Synopsis
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 society took a wrong turn? And in what ways is modern society different? Western history is split into two discontinuous eras, Aldo Schiavone tells us: the ancient world was fundamentally different from the modern one. He locates the essential difference in a series of economic factors: a slave-based economy, relative lack of mechanization and technology, the dominance of agriculture over urban industry. Also crucial are aspects of the ancient mentality: disdain for manual work, a preference for transcending (rather than transforming) nature, a basic belief in the permanence of limits. 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.
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About the Author
Aldo Schiavone founded the Istituto Italiano di Scienze Umane, where he was Professor of Roman Law. He is the principal investigator of a European Research Council Project on Roman legal thought, a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and the author of books including The End of the Past, The Invention of Law in the West, Spartacus, What Is Progress, and Pontius Pilate.
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The End of the Past: Ancient Rome and the Modern West (Revealing Antiquity)
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Paperback. Condition: As New. The End of the Past ? Ancient Rome and the Modern West Aldoâ Schiavone ? Harvard University Press (2002) Crappy Old Books proudly presents this gritty, intellectual classic: a relentless, provocative dive into why ancient Rome really fell?and why its collapse still echoes in our world today. Instead of blaming "barbarians" or "Christianity," Schiavone, a top-tier Italian legal historian, argues that Rome collapsed from within ?strangled by its own institutions and economic system. He traces the rot to: A slave-based economy that crushed technological progress and disdained manual labor . Institutional paralysis , with the Empire ultimately unable to adapt beyond its midâ'2nd-century peak . A psychological and cultural rift between antiquity and modernity: a break so profound it rewrote the West?s future . With scholarly flair and no-nonsense clarity, Schiavone asks: Why didn?t Rome evolve into something resembling modern Europe? What made the rupture between the ancient and the modern so deep and irreparable? Clear-eyed, combative, and filled with bold claims, The End of the Past is essential reading for those who want history to take them somewhere uncomfortable?and come back changed. Why Crappy Old Books loves it We appreciate books that rattle the dusty foundations of accepted narratives?and this one does so with class. It?s a cerebral challenge wrapped in slick academic prose. No fluff, no fairy tales?just a fierce interrogation of civilization itself. Get ready to: Rethink the Roman slavers? economy not just as a moral failure, but as a systemic block to innovation. Reconsider the ?Fall? as not just decline, but the end of an era?one that left modernity?s door wide open. Encounter deep analyses of labor, law, culture, and the steam engine that never was. If you?re into history that doesn?t settle for clichés, The End of the Past will knock your toga off. Available now from Crappy Old Books?though don?t let the name fool you. Some old books are worth keeping. Like new condition. . Seller Inventory # 3922
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End of the Past : Ancient Rome and the Modern West
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