Classical Mythology

The course aims to place the discipline within the history of studies, anchoring it to the disciplines "sisters" of "History of religions of the classical world" and "Anthropology of the classical world". The discipline is placed within the more traditional hermeneutical approaches, such as philology, historical research, archaeological research, with the aim of examining the mythical pattern from a poly-perspective perspective, both in a synchronic sense: local myths, pan-Hellenic myths, contributions and influences from geographically and culturally contiguous areas, as well as in a diachronic sense, enhancing, in this case, changes and persistence of the mythical narrative over time.
It will be essential to define the concept of variant and the polymorphic nature of the sources and their usefulness in building an overall picture will also be enhanced.

Knowledge: the course will introduce students to the awareness of the different hermeneutic possibilities available to those who face the study of the classical myth and will also provide a series of investigative tools (including digital) useful to work on an ancient mythical tale.
Skills: students will acquire skills in reasoning and interpreting sources of different times, nature and complexity, also using visual language. They will also be able to understand and use the concepts of variation and variant and to appreciate the dynamic relationship between the local variant and the mythical pan-Hellenic (national) narrative.