Project Details
Projekt
Alte Geschichte: Hermes und Herakles. Formen, Strata und Funktionen mythischer Sphärenwechsel in der griechischen Kultur
Applicant
Professorin Dr. Tanja Susanne Scheer
Subject Area
Ancient History
Term
from 2015 to 2019
Project identifier
Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 235014259
The project pursues a double objective. Adopting the perspective of the classics (ancient history) the project wants to highlight the importance of mythological traditions about changers and changes of spheres and spaces in ancient Greek society. Two main examples will be studied: Hermes as a god and divine messenger and Heracles as a hero who reached Mount Olympus and gained a divine existence. These examples will be examined in their development during the centuries. Focus of the investigation is the question of interactions between mythic stories and historical contexts. Another important point is the influence mythological traditions have exerted on ritual practice and vice versa. Key subjects for the research are the forms of communication both between Gods and men and between men and heroes/the dead. Also taken into view is the human hope to gain immortality: the ancient sources often connect this topic with Hermes or Heracles. The project examines how myths about Hermes and Heracles influenced the field of ancient mysteries and the specific cult of the dead, private heroization in Hellenistic times and the Greek ruler cult up to the ritual apotheosis of the Roman emperor. Equally important for the proposed project is the integration in the methodical and comparatistic aims of the research group. The selected mythological examples ¿ examined on a wide variety of sources ¿ will show the operationability of the methodological strategy: to achieve intercultural comparability of myths by new methodological approaches (mytheme sequencing and stratification analysis). Greek myths are particularly important in this respect, because of the motivic similarities with both Ancient Near Eastern myths and Roman traditions. These similarities have been often observed (or postulated), but have never been systematically compared. Accordingly the project will generate new knowledge about the function of myth in ancient Greek society. In addition new insights are expected on the intercultural typological or genetic connections of certain mythological motives that seem similar in different cultures and religious communities in the (extended) ancient Mediterranean and Near East. The comparative approach of the research group will contribute to illustrate and to explain the cultural specific differences and similarities in the social function and historical embeddedness of greek and other myths.
DFG Programme
Research Units
