The History of Ancient Greece

Author: Li Qide Translator: Du Zhichangming

This book is written through a unique perspective - "sex". Interpret the customs and culture of ancient Greece, by exploring the role of sex in love life, religion, literature and art, social life, public life, entertainment, stage performances, etc., and then interpret all aspects of the entire ancient Greek culture and history. The text is readable, the information is detailed, and it is accompanied by a large number of pictures. It is an important reference for studying the history of ancient Greece.

Sex is indispensable in any society. The customs and culture of ancient societies can often be reflected from the sexual culture. Greece is the birthplace of world civilization, and its sexual culture also has characteristics that are different from other European countries. The ancient Greeks regarded youth as the most precious treasure in life. Their attitude towards sex as a normal thing was simple and natural, even to the point that it is almost unimaginable for modern people. "Their highest ideal was 'beautiful body and mind'". If you want to have a correct judgment about the life and culture of ancient Greece, you must first understand and understand their moral values, and you must also sincerely integrate yourself into the spirit of ancient Greece, and have a deep understanding of ancient Greece without prejudice. If you understand human thoughts, you can understand the lofty ethics and morals of the ancient Greeks. This book is a serious academic work. It reveals the supreme status of lust in ancient Greek life through the reflection of sexual love in many fields of ancient Greek society. It also introduces in detail the ancient European culture dominated by ancient Greek cultural styles. civilization. The content of this book covers various cultural customs such as philosophy, religion, literature, history, geography, sports, etc. It can be called a small encyclopedia. It is of great significance to the study of Greek culture and even European cultural history.

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Preface to the Chinese translation

Understanding Greece

Wang Yizhu

For today’s Chinese who have become more civilized and open, Greece It shouldn't be an unusual term. Most people probably know that it is a country in Europe today, although many people may not be able to point out where it is specifically. But this country, like ours, is an ancient civilization with thousands of years of history, and its glorious cultural heritage still maintains its influence today. It can be said that unless you have no education, you can definitely find something related to Greek culture if you search your knowledge inventory. Elementary school students also know the letter π (pi) that represents pi. Middle school students who have studied algebra and physics must also know what the letters Σ (sigma), α (alpha), β (beta), and γ (gamma) stand for. As a Swiss company Ω, the trademark of famous watches, is familiar to everyone. These turned out to be Greek letters. Of course everyone knows what marathon and Olympic Games mean. If we want to talk about their origins, they all come from ancient Greece. In order to maintain the ancient tradition (the earliest Olympic Games were held in Greece in 776 BC, which is equivalent to the period of King You of Zhou Dynasty in my country), the torch of each Olympic Games must now be lit in mainland Greece and then passed to the place where it is held. Moreover, whether you admit it or not, Greek (plus the subsequent Roman) culture is indisputably the source of what we call Western culture today (politics, economics, law, philosophy, literature, natural science, art, etc.) . Until the beginning of this century (the 20th century), in the so-called developed Western countries (whether the United Kingdom, France, Germany, or the United States), their primary and secondary school students without exception had to learn Greek and Latin (and Hebrew when studying theology). language) and classical works in these two languages, just like Chinese children used to read "The Analects", "Mencius", "The Book of Songs" and "Zuo Zhuan". If you don't understand Greek and Latin, you can't be said to be an educated and cultured person. Without understanding the history of Greece and Rome, it is impossible to understand the ins and outs of each Western country. Therefore, the ancient history of these countries must start with Greece and Rome, and then slowly talk about the history of their respective countries.

This is very different from the fact that our country has its own system, starting from the local history of Xia, Shang and Zhou.

Let us look at our own relationship with Greek and Roman culture from another angle. Why we must study Greek and Roman culture, which is both foreign, ancient and difficult, cannot be explained clearly in a few words. Let’s just talk about Marxism. From the time we founded the party, we have stated that we believe in Marxism and it is our guiding ideology. But as far as the background of its emergence is concerned, Marxism is purely the ideological achievement of Western history and culture. Marx was a German Jew, educated in Germany, and spent his entire life in the West. He analyzes and studies capitalist society, and the objects of study and the materials he uses are all Western. Therefore, we can safely say that we cannot truly understand Marxism without a thorough understanding of the Western history and culture from which Marxism originated. It is not easy for an Easterner to fully understand the history and culture of the West. This is a big subject!

Here I would like to quote Comrade Gu Zhun, the author of "Greek City-State System" and a prophetic revolutionary in our country. My younger brother, Comrade Chen Minzhi, added a passage in "The Life and Academic Thoughts of Gu Zhun" to supplement my above opinion: "In our correspondence, he (referring to Gu Zhun - the quoter) said to me more than once, Without understanding Western history, it is difficult to truly understand Marxism...Some people have severely criticized those who always refer to Greece and Rome. Of course, they mean to criticize these people for only reciting foreign history and foreign dogma. As Chinese, they have no understanding of Chinese history. Of course it is sad to have only a little knowledge; however, conversely, if Chinese people, especially Chinese Marxists, know nothing about Western history, do not understand the Western history and tradition from which Marxism came about, and do not truly understand the principles of Marxism, How can justice and its spiritual essence be correctly applied to China's reality? Sadly, this most simple truth still seems to be ignored. It is satisfied with one or two little red books and is still obsessed with and preached half. "The Analects of Confucius governs the world" ("Gu Zhun's Diary", pp. 338-339) It should be said that if you want to talk about ideas from the West, especially Marxism, you have to "talk about Greece and Rome". Otherwise, it may be unclear and become water without a source.

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Editor recommendation

This book interprets the customs and culture of ancient Greece through a unique perspective - "sex", and explores the role of sex in love life, religion, literature and art, social life, public life, The role played by entertainment, entertainment, stage performances, etc., and then interpret all aspects of ancient Greek culture and history. The text is readable, the information is detailed, and it is accompanied by a large number of pictures. It is an important reference for studying the history of ancient Greece.

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