Search Results: Persephone

Greek mythology was used as a means to explain the environment in which humankind lived, the natural phenomena they witnessed and the passing of time through the days, months, and seasons. Greek myths were also intricately connected to religion...

The Frogs is a comedy play by Aristophanes (c. 445 - c. 385 BCE), the most famous of the comic playwrights of ancient Greece. Named after the creatures who composed the play's chorus, it won first prize at the dramatic festival at Lenaea...

Demeter, the Greek goddess of agriculture, bread, and grain is one of the oldest deities in the ancient Greek pantheon, and not only that, she was an incredibly important one as the goddess that guaranteed the fertility of the earth. With...

The Sumerian poem, The Descent of Inanna (c. 1900-1600 BCE) chronicles the journey of Inanna, the great goddess and Queen of Heaven, from her realm in the sky, to earth, and down into the underworld to visit her recently widowed sister Ereshkigal...

The Greek poet Hesiod (c. 700 BCE) is most famous for his works Theogony and Works and Days. In this passage from Theogony, Hesiod relates the birth of the gods from cosmic Chaos and follows the lineage through the great Zeus, King of the...

Zeus was the king of the 12 Olympian gods and the supreme god in Greek religion. Zeus is often referred to as the Father, as the god of thunder, and the 'cloud-gatherer'. Zeus controlled the weather and offered signs and omens. Zeus generally...

Award-winning writer Madeline Miller's newest novel, Circe, tells the story of a sorceress who was once the onetime lover of the wily Odysseus. The heart of the novel is, nonetheless, that of a woman's yearning for self-discovery, purpose...

Loutrophoros from the Greek collection of the National Archaeological Museum of Spain. Depicts the abduction of Persephone. 340 - 320 BCE. Nº inv. MAN 1998/92/2 94 x 27 x 36 cm

Greek female figurine (Persephone?), Circa 420-400 BCE, polychrome terracotta. Woman in peplos with elaborate high hairstyle surmounted by polos (cylindrical headdress). The details of her outfit are shown in the painting. Musée d’Art et...

Women in the ancient Greek world had few rights in comparison to male citizens. Unable to vote, own land, or inherit, a woman's place was in the home and her purpose in life was the rearing of children. That is a general description and when...