Title: Freedom in the ancient world.
Authors: Muller, Herbert Joseph, 1905-
Publisher: Harper
Year: 1961
Subjects: Liberty.; History, Ancient.; Civilization, Ancient.
Abstract: Muller follows the evolution of the concept of freedom from neolithic times through the Minoans, Persians Phoenicians, Hebrews, Greeks, and Romans to the early Christian break with the classical world.
Contents: The beginnings. The evolution of man ; The Neolithic revolution ; The rise of civilization -- The early civilizations. The basic mentality ; The basic pattern of the sacred monarchy ; The effects on creativity -- The spread of civilization. The ways and means of diffusion ; The Minoan civilization ; The coming of the "Aryans" ; The growth of empire -- The ferment of the first millennium B.C. The Iron Age ; The Persian empire ; The Phoenicians ; The "axial period" -- The uniqueness of Israel. The early history of the Hebrews ; The unique ideals ; The issues of freedom ; The later history of the Jews -- The uniqueness of Greece. The birth of freedom ; Homer : the distinctive mentality ; The polis and its culture ; The golden age of Athens -- The failure of classical Greece. The immediate causes ; Interlude : the deeper issues ; The response of the philosophers : Plato and Aristotle -- The Hellenistic aftermath. The creative achievements ; The losses in freedom -- The Roman empire. Myth and reality ; The rise and fall of the republic ; The grandeur of the empire ; The decline and fall ; The relation to freedom -- The triumph of Christianity. The basic ambiguities ; The break with the classical world ; The indebtedness to classical culture ; The costs of success ; Epitome : City of God -- Epilogue : the Byzantine empire.