Quotessence
Home / Books / Istanbul: A Tale of Three Cities

Istanbul: A Tale of Three Cities

Book by Bettany Hughes · 1 quotes · Circe, Cross Continental Journeys, Cross Cultural Exchanges

Filter quotes by topic

AllCirceCross Continental JourneysCross Cultural ExchangesCultural ExchangesEast Meets WestGreek MythHelen Of TroyHistory Meets MythIstanbulMedeaPrometheusRoman Empire

Istanbul: A Tale of Three Cities Quotes

“The stories abounded, both recounting these cross-continental journeys and perhaps inspiring them – how Hellenic Jason gathered his Argonauts together (including Augeas, whose vast stables Herakles would be forced to clean) for adventure and profit, how he stopped off along the Bosphorus and discovered the land of the rising sun before other Greek heroes headed to Asia in search of Helen, Troy and glory. In the Homeric epics we hear of Jason travelling east where he tangles with Medea of Colchis, her aunt Circe and the feisty Amazon tribe. Lured by the promise of gold (early and prodigious metalworking did indeed take place in the region – perhaps sparking the Greek idea that the East was ‘rich in gold’) and then detained by the potions and poisons of Princess Medea, Jason succeeded in penetrating the Caucasus – a land which, in the Greek mind, wept with both peril and promise. It was here that Prometheus was chained to a rock with iron rivets for daring to steal fire from the gods. Archaeology east of Istanbul demonstrates how myth grazes history.”

CirceIstanbulPrometheusGreek MythMedeaHelen Of TroyCross Cultural ExchangesCross Continental JourneysHistory Meets Myth
Book:Istanbul: A Tale of Three Cities
Create image