A Day in Old Athens

A Day in Old Athens PDF Author: William Stearns Davis
Publisher: CreateSpace
ISBN: 9781515245667
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 198

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Book Description
ANCIENT GREEK LIFE - A Day in Old Athens - A Picture of Athenian Life - By William Stearns Davis - This little book tries to describe what an intelligent person would see and hear in ancient Athens, if by some legerdemain he were translated to the fourth century B.C. and conducted about the city under competent guidance. Rare happenings have been omitted and sometimes, to avoid long explanations, PROBABLE matters have been stated as if they were ascertained facts; but these instances are few, and it is hoped no reader will be led into serious error. The year 360 B.C. has been selected for the hypothetical time of this visit, not because of any special virtue in that date, but because Athens was then architecturally almost perfect, her civic and her social life seemed at their best, the democratic constitution held its vigor, and there were few outward signs of the general decadence which was to set in after the triumph of Macedon. I have endeavored to state no facts and to make no allusions, that will not be fairly obvious to a reader who has merely an elementary knowledge of Greek annals, such information, for instance, as may be gained through a good secondary school history of ancient times. This naturally has led to comments and descriptions which more advanced students may find superfluous.

A Day in Old Athens

A Day in Old Athens PDF Author: William Stearns Davis
Publisher: CreateSpace
ISBN: 9781515245667
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 198

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Book Description
ANCIENT GREEK LIFE - A Day in Old Athens - A Picture of Athenian Life - By William Stearns Davis - This little book tries to describe what an intelligent person would see and hear in ancient Athens, if by some legerdemain he were translated to the fourth century B.C. and conducted about the city under competent guidance. Rare happenings have been omitted and sometimes, to avoid long explanations, PROBABLE matters have been stated as if they were ascertained facts; but these instances are few, and it is hoped no reader will be led into serious error. The year 360 B.C. has been selected for the hypothetical time of this visit, not because of any special virtue in that date, but because Athens was then architecturally almost perfect, her civic and her social life seemed at their best, the democratic constitution held its vigor, and there were few outward signs of the general decadence which was to set in after the triumph of Macedon. I have endeavored to state no facts and to make no allusions, that will not be fairly obvious to a reader who has merely an elementary knowledge of Greek annals, such information, for instance, as may be gained through a good secondary school history of ancient times. This naturally has led to comments and descriptions which more advanced students may find superfluous.

A DAY in ANCIENT ATHENS by WILLIAM STEARNS DAVIS

A DAY in ANCIENT ATHENS by WILLIAM STEARNS DAVIS PDF Author: William Stearns Davis
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781545166529
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 114

