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This book, edited by Dionisis Fotopoulos with texts by Angelos Delivorrias, constitutes a journey in pictures to the Greece of the Benaki Museum. The rich illustrations in the book show a large part of the wealth of the Museum s collections, while the informative accompanying texts give the reader-viewer a better idea of the history and multifarious creations of the Greek world, from prehistory to the 20th century. ... Read more

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Volume 1 of this comprehensive social history of art takes the reader from prehistoric naturalism, art and magic, through the art of the orient, ancient Greece and Rome to the high art of the European middle ages. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

After Reading This You Do Not Need A Liberal Arts Education
Well, that is almost the case.In this four volume set, Hauser accomplishes a concise but sweeping survey of art and society from the Neolithic Age through mid-twentieth century film and the dadaist movement. The references do require some basic familiarity with the literary,artistic, and musical titans, but not expertise.And a reader armed withsuch a basic familiarity quickly realizes that Hauser succeeds admirably inuntangling the complex relationships between the political, social, andreligious elements of a culture and artists of genius.After the initialpublication of the series, Thomas Mann commented that Hauser provides deepinsight into Shakespeare and Goethe.I would add that the same can be saidof Dante, Giotto, Beethoven, and a host of others.These volumes may havefallen out of print or may be hard to find, but they are well worth thesearch. ... Read more

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High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! Pierre Emmanuel Vidal-Naquet (July 23, 1930 ? July 29, 2006) was a French historian who began teaching at the École des hautes études en sciences sociales (EHESS) in 1969.Vidal-Naquet was a specialist in the study of Ancient Greece, but was also interested (and deeply involved) in contemporary history, particularly the Algerian War (1954-62), during which he opposed the use of torture by the French Army, as well as Jewish history. Having participated with Michel Foucault and Jean-Marie Domenach in the founding of the Groupe d'information sur les prisons (GIP), one of the first French new social movements, he criticized historical revisionism. Vidal-Naquet, who never abandoned his fascination with Antiquity, was also a supporter of Middle East peace efforts. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Why is this out of print?!
This is a wonderfully entertaining mix of literary criticism, social history, and much much more. If you have ever wondered how the famously prudish Victorians could revere obscene and violent works of ancient literature, or how they could live in mummy-like clothing while sharing their drawing rooms with nude classically-inspired statues, you may find some answers here. I found this book in a second hand store about twenty years ago, and have read and re-read it many times. I have learned more about English literature, classical art, and literary style from this book than I ever learned in many years of expensive education! It is a shame that this excellent book is out of print!

A fine study of upper class Victorian Hellenism
Richard Jenkyn's book is a thorough and unhurried exploration the influence of ancient Greece on Victorian society. Despite being a Fellow of Lady Margaret Hall of Oxford University (very classical), he succeeds in being even handed and has written an altogether fascinating book.
He sees a source of Victorian Hellenism in late 18th century romanticism with it's ideas of the "noble savage", shepherds and shepherdesses, the rural idyll etc. with ancient Greece fitting easily into this environment.

Of course, the rationalism and science of the 19th century industrial revolution was notably unromantic, setting up a tension that runs through the Victorian period, and which he illustrates so well. As he says, "...that scientific thought, hard remorseless and factual, was draining magic and fantasy out of the world." and he quotes from Peacock's essay, "The Four Ages of Poetry", "We know too well that there are no dryads in Hyde Park nor naiads in Regent's Canal. But barbaric manners and supernatural inventions are essential to poetry." So the modern poet (i.e. Victorian poet), ignoring the achievements of historians and philosophers, is merely "wallowing in the rubbish of departed ignorance."

Or to really turn things on their heads, he quotes Fitzgerald, "As I often think, it is not the poetical imagination, but bare Science that every day more and more unveils a greater Epic than the Iliad." Now perhaps the industrialist and scientists are the new Heroes?

In some respects he shows the Classics to be a refuge from the frantic change in Victorian society. The 19th century Mediterranean still retained it's timeless ancient landscapes of olive orchards and vineyards and offered a stark contrast to what was widely seen as the industrial ruination the British landscape and traditional life. A recurrent theme was to see late Victorian England as late Ancient Rome comparing unfavourably to a vital classical Greece. Somehow things had passed their best, the freshness of youth had gone and art had lost it's ancient purity. Both Ancient Rome and Victorian England were imperial, and the guardians of the empire were the classically educated British public school and Oxbridge elite. A classical education was undoubtedly a social advantage and it showed an allegiance to the autocratic, aristocratic, Platonic ideal of the philosopher kings and their administrations.

