Date of Award

6-2020

Document Type

Union College Only

Degree Name

Bachelor of Arts

Department

Classics

First Advisor

Hans Friedrich Otto Mueller

Keywords

mythology, Africa, Greece, Bernal, Black Athena, gods

Abstract

During ancient times, many civilizations existed that had different influences on each other. In this thesis the focus will be on the influence of ancient African on ancient Greece through mythology. Many scholars have supported both sides of this argument, but I want to demonstrate that African civilization did indeed have some kind of influence on the Greek civilization, especially through the exchange of knowledge that would have taken place during trade. I will discuss these influences by highlighting the similarities between some of the gods from each civilization that the historian Herodotus mentions in his work The Histories. In addition to this analysis of the influence of ancient civilizations on each other, I will look at Black Athena by Martin Bernal where he explains the debt that he believes the Greeks owe to Africans for ideas the Greeks observed and incorporated into their society. I will comment on the debate that arose because of this work, and analyze what some critics had to say about his work and their opinion about the influence of ancient Africa on ancient Greece.

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Rights Statement

In Copyright