In this illuminating program, renowned classicists including Sir Hugh Lloyd Jones, of Oxford University; Mary Lefkowitz, of Wellesley College; and Gregory Nagy, of Harvard University, explore the origins of classical mythology and its relationship with other aspects of Greek culture, tracing subsequent influences on Western civilization. Topics discussed include cultural transmission among the Mediterranean peoples of the 8th century BC, the derivation of texts attributed to Homer and Hesiod, interpretations of the myths of Phaeton and Callisto, the connections between Greek myth and tragedy, the Roman use of myths, and applications of modern critical theory to mythology. (29 minutes)