He shows that the new democratic, industrial and commercial world of the middle and lower classes, had little in common with their Hellenistic masters other than the uniform longing for a lost rural past. Dickens for example was a popular writer with no classical coolness (Jenkyns points out that his novels would not have been so good if they had) who hankered after earlier simpler pre-industrial times. Tolkien's hero Bilbo Baggins is not a hero in the classical mould, but is nonetheless a hero of a peculiarly understated, unassuming British type.

Jenkyns shows that the Germans didn't domesticate the Homeric model to such an extent and followed the idea more closely with the the "healthy, vigorous animalism" promoted by Nietszche, something that never quite fitted the stuffy restrictive Victorian atmosphere. They rather escaped into the exoticism of the aesthetes using a degraded classicism and orientalism as a cover for titillating art and fantasy writing.

Some writers could see value in the old and the new worlds. As he says, "Mill wanted to call the old world in to redress the balance of the new: classical literature should be studied he said, "not as being without faults, but as having contrary faults to those of our own day"; and conversely ancient states exhibited "precisely that order of virtues in which a commercial society is apt to be deficient." In other words, you need classicists to administer the democratic ideals of free speech, liberty and equality before the law.

It's interesting to think what Homer would have made of all this. He actually believed in immortals and demi-gods and unlike Gladstone didn't have to rationalise his belief with Christianity or an industrial revolution. ... Read more

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These "vignettes" describe the idiosyncrasies and charm of the modern Greek culture as seen through the eyes of an American woman married to a Greek man.Her vividly illustrated and often amusing vignettes chronicle her journey into the understanding and appreciation of Greece and the Greek people. This book was written with a fresh and descriptive style where the words bring to life the images of family, friends, lore and nature. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

My Short but Sweet Review
My professor for Modern Greek at Ohio State University required us to read this book, and I have to say it was thoroughly enjoyable and one of the best required texts I have ever read.I was not bothered at all by the minor grammatical mistakes and hardly noticed them for the most part, because I was so immersed in the stories the author presented.Melissa Orme-Marmarelis has inspired me so much, that I am taking an initiative to teach myself Modern Greek language, something I would have never considered or had an interest for if it wasn't for this book.

Moving, inspiring book about Greece and life
This book is one of those rare finds, a memoir that really makes you think deeply about the choices we make in life and the "other worlds" out there and paths not taken. The author's own life story is an inspiration. She's an engineering professor from UC Irvine who basically pulled up all American roots and moved with her husband and two young boys to Greece, her husband's native country.The book is a moving account of this huge change -- the difficulties of adjusting to a country where you don't speak the language, dealing with the challenges of everyday life in Athens (not the easiest place to get used to, if you've grown up in the US), and otherwise learning to be Greek.As one who has spent considerable time in Greece, I can say that she has struck a chord of real authenticity here and does a great job capturing a sense of everyday experience.

As interesting as these vignettes are, though, the real heart and soul of this book are the descriptions of friendship and community that define social existence in Greece.It moved me deeply, made me miss that kind of life, and to yearn for a life like this myself.The author describes an incredibly rich social life her family lives in Greece, surrounded by a circle of loving, fun friends, the deep bonds of family, and a community that seems to matter in everyday life. She recounts many, many late nights at the tavernas on the island of Eressos, drinking, singing, talking, arguing, playing pranks, with her husband's friends from childhood, conveying the deep social connectedness and love that binds these folks.More than anything else in Greece -- even the beautiful Aegean, great food, etc. -- it's this rich social existence that is so alluring and so central a part of the true Greek experience.And something that as Americans we can especially appreciate since those kinds of bonds seem so elusive in our own lives and communities -- marked by no time, too much work, long commutes, etc.Who would think of staying up til 1-2am with a close circle of friends, sharing lives, laughing, talking? And these are also other professional with kids!It's unthinkable here. There, it's a way of life that somehow works and provides a more healthy basis of social existence.Here, we have urban designers who try to "build" community through things like mixed-use neighborhoods, with lukewarm results at best. There, community happens in the most modest of settings because it's in the blood and culture of Greek existence. And it's in the emotional openness of the people there, who don't suffer from the kind of "emotional constipation" that afflicts too many of us.We could all take a lesson or two from them.

