Italys Lost Greece is the untold story of the modern engagement with the ancient Greek settlements of South Italy--an area known since antiquity as Magna Graecia. This "Greater Greece;" at once Greek and Italian; has continuously been perceived as a region in decline since its archaic golden age; and has long been relegated to the margins of classical studies. Giovanna Ceseranis evocative and nuanced analysis recovers its significance within the history of classical archaeology. It was here that the Renaissance first encountered an ancient Greek landscape; and during the "Hellenic turn" of eighteenth-century Europe the temples of Paestum and the painted vases of South Italy played major roles; but since then; Magna Graecia--lying outside the national boundaries of modern Greece; and sharing in the complicated regional dynamic of the Italian Mezzogiorno--has fitted awkwardly into the commonly accepted paradigms of Hellenism. The unfolding of this process provides a unique insight into three developments: the humanist investment in the ancient past; the evolution of modern Hellenism; and the making of classical archaeology. Drawing on antiquarian and archaeological writings; histories and travelogues about Magna Graecia; and recent rewritings of the history and imagining of the South; Italys Lost Greece sheds new light on well known figures in the history of archaeology while recovering forgotten ones. This is an Italian story of European resonance; which transforms our understanding of the transition from antiquarianism to archaeology; of the relationship between nation-making and institution-building in the study of the ancient past; and of the reconstruction of classical Greece in the modern world.
#322046 in eBooks 2012-04-11 2012-04-11File Name: B007M2A1US
Review
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful. Boorstin is not as good with Creators as he is with DiscoverersBy jon pollardAfter reading The Discoverers. which I loved. I was disappointed with The Creators. I suspect that Boorstin. who is a brilliant gatherer and expounder of facts. is out of his depth when analyzing the creative instinct. I am particularly interested in music. and I found that he gives brief biographies of Mozart. Beethoven. and Wagner. and some analysis of the SOCIAL impact of their music. but no real analysis of the music itself (e.g. Wagners revolutionary use of tonality). Without that. I dont think there is much point in writing the book.4 of 4 people found the following review helpful. Informative but occasionally uninspiringBy Nina MurrayFor some reason. I thought this book would focus more on the personalities of various "creators" (historically significant composers. painters. writers etc.) and their lives and processes. and less on the pure history of art. So I was a bit disappointed. but. as I said. my expectations were probably off. If you are looking for a good reference book about the history of ideas. creative and otherwise. and the philosophical and intellectual trends that have made the western civilization what it is today -- this is absolutely it! It is thoroughly informative and written in very smooth prose that is easy to read and think about.3 of 3 people found the following review helpful. Daniel Boorstin is one of my favorite historians. I read his books in the 90sBy J. GranlundDaniel Boorstin is one of my favorite historians. I read his books in the 90s. and although I was well versed in world history. his clear writing style. and unique talent for making the connections between seemingly far flung events. personalities. and creations opened up a new way of thinking about our world and ways we interact with it.
