Don't Know Much About Mythology: Everything You Need to Know About the Greatest Stories in Human History but Never Learned

Kenneth C. Davis

Harper Collins, Dec 29, 2009 - History - 560 pages

In this fascinating installment of the New York Times bestselling Don’t Know Much About® series, Kenneth C. Davis explores the great myths of the world and their implications for art, science, religion and culture throughout history.

What is an Egyptian pyramid doing on the U. S. dollar bill? • Did a pharaoh inspire Moses to worship one God? • What’s a Canaanite demoness doing at a rock concert?

Since the beginning of time, people have been insatiably curious. They’ve asked questions about where we come from, why the stars shine and the seasons change, and what constitutes evil. The imaginative answers crafted by our ancestors have served as religion, science, philosophy, and popular literature.

In an engaging and delightfully irreverent question-and-answer style, Davis tackles the epic of Gilgamesh; Achilles and the Trojan War; Stonehenge and the Druids; Odin, Thor, and the entire Norse pantheon; Native American myths, and much more, including the dramatic life and times of the man who would be Buddha. From Mount Olympus to Machu Picchu, here is an insightful, lively look at the greatest stories ever told.

What people are saying

LibraryThing Review

User Review  - benuathanasia - LibraryThing

This was an audiobook and the reader was just shy of terrible. Every word he could butcher, he did. The worst was when he pronounced the same word multiple ways (eg. shaman: shah-mən, shah-man, shay ...

LibraryThing Review

User Review  - beckymmoe - LibraryThing

This book is an intersting blend of history and mythology--and really does prove that most of us don't know much about either! Each section of the book starts with a timeline of events for the part of ...

Contents

• INTRODUCTION: 3
• Gift of the Nile: 51
• CHAPTER 3: 89
• By the Rivers of Babylon: 115
• CHAPTER 4: 146
• The Greek Miracle: 171
• The Myths of the Celts and Norse: 263
• Bridge to the East: 309
• Everywhere Under Heaven: 353
• Ancient People New Worlds: 393
• CHAPTER 9: 401
• Sacred Hoops: 431
• BIBLIOGRAPHY: 507
• ACKNOWLEDGMENTS: 521

About the author

Kenneth C. Davis is the New York Times bestselling author of A Nation Rising; America's Hidden History; and Don't Know Much About® History, which spent thirty-five consecutive weeks on the New York Times bestseller list, sold more than 1.7 million copies, and gave rise to his phenomenal Don't Know Much About® series for adults and children. A resident of New York City and Dorset, Vermont, Davis frequently appears on national television and radio and has been a commentator on NPR's All Things Considered. He blogs regularly at www.dontknowmuch.com.

Bibliographic information

• Title: Don't Know Much About Mythology: Everything You Need to Know About the Greatest Stories in Human History but Never Learned; Don't Know Much About Series
• Author: Kenneth C. Davis
• Publisher: Harper Collins, 2009
• ISBN: 0061925756, 9780061925757
• Length: 560 pages
• Subjects: History / Europe / Greece; Reference / General; Religion / Antiquities & Archaeology; Religion / General; Social Science / Folklore & Mythology