This is the perfect primer for anyone interested in the foundation of Western thought and a unique companion for visitors to Greek and Roman sites. John Gaskin unfolds the thinking about nature, life, death and other worlds that informed the culture and society of the classical world still visible in todays cityscapes and archaeological sites and draws out its relevance and interest for the modern reader. The author associates each philosopher and his ideas with a particular tourist destination, and a gazetteer describes the sites and notes the people and ideas connected with them.

Professor John Gaskin

GASKIN JOHN

Thames & Hudson, Limited

Hansjorg Mayer

United Kingdom and Ireland, United Kingdom

London, 2019

PS, 2019

In this clear and evocative account, John Gaskin unfolds the thinking about nature, life, death and other worlds that informed the culture and society of the Classical world, drawing out its interest for modern readers. Witty sketches and diagrams enliven the story, which runs from Homeric Greece to the banning of pagan religions in ad 391. The book concludes with a gazetteer describing notable sites and the people and ideas connected with them, making it an ideal companion for visitors to Classical ruins and for all armchair travellers curious to explore lifes big questions.
Table of Contents
Part I The Idea of What the Greeks Created : 1. The Scheme of Things Entire 2. The Idea of Hellenism 3. Wine, Sex and the Symposium 4. Festivals, Entertainments and Meetings 5. Gods, Feasts and Safe Deposits Part II The Ideal of Homer and the Ideas of the Philosophers : 1. The Legend and the Book 2. The Book and the Ideals 3. The Nature of the Universe 4 Ionia and Western Laws, Numbers and Reality 5. Socrates, Plato and Other Worlds 6. Aristotle and this Nature, Life and Ethics 7. The Garden and the Wilderness 8. Duty and the Laws of Nature 9. The Last Protest 10. The End of Classical Antiquity Part III Cities and A Gazetteer

2024-11-05