The Mycenaean Origin of Greek Mythology by Martin P. Nilsson

The Mycenaean Origin of Greek Mythology by Martin P. Nilsson, published in 1932. A classic and influential study in which Nilsson traces the roots of Greek myth back to the Mycenaean Bronze Age, arguing for the continuity between prehistoric religious practice and later classical mythology. The work examines themes such as How Old is Greek Mythology, Mycenaean Centers and Mythological Centers, The Dominion of Pylos, The Ionian Islands, Heracles, and Olympus, offering a careful synthesis of archaeology, philology, and comparative religion. Long regarded as a foundational contribution to the historical study of Greek myth, the book remains important for its methodological rigor and historical perspective. This copy was the personal copy of author Samuel Thaxter Farquhar, director of the University of California Press which issued the work, bearing his ornamental bookplate. A handsome copy in dark blue cloth with bright gilt lettering on the spine, showing only the very lightest shelfwear.