A New System; Or, an Analysis of Antient Mythology. Volume 1 (of 6)

Jacob Bryant's audacious 1774 treatise proposes something radical: the myths of Greece, Egypt, and the ancient Near East are not fanciful inventions but corrupted memories of real historical events, peoples, and catastrophes. In this first volume of six, Bryant lays out his method: scrutinizing the earliest ages of humanity through both Gentile writers and biblical accounts, tracing the origins of nations, their migrations, and their customs. He argues that the gods and heroes of classical mythology are echoes of actual historical figures obscured by time and embellishment. The result is a fascinating window into 18th-century intellectual life: a work of immense learning and immense confidence, attempting to find a single unified key to all ancient mythology. Modern readers will find much to puzzle over, but also much to admire in Bryant's bold synthesis. For anyone interested in the history of ideas, in how earlier generations made sense of the ancient world, or in the origins of comparative mythology as a discipline, this remains a remarkable document.