The Wisdom of the Ancients: Four Ideas that Changed the World

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H. A. Drake (Research Professor of History, Research Professor of History, University of California, Santa Barbara)

The Wisdom of the Ancients

Four Ideas that Changed the World

H. A. Drake (Research Professor of History, Research Professor of History, University of California, Santa Barbara)

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English

Oxford University Press
26 July 2025

History; General & world history; Classical history & classical civilisation; History of ideas

This book is about four cornerstones of modern thought that were put in place by people living in the ancient Mediterranean world. It covers approximately 2,000 years in time (from ca. 1000 BCE to 1000 CE) and spatially moves from the Tigris and Euphrates rivers in Mesopotamia (roughly, modern Iraq), through Greece and Rome, to the new Germanic states growing in what is now western Europe.

The four ideas, as author H. A. Drake proposes, are monotheism, the idea that there is only one god, not many; individual rights, the idea that there is a limit to what the state can order us to do; naturalized citizenship, the idea that the full rights and privileges of citizenship can be extended to people who have no birthright to them; and creation of a standard by which to judge the performance of states. It is easy, now, to take these ideas for granted. For believers, it seems obvious that only a singular, omnipotent deity can account for the splendour of the universe. Similarly, the common notion that individuals can stand up for their rights, that citizenship can be freely given, or that governments ought to be held to a standard of justice for all, is often accompanied by the assumption that, at the time they were introduced, such ideas must have been immediately recognized as superior and gratefully accepted. The record is far more complicated, and that makes the story of their success far more interesting. By discussing these ideas in their historical context with clarity and wit, The Wisdom of the Ancients reminds readers how preposterous they were originally and how different our world would be if they had not taken hold.

By: H. A. Drake (Research Professor of History Research Professor of History University of California Santa Barbara)
Imprint: Oxford University Press
Country of Publication: United States
Dimensions: Height: 185mm, Width: 136mm, Spine: 17mm
Weight: 254g
ISBN: 9780197777374
ISBN 10: 0197777376
Pages: 176
Publication Date: 26 July 2025
Audience: Professional and scholarly , Undergraduate
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active

Acknowledgements List of Illustrations List of Maps List of Boxes Introduction: Four Ideas that Changed the World Chapter One: The God Who Did Wrong Chapter Two: Where to Draw the Line Chapter Three: ""Your Magnificent Citizenship"" Chapter Four: The Idea of Rome Conclusion: Is There a Doctor in the House? Index

H. A. Drake is Research Professor of History at the University of California, Santa Barbara, and the author of A Century of Miracles: Christians, Pagans, Jews, and the Supernatural, 312-410 and Constantine and the Bishops: The Politics of Intolerance.

Reviews for The Wisdom of the Ancients: Four Ideas that Changed the World

This is the story of big ideas * Monotheism, Democracy, and Citizenship culminating with Rome the universal statetold with extraordinary clarity. Drake's lively style brings the creative imagination of past thinkers vividly alive for the present.David Potter, Francis W. Kelsey Collegiate Professor of Greek and Roman History and Arthur F. Thurnau Professor in the Department of Classical Studies, The University of Michigan * Drake's The Wisdom of the Ancients offers a delightful, humorous, and fast-moving discussion of monotheism, individualism, universal citizenship, and the idea of Rome, four key contributions that the ancient Mediterranean made to the conceptions of the modern world. The book is a joy to read and helps us understand both why our world now works as it does and what intellectual debts we owe to antiquity. * Edward Watts, Alkiviadis Vassiliadis Endowed Chair, UC San Diego *