The Classical World: An Epic History from Homer to Hadrian

The Classical World: An Epic History from Homer to Hadrian

by Robin Lane Fox
The Classical World: An Epic History from Homer to Hadrian

The Classical World: An Epic History from Homer to Hadrian

by Robin Lane Fox

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Overview

The classical civilizations of Greece and Rome once dominated the world, and they continue to fascinate and inspire us. Classical art and architecture, drama and epic, philosophy and politics — these are the foundations of Western civilization. In The Classical World, eminent classicist Robin Lane Fox brilliantly chronicles this vast sweep of history from Homer to the reign of Augustus. From the Peloponnesian War through the creation of Athenian democracy, from the turbulent empire of Alexander the Great to the creation of the Roman Empire and the emergence of Christianity, Robin Lane Fox serves as our witty and trenchant guide. He introduces us to extraordinary heroes and horrific villains, great thinkers and blood-thirsty tyrants. Throughout this vivid tour of two of the greatest civilizations the world has ever known, we remain in the hands of a great master.

Product Details

ISBN-13: 9780465024971
Publisher: Basic Books
Publication date: 04/08/2008
Pages: 672
Sales rank: 87,866
Product dimensions: 6.00(w) x 9.25(h) x 1.88(d)

About the Author

Robin Lane Fox is an emeritus fellow at New College, Oxford. He's the author of many books on ancient and classical history, including Augustine, Alexander the Great, and The Classical World, which was named one of the Top Ten Nonfiction Books of 2006 by the Washington Post Book World. He lives in Oxford, England.

Table of Contents

List of Maps     xiii
Preface     xv
Hadrian and the Classical World     1
The Archaic Greek World
Homeric Epic     13
The Greeks' Settlements     23
Aristocrats     35
The Immortal Gods     47
Tyrants and Lawgivers     55
Sparta     65
The Eastern Greeks     75
Towards Democracy     83
The Persian Wars     93
The Western Greeks     104
The Classical Greek World
Conquest and Empire     117
A Changing Greek Cultural World     128
Pericles and Athens     142
The Peloponnesian War     150
Socrates     160
Fighting for Freedom and Justice     166
Women and Children     176
Philip of Macedon     184
The Two Philosophers     194
Fourth-Century Athenians     205
Hellenistic Worlds
Alexander the Great     221
Alexander's Early Successors     233
Life in the Big Cities     245
Taxes and Technologies     256
The New World     266
Rome Reaches Out     275
The Peace of the Gods     288
Liberation in the South     295
Hannibal and Rome     302
Diplomacy and Dominance     311
The Roman Republic
Luxury and Licence     321
Turbulence at Home and Abroad     330
Pompey's Triumphs     341
The World of Cicero     351
The Rise of Julius Caesar     361
The Spectre of Civil War     370
The Fatal Dictator     382
Liberation Betrayed     395
From Republic to Empire
Antony and Cleopatra     407
The Making of the Emperor     418
Morals and Society     426
Spectator Sports     437
The Roman Army     447
The New Age     456
An Imperial World
The Julio-Claudians     471
Ruling the Provinces     484
Effects of Empire     494
Christianity and Roman Rule     507
Surviving Four Emperors     514
The New Dynasty     520
The Last Days of Pompeii     529
A New Man in Action     541
A Pagan and Christians     547
Regime Change, Home and Away     555
Presenting the Past     563
Hadrian: A Retrospective      570
Notes     581
Select Bibliography     605
Commentary on the Illustrations     631
Index     641

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