Roots of ancient Greek civilization : the influence of old Europe / Harald Haarmann.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Haarmann, Harald, author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Bronze age--Europe.

Bronze age.

Culture--Origin.

Culture.

Social evolution.

Greece--Civilization--To 146 B.C.

Greece.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (247 p.)

Place of Publication:

Jefferson, North Carolina : McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers, 2014.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

Contrary to a prevalent belief of the Western world, that democracy, agriculture, theater and the arts were the attainments of Classical Greek civilization, these were actually a Bronze Age fusion of earlier European concepts and Hellenic ingenuity. This work considers both the multicultural wellspring from which these ideas flowed and their ready assimilation by the Greeks, who embraced these hallmarks of civilization, and refined them to the level of sophistication that defines classical antiquity.

Contents:

Cover; Table of Contents; Introduction. Athens: Cradle of Democracy?; 1. European Tradition Versus Afrocentrism: The Reality Behind the Myth of "Black Athena"; 2. What the Greeks Learned from Their Predecessors: Wine and Olive Cultivation, Pottery and Metallurgy; 3. Greek Immigrants and Native Europeans in Southeastern Europe: Contact of Cultures, Fusion of Languages and Ways to Remember the Past; 4. Seafaring, Trade and Commerce: Trade Networks in the Early Greek World; 5. Ingredients of Pan-Hellenic Identity: Sacred Places, Rituals and Festivities

6. Pre-Greek Origins of the Arts: The Muses and Their Doings from Old Europe to Classical Antiquity7. Old European Bases of Social Egalitarianism in Greek Society: Social Networking and the Making of Democratic Governance; Epilogue. The Long Trail of Old Europe and Its Aftermath in Western Civilization; Bibliography; Index

Notes:

Description based upon print version of record.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Description based on print version record.

ISBN:

1-4766-1589-6