Ancient mythologies

This unit examines mythic patterns and their relation to ritual enactments in ancient times and across a variety of cultures including Indigenous Australia, the ancient Near East, Greece and Rome. We explore creation stories, tales of kings and heroes and rites surrounding birth, marriage, and death. We access these myths primarily through ancient texts but also incorporate insights from archaeology and art history. In addition, you will examine genres of ancient story-telling such as oral traditions, epic, and drama and will be introduced to the theoretical tools associated with the study of ancient mythology and religion.