This book describes these things through the eyes of an American woman.It's not a portrayal of an unblemished Greece -- indeed, Orme deals with the flaws of Greece and the Greek mentality as well.It's a slice of reality, but a reality that is so different from our own and with many lessons for us -- this is where the inspiration and richness of the stories lie.Highly recommended to anyone interested in Greece and Greek culture, and to anyone contemplating a major life change.

A scientist in Lesvos
Vignettes .... Somewhere at the heart of this book there is a pair of California-born twin boys both of whose parents, according to the book's dust-flap, are tenured full professors of aerospace engineering at the University of California. Their mother is the author and, like most persons of high achievement in those rarified scientific disciplines, has no regard whatever for the niceties of English grammar and rhetoric and can tell us in several places throughout the book that on a particular morning she "laid" in bed till late. But the reader can probably, despite whatever annoyance he may feel, overlook this mistake and many others like it (omission of definite articles, no sequencing of tenses, few periodic sentences etc.), because the book does have some moments of great charm, especially when the author tells us about her Greek in-laws or when she recalls the curious thoughts that run through her head as she walks down a street in Athens. She wonders, as do I in Athens, about the personal lives of the people who live in the buildings she passes. She divides her time, presumably unevenly since her husband needs to be near the university in Athens, between a town on the island of Lesvos called Eressos where here husband's extended family is rooted, and Athens where the family keeps an apartment. Her observations on the other tenants in her building and people living in nearby buildings are frequently entertaining. Eressos is the town where Sappho lived and worked. Her mother-in-law, Elpida by name, in whom she finds a kindred spirit despite obvious differences in their backgrounds and education, is easily the most likeable person in the book and a great cook and loving grandmother to the twins. And then there are divers cousins and friends and even a brother, all of whom I found it hard to keep track of because the author gives the lion's share of her writing to the twin boys, who, by the way, eat much too much ice cream. I would have preferred to learn more about her interaction with the Greek cousins and friends, most of whom speak good English and help her to learn Greek. But the twins seem to be nice kids and they certainly have good genes, at least for achievement in the sciences. This book is not great literature, but it is readable and fun in places.

... Read more

Product Description
Prostitution is the act or practice of engaging in sex actsfor hire.While prostitution is legal or tolerated in somecultures, it is illegal or socially discouraged in others.Motivations for suppression can vary significantly, frombasic moral repugnance to concerns about the effects onsociety and on those who practice it, as well as whether itis an exploitative practice. In most cultures theprostitutes (the persons who sell sexual services) aresocially stigmatized; their customers less so.The word"prostitution" can also be used metaphorically to meandebasement or working towards an unworthy cause. ... Read more

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High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! New Democracy is the main centre-right political party and one of the two major parties in Greece. It was founded in 1974 by Konstantinos Karamanlis and formed the first cabinet of the Third Hellenic Republic. After serving as the Cabinet of Greece from 2004 to 2009, New Democracy is now the main opposition party in the Hellenic Parliament after its smashing defeat in the 2009 Greek elections in which they recorded their historical lowest percentage of votes. After the defeat former president Kostas Karamanlis, nephew of the party's founder, resigned and Antonis Samaras was elected the new president of the party through a leadership election in November 2009. New Democracy is a member of the European People's Party and currently has 8 out of 22 Greek MEPs in the European Parliament. ... Read more

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High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! A self-fulfilling prophecy is a prediction that directly or indirectly causes itself to become true, by the very terms of the prophecy itself, due to positive feedback between belief and behavior. Although examples of such prophecies can be found in literature as far back as ancient Greece and ancient India, it is 20th-century sociologist Robert K. Merton who is credited with coining the expression "self-fulfilling prophecy" and formalizing its structure and consequences. In his book Social Theory and Social Structure, Merton gives as a feature of the self-fulfilling prophecy: Ie: when Roxanna falsely believes that her marriage will fail and fears such failure will occur that it actually causes the marriage to fail. ... Read more

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High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! The Association for Promoting the Discovery of the Interior Parts of Africa, founded in London on June 9, 1788, was a British club dedicated to the exploration of West Africa, with the mission of discovering the origin and course of the Niger River and the location of Timbuktu, the "lost city" of gold. The formation of this group was effectively the "beginning of the age of African exploration". Organized by a dozen titled members of London?s upper-class establishment and led by Sir Joseph Banks, the African Association felt that it was the great failing of the Age of Enlightenment that, in a time when men could sail around the world, the geography of the Dark Continent remained almost entirely uncharted. The Ancient Greeks and Romans knew more about the interior of Africa than did the English of the 18th century. Motivated by sincere desires for scientific knowledge and the abolition of the slave trade, yet not averse to gaining opportunities for British commerce, the wealthy members each pledged to contribute five guineas per year to recruiting and funding expeditions from England to Africa. ... Read more

