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The End of the Past : Ancient Rome and the Modern West (Revealing Antiquity)
The End of the Past Ancient Rome and the Modern West - Revealing Antiquity Author:Aldo Schiavone This searching interpretation of past and present addresses fundamental questions about the fall of the Roman Empire. Why did ancient culture, once so strong and rich, come to an end? Was it destroyed by weaknesses inherent in its nature? Or were mistakes made that could have been avoided—was there a point at which Greco-Roman ... more »society took a wrong turn? And in what ways is modern society different? Schiavone's lively and provocative examination of the ancient world, "the eternal theater of history and power," offers a stimulating opportunity to view modern society in light of the experience of antiquity. "Why did the Roman Empire decline and fall instead of developing into some version of the world as we know it? This is the question Aldo Schiavone … asks, and answers, in this fascinating book … Schiavone argues in prose both readable and learned." —Paul Mattick, New York Times "Full of brilliant flashes of perceptive insight … The tour de force of the book is Chapter IX, a brilliant exposé of the 'mentality' (if we are still allowed to use the word) of classical society … Schiavone's book will doubtless become compulsory reading in universities for this chapter alone." —C. R. Whittaker, Athenaeum« less