Classical Mythology
47 episodes - English - Latest episode: almost 11 years ago - ★★★★ - 18 ratingsIn this subject we explore Greek and Roman mythology, with particular reference to some core narratives and themes. Greek mythology is very focused around hero myths, and this is a central aspect of our study. Heroes studied in the subject include Heracles, Jason, Perseus, Bellerophon and Odysseus. We also examine some key thematic elements of Classical mythology- the figure of the monster, the sexual conduct of gods and mortals, conception and birth, fire, images of the underworld and life after death. The adaption of Greek myth in Italy (Entruscan and Roman) to meet the needs of different cultures will be explored. Sources dealt with in the subject include epic poetry, drama, painted vases, tomb paintings, and architectural remains. We conclude the subject with some modern cinematic adaptations of mythic themes from the ancient world.
Homepage Apple Podcasts Google Podcasts Overcast Castro Pocket Casts RSS feed
Episodes
Myth in Film
June 05, 2013 02:04 - 40 minutes - 23.9 MBClassical myth and film have a long history of being intertwined, as myth was made into film from the days of silent movies, and ancient texts themselves often use what we might see as ‘cinematic’ techniques when framing a scene. This lecture explores how Greek and Roman myths have appeared on screen from the ‘historical’ epics of the 1950s and 1960s, through dubbed Italian musclebound heroes to the new CGI epics such as Clash of the Titans. It also considers how mythic tropes are recontextu...
Myth in Film (handout)
June 05, 2013 02:03 application/pdfClassical myth and film have a long history of being intertwined, as myth was made into film from the days of silent movies, and ancient texts themselves often use what we might see as ‘cinematic’ techniques when framing a scene. This lecture explores how Greek and Roman myths have appeared on screen from the ‘historical’ epics of the 1950s and 1960s, through dubbed Italian musclebound heroes to the new CGI epics such as Clash of the Titans. It also considers how mythic tropes are recontextu...
Greek Myth at Rome: Power
June 05, 2013 02:02 - 39 minutes - 23.3 MBOvid’s Metamorphoses was written during the Augustan period, and it is clear that its author was often out of tune with the political regime. This lecture explores the different ways in which the poem transforms Greek mythology to explore issues such as power, justice and censorship. Ovid’s gods often exert power arbitrarily, punishing those who are already victims or taking revenge for perceived slights. Here we explore the ways in which Greek myth can function as a contemporary critique of...
Greek Myth at Rome: Power (handout)
June 05, 2013 02:01 application/pdfOvid’s Metamorphoses was written during the Augustan period, and it is clear that its author was often out of tune with the political regime. This lecture explores the different ways in which the poem transforms Greek mythology to explore issues such as power, justice and censorship. Ovid’s gods often exert power arbitrarily, punishing those who are already victims or taking revenge for perceived slights. Here we explore the ways in which Greek myth can function as a contemporary critique of...
Greek Myth at Rome: Metamorphosis
May 31, 2013 03:38 - 50 minutes - 29.1 MBOvid’s Metamorphoses is one of the most significant ancient texts for the study of Greek mythology, but we should remember that this is a Roman work, which absorbs influences from the whole of the Mediterranean world. This lecture looks at the poem’s cosmogony in book and compares it to the Hesiodic version (explored earlier in lecture 2), showing how various philosophical and scientific ideas have been added to the Ovidian mix. We also see how Ovid sets up the parallel between the Olympian ...
Roman Identity II: Heroines
May 23, 2013 02:18 - 45 minutes - 26.4 MBAlthough Ancient Rome was clearly a patriarchal society (literally so, as the father had supreme power in the Roman household), Roman myth also features many prominent women, from the Sabine wives who intervene to end a war, to individualised women (both heroines and demonised women) who show us which qualities Romans valued in women. These myths are often connected to female sexuality, particularly in the case of Lucretia, whose rape brings about a political revolution, inspiring the end of...
