theclassicalworld

The Gladiator: The Secret History of Rome's Warrior Slaves | Alan Baker

so-so

His book was on the stronger side of so-so. The information was interesting and it wasn‘t poorly written. The problem I had was that the author seemed to be trying too hard to fight against people glamorizing the games and gladiators, as a result he went a bit overboard describing and focusing on how horrific the battles were. I kind of wanted to say Ok, I get it. It also would have benefited from illustrations of some of the weapons and armor

Chrys Book 6 #Mounttbr 5y

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rwmg

The Last Pagan: Julian the Apostate and the Death of the Ancient World | Adrian Murdoch

pick

Good bio of the short-reigned emperor who tried to revive paganism which avoids the trap of making him an Enlightenment poster boy and attempts to see him in his own terms. Some annoying clusters of typos towards the end, and it could have done with some maps and a family tree.

Maude Oh, that sounds interesting. 5y

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rwmg

The Last Pagan: Julian the Apostate and the Death of the Ancient World | Adrian Murdoch

Julian and Education:

Unlike virtually every leader since, the emperor thought about it, encouraged it (Libanius comments that on his march from Constantinople to Antioch the emperor “was easy of access to teachers”) and wrote about it. But Julian went as far as to state explicitly that the brighter and better educated are more useful members of society.

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rwmg

The Last Pagan: Julian the Apostate and the Death of the Ancient World | Adrian Murdoch

#breakfastandabook #mycover

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Yeah_I_Read

The Gladiator: The Secret History of Rome's Warrior Slaves | Alan Baker

*Litsy 😬🤷🏽‍♀️

readordierachel Lol! Yep. 5y

SW-T 😂😂😂 5y

JoScho 😂 5y

Branwen The struggle is real! 🤣 5y

iread2much 😂😂😂🐙 5y

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GingerAntics

Darkening Age: The Christian Destruction of the Classical World | Catherine Nixey

pick

5🌟
Just imagine what western society sacrificed - physical and mental health, healthy relationships, healthy sexuality - all for the sake of a philosophy.
After reading this book, I now understand why so many Christians fear history, and how so many Christians actively choose ignorance to their own religious heritage. The history, the facts, the truth is not pretty. It is reminiscent of other regions‘ extremists we now refer to terrorists.

GingerAntics It is amazingly reminiscent of what life is like for non-Christians in America today. Nixey does a wonderful job of bringing this moment in time into stark relief. Her personal antidotes at the beginning really help to paint the picture of her own process of learning these misunderstood, misrepresented, and downright lied about facts. 6y

GingerAntics If you‘re into the Medieval period, religious history in the West, or the Classical World, this book is a must read. Lovely. Readable. Approachable. Worth the time. At first I didn‘t really like this book. It felt like The Swerve and seemed to only rehash what I recently read in that book. 6y

GingerAntics After the initial introductory portion of the book, it took its own turn and focused entirely on Christianity‘s violent rise and it‘s persecution of anyone who was not, or would not become, Christian. If you‘ve ever read Stephen Greenblatt‘s The Swerve you know the structure of this book. It is very similar and yet completely different. The two books are almost like historical bookends that mirror each other. 6y

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GingerAntics The Darkening Age sets out to explain the rise of Christianity and the loss of everything linked to the Classical World. The Swerve talks about the rediscovery of the Classical World. Read both. You get the whole picture that way, and you come away with a strong sense of all that was lost and a great appreciation for the little bits we have left.

The Swerve: How the World Became Modern

GingerAntics I read them backwards in the chronological order of the periods they cover. I would recommend Nixey‘s book first, then Greenblatt‘s. 6y

GingerAntics #catherinenixey #thedarkeningage #theclassicalworld #classicalhumanism #religioushistory #philosophy #whyhistorymatters 6y

LA1 Went looking for this immediately 👍🏽👍🏽 6y

blank Do I really wanna read another book that will make me hate religion even more? Yes. 6y

GingerAntics @laurenslibrary 🤣😂🤣 it‘s like a train wreck. You just can‘t look away. 6y

GingerAntics @LA1 I hope you enjoy it. 6y

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GingerAntics

Darkening Age: The Christian Destruction of the Classical World | Catherine Nixey

The end is back at the beginning.
#catherinenixey #thedarkeningage #theclassicalworld #classicalhumanism #religioushistory #philosophy #whyhistorymatters

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GingerAntics

Darkening Age: The Christian Destruction of the Classical World | Catherine Nixey

What a tragic ending, and loss, for every single person on this planet.
#catherinenixey #thedarkeningage #theclassicalworld #classicalhumanism #religioushistory #philosophy #whyhistorymatters

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GingerAntics

Darkening Age: The Christian Destruction of the Classical World | Catherine Nixey

This is interesting. I don‘t know if they purposely did this to give themselves deniability, or if it was just the way it happened. Nixey suggests it was on purpose because the term “Christian” was just too disturbing for them because of the actions perpetrated in its name.
#catherinenixey #thedarkeningage #theclassicalworld #classicalhumanism #religioushistory #philosophy #whyhistorymatters

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