Greek Myth and Religion
What did the Ancient Greeks actually believe – and how did it shape the way they lived their lives?
Philip Matyszak, a noted scholar of Greek myth and religion and author of numerous books such as A Year in the Life of Ancient Greece (Michael O’Mara, 2021), will guide us through the Ancient Greeks’ belief system, bringing their world to life. He’ll give us an overview of how their religion worked, explaining how their gods embodied concepts and forces – from wisdom to the weather – that were part of their daily reality.
We’ll also learn how their myths, with their complex and flawed heroes, differ from the moralism of popular stories today, exploring and explain the human condition rather than trying to improve it. Matyszak views the Greeks’ many myths as part of one large, rambling story that runs across four generations with a cast of dozens, if not hundreds. The same characters interact and pop up in each other’s stories: Theseus kidnaps Helen of Troy, is rescued from Hades by Hercules, who meets Medea and buries Icarus. And its span is immense: from cosmogony, where humans do not yet exist, to Seven Against Thebes, where the gods barely feature, it is a tale that goes from one end of the known world to the other.
Speaker Bio
Philip Matyszak has a doctorate in Roman history from St John’s College, Oxford. He is the author of many books on classical civilization, including Chronicle of the Roman Republic, The Enemies of Rome, The Sons of Caesar, Ancient Rome on Five Denarii a Day, Ancient Athens on Five Drachmas a Day, Lives of the Romans (with Joanne Berry) and Legionary.
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