Myth in classical Ancient Greek civilization: factors of stable existence and specific role in culture

The main problem of this article is the exposure ofpeculiarities of the ancient Greek civilization, which allow understanding the special key role of myth in it. As a rule, researchers payspecial attention to the fact that in 7-6th centuries B.C. radical changes took place in ancient Greece. The result of these changes is theloss of the archaic mythological model of world-view and thinking and the transition to a special form of civilization, unique and influentialin history. It is necessary to answer at least the following problem questions: how high and influential could the role of myth be inthe civilization of a classical type, the basic forms of which − art, science, philosophy, religion - already exceed the limits of archaicmythological consciousness? What are the conditions that let myth preserve and modify under conditions of the classical type of civilization?Among the factors of preserving myth viability and finding of new character of existence there are the following peculiarities ofthe ancient Greek civilization - specific cosmism engendering typical aestheticism of being; the role of religion in the culture of AncientGreece; polises − a special form of state and social education and dualism of the ancient Greek culture resulting from two origins − theAppolonian and the Dionysian ones. The two origins of the ancient Greek culture are incomparable, that is why they require mythologicalreflection. The myth lets both the Appolonian and the Dionysian origins exist harmoniously in consciousness. The aesthetic view ofthe world and love of ancient Greeks to the beauty that created developed mythology with a great variety of images and plots later on letthem turn to search for beauty in a person. Beauty, first interpreted as a gift of gods, is gradually becoming a necessary quality of culture− the ideal of human personality and the pivot joining the Universe, which hosts not only people, but also gods, spirits of nature, andsouls of the dead - a mythological reality. The religion of Ancient Greece having roots in mythology neither merges nor splits with it,being an important display of mythological consciousness in the ancient culture. Polises, Greek city-states, were closed, patriarchal, inmost cases peasant communities, which united over joint agricultural labour, worshiping common deities-patrons, strict execution ofrituals, and common myths which were added to the history of the city. Myth is an original legendary-mythological variant of a polis'shistory, which binds the destinies of people and gods. All these peculiarities not only contributed to preserving of the key role of myth inGreece in the epoch of classical civilization but also let answer existential questions of the society, without concentrating all sense advantagesin art, science and philosophy. Thus, this article gives explanations to the phenomenon of preservation and peculiarity ofmythological consciousness in the culture of the ancient Greek classics.

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