Created and Maintained by Kynegeiros Euphorionos.
kynegeiros@hotmail.com

These are the books I have read and recommend. I think they are a good start for anyone who wants to try to understand the spirit of Hellenism. The links in these titles lead to the book's listing on Amazon.com

Ancient Hellenic Sources

• Homer, The Iliad

  Probably the most honored work of Greek poetry. It epitomizes the life-affirming, agonistic spirit of the Hellenes. Epitomized in the immortal AIEN ARISTEYEIN (always excel). Athena is everywhere, fighting the other gods, speaking fearlessly before Zeus, helping her heroes: Diomedes, Odysseus, Akhilleus.

• Homer, The Odyssey

  A beautiful tale of a man's, longing to come home, a son's entry into manhood, a wife's loyal resilience and so many more beautiful life examples. The best novel ever written and it's in verse. Athena also features prominently as the patron goddess of the hero.

• Aeschylus, Oresteia

  Religious tragic poetry at its best. The story of Agamemnon slain by Klytaimnestra upon his return as a victor from Troy; Orestes avenging his father by killing his mother and her lover, Aigisthos, how he was pursued by the Furies and his eventual redemption in Athens, by the vote of Athena. If you have a chance to watch a production of this trilogy then, even better!

• Herodotus, Histories

The history and ethnography of the ancient world, culminating to the glorious victories of the Hellenes over the Persians which set the foundation for the ascent of Hellenic civilization and the creation of classical Greece. The ancient world unravels before our eyes, astonishing us, surprising us, making us love it in its capacity for both good and evil. It is my personal belief that the Persian Wars (Marathon, Thermopylai, Artemision, Salamis, Plataiai) mark the highest point of hellenic aretę, that was never to be reached again.

• Thucydides, Histories

The story of the great conflict between Athens, Sparta and their allies. The disintegration of the Greek world, the Hellenic spirit at its lowest. It is sad but necessary to read this book to understand the causes behind the fall of Athenian hegemony and the rise of Sparta. The Greeks started a catastrophic 30-year war which opened up the door for the re-emergence of the Persian king in Greek affairs and to a series of successive civil conflicts that came later, to be stopped, only temporarily, by Philip and Alexander a century later. But also, read the funeral oration of Pericles praising the virtues of democracy and allow yourself to be captivated by the intriguing form of Alcibiades, a hero and a villain at the same time.

• Diogenes Laërtius, Lives of Eminent Philosophers

  A compendium of various greek philosophers from Thales to the first centuries AD. This book will give you an understanding of the various schools of thought in greek philosophy and how they evolved from the Archaic, to the Classical, Hellenistic and finally Roman era. The author recounts the philosophers' lives and offers many sayings and anecdotes from source that are now lost to us. I read this all the time!

Modern Scholarship

• J. Burckhardt, The Greeks and Greek Civilization

  J. Burckhardt's tour de force through Greek civilization. Information on various themes is presented in anecdotal form. This book tries to paint a picture of what it meant to be Greek and to discover the forces that created the Greek miracle. Its main thesis, now accepted by most scholars, is that Greek culture was centered around the agon or athletic competition. A truly wonderful book if you want to understand a culture that was in so many ways different than our own.

• F. Nietzsche, The Birth of Tragedy

A brilliant work of the young Nietzsche who brought him to the attention of the world. This ranks only next to Aristotle's Poetics as an examination of Greek tragedy. Nietzsche's major contributions to all students of Hellenism is his view of life as an esthetic experience, beyond good or evil and his understanding of the two co-existent approaches to life by the Greeks, the Apollinian love of form and knowledge and the Dionysian ecstasy and dissolution of the individual into the world. A masterpiece of genius.

• K. Kerényi, The Gods of the Greeks

  If you're looking for stories about the Greek gods, then this book will satisfy you completely. Kerenyi is remarkable for his depth of knowledge of Greek mythology and his ability to involve you in the various mythical stories which, when read literally, sound absurd. Most of his books deal with the greek mythology from an archetypal point of view, in fact Kerenyi and Jung worked together in the field of mythology, examining it from a psychoanalytical view. While many view this approach as too narrow, it is indeed perfectly valid, and a great way to make the myths of so long ago, speak to us, in the here and now.

• W. Burkert, Greek Religion

  W. Burkert concentrates on the actual practice of Greek religion by the Greeks. He does not dwell on mythology but on the actual religious life of an ancient Greek, trying to understand how he/she thought of it. This book is a treasure trove of information and a must-have for anyone trying to put some sense in the various customs and rituals of Greece.

• J. Campbell, The Hero with a Thousand Faces (general mythology)

  If you think that mythology is nothing more than idle stories told by primitive men, then you'd better read this book, Joseph Campbell's masterpiece. You'll see how a single story, in infinite variations, repeats itself again and again in myths of different ages and cultures, the story of the hero's journey. You'll understand that the myths speak of the most fundamental truths of human existence and that we all have to gain by looking at life from a mythological perspective.

• R. Calasso, The Marriage of Cadmus and Harmony

  This is in part a retelling of mythology, a novel and a work of scholarship. Roberto Calasso begins with the abduction of Europe by Zeus and ends with the marriages of Cadmus and Harmony in Thebes. In between, he has covered the full spectrum of Greek mythology and history that it is somewhat dizzying. Roberto Calasso has a special way of making all these myths and gods appear relevant to us. A fantastic book.

Novels about Ancient Greece

• M. Renault, The Nature of Alexander

A retelling of the life of Alexander, through the wonderful pen of Mary Renault. It is obvious how much she admires him and even the most stubborn opponent of "genius" will admit that if ever a man came close to the gods, then it was probably Alexander. A small, complete book on Alexander that tells pretty much the whole story.

• M. Renault, The Last of the Wine

A beautiful description of life in ancient Athens during the years of the Peloponesian war. Classical Athens is presented in all its magnificent glory, and so are the lives of the men and women who live there. The Athens of Mary Renault is both instantly recognizable to any lover of classical Greece and sufficiently foreign and mysterious to keep us glued to the book. If you've ever fantasized about spending a day in ancient Athens, then this is probably the closest you'll ever get to it.

• Steven Pressfield, Gates of Fire

This novel tells the story of the Spartans, led by king Leonidas who perished at Thermopylae in 480BC. Facing the millions of the Persian king Xerxes, they stood their ground and were only defeated because of treason. I really enjoyed this novel when it first came out and by the time of the final sacrifice I was very moved by it. Pressfield incorporates the stories of the ancient authors with only a small dose of creative license and writes a novel that will leave you in awe of the warriors of Lacedaemon and their heroic stance.



Send e-mail to Kynegeiros

You may use the materials contained within this site provided that you:
- Respect the copyright of Kynegeiros Euphorionos and individual authors
- Add a link to this site: http://geocities.datacellar.net/Athens/Ithaca/1736/

This page hosted by Get your own Free Home Page