indigenous to the Americas, and was not introduced into Europe until centuries after the Hellenistic period. Word should have been replaced by another type of grain or crop."
54.0% "... And she (Demeter) is not depicted with a sheaf of corn, but with a sheaf of wheat."

[Arush Ul islam · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another informative read by hourly reads!

The book acknowledges you about all the great Greek mythologies in brief. They even made you aware with all the heavenly relationships of gods.

One of my most favorite piece of mythology fro. This book was about the Cronus, the eldest titan, who eats all his 11 children and the 12th child is changed by his wife with rock called ophamalous rock which he swallows as he thinks that the rock is his twelfth child I.e. Zeus, and after that Zeus fights all the twelve titans and this war was called the titanomachy.

A must read short mythological read!!!!

[Ray Flores · Rating 3 out of 5]

As the title says, is a concise introduction to Greek Mythology, starting with the creation of the world, the Titans, their wars, and of course the all known Olympian Gods such as Zeus, Hera, Poseidon, Apollo, etc.
It also takes us on a quick view to the Trojan War and the Great Heroes like Odysseus, Theseus and Achilles.
For me it was a quick, light reminder of stories I'm always interested in reading since they have a lot of points of view whether they are old or new.
If you want to get into the basics of Greek Mythology but don't know where to start, this book is for you!

[Ivy · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 🌟

This book has a history of Greek mythology and also a description of famous Greek plays.

I enjoyed this introduction novel to Greek mythology. The Greek history was nice to know too. Also the Greek plays.

[Elisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Personally, I don't think I can ever read enough books on Greek Mythology and this one was worth it I really enjoyed it.

[Lorellie · Rating 4 out of 5]

"How the gods must have chuckled when they added hope to the evils with which they filled Pandora's box, for they knew very well that this was the cruelest evil of them all, since it is hope that lures mankind to endure its misery to the end." (W. Somerset Maugham)

My head is spinning with all the things I'd like to learn more about. This book is a fantastic sampler of a complex and fascinating time, more a short history than a short book of myths. I think I highlighted more of it than not.

[Young Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

All-in-all it’s fairly a nice work, fun to read and easy to understand, ex-cept/ -sauf/ -save...

(Kindle Ed. p. 1)
"Man: a being in search of meaning." -Plato; a philosopher c428-348BCE

Greek myth, or Greek philosophy and history? Or Greek mind? Anyway it tells how advanced their ancient philosophy on Human nature and psychology already was.

With its good introduction and conclusion all-in-all it’s fairly a nice work, fun to read and easy to understand, except those last lines of each chapter as I always point out after reading the mythology books by Mr. Robert CARLSON.

In the introduction the author tells what a myth really is, which cannot be separated from the history and philosophy (natural science and the society’s understanding of the world order in their mind’/ ment’ality back in days).

(Kindle Ed. pp. 1-2)
If you look back on the events of your day today, I am prepared to guess that you referenced Greek mythology at least twice, if not three times. Perhaps you are laughing, but think back: did you look at your horoscope under your sign of the Zodiac? Did you work like a Spartan to catch up on some work? Was your PC at work attacked by a Trojan virus? Did you order something via Amazon.com? Did you buy some household shopping at lunch time and pick up a bottle of Ajax? Perhaps you found a second-hand copy of "The Tanglewood Tales" by Nigel Hawthorne for your niece's birthday while you were out booking tickets to go to "Orpheus in the Underworld" on Saturday. Afterwards you might have wondered what it would be like to be "as rich as Croesus"! Television news channels today are discussing whether China and the United States are going to fall into the Thucydides' Trap - Thucydides being a famous Greek military leader who wrote about "the likelihood of conflict between a rising power and a currently dominant one." ...We know a great deal about it mostly through ancient pottery of all things; the ancient Egyptians may have inscribed their beliefs on the interior walls of their incredible burial sites. But the customs of the Greeks survived best on bits of decorated pottery in the form of vases, urns and pots that have defied the ravages of eons. Pottery survived, sometimes even intact, better than built structures and paintings, and these objects were decorated with abstract designs as well as realistic depictions of everyday life. The best-known style was the silhouetted, black figures in action, for example a vase by the potter Exekias depicting Achilles killing the Amazon Penthesilia dated 540 BCE.

