LIT 130E Nature and Myth

Examines the cross-cultural pollination of aetiological myths about nature and natural phenomena in ancient Near East and Mediterranean literature. Ancient Mesopotamian literature–from the Hurrian Hymns to Gilgamesh to Enheduanna’s “Hymn to Inanna”–left an indelible impression on later civilizations’ cosmologies. By reading these earlier myths alongside ancient Greek and Roman mythology, students gain a deeper understanding of the Classics’ Near-Eastern influences. Distribution requirement: Pre- 1750. (General Education Code(s): TA.)