Table of Contents

Abbreviations
Note on the transcription of oriental languages
Note on chronologies
1: Aegean and Orient
2: Ancient Literatures of Western Asia
3: Of Heaven and Earth
4: Ars Poetica
5: A Form of Words
6: Hesiod
7: The Iliad
8: The Odyssey
9: Myths and Legends of Heroes
10: The Lyric Poets
11: Aeschylus
12: The Question of Transmission
Bibliography
Indexes

Promotional Information

#2,500 as part of the Runciman Award, funded by the Onassis Foundation and adminsitered by the Anglo-Hellenic League.

About the Author

The late Martin West FBA was formerly Professor of Greek, University of London (1974-91).

Reviews

`immensely learned ... the evidence amassed by West discloses a truly extraordinary command of Near Eastern as well as Classical languages, linguistics, history, art history, and archaeology ... I would single out ... chapter 2 which is to my knowledge the most comprehensive detailed, up-to-date survey of Near Eastern literature currently available in English ... he has performed an extremely valuable service in making the specialist scholarship of
Mesopotamian and other Eastern literatures more readily accessible than has previously been the case.'
Charles C.Chiasson, Southern Humanities Review, 34:2, Spring 2000
`No short review can do justice to the treasures of this admirable book ... The data extant in many ancient languages are cited by West chiefly in English. His superb, unique scholarship can be read with ease and profit even by undergraduates.'
Saul Levin, Religious Studies Review
`Shows in brilliant detail that there are parallels at the level of ritual, custom, belief ... down to even the minute phraseology of poetic language.'
Peter Jones, The Spectator