Written by Peter Meineck
Format: MP3
Bitrate: 32 Kbps

In Classical Mythology: The Greeks, widely published Professor Peter Meineck examines in thrilling detail the far-reaching influence of Greek myths on Western thought and literature. The nature of myth and its importance to ancient Greece in terms of storytelling, music, poetry, religion, cults, rituals, theatre, and literature are viewed through works ranging from Homer's Iliad and Odyssey to the writings of Sophocles and Aeschylus. Through the study of these time-honored myths, the Greek heroes and gods-including Heracles, Zeus, Achilles, Athena, Aphrodite, and others-leap from the page in all their glorious splendor. The following lectures are not only an entertaining guide to Greek mythology, but a fascinating look into the culture and time that produced these eternal tales.

Peter Meineck is a clinical assistant professor of classics and artist in residence at the New York University Center for Ancient Studies and the producing artistic director and founder of the Aquila Theatre Company. Peter currently teaches in the Classics Department at New York University in ancient drama, Greek literature, and Classical mythology. He has held teaching appointments at Princeton University, the University of South Carolina, and the Tisch School of the Arts. Fellowships include the Harvard Center for Hellenic Studies, Princeton, the University of California San Diego, and the University of Texas at Austin. He has lectured and held workshops on ancient drama and Shakespeare at conferences, academic institutions, museums, festivals, and schools throughout the world.

14 Lectures
30 minutes/lecture

1 The Nature of Greek Myth
2 Religion and Society
3 In the Beginning There Was Chaos
4 The Olympians
5 The Trojan War
6 Myth as History
7 Divine Myths
8 Myths of Identity-The Odyssey
9 Myths of the Afterlife
10 Myth into Politics-Agamemnon
11 Gender in Myth-The Women of Tragedy
12 Myths of Initiation-The Heroes
13 Myths of the City-Oedipus
14 Myths of the City-Athens