Why Athens? Character and the Cultural Revolution with Dr. Loren J. Samons

Fall 2023 Pope Lecture (October 10, 2023)
The Athenians of the fifth century B.C. developed the world’s first democracy, ruled a Greek empire, and fostered the greatest cultural revolution in the ancient world. Modern historians have frequently associated Athens’ cultural preeminence with democracy and occasionally with the Athenian empire. The possibility remains, however, that democracy, empire, and the cultural revolution all reflect causes that predated these phenomena.
Dr. Loren J. Samons is a Professor of Classical Studies at Boston University and the Chief Academic Advisor and Executive Director at The Institute for Hellenic Culture and the Liberal Arts at The American College of Greece.
He specializes in the history of Greece in the fifth and sixth centuries B.C., with particular interests in Athenian politics and imperialism. His current research focuses on the figures of Perikles and Kimon, Athenian foreign policy, and the composition of Herodotus’ and Thucydides’ histories. He also has interests in the later Roman empire, ancient warfare, and the classical tradition.
#athens #greece #popelecture #clemsonuniversity #clemson

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“We rule wherever we can” - 30 min 30 sec