You Asked For It! 

Click the links to jump to my answers on this page!

 

• I need a timeline of ancient Greece!
• I need a chart of Greek gods and goddesses with their Roman (Latin) names!
• Who are the twelve Olympian gods? What are their jobs?
• Please show me a map of ancient Greece!
• I'm looking for a map of the wanderings of Odysseus in Homer's Odyssey.
• I'd like to see some pictures/images/photos of Greek gods and goddesses.
• I need a family tree of figures on Greek mythology.
• What are some good books on Greek art, history, and/or mythology?

Timeline of Ancient Greece 

Greek History at a Glance

Here's my Timeline of Ancient Greece.

I packed a lot of info there, but if you need more, here's some other good web pages on classical Greek history:

• Timeline on Ancient Greece.org
  
• Classical Greece for Kids
  
• History of Greece: see lectures 5 to 9.
  
• Index of e-texts of Greek Historians and Literature arranged by time period.

Greek Gods, Goddesses, and Famous People 

Chart of Greek names and Latin equivalents

Useful Maps of Ancient Greece 

Famous Places in Greek History and Mythology

At right is an interactive Google Map I've marked with archaeological sites I visited on my trip; you can click the markers for more information. Below, I've pointed you so some excellent maps from other websites devoted to ancient Greece.

We know a lot about the geography of ancient Greece because of writing: coins, art and inscriptions identify places whose names have changed in the last 2500 years (in many cases, they haven't changed a bit). But a lot of places in mythology can't be pinpointed with certainty, either because they're made up and never existed, or they disappeared long ago.

Timeless Myths Website's Ancient Greece Map

Click names on the map to get short blurbs about what myths are connected to those places.

Greeklandscapes.com Ancient Greece Map

Clean, easy-to-read, somewhat simplified map of Greece and the eastern Mediterranean, including Ionia. Lots and lots of sites marked.

AncientGreece.org's Greece Maps

Great maps of ancient Greece, with a main large map plus some maps for particular historical periods and a few floorplans of important buildings like the Parthenon.

History Link 101's Collection of Maps

A lot of historical maps designed for students. Several different time periods, especially Hellenistic.

Great Books on Ancient Geece 

For Students and Lovers of Greek Mythology, Art and Culture

It's hard to pick just five! But here's some of my top recommendations.

The Genealogy of Greek Mythology: An Illustrated Family Tree of Greek Myth from the First Gods to the Founders of R

by Vanessa James

Incredibly useful chart: all the gods and mythological names are here, well-organized; there's also inset boxes summarizing most major myths like the Labors of Hercules, the voyage of the Argo, and more.

Amazon Price: $16.50 (as of 08/07/2008)

Usually ships in 24 hours

Early Greek Myth: A Guide to Literary and Artistic Sources, Vol. 1

by Timothy Gantz

Great resource for the graduate student or scholar: two-volume set on Greek myths with details on what parts of the myths come from which sources. Great present for college students studying Greek or classics.

Amazon Price: $25.00 (as of 08/07/2008)

Usually ships in 24 hours

Art and Myth in Ancient Greece: A Handbook (World of Art)

by Thomas H. Carpenter

An unusual and very readable book discussing classical art not by style or historical phase, but by subject matter!

Amazon Price: $11.53 (as of 08/07/2008)

Usually ships in 24 hours

Art and Experience in Classical Greece

by Jerome Jordan Pollitt

Archaeology, art, and history of classical Greece. One of my old reliable textbooks as an undergraduate in classical studies.

Amazon Price: $23.48 (as of 08/07/2008)

Usually ships in 24 hours

The Art and Culture of Early Greece, 1100-480 B.C.

by Jeffrey M. Hurwit

Same thing, but for the preclassical (and especially the Mycenaean/Bronze Age) period.

Amazon Price: $22.46 (as of 08/07/2008)

Usually ships in 24 hours

The Wanderings of Odysseus 

Maps of Place Names in Homer's Odyssey

Where did Odysseus go? Where did Circe live? Where was the island of the Cyclops? We don't know for sure, but readers of Homer have been arguing about it for thousands of years!

Interactive Map of Odysseus' Wanderings

Fun presentation from the UPenn Classics Department.

Map of Odysseus' Journey

Not as good a map, but it has pictures of famous characters in the Odyssey.

Wikipedia: Geography of the Odyssey

Wikipedia entries can be written, edited and changed by anybody, but right now -- Feb 2008 -- this article looks very helpful and informative.

Pictures of Greek Gods and Goddesses 

You may use these for non-commercial purposes if you 1) credit me by name and 2) provide a link or back to the photo's Flickr page.

Students, if you're writing a paper, you may use this URL since it's less messy-looking: <http://www.squidoo.com/odyssey> "Ancient Greece Odyssey: A Traveller's Journal."

The Artemesian Zeus

Temple Statue of Pos...

Archaic Athena, Old...

The Mourning Athena...

Large Head of Athena

Large Head of Athena

Acropolis Athena

Parthenon SE corner...

Triptolemos Relief f...

Demeter, Persephone...

Triptolemos in Chari...

Hades and Persephone...

Peplos Kore from the...

Archaic Kore: Acropo...

Apollo Cup, Delphi

The Goddess Artemis,...

Gold and ivory Apoll...

Gold and Ivory Artem...

Siphnian Treasury N....

Siphnian Treasury E....

Olympians vs. Giants...

Apollo & Artemis...

Apollo vs. Herakles

Dionysos, God of Win...

Late-Period Aphrodit...

Roman Aphrodite clos...

Asklepios, God of He...

Aphrodite, Eros, and...

The Goddess Cybele

Weathered Herm on De...

The Marathon Boy, At...

