For students of Greek Myth, History, and Homer
Many visitors to my Ancient Greece Odyssey: A Traveller's Journal website surf in through Google, looking for answers to search queries like "What are the Roman names for Greek gods?" and "map of Odysseus' wanderings."
I hope you'll find that site fun and informative to read, but sometimes you just need the answer, right now. So I've checked your Google searches for the most commonly-asked questions about ancient Greece, and answered them below.
Don't see your question here? Please submit it to help me improve this page!
(Photos, drawings, and text on this page © 2005-2008 E. Brundige.)
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
- Greek Name
- *Zeus
- *Hera
- *Poseidon
- *Athena
- *Demeter
- *Aphrodite
- *Hermes
- *Apollo
- *Artemis
- *Ares
- *Hephaistos
- *Dionysos
- †Hestia
- Hades
- Persephone
- Eros
- Asklepios
- Nike
- Ouranos
- Gaia
- Kronos
- Rhea
- Helios
- Selene
- Herakles
- Odysseus
- Kirke
- Oidipous
- Perikles
- Aischylos
- Latin/Roman Name
- Jupiter, Jove
- Juno
- Neptune
- Minerva
- Ceres
- Venus
- Mercury
- Apollo
- Diana
- Mars
- Vulcan
- Bacchus
- Vesta
- Pluto
- Proserpina
- Cupid
- Aesculapius
- Victoria
- Uranus
- Tellus
- Saturn
- Ops
- Sol
- Luna
- Hercules
- Ulysses
- Circe
- Oedipus
- Pericles
- Aeschylus
Don't see the name you need? Check these charts on Encyclopedia Mythica, Thinkquest or here.
† There was no Mythology Police in Greece, and some writers and localities had a slightly different list. Hades never gets to be on Mt. Olympus because he's god of the underworld, but in some myths Hestia is one of the twelve, then yields her seat to Dionysos.
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
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 07/10/2009) 
Usually ships in 24 hours
Early Greek Myth: A Guide to Literary and Artistic Sources, Vol. 1
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: $22.50 (as of 07/10/2009)
Usually ships in 24 hours
Art and Myth in Ancient Greece: A Handbook (World of Art)
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 07/10/2009)
Usually ships in 24 hours
Art and Experience in Classical Greece
Archaeology, art, and history of classical Greece. One of my old reliable textbooks as an undergraduate in classical studies.
Amazon Price: $26.99 (as of 07/10/2009)
Usually ships in 24 hours
The Art and Culture of Early Greece, 1100-480 B.C.
Same thing, but for the preclassical (and especially the Mycenaean/Bronze Age) period.
Amazon Price: $24.45 (as of 07/10/2009)
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
- Agammemnon, Menelaus: House of Atreus (Sparta)
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.
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
"Don't be a greedy
Charybdis! Always give credit when you use someone's words or pictures."
Go Back to the Start of Ancient Greece Odyssey
Click the link to begin a magical journey!
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Ancient Greece Odyssey: A Traveler's Journal
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Myth major seeks armchair travelers, 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 i...
Ancient Greek Art from the British Museum
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Greekgeek wrote...
in reply to school kid Argh, it's far too late to help you with schoolwork -- I'm sorry, I've been doing my own lately, writing a dissertation! But just in case anyone else asks: I don't know THAT much about ancient sports, except that in Greece they were often done as part of religious festivals, and they rotated between 4 different cities, one each year. Olympus was the most important, so that's why the Olympics were/are every 4 years! There were foot races, discus throwing, wrestling, boxing, chariot races... that's what I remember off the top of my head. Athletes got honored with statues and inscriptions, and sometimes left offerings in temples thanking the gods for their victories, so that's how we know about them. Also people talked about sports then as now, so you read about great charioteers and racers in classical Greek literature, in comic plays, etc.
Here's a link that may help: The Ancient Olympics
Posted February 28, 2009
Kitsune64 wrote...
Fantastic lens, with a lot of great information. I especially like the maps. Nice job!
Posted October 04, 2008
school kid wrote
do you know much about the aincent sports and how we today know of them?
Posted June 15, 2008
Greekgeek wrote...
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
by Greekgeek
Greetings! I'm not Greek, I just love ancient Greece.
I'm a graduate student in mythological studies -- want fries with that? -- using the web to sha...
