Ancient Gods, Giants and Forgotten Legends
The Myths, Texts and Archaeological Evidence Behind Humanity's Oldest Stories
Trace gods, giants, flood survivors and legendary beings back toward the ancient texts, archaeology and cultural traditions from which the stories emerged.
About this book
Why do cultures separated by oceans and centuries tell stories about gods, giants, world-changing heroes and beings from an age before ordinary history?
This book returns famous legends to their earliest surviving contexts: Mesopotamian Anunna and Apkallu, Gilgamesh and the Flood, the Watchers and Nephilim, Greek Titans and Gigantes, Norse Jötnar, Indian Devas and Asuras, Mesoamerican creation traditions, Viracocha, Maui and many more. It also investigates modern giant-skeleton stories, the Smithsonian cover-up legend and the way ancient-astronaut theories reinterpret old gods.
Ancient Gods, Giants and Forgotten Legends treats myth as evidence of human memory and culture—not automatic proof of literal superhuman races—making the stories more fascinating by showing where text, archaeology, folklore and later speculation diverge.