Roman Identity II: Heroines (handout)
May 23, 2013 02:17 application/pdfAlthough Ancient Rome was clearly a patriarchal society (literally so, as the father had supreme power in the Roman household), Roman myth also features many prominent women, from the Sabine wives who intervene to end a war, to individualised women (both heroines and demonised women) who show us which qualities Romans valued in women. These myths are often connected to female sexuality, particularly in the case of Lucretia, whose rape brings about a political revolution, inspiring the end of...
Roman Identity I: Heroes
May 23, 2013 02:16 - 46 minutes - 27.1 MBRome’s mythic history is littered with heroes who exemplify positive and negative ways of behaving. Livy in particular is fond of using mythic figures as exempla in his historical work, but we see it elsewhere too, for example in poetry and in public monuments. This lecture explores the qualities which are celebrated in Roman heroes, and examine the way that the state is prioritised over personal relationships and the family in many of them. Copyright 2013 Rhiannon Evans / La Trobe Universi...
Roman Identity I: Heroes (handout)
May 23, 2013 02:09 application/pdfRome’s mythic history is littered with heroes who exemplify positive and negative ways of behaving. Livy in particular is fond of using mythic figures as exempla in his historical work, but we see it elsewhere too, for example in poetry and in public monuments. This lecture explores the qualities which are celebrated in Roman heroes, and examine the way that the state is prioritised over personal relationships and the family in many of them. Copyright 2013 Rhiannon Evans / La Trobe Universi...
Rome II: Asylum: Romulus and Remus
May 16, 2013 03:19 - 45 minutes - 26.4 MBRomulus was revered as the founding hero of Rome, later made a god, but his myth is not without ambiguity. A significant element of the city foundation story is the murder of his brother Remus, and the most common version of this myth is that Romulus himself was responsible. This lecture explores the difficulties which fratricide presented to the Romans, how they tried to explain it, and how it has been analysed by scholars of Roman myth as a story which was makes sense of Rome’s social and ...
Rome II: Asylum: Romulus and Remus (handout)
May 16, 2013 03:18 application/pdfRomulus was revered as the founding hero of Rome, later made a god, but his myth is not without ambiguity. A significant element of the city foundation story is the murder of his brother Remus, and the most common version of this myth is that Romulus himself was responsible. This lecture explores the difficulties which fratricide presented to the Romans, how they tried to explain it, and how it has been analysed by scholars of Roman myth as a story which was makes sense of Rome’s social and ...
Rome I: Foundation
May 16, 2013 03:17 - 49 minutes - 28.7 MBRome was famously founded by Romulus in 753 BCE, but that’s not the end of the story, for the Romans also traced their ancestry back to Aeneas, a survivor of the Trojan War. In this lecture and the next, we explore what these two lineages offer Rome and how Rome’s first emperor, Augustus, claimed descent from the gods themselves. Here we consider the significance of history in Rome’s mythic beginnings, and how Rome’s early history and kings reflect important facets of Roman identity. Copyri...
Rome I: Foundation (handout)
May 16, 2013 03:16 application/pdfRome was famously founded by Romulus in 753 BCE, but that’s not the end of the story, for the Romans also traced their ancestry back to Aeneas, a survivor of the Trojan War. In this lecture and the next, we explore what these two lineages offer Rome and howRome’s first emperor, Augustus, claimed descent from the gods themselves. Here we consider the significance of history in Rome’s mythic beginnings, and how Rome’s early history and kings reflect important facets of Roman identity. Copyrig...
Thebes II: Destruction
May 08, 2013 06:15 - 39 minutes - 23.3 MBIncest, fratricide and patricideare central to the Theban myths explored in Athenian tragedy, particularly Sophocles’ Oedipus the King. Written during a plague at Athens, the play opens with plague at Thebes, which as Oedipus discovers, has been caused by his own unwitting murder of his father, Laius; he then marries and fathers children with his mother, Jocasta. This lecture explores the importance of the Oedipus myth at Athens; how it fits into the self-destructive and deviant myths which ...
