Panorama of the Classical World

Here is a new and imaginative approach to the era in which Western civilization was born. "Panorama of the Classical World is a thorough-and thoroughly accessible--synthesis of the Greek, Roman, and Etruscan worlds, spanning the period from Late Geometric Greece (ca. 700 B.C) to the rule of Constantine (early 4th century A.D.). In ten thematically oriented chapters, the authors incorporate the most important developments in recent scholarship, including ideas of gender, erotics, war and pacifism, imperialism and dissent, political propaganda, economy, cultural identity, racism, hygiene and diet, and the public and private uses of space. The many illustrations, selected for their geographical and chronological diversity, range from the iconic to those never before published. The book also highlights the modern relevance of classical antiquity, from its influence on contemporary politics to the representation of the female body in Western art. The final chapter chronicles, and beautifully illustrates, the posthumous history of classical civilization, and the reference section includes biographies, an introduction to classical mythology, a glossary of technical terms and vase shapes, timeline, map, bibliography, and index.