Cultural Ancestors of the Greeks and Romans: Roots and Branches of Indo-European Myth and Religion

Catalog description

This course will introduce you to the mythical and religious traditions that the Greeks and Romans inherited from the Indo-Europeans, a group of people whose language and culture developed into numerous languages and cultures of Eurasia. You will become familiar with some of the fundamental traditions that the cultural ancestors of the Greeks and Romans transmitted to their descendants, including stories about giants and dragons, and rituals involving bestiality and animal sacrifice. In combination with Greek and Roman mythology and religion, we will study related mythical narratives and religious traditions from North India, Iran, Scandinavia, and Ireland. Credit Hour s : 3