
Cities of the Gods
Communist Utopias in Greek Thought
Doyne Dawson(Author)
Oxford University Press Inc
Published on 3. September 1992
Book
Hardback
320 pages
978-0-19-506983-9 (ISBN)
Description
Cities of the Gods is a historical study of the theory of Utopian communism in ancient Greek thought, identifying and assessing its several currents. The author looks at the reason for the decline of the Utopian traditions after c. 150 BC and suggests that the main factor was the Roman conquest of the Greek world, which produced a more conservative intellectual climate. He concludes by looking at the evidence for the survival of utopian traditions, particularly their influence on early Christianity.
Reviews / Votes
`This is a most welcome book on a subject of great interest ... Altogether, this is an admirable study, in which much out-of-the-way material is brought together, and discussed with great good sense and some humour ... an admirable achievement'John Dillon, Trinity College, Dublin 'He succeeds in putting the better-known political thinkers in the context of a lively tradition of social speculation. I tried this book out on a group of students. Not only were they very appreciative of the clarity and cogency of Dawson's writing, and the stimulating ideas the book contains, they also went on to write excellent essays. What more needs to be said? This is a first class book taking a fresh look at an important and interesting subject. '
Richard Wallace, Greece and Rome '...Cities of the Gods offers an intelligent and well-informed survey of what its author refers to in his subtitle as'communist utopias in Greek thought', But its 'main justification' lies in the emphasis it places on Stoic utopianism.'... * Malcolm Schofield, Polis, Vol.15, Issues 1 and 2 *
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
New York
United States
Target group
Professional and scholarly
Illustrations
line illustrations
Dimensions
Height: 235 mm
Width: 157 mm
Thickness: 23 mm
Weight
666 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-19-506983-9 (9780195069839)
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Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

E-Book
07/1992
1st Edition
OUP eBook
€148.99
Available for download