Cook, Arthur B.: Zeus: a study in ancient religion (Band 3,1): Zeus god of the dark sky (earthquake, clouds, wind, dew, rain, meteorits): Text and notes (Cambridge, 1940)

Preface

IX

burden of publishing, despite all difficulties, this costly and un-
profitable work.

Zeus, I am happy to say, has been begun, continued, and ended
under the auspices of two old friends, old in years but young in
outlook—Sir James Frazer and Dr Rendel Harris. It was they
who first welcomed the inception of the work, and, though quite
aware that I often dissent from their findings, they have wished me
well from start to finish.

I have further been able to count on the co-operation of man)'
loyal helpers. Where my enquiries have trenched upon unfamiliar
ground I have not hesitated to call in expert advisers. On points
of Semitic lore I have consulted Professor S. A. Cook (p. 1072),
the late Professor S. Langdon (p. 550 n. o), and the Reverend H.
St J. Hart (p. 891). In Mesopotamian matters I have been assisted
by Mr Sidney Smith (p. 832 ff.) and Dr H. Frankfort (p. 1196).
Egyptian usages have been made plain to me in conversations with
Mr Sidney Smith, Mr P. E. Newberry, and the late Mr J. E. Quibell
(P- 3°S)- Sir John Marshall gave me his opinion on the origin
of Civa's trident (p. 1156). Professor H. W. Bailey has reported
on Sanskrit and Persian etymologies (pp. 916 n. 1, 925 n. 3).
Mr A. Waley identified the source of a Chinese inscription and
translated it for me (p. 1138). Dr B. F. C. Atkinson allowed me
to rifle his unpublished work on Illyrian names (p. 364 n. 8).
Lastly, Dr F. R. C. Reed enabled me to determine the material
of an ancient cameo, while Dr F. C. Phillips as official mineralogist
and petrologist made analyses on my behalf (p. 898 n. 4).

Reviewers in general have been benevolent, but superficial and
sometimes woefully misunderstanding. Signal exceptions have been
the detailed and very helpful critique of Charles Picard {Revue de
I lustoire des religions 1926 xciii. 65—94) and a most heartening
notice by Otto Weinreich (Archiv /.Re/. 1937 xxxiv. 137—139).
Eor such shrewd objections and penetrating judgments I can but
feel immense respect. Critics of this type are all too rare.

Among friends that have put an active shoulder to my wheel
I would name first my colleague Mr C. T. Seltman, who with his
amazing knowledge of ancient art and modern art-collectors has
been endlessly useful. It was, for example, through his good offices
that I secured the unique double axes from Crete and Athens
(figs- 894, 895), the new Orpheus-vase published in pi. xvi, and
that most notable of all Greek coppers the Mytilene-medallion