| This dissertation explores the cosmo-theogonic ideas in the Theogony of Hesiod and other Greek cosmogonies such as the so-called Orphic poems in light of comparative material from the Levant, particularly from Ugarit, some extant Phoenician testimonies such as that of Philo of Byblos, and the Hebrew Bible.; Chapter One reviews the growing interest of Classical scholarship in the Near Eastern influence on Greek culture and the need of more specialized studies going beyond the mere comparison or parallels. Chapter Two turns to the proemium or prologue of Hesiod's Theogony, focusing on the importance of divine inspiration in Greek and Near Eastern poetry and the different ways in which this divine intercession is represented. Verse 35 of the Theogony of Hesiod (the "tree and stone" proverb) is here discussed in light of the Northwest Semitic sources, highlighting its connection to the transmission of restricted knowledge of the cosmic mysteries. Chapter Three focuses on the Succession Myth, attested in Greek, Hurro-Hittite, Babylonian, and Canaanite sources, showing that the divine hierarchies of the Northwest Semitic pantheon and the Hesiodic one are closer than previously observed, particularly regarding the position of the gods Kronos and El. Chapter Four looks at the different uses of oriental motifs in other Greek theogonies, such as the castration motif in the Derveni papyrus, and the oriental features of Kronos and the Time deity Chronos in the Orphic texts. Chapter Five discusses the connection of Hesiod's work with the emergence of a progressive Greek cultural unity from the end of the 8th century BC onwards, which may be compared with the emergence of canonic religious works in the Levant. Secondly, I suggest that the ritual aspects of theogonies (mystery cults, incantations, healing, purification, etc.), well reflected in the Orphic and Near Eastern traditions, are crucial for the understanding of the modes of transmission of theogonic-cosmogonic motifs. Chapter Six reviews the historical-archaeological evidence of such a cross-cultural contact between Greeks and Levantines, showing that a predominant role in the transmission of motifs and ideas, as technologies, should be ascribed to the Syro-Phoenicians. |