Thebes II: Destruction (handout)
May 08, 2013 06:14 application/pdfIncest, fratricide and patricideare central to the Theban myths explored in Athenian tragedy, particularly Sophocles’ Oedipus the King. Written during a plague at Athens, the play opens with plague at Thebes, which as Oedipus discovers, has been caused by his own unwitting murder of his father, Laius; he then marries and fathers children with his mother, Jocasta. This lecture explores the importance of the Oedipus myth at Athens; how it fits into the self-destructive and deviant myths which ...
Thebes I: Foundation
May 08, 2013 06:12 - 49 minutes - 28.9 MBThebes, in central Greece, had its own distinctive foundation myths, which combined divine origin, autochthony and immigrant stories. There are several myths of foundation: the walls were built by sons of Zeus, while the territory was laid out by Cadmus, a refugee fromAsia Minor, who peoples Thebes with the offspring of the Spartoi (‘the Sown Men’), warriors who grow from the ground when Cadmus plants the teeth of a monstrous snake. Featured in several Athenian tragedies, Thebes has been see...
Thebes I: Foundation (handout)
May 08, 2013 06:11 application/pdfThebes, in central Greece, had its own distinctive foundation myths, which combined divine origin, autochthony and immigrant stories. There are several myths of foundation: the walls were built by sons of Zeus, while the territory was laid out by Cadmus, a refugee fromAsia Minor, who peoples Thebes with the offspring of the Spartoi (‘the Sown Men’), warriors who grow from the ground when Cadmus plants the teeth of a monstrous snake. Featured in several Athenian tragedies, Thebes has been see...
Founding Athens II: Ion and Origin Myths in Tragedy
May 02, 2013 00:22 - 50 minutes - 29.3 MBMythological stories dramatized in Athenian tragedy provide us with a good opportunity to explore how myth is used in aparticular political and social context. Dramatists choose specific mythological episodes, which make it possible to reflect on Athenian society and to question the validity of the myths themselves. Nowhere is this more obvious than in Euripides’ Ion, which retells the myth of one of Athens’ early kings, and highlights contemporary issues from Euripides’ own time, such as th...
Founding Athens II: Ion and Origin Myths in Tragedy (handout)
May 02, 2013 00:21 application/pdfMythological stories dramatized in Athenian tragedy provide us with a good opportunity to explore how myth is used in aparticular political and social context. Dramatists choose specific mythological episodes, which make it possible to reflect on Athenian society and to question the validity of the myths themselves. Nowhere is this more obvious than in Euripides’ Ion, which retells the myth of one of Athens’ early kings, and highlights contemporary issues from Euripides’ own time, such as th...
Founding Athens I: Creating History
May 01, 2013 23:52 - 48 minutes - 28.3 MBOrigins of cities and peoples are an important component of Greek mythology, and were central to ancient Greeks’ conception of their own identity. The most famous Greek origin myth is that of the Athenians, who, unlike most other Greeks, thought of their ancestors as strongly connected to and even born from the earth, in other words as autochthonous. This lecture explores the birth myths of the early, mythical kings of Athens, such as Kekrops, Erichthonius and Erectheus, and ends withsome di...
Founding Athens I: Creating History (handout)
May 01, 2013 23:51 application/pdfOrigins of cities and peoples are an important component of Greek mythology, and were central to ancient Greeks’ conception of their own identity. The most famous Greek origin myth is that of the Athenians, who, unlike most other Greeks, thought of their ancestors as strongly connected to and even born from the earth, in other words as autochthonous. This lecture explores the birth myths of the early, mythical kings of Athens, such as Kekrops, Erichthonius and Erectheus, and ends withsome di...
Essay Writing for Myth
April 24, 2013 00:45 - 49 minutes - 28.5 MBThis lecture shows students which pitfalls should be avoided when writing an essay, and gives the basics on how to research, plan and structure an essay, as well as detailed information on how to quote, paraphrase and reference primary and secondary authors, and how to attribute their words and ideas without falling into the trap of plagiarism. Copyright 2013 Rhiannon Evans / La Trobe University, all rights reserved. Contact for permissions.
