A Compendium of the Ancient Gods

Themes

Trade and travel

30 gods of trade and travel, across eight rooms, in the order the rooms are walked.

The Cradle of Cities

5 works

Baalat Gebal, plate
Baalat Gebal baa-lat ge-bal The Lady of Byblos — Mistress of the Cedar Coast
Lugalbanda, plate
Lugalbanda lu-gal-ban-da Father of Gilgamesh — Eighth King of the First Dynasty of Uruk
Melqart, plate
Melqart mel-qart King of the City — Tutelary God of Tyre, Whose Pyre Burned at His Festival
Nanaya, plate
Nanaya na-naya The Sweet One — Goddess of Sensual Love and Music
Utu, plate
Utu u-tu The Sun — Akkadian Shamash; judge and revealer

The Gift of the Nile

3 works

Dedun, plate
Dedun de-dun Lord of Nubia — incense-god of the southern frontier
Min, plate
Min min The Fertility God of Coptos
Sopdu, plate
Sopdu sop-du Lord of the East — god of the eastern desert and the Sinai approaches

The Olympian Order

7 works

Aeneas, plate
Aeneas eh-nee-as Trojan prince and son of Aphrodite — survivor of Troy, ancestor of Rome
Hermes, plate
Hermes her-meez Messenger of the Gods — patron of travelers and thieves
Iris, plate
Iris eye-ris Rainbow Messenger — herald of Hera
Jason, plate
Jason jay-sun Captain of the Argonauts — winner of the Golden Fleece
Odysseus, plate
Odysseus oh-dis-ee-us The Wily — wanderer of the Odyssey
The Anemoi, plate
The Anemoi the uh-nem-oy The Four Winds — Boreas, Notus, Eurus, and Zephyrus
Triton, plate
Triton try-ton Son of Poseidon — herald of the deep

The Levantine Borderlands

4 works

Arsu, plate
Arsu ar-su The Camel-Rider Caravan-God — protector of evening travel
Awaiting its plate
Azizos a-zi-zos The Morning-Star God — companion of Arsu, warrior-escort
Obodas, plate
Obodas o-bo-das The Deified Nabataean King — royal apotheosis at Avdat
Yarhibol, plate
Yarhibol yar-hi-bol The Sun-God of Palmyra — oath-witness, attendant of Bel

The Edges of Empire

1 work

Uastyrdzhi, plate
Uastyrdzhi uas-tyrdz-hi Patron of Warriors and Wayfarers — the Christianized Saint George

The Etruscan World

1 work

Nethuns, plate
Nethuns ne-thuns The Etruscan Sea-God — wielder of the trident, lord of waters

The Roman Inheritance

7 works

Aeneas, plate
Aeneas eh-nee-as The Pious Trojan — Founder of the Roman Lineage
Fides, plate
Fides fi-des The Goddess of Sworn Faith
Fortuna, plate
Fortuna for-tu-na Goddess of Chance — bringer of fortune both good and ill
Lares, plate
Lares la-res Household and Crossroads Spirits
Portunus, plate
Portunus por-tu-nus God of Harbors and Doors — keeper of keys
Spes, plate
Spes spes Goddess of Hope — particularly hope for political and personal success
Vertumnus, plate
Vertumnus ver-tum-nus God of Changing Seasons and Transformations

The Northern Inheritance

2 works

Njord, plate
Njord njord God of the Sea and Wealth
Sleipnir, plate
Sleipnir sleip-nir Eight-Legged Steed of Odin

Floor plan

The rooms follow one another in the order their peoples first appear in the written record.

  1. The Cradle of Citiesc. 3400 BCE to 395 CE. 115 works
  2. The Gift of the Nilec. 4000 BCE to 395 CE. 73 works
  3. The Olympian Orderc. 1600 BCE to 750 CE. 152 works
  4. The Persian Worldc. 2000 BCE to 1010 CE. 30 works
  5. The Levantine Borderlandsc. 1200 BCE to 500 CE. 20 works
  6. The Edges of Empirec. 2000 BCE to 1500 CE. 33 works
  7. The Etruscan Worldc. 900 BCE to 750 CE. 22 works
  8. The Roman Inheritancec. 1200 BCE to 500 CE. 58 works
  9. The Northern Inheritancec. 2000 BCE to 1600 CE. 131 works