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Heroic epic and saga (Indic as well as Greek and Hebrew, etc.) combine action with genealogy. This is necessary because the action is performed by aristocrats who require genealogies.

— Cyrus H. Gordon The Common Background of Greek and Hebrew Civilizations (1965)

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More quotes by Cyrus H. Gordon

It has been said that the Bedouin Arab is a parasite that lives on the camel, and this to a great extent is true.

Adventures in the Nearest East (1957)

If the entire aristocracy is of divine descent, Zeus (or El) cannot save the human son without upsetting the order of things.

The Common Background of Greek and Hebrew Civilizations (1965)

By examining the pottery on any given site you can tell during which periods it has been occupied.

Adventures in the Nearest East (1957)

When the characters of epic and heroic saga are on significant missions, they are led divinely.

The Common Background of Greek and Hebrew Civilizations (1965)

When a new religion supplants an old religion, the gods of the old often survive as the demons of the new.

The Common Background of Greek and Hebrew Civilizations (1965)

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