PublishedPenguin, September 2011 |
ISBN9780140274851 |
FormatSoftcover, 416 pages |
Dimensions19.8cm × 12.9cm × 2.4cm |
We still live in the shadow of the classical world. At every level from languages to calendars to political systems, we are the descendants of a 'classical Europe', using frames of reference created by ancient Mediterranean cultures. Tracing the epic sweep of classical history from Bronze Age Crete through to early Christianity, this compelling and comprehensive work shows how the inhabitants of the classical world were also themselves living in the shadow of an ancient past.
Their myths, art and buildings looked back to an already revered history filled with great leaders, writers and battles, and generations of Greeks and Romans - including figures such as Alexander the Great and Julius Caesar - obsessively reinterpreted their changing casts of heroes and villains. The Birth of Classical Europe is both an authoritative history, and also shows how our own values reflect an era which is remote yet sometimes startlingly close. 'The Birth of Classical Europe combines a strong narrative with sophisticated thematic analysis and reflection' The Times Literary Supplement 'Simon Price and Peter Thonemann's attractive new book offers a seamless history across more than two millennia . . . an elegant tour' BBC History Magazine Volume One in The Penguin History of Europe, General Editor David Cannadine