True: Despite the fact that Amazon and Troy were different entities like Scythia in Greek hi-story, it was the Greeks, who left the records about all these, and that's why the “car” case from my previous review (read my bookreview on Celtic Mythology) with Latin alphabets, which was the official "common" letters for any ur'/ wr'iting until Renaissance: FYI, the New Test’ament had first been written in Greek and translated later to be spread in Latin for a thousand years, so the West has been calling the country, called Hellas by its own people who call themselves the Hellenes, "Greece (Gr-i’s)" of the "Greek (Gr-i’c)" people, meaning the "letter-one" or the "writing-one." Gr meant and still means alpha-bet[a] in some Scytho-tongues, and it was the power and author’ity (written rules based on the ancient authorities’ kn’owledge they believed was true lol), so our English words like grow, grand, great and Christ all got the same in them.

(Kindle Ed. pp. 2-4)
...The fact that so much Greek custom and culture was subsumed in the wave of Roman influence as the Roman Empire advanced across the ancient world has had the odd effect of highlighting many aspects of Grecian life instead of obliterating it. One just has to remember the Roman aristocrat Publius Ovidius Naso (43 BCE-17 CE) to appreciate this. He is better remembered as Ovid, the poet who based his work on Greek and Roman mythology. His Metamorphosis would become one of Shakespeare's most fruitful story sources. This brief guide will cover the rise of Greece and biographies of selected gods from its colourful pantheon. I will touch on the ways Greek mythology is different from other popular mythologies and recount some key aspects of their beliefs. The adventures, triumphs and sorrows of their heroes and heroines are told in dramatic plays that still grip modern audiences today. This is as a result of one of the most interesting gods of all times; Dionysus, twice-born son of the great Zeus.

Seriously this is probably the best introduction ever among those the same author has written so far.

(Kindle Ed. p. 5)
...it is a mistake to equate a myth with a "lie" or an untruth. Remember that we look back on ancient times and think about myths as stories or beliefs, but in the time of our ancestors the "myth" was their reality. So why were they constructed? The general consensus is that we created myths to explain our environment to ourselves and to make sense of our experiences, to answer the question about where we came from, who we are and how we can be happy. One can think of mythology as the forerunner of what we came to call philosophy, which is why myths are so entangled with religion and existentialism - and why they are so important. Myths are also how we recall historical events. It is incredible to think of all the history of the ancient world held in so fragile a vessel as the human mind!

Gen’i-us, it's a homerun! I just want to throw one question here: Is our Christian belief any different? Without Hope, any god is useless.

(Kindle Ed. p. 11)
...Socrates' greatest pupil, Plato (429-347 BCE) was openly scathing of Homer and Hesiod: "These, methinks, composed false stories which they told and still tell to mankind." Aristotle (384-322 BCE) too was fairly dismissive of the school of Hesiod, saying "about those who have invented clever mythologies it is not worthwhile to take a serious book." It is therefore somewhat confusing to find that he wrote an entire book on the subject called "Metaphysics," in which he expressed appreciation for the fact that great myths would often form the basis of philosophical formulations about the nature of being...

Yeah, so I'm just talking about the same thing to the faith of my society where I belong just like they did to theirs.

(Kindle Ed. pp. 16-17)
“How the gods must have chuckled when they added Hope to the evils
with which they filled Pandora’s box, for they knew very well
that this was the cruelest evil of them all, since it is
Hope that lures mankind to endure its misery to the end.”
—W. Somerset Maugham; British author 1874–1965

Great lines, but how are these relevant to the chapter to be the ending lines of it? The author does that all the time in all his mythology books and that's why he always loses one star. The author should know that a book is for both its writer “and” its readers who don’t get to see the connection and relevance of these without any explanation like the author does, and that’s why they choose to read the author’s works to learn, so explain them ye shall.