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The Experience of Asylum Seekers Entering Greecedescribesand accounts for the experiences of asylum seekers inGreece, their modes of entry by land and sea and thetreatment meted out to them once they end up in thehands of the authorities. This treatment includesthe conditions in various detention centres they are held in, as well as the difficulties they face inapplying for asylum. My research has inevitably madeuse of newspaper reports, information from Human Rights organisationsand my own experience. The conclusions resulting fromthe findings are that the treatment asylum seekers receiveis often at the very least, cavalier, and that there are three possibleexplanations for this:1. the instilled Greek sense ofnational identity, resulting in a fear and resentment of the "other"; 2. a rise in xenophobia caused by a sudden influx of migrants from the eastern bloc, in particular, large numbers of Albanian economic migrants; 3. Pressurefrom 'Fortress Europe' for Greece to close itsborders, as Greece is seen merely as a stepping stone to central Europe. ... Read more

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High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! HighQuality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! Thisarticle is about the demographic features of thepopulation of Greece, including population density,ethnicity, education level, health of the populace,economic status, religious affiliations and otheraspects of the population. ... Read more

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The "Dark Age" of Greece is one of the least understood periods of Greek history. It is dark, chiefly because it has left no written records. Modern archaeological techniques have led to the discovery of new evidence and to the reevaluation of old evidence as well, and it is now possible to develop a larger and longer view of the entire period. Here is a remarkable account of historical detective work that is beginning to shed light on Dark Age Greece. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

the greek dark ages
There always seems to be a gap between the very ancient Greece of the Iliad and the ancient Greece of Athens. This book sheds light on this period of transition from the days of the citadel society familiar from accounts of the Trojan War to the more familiar days of the classics. Since the Greek Dark Ages were illiterate, this book is organized around a series of archaeological sites and discusses their social structure, physical artifacts and historical context. This book does an excellent job of presenting the transition from the Bronze Age to the Iron Age andfrom the fortress kingdoms to the city states.Towards the end, it offers a glimpse of the origins of the city state oligarchies that figured so prominently in the origins of our own civilization.

Citadel to City-State
Definitely not light reading for anyone but those with a fair background in Greek history and archaeology.The book is, however, quite thorough and uses an interesting approach to the subjects of political and socialdevelopment in the early Greek world, focusing on the archaeology ofspecific type sites.Since much of what emerged during this criticalperiod in European history has an impact still felt, however unconsciously,on modern society, the book is an important one.It might even be usefulas part of a syllabus for selected courses in political science. ... Read more

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Pension reform is on the political agenda acrossEuropean countries, however within the vastliterature on this topic the gender dimensions ofthe pension problem are rarely addressed and oftencompletely neglected. What explains this absence,and how is it possible to investigate it? This bookdraws on literature on problem representation andthe policy-making process to analyse the genderdimension of the pension reform process in Greecebetween 1975 and 2002. Through the analysis of keypolicy episodes during this time, the book exploresthe nature of women's participation in the pensionreform process. The book argues that the pensionproblem was conceptualised by policy-makers in amanner that prevented the constructive discussionof gender issues in the policy debate, while thefragmentation of the women?s movement and theexclusive nature of the social dialogue furtherhampered women?s mobilisation and participation inthe policy-making process. ... Read more

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Armed only with sheer guts and determination this Jewish family took on the whole German Army. Stubbornly refusing to surrender, they remained defiant throughout the occupation of Greece and survived by fighting and outsmarting the Nazis. This is their fascinating story. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Legacy of Courage: A Holocaust Survival Story In Greece
A moving portrayal of surviving and impacting the German occupation of Greece by a determined Greek family.

A Greek Holocaust Story Comes to Life.
Most of us historians of the Shoah (European Holocaust) know little about what happened to the Jews of Greece during WW2. Frederic Kakis is a survivor and has written the story of his family during the German occupation of Greece.It is wonderfully written and illustrated from the heart and makes you feel you are actually there with them.

Your emotions will swing with them as they go from highs to lows while trying to survive and fight the Nazis. And how the brave Greeks did fight!

