The Ancient City - (Dover Books on History, Political and Social Science) by Numa Denis Fustel De Coulanges (Paperback)

This groundbreaking study by Numa Denis Fustel de Coulanges revolutionizes our understanding of ancient Greek and Roman city organization, offering a fresh and accurate portrait of religious, family, and civic life in Periclean Athens and Rome during the time of Cicero.

By drawing upon physical evidence and ancient documents rather than post-Classical histories, Fustel de Coulanges provides a detailed account of the significance of kinship and the cult of the family hearth and ancestors to urban culture.

This influential study also chronicles the rise of family-centered pagan belief systems and their gradual decline with the spread of Christianity, citing ancient Indian and Hebrew texts as well as Greek and Roman sources.

With its striking prose style and innovative interpretations, this book is a vital and enduring historic survey that will captivate historians, scholars, and anyone interested in the rich cultural heritage of ancient Greece and Rome.