author
George W. (George William) Cox
1827–1902
An Anglican clergyman and historian, he wrote widely on Greek myth, ancient history, and the Crusades, and became especially known for explaining myths as reflections of natural forces. His books helped bring big subjects from the ancient world to general readers in clear, energetic prose.
1 Audiobook
The crusades
by George W. (George William) Cox
About the author
Born in Benares, India, in 1827, George William Cox was educated at Rugby and Trinity College, Oxford, and was ordained in 1850. He went on to build a career as a writer, historian, and churchman, producing works on Greece, early civilizations, mythology, and medieval history.
Cox is best remembered for books such as The Mythology of the Aryan Nations, A History of Greece, and The Crusades. He became closely associated with the 19th-century view that many ancient myths could be understood as poetic interpretations of the sun and other natural phenomena, a theory that made him a notable voice in comparative mythology.
He died in Walmer in 1902. Today, he is chiefly of interest as a lively Victorian interpreter of myth and history whose works reflect both the curiosity and the scholarly debates of his time.