I highly recommend this book for anyone who wants to learn more about the terrible tragedy the Germans wrought on so many countries, including Greece. ... Read more

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The photos in this book were taken during my year-long residence in the village of Kato Arhanes (Crete), a small centuries-old community of farmers, shop keepers, and retirees. The villages - Kato Arhanes and Pano Arhanes - are surrounded by groves of olive trees and fields of cultivated grapes. Most of the village houses are constructed from rough-cut quarried and field stone with terra cotta roofs. Most village streets and pathways are paved with similar stone and are narrow meandering passageways. In the main, though, this is a book of photographer's snapshots. During my frequent walkabouts in villages and countryside, whenever something caught my attention I took a 'snapshot'. As such, this is a book of memories I offer to share with you. ... Read more

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Culture of Greece. Pottery of ancient Greece, Greek art, Ancient Greek coinage, Cinema of Greece, Greek language, Katharevousa, Greek literature, Byzantine literature, Greek religion, Orthodox Church, Greek philosophy, Science, Mathematics, Greek dances, Music of Greece, Education in Greece, Politics of Greece, Greek cuisine, List of Greeks, List of ethnic, regional, and folk dances sorted by origin, List of Greek films, List of universities in Greece, Syncretism ... Read more

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Not Even My Name is the unforgettable story of Sano Halo's survival of the death march at age ten that annihilated her family-as told to her daughter, Thea-and the poignant mother-daughter pilgrimage to Turkey in search of Sano's home seventy years after her exile. AUTHORBIO: Thea Halo, shown here with her mother, Sano, at age eighty-nine, is a writer and painter who has won awards for her poetry and essays, and has exhibited her paintings in galleries in New York City and elsewhere. She lives in New York City.Sano Halo is a recipient of New York State's Governor's Award for Excellence in honor of Women's History Month, "Celebrating Women of Courage and Vision." ... Read more

Customer Reviews (74)

It was jihad
What a pity that Halo could not, not even now, name the annihilators. The "turkish military"? It was Islam.

This kind of perfect dhimmitude is Islam's greatest achievement, the complicity of their victims.

Good purchase. Looking forward to reading the book.
Good purchase. Looking forward to reading the book. It was suggested in my Bible Study Session.

Not Even My Name
A coworker of mine loaned me this book upon my return from Turkey. It's a heartbreaking true story of one woman's survival of the Greek death marches in the 20s from Turkish villages to her arranged marriage at the young age of 15 and her arrival and life in New York. I loved the historical chapters which contained facts about the 'ethnic cleansing' that went on which Turkey still denies (probably the main reason Europe is hesitant to allow Turkey into the EU). It's upsetting how America turned it's back on the massacres in order to maintain stable relations with the Ottoman Empire for the purpose of oil. Still, in spite of the gruesome ordeal, this story is very uplifting and hopeful.

Close to my heart
What an amazing story!!I would recommend it to all my friends.

This is the first book I read on this subject matter.

It was a very emotional read for me as my paternal ancestors are from this part of the world, and they themselves lived through the same hell.

What a strong and amazing woman Sano Halo is!!

Too bad the human race doesn't learn from these tragic events, or doesn't care to.

Outstanding & Oh so true
Extremely well written and oh so true! Many of us heard these stories from your yiayias (grandmothers) and/or mothers who experienced the exile of Greeks from Turkey.Women, desparate for a better life, would willingly marry whoever to get out of the turmoil and economic depression of their countries.Well worth the read. ... Read more

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"What does it mean to be a Greek or a Greek-American today? An answer to this simple but surprisingly difficult question is given in this book by a noted scholar. Fr. Constantelos identifies the ideals and values of Hellenism that have remained constant from its ancient roots to its medieval and modern manifestations. In the first part, he explores the continuous identity of the Greek people and nation through its language and culture from antiquity down to the present. The second part reviews the highlights of Greek history. The third part focuses on twelve constant values and ideals of the Greek heritage, including religion and spirituality, the idea of the person, equality under the law, and education." ... Read more

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A number of ancient civilizations, most notably the Thracians, Greeks, Romans, Slavs, and Bulgars, have left their mark on the culture, history and heritage of Bulgaria. Thracian artifacts include numerous tombs and golden treasures, while ancient Bulgars have left traces of their heritage in music and early architecture. Thracian rituals such as the Zarezan, Kukeri and Martenitza are to this day kept alive in the modern Bulgarian culture. The oldest treasure of worked gold in the world, dating back to the 5th millennium BC, comes from the site of the Varna Necropolis. ... Read more