Where do the threads that form the Western tradition originate, and how were they woven together? What are the sources of our modern ideas about science, freedom, equality, law, good government, and virtue? These are the questions explored in The Golden Thread, Volume I, Part 1: The Ancient World, written by James Hankins.
Hankins begins with the seminal culture of the classical Greeks, deeply explicating their ideals of citizenship, government, honor, war, and poetry. He charts the rise of philosophy and the Hellenization of the east following the conquests of Alexander the Great. He covers the legends and founding mythology of early Rome and the Roman political order and culture, as well as its conquest of the Mediterranean, all while focusing on the central figures and events – from Caesar’s conquest of Gaul and Augustus’s Pax Romana through the startling rise of Christianity and the political, social, and spiritual recalibration that followed, culminating in Constantine’s conversion.
While telling this grand story, Hankins examines how the foundations were laid for the West’s political and economic dominance in the modern era, illuminating the deep roots of the ideas, arts, and institutions that continue to shape our world. Replete with lavish classical art, alongside original maps, and the letters, speeches, and quotes of the most important figures of each era, this volume masterfully weaves a vibrant tapestry of the West’s ancient past.