Essay Writing for Myth (handout)
April 24, 2013 00:44 application/pdfThis lecture shows students which pitfalls should be avoided when writing an essay, and gives the basics on how to research, plan and structure an essay, as well as detailed information on how to quote, paraphrase and reference primary and secondary authors, and how to attribute their words and ideas without falling into the trap of plagiarism. Copyright 2013 Rhiannon Evans / La Trobe University, all rights reserved. Contact for permissions.
Theories of Mythology, Part II
April 24, 2013 00:41 - 42 minutes - 24.7 MBHow can we explain where myths come from and what they mean? This lecture looks at the various ways that scholars have attempted to analyse and interpret classical myths. Through ritual theory to Freud and Jung’s psycholanalytical theories, and the Structuralism of Lévi-Strauss to ideological frameworks, such as Marxism and gender theory, to Post-structuralism, we ask whether one theory ever fits all sizes of myth, and how cultural context has come become a significant factor in how we look ...
Theories of Mythology, Part II (handout)
April 24, 2013 00:40 application/pdfHow can we explain where myths come from and what they mean? This lecture looks at the various ways that scholars have attempted to analyse and interpret classical myths. Through ritual theory to Freud and Jung’s psycholanalytical theories, and the Structuralism of Lévi-Strauss to ideological frameworks, such as Marxism and gender theory, to Post-structuralism, we ask whether one theory ever fits all sizes of myth, and how cultural context has come become a significant factor in how we look ...
Murder and Retribution: the House of Atreus
April 17, 2013 03:48 - 49 minutes - 29 MBCannibalism, murder and revenge are at the heart of the complex of myths surrounding the House of Atreus, a family cursed to exact violence on one another from generation to generation. This lecture investigates the way that the murder of Agamemnon is treated in both Homer’s Odyssey and Aeschylus’ Oresteia, and discusses how each version of the myth reflects contemporary concerns. In particular,Aeschylus’ trilogy deals with themes which were significant to the political culture of democratic...
Murder and Retribution: the House of Atreus (handout)
April 17, 2013 03:47 application/pdfCannibalism, murder and revenge are at the heart of the complex of myths surrounding the House of Atreus, a family cursed to exact violence on one another from generation to generation. This lecture investigates the way that the murder of Agamemnon is treated in both Homer’s Odyssey and Aeschylus’ Oresteia, and discusses how each version of the myth reflects contemporary concerns. In particular,Aeschylus’ trilogy deals with themes which were significant to the political culture of democratic...
Trojan War and Nostos: The Quest of Odysseus
April 17, 2013 03:43 - 45 minutes - 26.5 MBThe Greek heroes of the Trojan war often have difficult journeys and disastrous homecomings. This lecture looks at the nostos or homecoming tale of Odysseus in Homer's Odyssey. It examines the consequences of upholding, subverting and transgressing civilised values in the epic, and the way this theme is represented both by the poet and his character. Copyright 2013 Annabel Orchard, all rights reserved. Contact for permissions.
Trojan War and Nostos: The Quest of Odysseus (handout)
April 17, 2013 03:42 application/pdfThe Greek heroes of the Trojan war often have difficult journeys and disastrous homecomings. This lecture looks at the nostos or homecoming tale of Odysseus in Homer's Odyssey. It examines the consequences of upholding, subverting and transgressing civilised values in the epic, and the way this theme is represented both by the poet and his character. Copyright 2013 Annabel Orchard, all rights reserved. Contact for permissions.
Heroes in the Underworld
April 14, 2013 22:22 - 42 minutes - 24.8 MBA trip to the home of the dead is a specific kind of ‘quest narrative’ carried out by Greek mythology’s greatest heroes, as a rite of passage and a demonstration of a great hero’s power. To journey to the underworld and return is the most extreme inversion of mortality which a hero can achieve, and the Greek underworld is the last, inescapable location for even great warriors like Achilles. The most renowned underworld visitors are Odysseus, who meets figures from his past and finds out what...
