
Mythology across the Ancient World
Charles River Editors
Although the Egyptians may not have passed their civilization directly on to later peoples, the key elements that comprised Egyptian civilization, including their religion, early ideas of state, and art and architecture, can be found among other civilizations. For instance, civilizations far separated in time and space, such as China and Mesoamerica, possessed key elements that were similar to those found in ancient Egypt. Indeed, since Egyptian civilization represented some fundamental human concepts, a study of their culture can be useful when trying to understand many other pre-modern cultures.
Today the Mesopotamians and their religion are sources of curiosity, but thousands of years ago, the religion was an integral part of their lives. From their birth to their death, deities surrounded them, and whether their social interactions were on the level of a smaller city or that of a larger nation-state, deities played key roles in the social fabric of their society. Whereas the Israelites were one people who worshipped a single god, Babylon had a succession of different dynasties derived from many ethnic groups, and since Babylonian religion originated from a plethora of sources, there were very few elements that maintained primacy throughout the city’s history. For example, the Sumerian influence resulted in citizens worshipping many deities in the city, but those numbers were reduced after the Amorites came to power.
One of the reasons Zeus remains one of the most recognizable gods in history is because of the spread of his influence. Due to the conquests of Alexander the Great, Zeus was brought along with other elements of Hellenization to Egypt and the Near East, and a few centuries later, Rome all but adopted him as their own chief god, Jupiter. From there, he was exported around the Roman Empire and fused with numerous other local gods in the process.
Duration - 17h 18m.
Author - Charles River Editors.
Narrator - Victoria Woodson.
Published Date - Tuesday, 14 January 2025.
Copyright - © 2025 Charles River Editors ©.
Location:
United States
Description:
Although the Egyptians may not have passed their civilization directly on to later peoples, the key elements that comprised Egyptian civilization, including their religion, early ideas of state, and art and architecture, can be found among other civilizations. For instance, civilizations far separated in time and space, such as China and Mesoamerica, possessed key elements that were similar to those found in ancient Egypt. Indeed, since Egyptian civilization represented some fundamental human concepts, a study of their culture can be useful when trying to understand many other pre-modern cultures. Today the Mesopotamians and their religion are sources of curiosity, but thousands of years ago, the religion was an integral part of their lives. From their birth to their death, deities surrounded them, and whether their social interactions were on the level of a smaller city or that of a larger nation-state, deities played key roles in the social fabric of their society. Whereas the Israelites were one people who worshipped a single god, Babylon had a succession of different dynasties derived from many ethnic groups, and since Babylonian religion originated from a plethora of sources, there were very few elements that maintained primacy throughout the city’s history. For example, the Sumerian influence resulted in citizens worshipping many deities in the city, but those numbers were reduced after the Amorites came to power. One of the reasons Zeus remains one of the most recognizable gods in history is because of the spread of his influence. Due to the conquests of Alexander the Great, Zeus was brought along with other elements of Hellenization to Egypt and the Near East, and a few centuries later, Rome all but adopted him as their own chief god, Jupiter. From there, he was exported around the Roman Empire and fused with numerous other local gods in the process. Duration - 17h 18m. Author - Charles River Editors. Narrator - Victoria Woodson. Published Date - Tuesday, 14 January 2025. Copyright - © 2025 Charles River Editors ©.
Language:
English
Opening Credits
Duration:00:00:10
Introduction
Duration:00:13:27
The origins of ancient egyptian mythology
Duration:00:10:19
The gods as concepts
Duration:00:05:38
The death of osiris
Duration:00:24:09
Isis' search
Duration:00:08:24
The divine conception of horus
Duration:00:11:23
The resurrection of osiris
Duration:00:06:16
The trickery of isis
Duration:00:09:19
The contendings of horus and seth
Duration:00:36:06
Duat
Duration:00:10:56
Isis abroad
Duration:00:14:25
Sumerian influences on mesopotamian mythology
Duration:00:36:16
The amorites and babylonian religion
Duration:00:24:49
The kassite babylonian religion
Duration:00:23:31
The assyrians and persians
Duration:00:10:35
Ancient influences in india
Duration:00:28:16
The aryan literature
Duration:00:37:20
The deities of the indian pantheon
Duration:00:34:15
Indian creation myths
Duration:00:19:19
Indian practices
Duration:00:21:53
The greco roman mythos
Duration:00:18:40
Chronos and the titans
Duration:00:17:23
Humanity's savior
Duration:00:12:53
The convergence of myth
Duration:00:17:51
Africa's creation saga
Duration:00:36:51
The sun and the moon
Duration:00:08:21
Animals in african folklore
Duration:00:10:50
Heroes
Duration:00:18:54
Fables and parables
Duration:00:13:05
Olmec religious practices
Duration:00:20:40
The toltec
Duration:00:18:33
The popol vuh
Duration:00:39:32
The mayan concept of death
Duration:00:14:25
Mayan cosmology
Duration:00:19:04
The aztec cosmos
Duration:00:13:27
The aztec pantheon
Duration:00:11:47
Aztec worship and rituals
Duration:00:16:21
The spanish conquest
Duration:00:09:15
Worshiping the norse gods
Duration:00:34:03
Norse mysticism
Duration:00:08:12
The decline of the norse faith
Duration:00:16:50
Thor's cultural diffusion
Duration:00:24:03
Odin's origins
Duration:00:07:08
Who was tyr
Duration:00:19:20
Loki's stories
Duration:00:42:24
The myths of heimdallr
Duration:00:39:58
Freyr's impact
Duration:00:37:16
Baldr the second son of odin
Duration:00:26:34
Ragnarok
Duration:00:25:47
The aftermath of ragnarok
Duration:00:23:41
Gods at odds
Duration:00:23:25
Thor as a comic figure
Duration:00:05:07
Ending Credits
Duration:00:00:12