Sailing the Wine-Dark Sea : Why the Greeks Matter
by Cahill, Thomas
- Used
- Hardcover
- first
- Condition
- Fine condition/Fine dust jacket
- ISBN 10
- 0385495536
- ISBN 13
- 9780385495530
- Seller
-
Henderson, Nevada, United States
Payment Methods Accepted
About This Item
Synopsis
In the fourth volume of the acclaimed Hinges of History series, Thomas Cahill brings his characteristic wit and style to a fascinating tour of ancient Greece. The Greeks invented everything from Western warfare to mystical prayer, from logic to statecraft. Many of their achievements, particularly in art and philosophy, are widely celebrated; other important innovations and accomplishments, however, are unknown or underappreciated. In Sailing the Wine-Dark Sea, Thomas Cahill explores the legacy, good and bad, of the ancient Greeks. From the origins of Greek culture in the migrations of armed Indo-European tribes into Attica and the Peloponnesian peninsula, to the formation of the city-states, to the birth of Western literature, poetry, drama, philosophy, art, and architecture, Cahill makes the distant past relevant to the present. Greek society is one of the two primeval influences on the Western world: While Jews gave us our value system, the Greeks set the foundation and framework for our intellectual lives. They are responsible for our vocabulary, our logic, and our entire system of categorization. They provided the intellectual tools we bring to bear on problems in philosophy, mathematics, medicine, physics, and the other sciences. Their modes of thinking, considered in classical times to be the pinnacle of human achievement, are largely responsible for the shape that the Christian religion took. But, as Cahill points out, the Greeks left a less appealing bequest as well. They created Western militarism and, in making the warrior the ultimate ideal, perpetrated the assumption that only males could be entrusted with the duties of citizenship. The consequences of their exclusion of women from the political sphere and the social segregation of the sexes continue to reverberate today. Full of surprising, often controversial, insights, Sailing the Wine-Dark Sea is a remarkable intellectual adventure--conducted by the most companionable guide imaginable. Cahill's knowledge of his sources is so intimate that he has made his own fresh translations of the Greek lyric poets for this volume.From the Hardcover edition.
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Details
- Bookseller
- About Books (US)
- Bookseller's Inventory #
- 002967
- Title
- Sailing the Wine-Dark Sea : Why the Greeks Matter
- Author
- Cahill, Thomas
- Format/Binding
- Hardcover
- Book Condition
- Used - Fine condition
- Jacket Condition
- Fine dust jacket
- Edition
- First Printing of the First Edition
- ISBN 10
- 0385495536
- ISBN 13
- 9780385495530
- Publisher
- Nan A. Talese/ Doubleday
- Place of Publication
- New York
- Date Published
- 2003
- Size
- 8vo. xiv, 305pp
- Bookseller catalogs
- Poetry / Poets;
Terms of Sale
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Please add 8.375% sales tax for any order sent to a Nevada address (unless you have provided an official resale or tax exemption certificate). All items are guaranteed as described. We take pride in our book descriptions. Every item is meticulously examined so that condition and edition are listed as accurately as possible. We strive to provide pertinent bibliographical details. In addition, our listings frequently include content summaries, details on provenance, and/or biographical notes on the author. Our descriptions are protected by copyright, and unauthorized use is strictly prohibited. Violators will be prosecuted. We always take the time necessary to carefully package your order so that it arrives safely and securely. Shipping cost estimates are based on an average size book and are intended to cover only our actual expenses. If your order includes multiple volumes, oversize, heavy, or valuable items, we may contact you to request authorization for additional postage. RETURNS: If not as described, your order is returnable within 10 days of receipt. Prior notice is requested and appreciated. Returns must be securely packaged and arrive here safely. A full refund will be issued if the return is attributable to a mistake on our part; otherwise shipping costs are not refundable.
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- First Edition
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