The end of the past : ancient Rome and the modern West
Author(s)
Bibliographic Information
The end of the past : ancient Rome and the modern West
（Revealing antiquity, 13）
Harvard University Press, 2002
- : pbk
- Other Title
-
La storia spezzata : Roma antica e Occidente moderno
Available at / 4 libraries
-
No Libraries matched.
- Remove all filters.
Note
"First Harvard University Press paperback edition, 2002"--T.p. verso
Originally published: Roma-Bari : Gius. Laterza e Figli, 1996
Includes bibliographical references (p. [213]-267) and index
Description and Table of Contents
Description
This searching interpretation of past and present addresses fundamental questions about the fall of the Roman Empire. Why did ancient culture, once so strong and rich, come to an end? Was it destroyed by weaknesses inherent in its nature? Or were mistakes made that could have been avoided-was there a point at which Greco-Roman society took a wrong turn? And in what ways is modern society different?
Western history is split into two discontinuous eras, Aldo Schiavone tells us: the ancient world was fundamentally different from the modern one. He locates the essential difference in a series of economic factors: a slave-based economy, relative lack of mechanization and technology, the dominance of agriculture over urban industry. Also crucial are aspects of the ancient mentality: disdain for manual work, a preference for transcending (rather than transforming) nature, a basic belief in the permanence of limits.
Schiavone's lively and provocative examination of the ancient world, "the eternal theater of history and power," offers a stimulating opportunity to view modern society in light of the experience of antiquity.
Table of Contents
Preface Introduction 1. A Golden Age 2. Why Not Then? 3. The Hidden Form 4. Optical Effects 5. The Rhythms of the Economy 6. Dual Equilibria 7. The Roman Miracle and Imperial Rationality 8. Nobles and Merchants 9. Slaves, Nature, Machines 10. Ancient and Modern Work: Three Philosophers 11. A Blind Alley between Economics and Politics 12. How History Works Notes Index
by "Nielsen BookData"