(Kindle Ed. p. 29)
Achilles speaking to the seer Calchas.
Prophet of evil, when have you ever said good things to me?
You love to foretell the worst, always the worst!
You never show good news.
—Homer; Iliad. Book I

Again, what are these lines here for? A prelude to Trojan War of the following chapter? He should have put these lines as the introduction for that chapter then. It’s a wrong form’a[c]ting causing con-fus'ion among readers to lose a star.

(Kindle Ed. pp. 34-35)
Electra receives the urn containing her brother’s ashes. “But now, an exile from home and fatherland, thou hast perished miserably, far from thy sister; woe is me, these loving hands have not washed or decked thy corpse, nor taken up, as was meet, their sad burden from the flaming pyre. No! at the hands of strangers, hapless one, thou hast had those rites, and so art come to us, a little dust in a narrow urn… Ah me, ah me! O piteous dust! Alas, thou dear one, sent on a dire journey, how hast undone me,- undone me indeed, O brother mine!” — Sophocles; Electra.

Does an-y of y’all readers know what these lines are about? That's how you will feel reading these lines in the book as a matter of fact, 'cause there's no prior explanation of the story before these lines here. It needs to be explained beforehand; not all the readers know about the princess and her revenge for her father Agamemnon’s murder. Told ya many times: Feels like the author always plays a bit cocky at the end of every chapter.

(Kindle Ed. pp. 37-38)
“...Agamemnon” won first prize in 458 BCE and tells the story of his return to his wife Clytemnestra after the Trojan Wars. Clytemnestra kills him and Cassandra, the mistress he brings back with him, with her own hands, in revenge for his sacrifice of Iphigenia...Electra was Agamemnon’s daughter and Iphigenia’s sister. She had sent her beloved brother into hiding soon after Agamemnon departed for the Trojan Wars, when she suspected he might be in danger from her mother’s lover, Aegisthus. The play “Electra” deals with the revenge she takes on her mother and Aegisthus when they kill Agamemnon on his return from Troy. The extract above occurs when she is told her brother has been killed and she receives his ashes and realizes that she alone must exact the revenge.

See? These lines are supposed to be placed before the lines on pp. 34-35: A wrong format.

The following is the on[e]-ly typo I found: However is used twice.

(Kindle Ed. p. 12)
However, the most important source of information about the nature and place of Greek myths is however the work of the great dramatists of the Classical Age...

And the book ends with the best conclusion ever, so completion-wise it’s fairly a good work for a first edition.

(Kindle Ed. pp. 43-44)
It is a mistake to think that the Romans simply took over Greek mythology, though most of the Greek gods do have a Roman counterpart. The Roman gods had a very different kind of persona and the syncretization of the two beliefs involved a complex and sometimes conflicted process. Still, in 145 BCE Greece became part of the Roman Empire. I wonder what Zeus had to say about that?

[Adam Hasan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Solid introduction to the world.
Lighter than Stephen Fry’s one

[Ciaran Mills · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this beginner's guide to Greek mythology. An area that I'm not inherently interested in made very accessible by some great writing.

I would have preferred a little more famous Greek myths (Jason etc) to the setting of the stories. The part about the Olympian gods was particularly interesting though.

[Anil Swarup · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another interesting presentation by Hourly History. Greek mythology is indeed very complex. To present in a manner that it becomes intelligible to a common reader is a difficult task. However, in this instant the complexities have been simplified and make for a fascinating read

[Akshaya Sutrave · Rating 3 out of 5]

A concise book that outlines Greek mythology. Though it was narrated in a straightforward fashion, it did help me jog my memory about the myths!
Probably the shortest book I've read in a very long time.

[Molly · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am one happy bunny. I grew up on just this kind of stuff. definitely recommended

[Epitaph · Rating 5 out of 5]

A simple and short introduction to greek mythology with some solid sources and other writers to forward read from. I recommend this book especially if you need a simplified family tree.

