Vox Populi Everything You Ever Wanted to Know about the Classical World but Were Afraid to Ask

by Jones, Peter

• ISBN13: 9781786498946
• ISBN10: 1786498944
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2021-02-01
• Publisher: Atlantic Books

Summary

In this compelling tour of the classical world, Peter Jones reveals how it is the power, scope and fascination of their ideas that makes the Ancient Greeks and Romans so important and influential today. For over 2,000 years these ideas have gripped Western imagination and been instrumental in the way we think about the world. Covering everything from philosophy, history and architecture to language and grammar, Jones uncovers their astonishing intellectual, political and literary achievements. First published 20 years ago, this fully updated and revised edition is a must-read for anyone who wishes to know more about the classics—and where they came from.

Author Biography

Peter Jones taught Classics at Cambridge and at Newcastle University, before retiring in 1997. He has written a regular column, "Ancient & Modern," in the Spectator for many years and is the author of various books on the Classics, including Learn Latin and Learn Ancient Greek, as well as Veni, Vidi, Vici,Eureka! and Quid Pro Quo.

Table of Contents

CONTENTS
Preface vii
Maps viii–xi
Timeline xii
Introduction 1
1 Classical Connections: 700 bc to ad 500 14
2 The Survival of Ancient Literature 44
3 Excavating the Past: Ephesus and the Temple of Artemis 78
4 Democracy’s Brief Day 108
5 Men on Women 137
6 Emperor and Empire 164
7 The City of Lepcis Magna 188
8 The English Vocabulary 197
9 The Language of Grammar 213
10 Stoics and Epicureans 237
11 Breaking the Ancient Stranglehold 263
Appendix: The Pronunciation of Latin 279
Further Reading 285
Index 291