Library

The history of Greek and Roman mythology

How did Greek myth begin — and how did Rome end up with the same gods under different names? These essays cover the origins of Greek religion, the Roman adaptation of Greek gods, the authors who wrote the myths down, the archaeology of the Trojan War, and the move from local cult to imperial state religion.

Originsc. 1600 BCE – 700 BCE

Where Greek Myth Comes From

Greek myth was not invented in a library. It grew out of Bronze Age palace cult, centuries of oral poetry, and the ruins of a collapsed world.

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Transmissionc. 500 BCE – 200 CE

How Rome Took the Greek Gods

Rome did not copy Greek myth wholesale. It absorbed Greek gods into a Latin civic system and rewrote their stories to serve the state.

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Sourcesc. 700 BCE – 200 CE

Who Wrote the Myths Down

Almost everything we know about Greek and Roman myth survives through a handful of poets, scholars and compilers — and the medieval scribes who copied them.

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Chronologyc. 1600 BCE – 400 CE

A Timeline of Myth, Cult and Empire

From Mycenaean palace tablets to a Christian empire — the moments that shaped how the gods were told.

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Religionc. 800 BCE – 400 CE

From Sacrifice to State Religion

Greek and Roman gods were worshipped through sacrifice, festival and civic duty long before they were literature.

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Evidencec. 1200 BCE – present

Myth, History and the Trojan War

Some myths remember real events. Archaeology keeps testing the line between legend and history.

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