{"product_id":"the-school-of-history-athens-in-the-age-of-socrates","title":"The School of History: Athens in the Age of Socrates","description":"\u003cp\u003eHistory  political philosophy  and constitutional law were born in Athens in the space of a single generation--the generation that lived through the Peloponnesian War (431-404 b.c.e.). This remarkable age produced such luminaries as Socrates  Herodotus  Thucydides  Sophocles  Euripides  Aristophanes  and the sophists  and set the stage for the education and early careers of Plato and Xenophon  among others. The School of History provides the fullest and most detailed intellectual and political history available of Athens during the late fifth century b.c.e.  as it examines the background  the context  and the decisive events shaping this society in the throes of war. This expansive  readable narrative ultimately leads to a new understanding of Athenian democratic culture  showing why and how it yielded such extraordinary intellectual productivity.  As both a source and a subject  Thucydides history of the Peloponnesian War is the central text around which the narrative and thematic issues of the book revolve. Munn re-evaluates the formation of the Greek historiographical tradition itself as he identifies the conditions that prompted Thucydides to write--specifically the historians desire to guide the Athenian democracy as it struggled to comprehend its future.  The School of History fully encompasses recent scholarship in history  literature  and archaeology. Munns impressive mastery of the huge number of sources and publications informs his substantial contributions to our understanding of this democracy transformed by war. Immersing us fully in the intellectual foment of Athenian society  The School of History traces the history of Athens at the peak of its influence  both as a political and military power in its own time and as a source of intellectual inspiration for the centuries to come.  A Main Selection of the History Book Club\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"My Store","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44985815203893,"sku":"ByrdShop_0520215575","price":22.54,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0627\/8139\/0901\/files\/9780520215573.jpg?v=1770872591","url":"https:\/\/atxbooks.com\/products\/the-school-of-history-athens-in-the-age-of-socrates","provider":"ATX Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}