[Readasaurus Rex · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good read

This book was short but it was a good and interesting read if you like Greek mythology. Ill probably read then others too

[Dr.J.G. · Rating 2 out of 5]

One picks up this volume of Hourly History hoping for a tad relief.

Instead, author waxes eloquent, using every current bias and prejudice incorporated in Western thought, about myths and related topics from history and philosophy to why myths are 'constructed', without recognising the colonial racist mindset involved in labelling every other culture's treasures as myths while protecting West's own as faith, or even history when there are no evidences whatsoever thereof.

Also, author claims wrongly that myth does not mean lie. The very word derives from "mithyaa", a word in Sanskrit - where it does, literally, mean a falsehood.

But if in fact it has no connotation of the sort in Western thought, why isn't much of doctrine imposed by church - such as virgin birth, or creation of universe in seven days - labelled biblical mythology? Why is the very idea - of calling it church imposed mythology - likely to provoke a negative reaction?
................................................................................................


Most volumes of Hourly History series have quotations, if any, at beginnings of chapters.

This author aspires to be different and places them at ends of chapters, for most part, which looks rather silly since they usually aren't related to the material preceding them.

To avoid monotony, author places them in midst of the chapter sometimes, but they are just as puzzling there, and difficult to relate to material before - or after.
................................................................................................


"A second dreadful pronouncement was that Agamemnon, who led the expedition, had offended the goddess Artemis, and he would have to sacrifice his daughter Iphigenia to her before the becalmed winds would blow allowing the fleet to sail. As the agonized father raised his dagger to deal the fatal stroke a heavy fog descended on the altar. When it cleared Iphigenia’s little body had been replaced by a fawn, presumably by Artemis. Hesiod says that Iphigenia became the goddess Hecate."

This is author, Greeks and Homer being forgiving of the father who prefers to murder a little daughter so he can ransack Troy and loot her gold! What "agonized father ", the fraud! If he had any smidgeon of fatherly emotions, he'd abandon the expedition rather than hurt a daughter.
Agonized, forsooth!
................................................................................................


"Aeschylus lived from 525–456 BCE and wrote tragedies that won many prizes at the Dionysia. We have 7 surviving texts: Agamemnon; The Choephori; Eumenides; The Persians; Prometheus Bound; The Seven Against Thebes and The Suppliants. He was also an actor and there was an attempt to assassinate him on stage as a result of initiation rituals he had revealed: the Eleusinian Mysteries, used in the cult of Demeter and Persephone. “Agamemnon” won first prize in 458 BCE and tells the story of his return to his wife Clytemnestra after the Trojan Wars. Clytemnestra kills him and Cassandra, the mistress he brings back with him, with her own hands, in revenge for his sacrifice of Iphigenia."

And Cassandra didn't foresee that?

Or was this a different Cassandra, not the sister of Paris?
................................................................................................


Again, author reverts to racist and colonialist assertions.

"Greek mythology is complex, and although the creation of mortals seems to have been an afterthought and embarked upon mainly for the vast entertainment of the Olympians, as these myths developed, an intense interaction between gods, demi-gods and heroic and no- so heroic mortals manifests. The heritage of the great Classical Period from c480 to 323 BCE, which includes the famous philosophers and the great dramatic playwrights, is certainly germane to us all to this very day. By 336 BCE Greek language, literature, culture and religious beliefs were appreciated throughout the civilized world and certainly anywhere touched by Alexander the Great. ... "

That implies an underlying assumption - or rather, a presumptuous assumption at that - amounting to civilisation being limited to Europe.

" ... In 192 BCE the Spartan monarchy collapsed and Sparta came under Roman rule; by 168 BCE, Perseus, the last king of Macedonia, also fell under the Roman yoke.

"It is a mistake to think that the Romans simply took over Greek mythology, though most of the Greek gods do have a Roman counterpart. The Roman gods had a very different kind of persona and the syncretization of the two beliefs involved a complex and sometimes conflicted process. Still, in 145 BCE Greece became part of the Roman Empire. ... "
................................................................................................


