The Literature Book

EGYPTIAN BOOK

OF THE DEAD

(16TH CENTURY

BCE)

Illustrated and written on papyrus,

the Egyptian Book of the Dead is a

compilation of around 200 chapters

of magic spells and formulas that

were written by various authors for

use in the afterlife. Scribes made

copies, which were buried with

the mummy and believed to be read

by the deceased on their journey

to the underworld, as a source of

protection and a guide through the

hazards that lay ahead. A famous

example is The Papyrus of Ani,

now in the British Museum, London.

ODYSSEY

(c.725–675 BCE), HOMER

An epic ancient Greek poem in

24 books (more than 12,000 lines),

composed for oral performance, the

the earliest mythic accounts of the

origins of the cosmos and of the

gods. Beginning with the formation

of the Earth (Gaia) out of Chaos (the

primordial abyss), the poem goes

on to detail the birth and overthrow

of successive generations of gods,

ending with the triumph of Zeus.

At its center, Theogony engages

with some of the core themes that

haunt the human imagination,

including creation, the struggle

between fathers and sons, and

humanity’s place in the universe.

TAO TE CHING

(6TH–3RD CENTURY BCE), LAOZI

Traditionally attributed to the

legendary Chinese sage Laozi, the

Tao Te Ching (Classic of the Way

and Virtue), the main sacred text of

Taoism, is a compilation of 81 verse

chapters giving enigmatic advice

on how to live harmoniously by

following the Tao (“Way”). Its

compelling, mysterious, poetic

aphorisms—such as “Do nothing,

and there is nothing that will not

be done”—illustrate the practice

of wu wei, or nonaction.

ORESTEIA

(458 BCE), AESCHYLUS

Written by Aeschylus, the first of the

great dramatists of classical Athens,

the Oresteia is a trilogy (the only

classical Greek example to survive)

telling the tragic story of the house

of Atreus. The first play portrays

the return of King Agamemnon from

war and the plot upon his life by his

FURTHER READING

Odyssey is traditionally attributed

to Homer (see p.28). The poem is in

part a sequel to Homer’s other great

work, the Iliad. Its hero is Odysseus,

king of Ithaca, who is described

wandering the seas, homeward

bound after the end of the 10-year

Trojan War. He has vivid adventures,

which include encounters with

supernatural creatures and

temptations of the flesh. Both his

son Telemachus and wife Penelope

despair for Odysseus’s return—he

has been absent for two decades.

Penelope has to deal with a series of

suitors, whose fate at the hands of

the disguised Odysseus forms the

dramatic denoument of the tale.

THEOGONY

(c.700 BCE), HESIOD

The 1,022-line epic poem Theogony,

or “Birth of the Gods,” was written

by the ancient Greek poet Hesiod

(8th–7th century bce), and is one of

54

Aeschylus

The seven complete tragedies

that remain to us of the work of

Aeschylus—who is estimated to

have written between 70 and 90

plays—attest to his mastery of

the genre. Thought to have been

born in Eleusis near Athens

in 525 or 524 bce, he lived in the

early period of the Athenian

democracy, and played a part in

the fight against the invading

Persians—specifically at the

battle of Marathon. In addition

to tragedies he wrote “satyr

plays” in a light, burlesque style.

Both genres were presented in

competitions at the foremost

dramatical contest in Athens,

the annual festival of Dionysus,

and Aeschylus was a regular

winner. One exceptional year

he lost to the younger tragedian,

Sophocles. He died at Gela in

Sicily in 456 or 455 bce.

Key works

458 bce Oresteia (see right)

472 bce The Persians

467 bce Seven Against Thebes

5th century bce Prometheus

Bound

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