Publisher's Synopsis
This book investigates the nature and extent of Mesopotamian influence in Greek myths of the early archaic period. Beginning with myths of the goddess Inanna, her consort Dumuzi and the heroic warrior god Ninurta, the author examines major Greek works in the light of central Mesopotamian ideas, principally those incorporated in the journeys of the gods. Connections between Mesopotamian ideas and motifs shed light on the Homeric hymns to Apollo, Demeter and Persephone, Aphrodite and Athena, and on Hesiod's "Theogony" and "Works and Days".
