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72nd out of 74 books
—
26 voters
Hamlet's Mill: An Essay Investigating the Origins of Human Knowledge & Its Transmission Through Myth
Ever since the Greeks coined the language we commonly use for scientific description, mythology & science have developed separately. But what came before the Greeks? What if we could prove that all myths have one common origin in a celestial cosmology? What if the gods, the places they lived & what they did are but ciphers for celestial activity, a language for the...more
Paperback, 512 pages
Published
September 1st 1994
by David R. Godine Publisher
(first published 1969)
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I read this book long ago, and just as with Calazzo's "The Marriage of Cadmus and Harmony", it made a lot more sense when I read it the second time. (Thus inspired, I will soon try Robert Graves' "The White Goddess" again.)
There is really no way to summarize this book, as Giorgio de Santillana wants to tease out how preliterate human beings viewed the universe. One of his basic assumptions (which is hard to argue with) is that a human being from 20,000 years ago had the potential to be just as i...more
There is really no way to summarize this book, as Giorgio de Santillana wants to tease out how preliterate human beings viewed the universe. One of his basic assumptions (which is hard to argue with) is that a human being from 20,000 years ago had the potential to be just as i...more
This is a dense analysis of ancient mythology in which the authors explain that most myth is not about the adventures of historical human characters but of astronomical bodies. There are similar stories and themes in myths around the world, not necessarily because there was an Atlantis providing a cultural heritage for everyone on earth, but because everyone observes the same skies. The sun always appears to make the same annual journey through the background stars, and ancient cultures were als...more
Utterly brilliant, groundbreaking, necessary book, which overturns many flawed and biased assumptions about the "primitive" past. The mere 450 pages are so densely packed that it took me almost three stinkin' weeks to read, but it was worth every frustrating minute.
The fundamental narrative structures of popular stories are clearly derivative and based not on a convergence of psychological archetypes but rather on older forms which have been widely diffused throughout seemingly-unrelated ancien...more
The fundamental narrative structures of popular stories are clearly derivative and based not on a convergence of psychological archetypes but rather on older forms which have been widely diffused throughout seemingly-unrelated ancien...more
Ever since the Greeks coined the language we commonly use for scientific description, mythology & science have developed separately. But what came before the Greeks? What if we could prove that all myths have one common origin in a celestial cosmology? What if the gods, the places they lived & what they did are but ciphers for celestial activity, a language for the perpetuation of complex astronomical data? Drawing on scientific data, historical & literary sources, the authors argue...more
It's all connected! In more ways than one. Myth continues to open its vastness to me, yet withholds its secrets. Why are all myths all over the world so similar? Because they contain astronomical and mathematical knowledge and are the vehicles used to transmit this knowledge to the future.
Brilliant thesis. It raises the question, why do we stop looking? Why stop there? Where ever "there" happens to be, it is not the final answer and ceasing investigation stifles human growth. Yet here we are be...more
Brilliant thesis. It raises the question, why do we stop looking? Why stop there? Where ever "there" happens to be, it is not the final answer and ceasing investigation stifles human growth. Yet here we are be...more
Feb 25, 2009
James
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
philosophy,
anthropology
This is a book that reminds me of the mythological discourses by Joseph Campbell. It is an anthropological detective story that traces the origins of myths throughout the world and finds common elements in their origins. One finding is that the geography of myth is not that of the earth but rather is celestial. For anyone who is familiar with Greek mythology this is not a surprise, but we find here again that mythological language transcends cultural and geographic boundaries. The author explore...more
I was probably too young when my dad recommended this book to me as a "must-read." Slogged through diligently only to feel deflated and relieved that it had come to an end. Although, who knows, it may have altered my brain, and thus explain my current obsession with Joseph Campbell's Hero With a Thousand Faces, and other such books. I am wary of recommending it to others.
Jul 26, 2008
Phred Padgett
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Patrick
Recommended to Phred by:
Many references to it in other works.
This is my favorite book of all time. An essay on worldwide myth and legend. He is an MIT professor; 2/3 of the essay is his, the last 1/3 is the appendix by Hertha von Dechend, Hamburg U. I used two bookmarks and always read her remarks. Simply boggles the mind that ancient stories could be so similar while so geographically distant from one another. The "Mill" of the title represents the earth's wobble, which takes nearly 26,000 years to complete, and the ancients knew this. How could they? Th...more
The inspiration for Fingerprints of the Gods.
Difficult read. I skimmed it while reading F of the G's.
Difficult read. I skimmed it while reading F of the G's.
I would give this book six stars if that were possible.
Mar 29, 2012
Julie
is currently reading it
Just started this book..... more later
Jul 25, 2009
Dusty Hope
is currently reading it
am rereading. immense.
The subject matter was very dry reading until I started seeing the linkages,. The basic idea is that our pre-history is recorded in the myths and legends passed down to present day, and further that all cultures are passing down the same historical information.
It is fascinating book if you are interested in the material and an impossible read for those who are not.
It is fascinating book if you are interested in the material and an impossible read for those who are not.
This book is essential for anyone wishing to learn about the links between mythology, zodiac, precessional cycles, and transmission and creation of knowlegde in pre-industrial and ancicent civilizations. An absolute classic and opus magnus of the archaeo-astrology and mythology genres.
"A book wonderful to read and startling to contemplate. If this theory is correct, both the history of science and the reinterpretation of myths have been enriched immensely."
— Washington Post Book World
— Washington Post Book World
An intense overview of the common origins of science and myth. One example being the European myth of Hamlets (Ahmlodhi's) Mill and the scientific concept of the precession of the equinoxes. A facinating read.
Allora, io ci ho provato, non una ma diverse volte, risultato:
non ci capisco un tubo.
Forse, chissà, se schivo la demenza fisiologica o l'Alzheimer eventuale fra qualche anno ci riprovo.
non ci capisco un tubo.
Forse, chissà, se schivo la demenza fisiologica o l'Alzheimer eventuale fra qualche anno ci riprovo.
difficult to rate this book.. The subject matter is well researched and fascinating, but all the references and footnotes made it difficult at best
Per ora lo mollo. Mi richiede una concentrazione che non ho e dovrei riiniziarlo daccapo
A thesis that is ultimately dubious, but a fascinating read.
Fascinating account of the relation of mythology to astronomy.
Full of ideas I have not encountered anywhere else.
Mar 26, 2008
Arefin
added it
A study of human imagination beyond the science
This one took me about two years to read.
Great book, neat thesis.
May 20, 2013
Ed
marked it as to-read
May 19, 2013
Claudia Draghici
marked it as to-read
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