The Long Shadow of Antiquity: What Have the Greeks and Romans Done for Us?

Aus der Bibliothek von Prof. Wolfgang Haase, langj�igem Herausgeber der ANRW und des International Journal of the Classical Tradition (IJCT) / From the library of Prof. Wolfgang Haase, long-time editor of ANRW and the International Journal of the Classical Tradition (IJCT). - Leichte Abnutzung, sehr gutes Exemplar / Light wear, very good copy. - Why, in the 21st century, should we still care about the ancient world? This book provides an answer by revealing the myriad and often surprising ways in which our modern world has been fundamentally shaped by the ancient Greeks and Romans. The profound contributions of antiquity to architecture, government, literature, and law are widely acknowledged, and this book clearly and entertainingly explores all of these topics, but it also shows how we still walk in the footsteps of the ancients in our everyday activities. From the rituals we observe when we get married, to how we exercise at the gym and view our bodies, to the calendar we use to measure time, we are merely imitating and repeating the actions of our distant ancestors. Celebrity athletes, fashion trends, superstitions, and tourist hot spots�the classical world had them all. Often the phrase �That�s just ancient history� is used to dismiss something as being irrelevant and beneath consideration. This book challenges this assumption of irrelevance by vividly demonstrating just how much the civilizations of ancient Greece and Rome have influenced and shaped our world today in ways both large and small. ISBN 9781441162472