Mythical Ancestry in World Cultures, 1400–1800 ed. by Sara Trevisan (review)

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Reviewed by:

• Mythical Ancestry in World Cultures, 1400–1800 ed. by Sara Trevisan
• Samaya Arguello Gomez

Trevisan, Sara, ed., Mythical Ancestry in World Cultures, 1400–1800 ( Cursor Mundi, 35), Turnhout, Brepols, 2018; hardback; pp. ix, 196; 12 b/w illustrations; R.R.P. €70.00; ISBN 9782503580098.

Sara Trevisan's book Mythical Ancestry in World Cultures, 1400–1800 is a wonderful exploration of mystical ancestry as a global phenomenon, and looks to understand how individuals and communities take meaning from their history, and how these meanings, in turn, shape their understanding of the past, the present, and the future. The book focuses on the early modern period, where mythical [End Page 343] ancestry was often used to support pedigrees of power, whether by demonstrating intact lineages to important historical figures or by crafting etymology designed to illustrate genealogical links to ancestors.

The book's first chapter by Lisa Balabanlilar, 'The Mythical Ancestry of the Mughal Dynasty', argues that the powerful Chingisids, Timurids, and Mughals actively drew upon ancestral power and charisma to justify their own 'continued imperial aspirations' (p. 29). Genealogy as a tool for social classification is explored further in Jean-Paul Zuniga's chapter 'The Idol of Origins: Myth, Genealogical Memory and Law in Hispanic America', which ties territorial conquest to origin narratives from the Incas to the Castilian elites. The use of genealogical evidence in the creation of identity in Florence is explored by Christiane Klapisch-Zuber's chapter through the perspective of various 'merchant-authors'. These writers often reflect upon their own lineage within the context of the city itself, creating fascinating insights into a city more well-known for the histories of the elites rather than of obscure merchants. Similarly, Jane Hathaway's 'Origin Myths and Ethno-Regional Solidarity in Ottoman Egypt: An Unexpected Finding' sets out how terminology, symbolism, and myth came to reflect rival factions in Ottoman Egypt, offering another perspective on origin narratives.

Sara Trevisan's own chapter, an original study on an anonymous genealogical roll that traces the genealogy of King James VI of Scotland and I of England is also fascinating in that it explores the relationship between biblical and mythical ancestors in the context of the political and national identity of both the state and royalty, a theme also found in Ewa Kociszewska's chapter on the construction of French noble identity via the myth of Trojan origins. Borverto Bizzocchi and Ermina Irace's concluding chapter, entitled 'Mythical Ancestry, Genealogy, and Nationalism in Eighteenth-and Nineteenth-Century Europe', explores how national identities and nationalism were shaped by discourse of mythical ancestry, particularly at a time in early modern Europe during which there was a shift in understanding how ancestry and genealogy provided linkages to power structures within society.

Mythical Ancestry in World Cultures, 1400–1800 provides fascinating insights into how biblical and mythical ancestors have shaped understanding of identity, and have contributed to constructions of, and narratives around, power and hierarchy.

Samaya Arguello Gomez Swinburne University of Technology Copyright © 2024 Samaya Arguello Gomez ...