Culture of Freedom

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Culture of Freedom

Ancient Greece and the Origins of Europe

European history Ancient history Ancient history Social and cultural history Archaeology Philosophy Cultural studies

Author: Christian Meier

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Language: English

Published by: OUP Oxford

Published on: 22nd September 2011

Format: LCP-protected ePub

Size: 18 Mb

ISBN: 9780191652400


Historians and President of the German Academy for Language and Literature

In Darmstadt and in 2003 received the 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.

Connecting Thread

Running as a connecting thread throughout is a people's attempt to create a society based upon 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.

Legacy of Greek Society

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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