version: unabridged
format: mp3
bitrate: 48 kbps
runtime: 27:40:56
read by: Alexander Adams
Book Description
2nd in the Civilization series - Re-creates Greek civilization from the prehistoric culture of Crete to the Roman conquest.
II. The Life of Greece (1939)
This volume covers Ancient Greece.
1. Aegean Prelude: 3500-1000 BC
Crete
Before Agamemnon
The Heroic Age
2. The Rise of Greece: 1000-480 BC
Sparta
Athens
The Great Migration
The Greeks in the West
The Gods of Greece
The Common Culture of Early Greece
The Struggle for Freedom
"The realization of self-government was something new in the world; life without kings had not yet been dared by any great society. Out of this proud sense of independence, individual and collective, came a powerful stimulus to every enterprise of the Greeks; it was their liberty that inspired them to incredible accomplishments in arts and letters, in science and philosophy." (p.233)
3. The Golden Age: 480-399 BC
Pericles and the Democratic Experiment
Work and Wealth in Athens
The Morals and Manners of the Athenians
The Art of Periclean Greece
The Advancement of Learning
The Conflict of Philosophy and Religion
The Literature of the Golden Age
The Suicide of Greece
"As surprising as anything else in this civilization is the fact that it was brilliant without the aid or stimulus of women." (p.305)
4. The Decline and Fall of Greek Freedom: 399-322 BC
Philip
Letters and Arts in the Fourth Century
The Zenith of Philosophy
Alexander
"The class war had turned democracy into a contest in legislative looting." (p.554)
5. The Hellenistic Dispersion: 322-146 BC
Greece and Macedonia
Hellenism and the Orient
Egypt and the West
Books
The Art of the Dispersion
The Climax of Greek Science
The Surrender of Philosophy
The Coming of Rome
”We have tried to show that the essential cause of the Roman conquest of Greece was the disintegration of Greek civilization from within. No great nation is ever conquered until it has destroyed itself.” (p.659)
Epilogue: Our Greek Heritage
About the author
William James Durant (November 5, 1885 November 7, 1981) was an American philosopher, historian, and writer. He is best known for his authorship and co-authorship with his wife Ariel Durant of The Story of Civilization.
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