Heroes in the Underworld (handout)
April 12, 2013 05:02 application/pdfA trip to the home of the dead is a specific kind of ‘quest narrative’ carried out by Greek mythology’s greatest heroes, as a rite of passage and a demonstration of a great hero’s power. To journey to the underworld and return is the most extreme inversion of mortality which a hero can achieve, and the Greek underworld is the last, inescapable location for even great warriors like Achilles. The most renowned underworld visitors are Odysseus, who meets figures from his past and finds out what...
Heroes and Quests
April 10, 2013 00:34 - 36 minutes - 21.2 MBHeroes go beyond the realms of ordinary mortals, and a significant element in the heroic narrative is a quest – for a precious or supernatural object, a person or for knowledge. One of the most famous quest narratives is that of Jason and the Argonauts and their quest to retrieve the Golden Fleece, a group quest, which involves one major target for Jason and several minor narratives involving the other heroes of the Argo. Other heroes discussed in this lecture include Perseus and Herakles, w...
Heroes and Quests (handout)
April 10, 2013 00:33 application/pdfHeroes go beyond the realms of ordinary mortals, and a significant element in the heroic narrative is a quest – for a precious or supernatural object, a person or for knowledge. One of the most famous quest narratives is that of Jason and the Argonauts and their quest to retrieve the Golden Fleece, a group quest, which involves one major target for Jason and several minor narratives involving the other heroes of the Argo. Other heroes discussed in this lecture include Perseus and Herakles, w...
Heroes and Monsters
March 27, 2013 23:17 - 48 minutes - 28 MBIn Greek myth heroes do not always fight for the greater good – instead many strive for personal glory and some are downright anti-social. This lecture discusses the patterns of heroic behaviour found in myths by looking at heroes such as Herakles, Odysseus and Jason. It demonstrates what they have in common and how they act as individuals, and concludes with an examination of the monsters pitted against them. Copyright 2013 Annabel Orchard, all rights reserved. Contact for permissions.
Heroes and Monsters (handout)
March 27, 2013 23:16 application/pdfIn Greek myth heroes do not always fight for the greater good – instead many strive for personal glory and some are downright anti-social. This lecture discusses the patterns of heroic behaviour found in myths by looking at heroes such as Herakles, Odysseus and Jason. It demonstrates what they have in common and how they act as individuals, and concludes with an examination of the monsters pitted against them. Copyright 2013 Annabel Orchard, all rights reserved. Contact for permissions.
Golden Age and the Five Races
March 25, 2013 21:25 - 52 minutes - 30.2 MBThe Golden Age and subsequent decline through inferior 'races' is an important element of Greek myth from our earliest mythological texts, and reflects a distancing between gods and humans. The utopian aspects of the Golden Age include a simple but entirely carefree existence, with no work, warfare or agriculture, yet no lack of food or shelter. However, the stages of decline can vary: the different versions of and reasons for decline are analysed in this lecture as critiques of contemporary...
Golden Age and the Five Races (handout)
March 25, 2013 06:05 application/pdfThe Golden Age and subsequent decline through inferior 'races' is an important element of Greek myth from our earliest mythological texts, and reflects a distancing between gods and humans. The utopian aspects of the Golden Age include a simple but entirely carefree existence, with no work, warfare or agriculture, yet no lack of food or shelter. However, the stages of decline can vary: the different versions of and reasons for decline are analysed in this lecture as critiques of contemporary...
Olympians in Art
March 20, 2013 02:49 - 53 minutes - 30.9 MBA vast array of mythological narrative is found on Greek vases, temples and in free-standing sculpture. These visual representations of Greek myths are as malleable as narratives found in written texts, and sometimes give us information on mythological variations which are not found in other media. This lecture investigates the forms in which we find the gods in Greek art, and looks at some prime examples of artworks which show particular moments from myths, such as the Labours of Herakles o...
Olympians in Art (handout)
March 20, 2013 02:48 - 27.4 MBA vast array of mythological narrative is found on Greek vases, temples and in free-standing sculpture. These visual representations of Greek myths are as malleable as narratives found in written texts, and sometimes give us information on mythological variations which are not found in other media. This lecture investigates the forms in which we find the gods in Greek art, and looks at some prime examples of artworks which show particular moments from myths, such as the Labours of Herakles o...
