Featured Episode - In Search of Aeneas
Issue 41
In This Episode
Is there evidence to the tales of Aeneas and the Trojan refugees migrating from Anatolia and to Italian shores? Join host, Petros Koutoupis, as he explores this narrative and attempts to shed light on the archaeology of the region during the Late Bronze Age.
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Glossary
Aeneas - A Trojan hero and the son of the Trojan prince Anchises and the Greek goddess Aphrodite (the Roman Venus).
Aeneid - A Latin epic poem written by Virgil in the second half of the first century BCE. It tells the tale of the legendary Aeneas fleeing Troy and traveling to Italy.
Anatolia - The region that is Turkey today.
Augustus - The first Roman Emperor who reigned from 27 BCE to the time of his death in 14 CE.
BCE - Before the Common Era, the equivalent of B.C.
Bronze Age - Defines a historic period dated to approximately between 3300 BCE and 1200 BC. It is characterized by the use of bronze, the presence of writing in some areas, and other early features of urban civilization.
Calypso - A nymph and minor goddess who lived on the island of Ogygia.
Circe - An enchantress and minor goddess who lived on the island of Aeaea.
Etruria - A region once located in central Italy and what is Tuscany today.
Etruscans - An ancient civilization inhabiting ancient Etruria as early as 900 BCE. They were highly cultured and spoke a unique Etruscan language still largely undeciphered today. The Etruscans were competing with the Greeks and later Carthaginians for control over the Tyrrhenian region and until they were eventually absorbed into the Roman empire.
Herodotus - (c. 484 – c. 425 BCE) An ancient Greek historian and geographer.
Hesiod - An ancient Greek poet believed to have been active between 750 and 650 BCE.
Hittite - An ancient civilization and empire that controlled most of the Anatolian mainland.
Late Bronze Age - A historical period defining the end of the Bronze Age in the Eastern Mediterranean that began at c. 1500 BCE and ended c. 1200 BCE.
Lemnos - An island located in the Northern Aegean Sea.
Lydia - An Iron Age kingdom of western Anatolia (1200–546 BCE).
Mycenaean - A phase or period of the Bronze Age Greece, spanning from approximately 1600-1100 BCE.
Po Valley - A major geographic region located in Northern Italy and running from the Western Alps to the Adriatic Sea.
Remus - The twin brother of Romulus.
River Tiber - The river flowing in central Italy and just North of Rome.
Romulus - The mythical hero and founder of both the city of Rome and the Roman people.
Sea Peoples - A confederation of seafarers that migrated East toward Anatolia, the Levant and Egypt during the end of the Late Bronze Age, some of which pillaged and plundered whole cities along the way.
Thrinacia - Translating to “with three headlands”, it is believed that this is to be identified with the island of Sicily.
Thucydides - (c. 460 – c. 400 BCE) An Athenian historian and general.
Trojan Cycle - A collection of Ancient Greek epic poems, composed in dactylic hexameter and related to the story of the Trojan War.
Tyrrhenian Sea - Part of the Mediterranean Sea and off the western coast of Italy.
Virgil - An ancient Roman poet (70 - 19 BCE) who is best known for his Latin works: the Eclogues (or Bucolics), the Georgics, and the epic Aeneid.
Recommended Books
Roman Mythology: A Traveler's Guide from Troy to Tivoli
By David Stuttard
All roads lead to Rome, as the famous saying goes. Rome was a melting pot of peoples from across the Mediterranean and beyond, each bringing their own myths and legends of heroes and heroines, gods and goddesses. Roman myths formed the backdrop to the rituals and customs of everyday life, from the way aristocrats dressed up for a banquet to the bloodthirsty audiences thrilled to watch criminals forced to enact the roles of mythological characters.
In Roman Mythology, David Stuttard offers an innovative approach to the subject, taking the reader on a tour of the great sites of the ancient Roman world. Each account begins with a brief, evocative description of the location and landscape, followed by its associated myths and stories, as well as any rituals performed there in antiquity. Drawing on the great works of Dionysius of Halicarnassus, Plutarch, Ovid, Horace, and Virgil, and with commissioned maps and illustrations, as well as practical information about the sites today, this book is a fresh look at a subject of great fascination. Compact enough to fit in a backpack, Roman Mythology is perfect for both the armchair and experienced traveler.
Recommended Articles
Refugees on Foreign Soil (Paywall)
History Versus Legend: In Search of Aeneas, the Trojan Refugee
Featured Article - Identifying the Teresh of The Sea Peoples