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Book Description
1. The Importance of Athens in Greek History.-To three ancient nations the men of the twentieth century owe an incalculable debt. To the Jews we owe most of our notions of religion; to the Romans we owe traditions and examples in law, administration, and the general management of human affairs which still keep their influence and value; and finally, to the Greeks we owe nearly all our ideas as to the fundamentals of art, literature, and philosophy, in fact, of almost the whole of our intellectual life. These Greeks, however, our histories promptly teach us, did not form a single unified nation. They lived in many "city-states" of more or less importance, and some of the largest of these contributed very little directly to our civilization. Sparta, for example, has left us some noble lessons in simple living and devoted patriotism, but hardly a single great poet, and certainly never a philosopher or sculptor. When we examine closely, we see that the civilized life of Greece, during the centuries when she was accomplishing the most, was peculiarly centered at Athens. Without Athens, Greek history would lose three quarters of its significance, and modern life and thought would become infinitely the poorer.2. Why the Social Life of Athens is so Significant.-Because, then, the contributions of Athens to our own life are so important, because they touch (as a Greek would say) upon almost every side of "the true, the beautiful, and the good," it is obvious that the outward conditions under which this Athenian genius developed deserve our respectful attention. For assuredly such personages as Sophocles, Plato, and Phidias were not isolated creatures, who developed their genius apart from, or in spite of, the life about them, but rather were the ripe products of a society, which in its excellences and weaknesses presents some of the most interesting pictures and examples in the world. To understand the Athenian civilization and genius it is not enough to know the outward history of the times, the wars, the laws, and the lawmakers. We must see Athens as the average man saw it and lived in it from day to day, and THEN perhaps we can partially understand how it was that during the brief but wonderful era of Athenian freedom and prosperity1, Athens was able to produce so many men of commanding genius as to win for her a place in the history of civilization which she can never lose.3. The Small Size and Sterility of Attica.-Attica was a very small country according to modern notions, and Athens the only large city therein. The land barely covered some 700 square miles, with 40 square miles more, if one includes the dependent island of Salamis. It was thus far smaller than the smallest of our American "states" (Rhode Island = 1250 square miles), and was not so large as many American counties. It was really a triangle of rocky, hill-scarred land thrust out into the �gean Sea, as if it were a sort of continuation of the more level district of Botia. Yet small as it was, the hills inclosing it to the west, the seas pressing it form the northeast and south, gave it a unity and isolation all its own. Attica was not an island; but it could be invaded only by sea, or by forcing the resistance which could be offered at the steep mountain passes towards Botia or Megara. Attica was thus distinctly separated from the rest of Greece. Legends told how, when the half-savage Dorians had forced themselves southward over the mainland, they had never penetrated into Attica; and the Athenians later prided themselves upon being no colonists from afar, but upon being "earth-sprung,"-natives of the soil which they and their twenty-times grandfathers had held before them.This triangle of Attica had its peculiar shortcomings and virtues. It was for the most part stony and unfertile. Only a shallow layer of good soil covered a part of its hard foundation rock, which often in turn lay bare on the surface.

A Day in Old Athens

A Day in Old Athens PDF Author: William Stearns Davis
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Athens
Languages : en
Pages : 270

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A Day in Old Athens; a Picture of Athenian Life

A Day in Old Athens; a Picture of Athenian Life PDF Author: William Stearns Davis
Publisher: BoD – Books on Demand
ISBN: 3368334891
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 305

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Book Description
Reproduction of the original.

A Day in Old Athens

A Day in Old Athens PDF Author: William Stearns Davis
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Athens (Greece)
Languages : en
Pages : 272

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A Day in Old Athens; a Picture of Athenian Life

A Day in Old Athens; a Picture of Athenian Life PDF Author: William Stearns Davis
Publisher: Tredition Classics
ISBN: 9783849172664
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 228

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Book Description
This book is part of the TREDITION CLASSICS. It contains classical literature works from over two thousand years. Most of these titles have been out of print and off the bookstore shelves for decades. The book series is intended to preserve the cultural legacy and to promote the timeless works of classical literature. Readers of a TREDITION CLASSICS book support the mission to save many of the amazing works of world literature from oblivion. With this series, tredition intends to make thousands of international literature classics available in printed format again - worldwide.

A Seven Year Cycle Reading Plan

A Seven Year Cycle Reading Plan PDF Author: C.S. Fairfax
Publisher: Lulu.com
ISBN: 1387592769
Category : Reference
Languages : en
Pages : 264

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Book Description
Read through time, enjoying the good, the better, and the best books from each of the seven eras below: Year 1: Ancient History to 476 A.D. Year 2: The Middle Ages, 477 to 1485 A.D. Year 3: The Age of Discovery, 1485-1763 A.D. Year 4: The Age of Revolution, 1764-1848 A.D. Year 5: The Age of Empire, 1849-1914 A.D. Year 6: The American Century, 1915-1995 A.D. Year 7: The Information Age, 1996- Present Day At the end of seven years, repeat! A Seven Year Cycle Reading Plan is a booklist compiled of hundreds of books from each era in history organized into categories of interest. This volume also includes copious room for you to add your own favorite titles!

Greece and the East

Greece and the East PDF Author: William Stearns Davis
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Greece
Languages : en
Pages : 422

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Scribner's Handbook of Travel

Scribner's Handbook of Travel PDF Author:
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Travel
Languages : en
Pages : 146

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A Day In Old Rome

A Day In Old Rome PDF Author: William Stearns Davis
Publisher: Legare Street Press
ISBN: 9781015610057
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in the "public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.