""Man: a being in search of meaning."

"-Plato; a philosopher c428-348BCE"
................................................................................................


Author begins with a discourse on just how deep and firmly ensconced is West in foundations laid by Greek culture.

"If you look back on the events of your day today, I am prepared to guess that you referenced Greek mythology at least twice, if not three times. Perhaps you are laughing, but think back: did you look at your horoscope under your sign of the Zodiac? Did you work like a Spartan to catch up on some work? Was your PC at work attacked by a Trojan virus? Did you order something via Amazon.com? Did you buy some household shopping at lunch time and pick up a bottle of Ajax? Perhaps you found a second-hand copy of "The Tanglewood Tales" by Nigel Hawthorne for your niece's birthday while you were out booking tickets to go to "Orpheus in the Underworld" on Saturday. Afterwards you might have wondered what it would be like to be "as rich as Croesus"! Television news channels today are discussing whether China and the United States are going to fall into the Thucydides' Trap - Thucydides being a famous Greek military leader who wrote about "the likelihood of conflict between a rising power and a currently dominant one.""

One may believe BBC expecting an upper caste brit to appreciate that last bit, but a US television channel risking such indulgence and losing numbers, seems unlikely. Or did it really happen? When?
................................................................................................


"All the many ancient civilizations that have come before us have left traces of the mythologies that guided them - but none more so than the Greeks. ... "

Here's the deeply entrenched bias of West showing itself already, beginning with everything of every other culture being labeled myth, with exception of only the myths not only imposed but hammered into psyche of West - via inquisition - by church, for close to two millennia.

" ... In common with other mythologies, early Greek mythology was handed down through the oral tradition of travelling bards from Minoa, Mycenae and Mesopotamia, re-telling tales that go back as far as 2700 BCE, like the epic of Gilgamesh, the semi-mythic King of Uruk. The Greeks also have one of the most complicated mythological systems, rife with some anomalies as well. While it's not perhaps the oldest, running from approximately 2000 BCE till the end of the Hellenistic era around c146 BCE, it is well-documented nevertheless. We know a great deal about it mostly through ancient pottery of all things; the ancient Egyptians may have inscribed their beliefs on the interior walls of their incredible burial sites. But the customs of the Greeks survived best on bits of decorated pottery in the form of vases, urns and pots that have defied the ravages of eons. Pottery survived, sometimes even intact, better than built structures and paintings, and these objects were decorated with abstract designs as well as realistic depictions of everyday life. The best-known style was the silhouetted, black figures in action, for example a vase by the potter Exekias depicting Achilles killing the Amazon Penthesilia dated 540 BCE."

That discourse shows not only hisses but limitations of thought of West, its preferences and avoidances.

Why, for instance, isn't Atlantis mentioned, mentioned as it is in writings of ancient Greek writers (including but not exclusively so), Plato? Only because that takes history back to much further in time, and makes West uncomfortable, fearing inquisition for contradicting church imposed dogma related to how far human history goes back into antiquity?

And this myth about human history being only a handful of millennia old is seen very clearly to be wrong, not only by various thinkers considering all too obvious clues of the humongous monumental remains that reach much farther back than memory of technology of their construction can prove otherwise, but much more so, via what's labelled mythology in other cultures but has been proved all too correct by scientific discoveries and evidences seen via modern technologies.
................................................................................................


"What was different about Greek mythology though was the emphasis on the written record. ... "

Here bias shows in a way not perceptible to most views blinkered via colonial and racist biases, based as it is on Macaulay policy of discounting and discrediting everything, anything, that's good about India.

For, while writing is certainly an achievement of human civilisations, language and literature exists not merely in writing, whether on materials destructible (and thus vulnerable to barbarian hordes of invaders destroying libraries by dozens and manuscripts by hundreds of thousands) or seemingly less destructible such as stone tablets (which are just as vulnerable to the saud hordes intent on deliberate destructions of 'other' civilisations), but also in systematically memorised form in a culture that sets up its education system based as much in a language and more associated indivisible to sound as much as to writing.

