Description
Book SynopsisIn this compelling tour of the classical world, Peter Jones reveals how it is the power, scope and fascination of their ideas that makes the Ancient Greeks and Romans so important and influential today. For over 2,000 years these ideas have gripped Western imagination and been instrumental in the way we think about the world. Covering everything from philosophy, history and architecture to language and grammar, Jones uncovers their astonishing intellectual, political and literary achievements.
First published twenty years ago, this fully updated and revised edition is a must-read for anyone who wishes to know more about the classics - and where they came from.
Trade ReviewWell-argued and engaging * Mary Beard, TLS *
If this book doesn't encourage a rebirth in interest in the Classics, nothing will. * Contemporary Review *
Fascinating... It is learned but an easy read, a rare combination. * Christopher Howse, Daily Telegraph on Memento Mori *
An often amusing, always illuminating, guide which offers an intriguing vantage point at which to examine Roman life. * All About History on Memento Mori *
Table of Contents0: Introduction 1: Classical Connections: 700 bc to ad 500 2: The Survival of Ancient Literature 3: Excavating the Past: Ephesus and the Temple of Artemis 4: Democracy's Brief Day 5: Men on Women 6: Emperor and Empire 7: The City of Lepcis Magna 8: The English Vocabulary 9: The Language of Grammar 10: Stoics and Epicureans 11: Breaking the Ancient Stranglehold