Athena and Hermes, H...

Akroterion (roof sta...

Herakles and the Hyd...

Polyphemos Vase: The...

Polyphemos Vase: Ody...

Gold Griffin, Delphi

Naxian Sphinx

Siren Funerary Statu...

It's All Greek to Me! Gift Shop 

Okay, commercial break: I need to keep food in the cat's dish. If any of my pictures caught your eye, you can purchase some of my best Greek art photos printed on blank cards, t-shirts, sweatshirts, notebooks, coffee mugs, and other gifts. I get $2-3 commission, and Cafepress (the Amazon of printing services) takes care of printing, secure payment, shipping and handling, and returns. Here's a few samples. To see more, click my store's logo.

Apollo Yellow T-Shirt

Apollo, oracle of Delphi, on a sunny gold T-shirt. You might like the locker magnets, too.

Price: 16.99

Athena Art Tote Bag

My line drawing based on the "Mourning Athena" relief. Available on many items.

Price: 14.99

"It's All Greek to Me!" Dark T-Shirt

Circular design with a cool-looking Greek athlete and "It's All Greek to Me!" around the border.

Price: 20.99

Goddess Athena Greeting Cards (6)

This design looks great on a sweatshirt too -- I wear mine all the time.

Price: 16.99

Artemision Zeus Light T-Shirt

Also available on mugs and other goodies. Let 'em know who's king of the gods.

Price: 16.99

Family Trees of Greek Gods, Goddesses, and Heroes 

Mythological Genealogy

Whew! I'd love to design my own well-researched mythological family trees for this website, but I've got a lot on the To Do List. So for the moment, I'm going to give you links to others I've found.

Like so much in ancient mythology, there are a lot of variant myths about who's related to whom and how, so these aren't set in stone.

Timeless Myth's Family Trees of the Greek Pantheon

Easy-to-read chart. Also has a chart of the Orphic cult's version of Greek mythology, which differs from the mainstream version.

Theoi Project: Family Trees of the Greek Gods and Goddesses

Wow. These charts are complex but thorough. They give separate charts for family trees according to Homer, Hesiod, and a detailed chart of the gods' family trees combining many classical sources.
 

Timeless Myths' Family Trees of Greek Houses

Greek mythology is so huge, trying to put all the figures from Greek myth on one chart is a nightmare. So this website has different tables for different "houses" -- like Hogwarts houses, except houses in Greek mythology are based on family ties. That means that if you're looking up somebody, you have to know what house he's in. Here's a few important mythological figures by house:

• Agammemnon, Menelaus: House of Atreus (Sparta)
  
• Jason: House of Aeolids, Thessaly
  
• Perseus: House of Argolis
  
• Oedipus: House of Thebes

Clicking on purple links in a family tree hops to another related family tree; click on yellow names to see the entry on that person/god. You can also look up an individual person here and find out which family tree he/she belongs to.

Submit Your Questions about Ancient Greece! 

Help me make my list the "top ten"!

Submit your questions below about ancient Greek religion, myth, gods and goddesses, history, or anything to do with classical Greece. Click up-arrows next to the questions you most want answered!

I'm busy with a lot of other work, but I'll check here from time to time and answer the question with the most votes.

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How Do I Know All This Stuff? 

When you find information on the internet, always ask yourself, "Who wrote this and how do I know what she's posted is accurate?" After all, ANYONE can post anything-- and that includes Wikipedia articles, by the way! I'm sure I've made a few mistakes, but here's my academic background:

• Bachelor's degree in classical languages (Greek and Latin), Bryn Mawr, cum laude
  
• Masters in classics, Tufts University; worked for the Perseus Project
  
• Masters in mythological studies, Pacifica Graduate Institute; PhD candidate getting ready to start dissertation
  
• Taught at university level: First year Latin, Greek and Roman roots of English
  
• Teacher's assistant: Greeky mythology, western art history (including art of Greece, Rome, Egypt)
  
• Bard/amateur storyteller in the Society for Creative Anachronism

So that's me, and that's all for now! I hope you've found this page useful. Now, to thank me, please observe the following simple rule:

Go Back to the Start of Ancient Greece Odyssey 

Click the link to begin a magical journey!

Ancient Greece Odyssey: A Traveller's Journal

Myth major seeks armchair travellers, art lovers, and born-again pagans for a ramble through the ruins of ancient Greece. Odyssey Latest Update: Mycenae Museum Posted 4.25.08 I visited Greece in spring 2005 for the first time, where I have been going...

Reader Feedback and Comments 

Drop a note and tell me what you think! But please keep it friendly and spam-free.

isabella 5 * for this lens,too. We are waiting for this lens at the Greece headquarters! Posted May 07, 2008

Greekgeek jane: hearthfire is the central fire kept inside the home before electricity. Most meals were cooked over it, and it provided warmth and light. A fireplace is one kind of hearth fire, and even though it's just a luxury nowadays, think how families gather around it on cold, dark days, even hang stockings on it at Christmas. A hearth is an old symbol of "home sweet home," plus it's what people used to cook before stoves were invented, so it makes people think of a good home-cooked meal. Posted March 09, 2008

jane

what is a hearthfire?

Posted March 09, 2008

Greekgeek Uri -- cross fingers -- with a little help from friends in the SquidU lounge, I think I've fixed it. Thank you very much for alerting me to the problem! jersychick-- I'm so sorry. I've thunk and I've thunk, and I've done some searching, but all I can come up with is "division of labor by gender." I have a feeling there's a term from anthropology that I'm forgetting, but I'm stumped! Posted February 29, 2008

Uri

The list of Greek/Roman names got mixed up towards the end.

Posted February 27, 2008

 

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