Ancient History: Evidence and Models
by M. I. Finley
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Description
In this thoughtful and provocative study, M.I. Finley challenges the prevailing traditions of researching and writing about ancient civilizations. He questions, for example, the special status accorded to classic texts, exposes the false assumptions historians have made based on severely limited information, and presents the flaws inherent in conventional explanations of the Greek city-state. Emphasizing the need to ask the right questions in order to expand our understanding of life in the show more ancient world, the author suggests how historians might better deal with the evidence that is available, and offers alternative methods that can be used to reconstruct history. show lessTags
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Member Reviews
Everyone with an interest in ancient history should read this book. It clearly illustrates how research practice in ancient history differs from that of modern history. A good antidote for naive realists who believe that historians always discover the past 'as it really was'.
Pimlico
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423 works; 168 members
Author Information
49+ Works 5,108 Members
M. I. Finley, FBA, (1912-1986), was a major scholar of classics and ancient history. He taught at Columbia University and the City College of New York, where he was influenced by exiled members of the Frankfurt School, before taking a position at Rutgers University. Finley moved to England in 1955, taught classics at Cambridge, and became a master show more at Darwin College. His numerous works include the classic texts Aspects of Antiquity and The Ancient Economy. Finley was knighted by the queen for his contributions to scholarship in 1979. show less
Common Knowledge
- Canonical title
- Ancient History: Evidence and Models
- Original publication date
- 1985
- Dedication
- To
Peter Garnsey
and
Dick Whittaker
Classifications
- Genres
- History, Nonfiction, General Nonfiction
- DDC/MDS
- 938.0072 — History & geography History of ancient world (to ca. 499) Greece to 323 Greece to 323 Greek Stone & Bronze Age, Greek tribes (Ancient) Cycladic civilization
- LCC
- DE8 .F55 — History of Europe, Asia, Africa and Oceania Greco-Roman World History of the Greco-Roman world General
- BISAC
Statistics
- Members
- 177
- Popularity
- 185,409
- Reviews
- 2
- Rating
- (3.95)
- Languages
- 5 — English, German, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish
- Media
- Paper
- ISBNs
- 13
- ASINs
- 1
