Myth and History: Close Encounters

The fluidity of myth and history in antiquity and the ensuing rapidity with which these notions infiltrated and cross-fertilized one another has repeatedly attracted the scholarly interest. The understanding of myth as a phenomenon imbued with social and historical nuances allows for more than one methodological approaches. Within the wider context of interdisciplinary exchange of ideas, the present volume returns to origins, as it traces and registers the association and interaction between myth and history in various literary genres in Greek and Roman antiquity (i.e. an era when the scientific definitions of and distinctions between myth and history had not yet been perceived as such, let alone fully shaped and implemented), providing original ideas, new interpretations and (re)evaluations of key texts and less well-known passages, close readings, and catholic overviews. The twenty-four chapters of this volume expand from Greek epos to lyric poetry, historiography, dramatic poetry and even beyond, to genres of Roman era and late antiquity. It is the editors’ hope that this volume will appeal to students and academic researchers in the areas of classics, social and political history, archaeology, and even social anthropology.

Die Beiträge dieser gesamtaltertumswissenschaftlichen Reihe behandeln hauptsächlich Themen zur Antike aus dem Bereich der Literatur-, Bild-, Medien-, Theater-, Religions- und Kulturwissenschaften. Ein besonderer Schwerpunkt liegt auf der Anwendung moderner Theorien, z. B. auf dem Gebiet der Anthropologie, Performativität und Narrativität, auf dem interdisziplinären Vergleich, auf der mythisch-rituellen und ikonischen Poetik von Texten und bildlichen Darstellungen sowie auf der Rezeption antiker Stoffe in diesem Kontext.

This series is dedicated to classical studies in general. The featured essays primarily examine topics relating to the ancient world from the fields of literary, visual, media, theatre, religious, and cultural studies. There is a particular emphasis on the application of modern theories, e.g. in the sphere of anthropology, performativity and narrativity; interdisciplinary comparisons; the mythical/ritual and iconic poetics of texts and images; and the reception of classical material in this context.