SALE Why the Ancient Greeks Matter

Quantity

This book is unused and unread. It has some cosmetic imperfections such as scuffing or tearing. Its dust jacket might be torn slightly. It's also stamped 'damaged'.

No further discounts. 

The ancient Greeks were exceptional and they were consequential. This innovative, engrossingly written book addresses head-on the problematic question of the Greek Miracle. It will appeal to anyone interested in the ancient world and its modern meaning. Reviel Netz boldly argues that the traditional understanding of the Greek legacy as a store of timeless values is false to the Greek literary canon itself. The latter is in fact made up of contradictory texts, sharing no common core of beliefs. This is precisely, for the author, the canon's significance: by presenting a system of works-in-polemic, it created a template for a culture of open debate, leading all the way down to modern civil society. The most lasting result of this practice of open discourse was in science, where Greek disputations paved the way for an autonomous scientific culture and opened the door both to the scientific revolution and the modern world.

• An authoritative yet riveting exploration of the true place of ancient Greece in world history
• Argues for the uniquely consequential contribution of the Greeks, not as a resource for 'timeless values' but as the starting point of a continuing process of change
• Reviel Netz is one of the outstanding interpreters of ancient Greek science and culture, and many of his previous books have been prize winners