Ancient Greece is one of the vital wellsprings of Western civilisation. It has refreshed and transformed our architecture, our drama, our literature, our art, our philosophy and our politics. 'Ancient Greece: Life, Myth And Art' is a richly illustrated guide to this illustrious heritage and to its roots in the beliefs, rituals and artistic achievements of an extraordinary culture.
The book covers themes that have long inspired the Western imagination, including: myths of the gods such as
Zeus and Aphrodite who intervened in human affairs; the voyages and conflicts of the heroes, from Herakles to Odysseus; the many-columned temples that studded the Greek empire from Athens to Sicily and Asia Minor; the Dionysiac rites of revelry and inebriation; the Eleusinian mysteries, so secret that even today we can only speculate about what they involved; major sites such as the Akropolis and the complex formed around the oracle at Delphi; and the original Olympic games.
This was a society whose superb achievements in art, architecture and literature formed the backbone of Western education for centuries. In the political realm, too, the Greeks developed democracy and inspired many later ideas about citizenship, national identity and the rule of law.
This book takes us one step closer to the many imaginative achievements of this wonderfully creative civilisation.
