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In this book, Vallianatos paints a picture of freedom in Greek history and civilization. Freedom for the Greeks, he says, has been like breathing air. He documents how freedom gave birth to the great achievements of Greek civilization. The Greeks repeatedly defeated large invading Persian armies in early fifth century BCE. Those heroic victories secured Greek and Western civilization. Modern Greeks also won over large Turkish forces in the 1820s, thus establishing the independence of Greece. In 1940, the Greeks defeated a large Italian army, winning the first victory of WWII.
The result of the triumph of freedom, especially in ancient Greece, Vallianatos says, was an explosion of light. Civilization bloomed with the craftsmanship of the Bronze Age, 3,100 BCE, the poetry of Homer, the Olympics, democracy, Aristotle and his invention of science, technology, theater, the Parthenon, gorgeous art and architecture, and the cosmic Greek influence of Alexander the Great and the Antikythera computer of genius in the second century BCE. These Greek achievements influenced the founders of the American Republic. They are still important for clear thinking and inspiration in support of our democracy. They guide us to family farming and citizen soldiers, always commanded by civilians.
This book may attract readers the world over, Classics scholars, students, and tourists. About 22,000 of them visit the Parthenon every day. These Parthenon lovers would be interested in this book, which in addition to its global overview of Greek history, includes a chapter explaining why the Parthenon has been the Soul of Greece.
Vallianatos argues that the Greeks are us. They were reason and science as much as piety for the gods. The Olympics celebrated Zeus. The Athenians built the Parthenon to honor Athena, daughter of Zeus. The second century BCE Antikythera computer was designed to predict the eclipses of the Sun and the Moon, both gods for the Greeks. This book brings this intimate dimension of piety for the gods to the surface where it belongs. This enables Vallianatos to retell Greek history as it actually happened. In contrast, many books about the Greeks ignore or malign Greek religion, which distort the history and civilization of the Greeks.
