Hesiod, Sophocles, Aeschylus, Euripides and (if you have lots and lots of time) Herodotus are good sources. Homer with the Illiad and Odyssey is, of course, the oldest, but Hesiod is of similar vintage, though he is more lyric and hymn than ballad (also more rant). Herodotus is commonly thought of as the first historian, but he includes a LOT of myths from a number of peoples in his writing. His Histories are really really long, though. Sophocles, Aeschylus, and Euripides are Greek playwrights and they are much faster reads, but it's hard to tell how much artistic license is included. If you want to be really esoteric, there are also some academic works regarding linear B writing that include some speculation based on carved epitaphs and other monumental writings.
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Date: 2012-09-13 11:30 pm (UTC)Hesiod, Sophocles, Aeschylus, Euripides and (if you have lots and lots of time) Herodotus are good sources. Homer with the Illiad and Odyssey is, of course, the oldest, but Hesiod is of similar vintage, though he is more lyric and hymn than ballad (also more rant). Herodotus is commonly thought of as the first historian, but he includes a LOT of myths from a number of peoples in his writing. His Histories are really really long, though. Sophocles, Aeschylus, and Euripides are Greek playwrights and they are much faster reads, but it's hard to tell how much artistic license is included. If you want to be really esoteric, there are also some academic works regarding linear B writing that include some speculation based on carved epitaphs and other monumental writings.