" ... This was a result of an unusual leaning towards the dramatic arts of rhetoric, poetics and theatrical performances as well as gifted historians like Herodotus (484-425 BCE) and Thucydides (460-395 BCE). Our ancestors have always endeavoured to keep records of events, for example the so-called Doomsday Book, but the Greeks were the first important civilization to translate these lists of happenings into written history with a narrative attached - often dramatized - which allows us to witness our past today. The fact that so much Greek custom and culture was subsumed in the wave of Roman influence as the Roman Empire advanced across the ancient world has had the odd effect of highlighting many aspects of Grecian life instead of obliterating it. One just has to remember the Roman aristocrat Publius Ovidius Naso (43 BCE-17 CE) to appreciate this. He is better remembered as Ovid, the poet who based his work on Greek and Roman mythology. His Metamorphosis would become one of Shakespeare's most fruitful story sources. This brief guide will cover the rise of Greece and biographies of selected gods from its colourful pantheon. I will touch on the ways Greek mythology is different from other popular mythologies and recount some key aspects of their beliefs. The adventures, triumphs and sorrows of their heroes and heroines are told in dramatic plays that still grip modern audiences today. This is as a result of one of the most interesting gods of all times; Dionysus, twice-born son of the great Zeus."
................................................................................................
................................................................................................

Author waxes eloquent, using every current bias and prejudice incorporated in Western thought, about myths and related topics from history and philosophy to why myths are 'constructed', without recognising the colonial racist mindset involved in labelling every other culture's treasures as myths while protecting West's own as faith, or even history when there are no evidences whatsoever thereof.
................................................................................................


Next, author proceeds to give a version of history accepted after distillation through the various biases, prejudices, and other impositions and restrictions due to abrahmic doctrine.

"Greece is located in southern Europe and is a peninsula and a surrounding archipelago enclosed on three sides by the Ionian, Aegean and Mediterranean Seas. Indo-European people, Minoan and Mycenaean, migrated into the area from c2000 BCE, settling successfully on the mainland and scattered islands. The legendary King Minos built a magnificent palace at Knossos on Crete, which grew to become the center of the Minoan Empire. The settlers were mainly pastoral farmers and crop growers who were organized into immensely independent and resourceful groups of families. The progress of these family groups was disrupted by a Dorian invasion, bringing a dark age to the region for nearly 500 years until the emergence of what would be a celebrated time of highly civilized city-states known as the Classical period, which ended in c336 BCE. The exploits of Alexander the Great as he set about conquering the world disrupted Greece and Thebes fell to him in c335 BCE, marking the start of the Hellenistic period lasting until c146 BCE."

But author isn't satisfied until a colonial boot stamps on globe.

"It is virtually impossible to estimate the Greek population during this historic period. The best guess for the 5th century BCE is anywhere between 800,000 to 3 million people. What is certain though is that ancient Greece is regarded as the cradle of mankind in terms of art, culture and democracy - and that is why there is still an intense interest in the mythology of these times."

Just who did sign off on this declaration asserting that "Greece is regarded as the cradle of mankind in terms of art, culture and democracy", outside of Europe and migrants thereof?
................................................................................................


""Bury my body and don't build any monument.
"Keep my hands out so the people know
"the one who won the world
"had nothing in hand when he died."

"—Alexander the Great 356-323BCE"

Isn't it a secret where he's entombed?
................................................................................................
................................................................................................

The discourse, inextricably adulterated with a racist abrahmic denigration of everything 'other', continues.

It's quite amazing how western civilisation founded and rooted in Greek and Judaic cultures, nannies to denigrate both, although perhaps not similarly, but certainly equally.

