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The Classical World By Robin Lane Fox

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Nice review.

 

"as history was dismissed as during my remote school days"

Why was that?

 

btw the book cover is cool =)

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Nice review.

 

"as history was dismissed as during my remote school days"

Why was that?

 

btw the book cover is cool =)

 

It was frowned upon because it was not considered to be as "useful" as physics, chemistry and maths. The chemistry has come in very handy though since.Thank you for the compliment.

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Well, given the "artistic" types I met at college I share a certain skepticism about self-declared artists - but this is the first time I have seen history lumped in with the arts!

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Excellent review for an excellent book. I've been reading through it recently and I liked the chapter about how the Roman's despised many of the Greek cultural traits and the Greeks looked down on the Romans for being "Overly religious". It shows how much the Greeks and Romans differed from each other and how much they were the same.

 

I think Tom Holland and many other younger scholars have criticised Lane Fox as being too old fashioned and for ignoring new research in some fields (concerning the Barbarian tribes and the persians) he supposedly takes the view that they were either 'savages' when talking of the barbarians and 'effeminate and decadent' when it comes to the Persians. Just like the Greeks and Romans saw these people. I will try to find that review for you...

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Thank you DC.

Lane Fox strikes me as a man in command of his subject ,( across a staggering range of cultural detail). I suspect that his rounded prose is an issue with "moderns". I enjoyed his donnish wit very much, I think it reveals a love of the English language.

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I've found the review...

 

Tom Holland Review

 

Personally I really liked the book as well as Lane Fox's 'Alexander the Great' (another book I recommend), but I believe that Holland and other modern cholars might be offended by Lane Fox's "old fashioned" views on the Classical World.

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It was frowned upon because it was not considered to be as "useful" as physics, chemistry and maths. The chemistry has come in very handy though since.Thank you for the compliment.

 

Too bad :lol: ...

I have a similar story to yours; I am not studying history at school now because the education system for Form 4 (=grade 10 in UK) students have to choose between studying science or art, and I choose science as it would provide me a brighter future, but I really like history more.

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