Unit:
Κατεύθυνση Αρχαία Ελληνική ΦιλολογίαLibrary of the School of Philosophy
Author:
Apergis Christodoulos
Supervisors info:
Ιωάννης Μ. Κωνσταντάκος, Αναπληρωτής Καθηγητής Κλασικής Φιλολογίας, Τμήμα Φιλολογίας, Φιλοσοφική Σχολή ΕΚΠΑ
Σοφία Γ. Παπαϊωάννου, Καθηγήτρια Κλασικής Φιλολογίας, Τμήμα Φιλολογίας, Φιλοσοφική Σχολή ΕΚΠΑ
Ευγενία Δ. Μακρυγιάννη, Επίκουρη Καθηγήτρια Κλασικής Φιλολογίας, Τμήμα Φιλολογίας, Φιλοσοφική Σχολή ΕΚΠΑ
Original Title:
Τα Κύπρια και η μυθική παράδοση Ελλάδας και Ανατολής: συγκριτικές αναγνώσεις
Translated title:
The Cypria and the mythological tradition of Greece and the Near East: comparative readings
Summary:
This M.A. thesis examines the lost archaic epic poem known as the Cypria, and aims to highlight its importance for the understanding of the complex intercultural relations that connect the mythological traditions of Greece and the Near East. The comparative analysis focuses on two of this poem’s most characteristic mythical narratives and their parallels in Greek, Mesopotamian, Biblical, and Sanskrit literature: the presentation of the Trojan War as a plan of Zeus to ease human overpopulation and relieve the Earth of her excessive burden (Cypria, fr.1); and the lost episode of Iphigenia’s sacrifice by her father in Aulis. Both constitute prominent examples of how this poem has served as a channel of transmission of various mythological motifs from the ancient Near East to the Greek world. The traditional theory that the Cypria shall be attributed to a poet from Cyprus, a cultural milieus that exemplifies the close interaction between the Greeks and several near eastern civilizations (e.g. Phoenicians, Assyrians, and Egyptians), can of course only strengthen such a hypothesis, offering a strong logical and historical basis for its establishment.
Main subject category:
Language – Literature
Keywords:
Cypria, Greek epic poetry, Homer, Hesiod, early Greek myths, Mesopotamian myths, Semitic myths, Sanskrit epic, Biblical studies, Old Testament
Number of references:
212
