The deities of the ancient world — from the famous denizens of Olympus to anonymous river nymphs and sea monsters — come to life in the pages of this classic guide. Richly readable; informative; and colorful; it is drawn mostly from the great epics of Homer and the works of Apollodoros; an Athenian scholar of the second century B.C. Not only does it define the myths in terms of their influence on Western literature; it also depicts the role of the deities in everyday life; from the earliest tribal rites to the grand festivals at the height of Graeco-Roman civilization.Each of the primary and minor gods receives an individual chapter that recounts both the Greek origins and the later Roman adaptation. Profiles of less-familiar figures from the ancient pantheon include the Dioscuri; better known as Castor and Pollux; the patrons of athletes and sailors; Aesculapius; the god of health and healing; Rhea; the mother of the gods; and Pan; the frolicsome woodlands god. No finer survey of classical mythology exists than this instructive and entertaining guide to the gods.
#748907 in Books 1985-09-01 1985-09-01Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 9.25 x 1.23 x 6.50l; 1.66 #File Name: 0486249131544 pages
Review
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful. As Handy as It GetsBy CustomerThis is a nice battle dictionary; from the most ancient times to 1984; with special attention to US involvement but every battle with any major importance is included. It's a basic introductory work and the level of detail is somewhat low; so anyone looking for intensive reference; especially if interested in the purely military aspects; should of course look elsewhere; but it's still good for the casual reader.What this book is very good at is getting you interested in the historic importance of the events. All descriptions include references of what led to the battle and what resulted of it; of course both usually more battles; whose names are added to the end of every description; so you can never have only one. You can also look for the name of a war instead of an specific battle; and you'll get a list of its battles; or the name of a country for an extensive list of all-time battles. An index of places and people is of course also included; so navigation is really easy as well as tempting and engaging.This paperback edition is quite sturdy and the pages won't fall off unless you try really hard.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Five StarsBy Orestes TorrensThe best encyclopedia of war I ever read0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Four StarsBy CustomerGreat as an encyclopedia.
