Book description
The Pimlico Dictionary of Classical Mythologies is a unique
work of reference which breaks new ground by treating for the first
time the classical mythologies of the Old World as a whole. Never
before have the mythologies of Greece, Rome, Persia, India and China
been encompassed in a single volume, despite the fact that the first
four have much in common through their Indo-European ancestry.
Arthur Cotterell shows how much more can be understood about
'classical mythology' by comparison and contrast of its five major
traditions. Another key aspect of The Pimlico Dictionary of
Classical Mythologies is that the myths are not simply
recounted; their least accessible features are helpfully interpreted
by reference to the culture in which they arose. Thus, for example,
the profound influence of the Iranian prophet Zoroaster's thinking on
Persian mythology is made clear, along with the far-reaching
consequences its adoption would later have for Christian thought.
The Pimlico Dictionary of Classical Mythologies also includes
over two hundred original illustrations, which have been specially
commissioned in order to reveal how gods and goddesses, heroes and
heroines, sages, villains and demons were actually envisaged during
the classical period. Taken together with the well-devised entries and
the informative introduction, these unusual illustrations make The
Pimlico Dictionary of Classical Mythologies an indispensable
handbook for both students and the general reader.
Arthur Cotterell's previous books include
The Minoan World
,
A Dictionary of World Mythology
,
The Penguin Encyclopedia of Classical Civilizations
,
The Pimlico Dictionary of Classical Civilizations
,
East Asia, China: A Cultural History
and
Chariot.
He lives in Surrey.