"The Greeks were polytheistic and as a result of the extensive and varied geographical nature of the burgeoning civilization, the myths that evolved included many variations-even more than usually expected in an oral tradition. There was no one sacred text to follow and no formal religious or social structure - each little settlement or village had their own favorite gods, and sometimes there were conflicting interpretations of popular myths. Mythography was certainly taught at schools, and by 500 BCE there were "handbooks" of myths collected by various people. There are several ancient texts which are pivotal to our understanding of this time. One of the most important, "The Iliad," is an epic poem written in 750 BCE by Homer. It recounts the story of the end of the Trojan War and is one of the major sources for our understanding of the times. Homer's other great work, "The Odyssey," takes place after the fall of Troy and tells the story of Odysseus' fantastic voyage home to his wife Penelope. Incredibly these magnificent sources have come down to us in their entirety. Hesiod, a contemporary of Homer and a fellow poet, he presents an incredibly detailed genealogy of the gods from Khaos to Polydoros in "Theogony," which features a vivid description of the creation of the universe as well as the events of the war with the Titans. A second work by Hesiod, "Works and Days," covers human life and moral values through stories of well-known mythical figures like Prometheus and Pandora, offers advice on farming, and explains lucky days and unlucky days.
................................................................................................
Author begins carefully, with opinions to discredit the Greek version of universe.

" ... In the beginning there was Khaos, was either a god itself or a set of circumstances. Our word “chaos” comes from this word. But in the tale of early Greek mythology it has a very different meaning: a state of utter confusion or disorder; a total lack of organization or order. In Greek mythology it was a “formless or void” state and has nothing to do with a great deal of noise and confusion. It was actually a gap or a space that existed, perhaps as a result of the separation of heaven and earth. ... "

But - isn't that exactly where physicists have arrived during 20th century, via Big Bang model of origin?

Or is that why the initial part of the paragraph, throwing discredit at Greeks so reader would remember to see it with disdain, if not completely daunted into despising it as myth?

" ... From the depth of Khaos came Gaia i.e. the earth itself. Gaia was beautiful; she separated heaven from earth, water from land and air from space. She gave birth to Uranus (the sky) who in turn created rain to fashion the mountains, the rivers, the animals and the plants. Gaia also gave rise to Nyx (night), Pontus (the sea), Tartarus (the Underworld) and Erebus, the darkness that covers the Underworld. In some versions Gaia also gives birth to the goddess Aphrodite, who brings love and beauty into the world. ... "

And why does that deserve disdain, especially so when compared to Virgin birth doctrine, whereby the local shepherdesses were said to have examined the mother, after an unattended natural childbirth in wilderness, and found her to still be a virgin?

Or even compared with a flaming bush talking, or inscribed a stone tablet extensively?
................................................................................................


"Gaia and Uranus mate to create their first of many children, the 12 Titans – huge and powerful gods, like Oceanus, who has thousands of children i.e. all the rivers of the world. Another Titan, Hyperion, is credited with the creation of Dawn, the Sun and the Moon. Significant ....

[Khadijah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good and compact

If you're looking to learn a little bit about Greek mythology in a short period of time, this will do the trick. Decent overview of the myths and well written at that. I did enjoy it,

[Bettye McKee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mythology in a nutshell

This is an interesting and concise rundown of the Greek gods, their origins and their realms. These stories have endured the millennia along with a number of plays and poems written thousands of years ago.

5

[Nightshade · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very concise. It gives a very good overview of Greek Mythology, but it is just that, there is no depth to any of the tales. There is also a few too many attempted jokes by the author which just seem out of place in this type of book. Other than that it was quite enjoyable.

[otakutyrant · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tags: History

After the recommendation of DK public, I discoverd a new and funny brand again: Hourly History. On the other day, to read a book about constellations and corresponding English etymology, written in Chinese, I studied the Greek Mythology at first. But there are too many books than I thought, including illustrations and even academic works. I had considered some DK public books, but Greek Mythology is mainly textual at all, inducing illustarions joyous but unnecessary. And I have no plan to become an expert in Greek Mythology, so I searched "Greek Mythology concise" in Amazon and discovered this book brand finally.

