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

by Gregory S. Aldrete, Alicia Aldrete

Democracy? Mathematics? The Calendar? Hospitals? This book is an enlightening look at the myriad ways that the civilizations of ancient Greece and Rome have fundamentally influenced and shaped our modern world. Familiar institutions, rituals, and aspects of everyday modern life are examined to reveal their often surprising classical roots, while the authors explore a selection of the innovations of ancient Greek and Roman civilization to trace how these have developed through history and still affect the world of the twenty-first century. The style is fast-paced and, while drawing on authoritative and current scholarship, the factual information is enlivened with anecdotal details. This book will open the reader's eyes to a new understanding of the world that we live in today.

Genres: History, Classical Studies, Nonfiction, Greece

384 pages, Hardcover

First published June 14, 2012

Reviews

[Charles Dusenbury · Rating 5 out of 5]

Past and Present; Indivisible

Very readable. The "past" is made to feel present, in that many aspects of our own contemporary daily lives were very similar and recognizable in ancient Greece and Rome, such as food recipes, socializing, apartments, and coinage. The reader feels a sense of being a participant with all those others of the "past."

[Roy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very thorough and comprehensive. Learned a lot. Didn’t give it higher rating because I enjoy histories and historical novels more than lists and summaries.

[Nathan Nadeau · Rating 4 out of 5]

Decent, I like Aldrete and his courses; this is good for the lay reader