The business of politics - the vital process of conducting government through the dynamics of argument, conflict and decision-making - offers us one of the most revealing areas of insight into any society. Sir Moses Finley's exploration of politics in the city states of Greece and republican Rome yields insights into the arenas of political debate which have made a major impact on our understanding of the ancient world. The early political involvement of the free lower classes, the effect of war and conquest on political stability, and the ideological pressures which influenced the course of internal conflicts are salient themes in this stimulating investigation of the nature of government in Greece and Rome.
Essential passages from the works of four "fathers of history"?Herodotus's History, Thucydides' History of the Peloponnesian War, Xenophon's Anabasis, and Polybius's Histories.
Western democracy is now at a critical juncture. Some worry that power has been wrested from the people and placed in the hands of a small political elite. Others argue that the democratic system give
Western democracy is now at a critical juncture. Some worry that power has been wrested from the people and placed in the hands of a small political elite. Others argue that the democratic system give
The empires of Greece and Rome, two of the very few genuine slave societies in history, formed the core of the ancient world, and they have much to teach the student of recent slave systems. This volu
The World of Odysseus is a concise and penetrating account of the society that gave birth to the Iliad and the Odyssey - a book that provides a vivid picture of the Greek Dark Ages, its men and women
"Technical progress, economic growth, productivity, even efficiency have not been significant goals since the beginning of time," declares M. I. Finley in his classic work. The states of the ancient M
A definitive survey of the Olympic Games, from 776 B.C. to A.D. 261. Readers are introduced, with absorbing detail, to the games' events and their historical, social, and religious context. The author
Written four hundred years before the birth of Christ, this detailed contemporary account of the struggle between Athens and Sparta stands an excellent chance of fulfilling the author's ambitious clai