Literal as Hourly History, you can pick up the subject you interested in less than an hour. Because it is so concise, all publications are made into e-books directly. The brand has published 283 books so far, involving Hilter, Cold War, Celtic Mythology and so on. According to my search in Amazon, this brand is about biography of famous people mainly, and luckily almost all books are kindleunlimited! So Hourly History is very suitable for ESL learners, like me, who are unable spend a lot of money or time in expensive and thick books to learn history due to limited conditions.

As for this book, I have spent two or three hours to read it, proving that I have a large space to improve my reading skill! However its required vocabulary is not higher than I thought. So an ESL learner who has about 7000 vocabulary can get over this book. What makes it imperfect is that it does not introduce the story of non-main roles like Medusa and Heracles. However it is enough to cover Greek Mythology at all.

[Lynda · Rating 5 out of 5]

I got a hold of this book for free on Kindle via Amazon. I was searching for a general introductory book on Greek mythology to get ready to read Homer's Iliad and was pleased to come across this title which turned out to be both very accessible and manageable in terms of how long it takes to complete.

What is a myth? The sources of Greek mythology. The creation of the Universe and the Gods. The Greek Pantheon. The Trojan War. These are just some of the chapters in this well-organized and scholarly book.

The book's opening is both amusing and witty: "If you look back on the events of your day today, I am prepared to guess that you referenced Greek mythology at least twice, if not three times....did you look at your horoscope under your sign of the Zodiac? Did you work like a Spartan to catch up on some work? Was your PC at work attacked by a Trojan virus? Did you order something via Amazon.com?" Could not have said it better in terms of the enduring influence, impact and prevalence of Greek mythology in our daily lives, hundreds of years later.

[lakshmi kumar · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting compilation

Though concise, it was difficult to follow Greek mythology as it was a lot of different pieces put together. Much appreciate the effort and the free book. Would like to see a simple chronology and a story line to follow so as to be able to connect with the mythological characters. As pointed out , it was never a major religion due to various factors primarily lack of written history. However much appreciate the effort and Wish the author all the best in all the future endeavors.

[Allen McDonnell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good basic primer

A good basic primer on Greek heroic mythology. I was hoping for a lot more detail on the deities and monsters that populate Greek mythology, but for someone looking for a broad overview this book provides that type of information quite well. I am looking for detailed accounts on the Greek and especially Roman deities for a project I am working on and picked this book up in hopes of finding some of that information.

[Mick Bordet · Rating 1 out of 5]

Ridiculously detailed in places, yet skipping whole sections of the condensed myths in others, this books seems inspired in tone by Stephen Fry’s Greek mythology series, but falls far short. It does not seem to have been edited, so suffers from typos and clashing tenses throughout.

I’d have loved this to have been a light taster for someone interested in dipping a toe into the rich world of Greek gods and heroes, but I think this would send most people running in the opposite direction.

[Nandini Kaushik · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short & concise

The book is good to get an overview about greek mythology, the events are not in detail as it is short book as it says hourly history so it has to be concise.
Likes the book and events in it as greek myth is itself very interesting, could complete it in just one day. Greek mythology is vast, but still the author tried to put it short, which he succeeded to. & I personally really liked the book, because it was like a gist of the whole greek mythology.

[dais · Rating 3 out of 5]

Honestly, this book is probably intended for people who are just starting greek mythology, and not someone who already knows a fair amount. Such as myself. So really wasn’t a surprise that I already knew most of all the contents of this book. But still a pretty good conglomeration of greek mythology stuff for anyone interested. Knowing most of it already was my bad haha, definitely should read it if you’re just starting out.

[Prithu · Rating 4 out of 5]

Perhaps it was my fault that I read Stephen Fry's 'Mythos' along with this. As expected, it tasted dull.
Rated four star, as it kept its promise. It's concise indeed. Just skimmed through the important informations and nothing else. Unfortunately, its zero added sugar policy didn't work for a person like me who has a terrible sweet tooth :')