Illustrated by Blair Drawson. This chapter book of Greek myths presents the epic history of the Minoan civilisation. Connecting the great legends of Zeus and Rhea, Theseus, Ariadne and the Minotaur, Icarus and Daedalus, and Jason and Medea with the little known tales of the Bronze Giant, Phaedra and the Ash tree Spirits, this is the perfect introduction for young readers to the fascinating world of Greek mythology. Full-colour illustrations throughout.
World of ancient mythology -- Introduction -- Minos the king -- Crete and Athens at war -- Pasiphae and the bull -- Labyrinth -- Terrible price to pay -- Aegeus's secret past -- Wicked stepmother -- Theseus sails to crete -- Death of the minotaur -- Escape -- Daedalus and Icarus -- Theseus forgets again -- Glossary -- Who's who -- Index.
This book provides an original and challenging answer to the question: 'Who were the Classical Greeks?' Paul Cartledge - 'one of the most theoretically alert, widely read and prolific of contemporary ancient historians' (TLS) - here examines the Greeks and their achievements in terms of their own self-image, mainly as it was presented by the supposedly objective historians: Herodotus, Thucydides, and Xenophon. Many of our modern concepts as we understand them were invented by the Greeks: for example, democracy, theatre, philosophy, and history. Yet despite being our cultural ancestors in many ways, their legacy remains rooted in myth and the mental and material contexts of many of their achievements are deeply alien to our own ways of thinking and acting. The Greeks aims to explore in depth how the dominant group (adult, male, citizen) attempted, with limited success, to define themselves unambiguously in polar opposition to a whole series of 'Others' - non-Greeks, women, non-citizens, slaves and gods. This new edition contains an updated bibliography, a new chapter entitled 'Entr'acte: Others in Images and Images of Others', and a new afterword.
King Minos keeps a strange and dangerous beast in the maze of narrow corridors beneath his castle, known as the Labyrinth. This is the dreaded Minotaur who, every nine years is fed a horrible meal of seven young men and seven young girls from Athens, sent down to the Labyrinth to their deaths. Once inside the Labyrinth no one is ever able to find their way out… Theseus, prince of Athens, vows to kill the Minotaur, and he willingly sails to Crete with the other young Athenians destined to sate the beast’s horrible hunger. Helped by the king’s daughter, Ariadne, who has fallen in love with him, Theseus enters the Labyrinth, armed with his sword and a ball of golden thread. “Unravel it as you go into the maze and you will be able to find your way out” Ariadne tells the young man. Will Theseus kill the Minotaur? Will he be able to get out of the maze? Follow Theseus on his quest, through the Labyrinth, and see if YOU can spot where the Minotaur is lurking, and if you can follow the thread and help Theseus escape?
Before Sir Arthur Evans, the principal object of Greek prehistoric archaeology was the reconstruction of history in relation to myth. European travellers to Greece viewed its picturesque ruins as the gateway to mythical times, while Heinrich Schliemann, at the end of the nineteenth century, allegedly uncovered at Troy and Mycenae the legendary cities of the Homeric epics. It was Evans who, in his controversial excavations at Knossos, steered Aegean archaeology away from Homer towards the broader Mediterranean world. Yet in so doing he is thought to have done his own inventing, recreating the Cretan Labyrinth via the Bronze Age myth of the Minotaur. Nanno Marinatos challenges the entrenched idea that Evans was nothing more than a flamboyant researcher who turned speculation into history. She argues that Evans was an excellent archaeologist, one who used scientific observation and classification. Evans's combination of anthropology, comparative religion and analysis of cultic artefacts enabled him to develop a bold new method which Sir James Frazer called 'mental anthropology'. It was this approach that led him to propose remarkable ideas about Minoan religion, theories that are now being vindicated as startling new evidence comes to light. Examining the frescoes from Akrotiri, on Santorini, that are gradually being restored, the author suggests that Evans's hypothesis of one unified goddess of nature is the best explanation of what they signify. Evans was in 1901 ahead of his time in viewing comparable Minoan scenes as a blend of ritual action and mythic imagination. Nanno Marinatos is a leading authority on Minoan religion. In this latest book she combines history, archaeology and myth to bold and original effect, offering a wholly new appraisal of Evans and the significance of his work. Sir Arthur Evans and Minoan Crete will be essential reading for all students of Minoan civilization, as well as an irresistible companion for travellers to Crete.
Phoenix is a death-defying hero of the Greek myths, battling the snake-haired Medusa and the invincible Minotaur...but only when he's not being bullied at the school that he hates. For Phoenix leads two lives - 'real life' and his adventures in side the virtual reality game The Legendeer.
The myth of the Minotaur is one of the oldest stories in history. It comes from the Greek island of Crete, where Minoan civilization flourished between 3000 and 1100 BCE. The labyrinth in which the monster was imprisoned is also the first mention of a maze in the historical record. Through the age-appropriate main text, augmented by engaging fact boxes and full-color photographs, readers learn about the fascinating history of ancient Greece. A glossary of new terms is included to give a deeper understanding of the material.
