A Culture of Freedom: Ancient Greece and the Origins of EuropeHistorians and President of the German Academy for Language and Literature in Darmstadt and in 2003 received thee prestigious Jacob Grimm prize for German literature. culture so special? A Culture of Freedom attempts to answer this question - to find the key to the 'miracle' of ancient Greece. The book takes us on a tour through the rich spectrum of Greek life and culture, from their epic and lyric poetry, political thought and philosophy, to their social life, military traditions, sport, and religious festivals, and finally to the early stages of Greek democracy. Running as a connecting thread throughout is a people's attempt to create a society based upon the freedom rather than power. It is this which, Meier argues, is the distinctive key to Greek culture, marking it out from all that had gone before, including the ancient societies of the Middle East from which the Greeks otherwise borrowed so much. The ancient Greeks managed to build a society founded on the concept of freedom - and by doing so helped mould the Europe that we live in today. |
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A Culture of Freedom: Ancient Greece and the Origins of Europe Christian Meier,Kurt Raaflaub Limited preview - 2011 |
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able achieve Aegean Aeschylus agora Anaximander ancient ancient Greece antiquity archaic aristocrats Asia Minor Athenians Athens Athens’s Attica battle became began broader classes centre century BC challenges citizenry citizens city’s Cleisthenes colonies conflicts continued council cult Delphi developed divine early emerged entire epics especially established Europe everything example factions fighting forces freedom goddess gods Greece Greek Greek cities Greek culture Greek poleis Hecataeus Heraclitus Herodotus heroes Hesiod Homer honour hoplites human idea Iliad individual interest justice kings land later least live Lydian lyric poetry matter Miletus Mycenaean needed Odyssey one’s Orient pan-Hellenic Parmenides Peisistratus people’s perhaps Persian Empire Phocaea poems poet poleis polis political thought popular assembly possible probably problems public sphere question role Roman rule seems sense significant sixth century social society Solon Spartans specific things tions tradition tyranny tyrants victory wanted wealth words Xenophanes Xerxes Zeus