Female Olympians
March 19, 2013 23:15 - 50 minutes - 29.1 MBThe two generations of female Olympians include various figures who represent aspects of ancient Greek female experience: Artemis, associated with young women; Hera with marriage; Demeter with marriage; and Aphrodite with illicit sexuality. This lecture further explores the variant versions of Aphrodite's origin in Hesiod (from Ouranos' castrated genitals) and Homer (from Zeus and Dione), to suggest that goddesses can pose a troubling challenge to Zeus' authority. The power of a goddess' ang...
Female Olympians (handout)
March 19, 2013 22:34 application/pdfThe two generations of female Olympians include various figures who represent aspects of ancient Greek female experience: Artemis, associated with young women; Hera with marriage; Demeter with marriage; and Aphrodite with illicit sexuality. This lecture further explores the variant versions of Aphrodite's origin in Hesiod (from Ouranos' castrated genitals) and Homer (from Zeus and Dione), to suggest that goddesses can pose a troubling challenge to Zeus' authority. The power of a goddess' ang...
Male Gods
March 12, 2013 22:32 - 47 minutes - 27.4 MBThis lecture explores male gods of Greek mythology and their various spheres of influence: Zeus, the chief god, associated with mountains and the sky, and known for his prolific sexual conquests, along with his brothers, who control the earth and the underworld. The youthful, second generation of Olympian gods represent quite different aspects of Greek culture and masculinity, from Apollo's controlled reason, to Hermes' role as a trickster and intermediary, and Dionysus, the god of wine and ...
Male Gods (handout)
March 12, 2013 22:18 application/pdfThis lecture explores male gods of Greek mythology and their various spheres of influence: Zeus, the chief god, associated with mountains and the sky, and known for his prolific sexual conquests, along with his brothers, who control the earth and the underworld. The youthful, second generation of Olympian gods represent quite different aspects of Greek culture and masculinity, from Apollo's controlled reason, to Hermes' role as a trickster and intermediary, and Dionysus, the god of wine and ...
Cosmogony
March 11, 2013 22:22 - 47 minutes - 27.8 MBThe creation of the universe and the gods is the subject of one of our earliest works of Western literature, Hesiod's short epic poem, the Theogony. This pre-scientific account of how the cosmos came into being describes creation as a series of births, as both natural features and successive generations of gods are born from one another. This lecture explores the gory tale of the gods' succession myth, and how it eventually leads to the permanent rule of the familiar Greek pantheon: Zeus an...
Cosmogony (handout)
March 11, 2013 22:21 application/pdfThe creation of the universe and the gods is the subject of one of our earliest works of Western literature, Hesiod's short epic poem, the Theogony. This pre-scientific account of how the cosmos came into being describes creation as a series of births, as both natural features and successive generations of gods are born from one another. This lecture explores the gory tale of the gods' succession myth, and how it eventually leads to the permanent rule of the familiar Greek pantheon: Zeus an...
Theories of Mythology, Part I
March 05, 2013 06:27 - 43 minutes - 25.1 MBWhat do we mean when we use the terms 'myth' and 'mythology'? This lecture introduces the concept of myth and shows how it is defined by its relationship to the oral tradition, as opposed to written text, despite the fact that many of the mythic narratives from Ancient Greece and Rome have come down to us through writing. We investigate why 'myth' has come to mean an 'untruth' and whether the Greeks and Romans believed their myths; and discover that, even in antiquity, myths were questioned ...
Theories of Mythology, Part I (handout)
March 05, 2013 06:26 application/pdfWhat do we mean when we use the terms 'myth' and 'mythology'? This lecture introduces the concept of myth and shows how it is defined by its relationship to the oral tradition, as opposed to written text, despite the fact that many of the mythic narratives from Ancient Greece and Rome have come down to us through writing. We investigate why 'myth' has come to mean an 'untruth' and whether the Greeks and Romans believed their myths; and discover that, even in antiquity, myths were questioned ...