Publisher's Synopsis
Athens: Its Rise and Fall is a historical book written by Edward Bulwer-Lytton. The book provides a comprehensive account of the city of Athens, from its early beginnings to its eventual decline. It covers the political, social, and cultural aspects of Athens, including its government, military, religion, and art. The book also explores the role of Athens in the development of Western civilization, including its influence on philosophy, literature, and democracy. The author draws on a wide range of sources, including ancient texts, archaeological evidence, and his own observations, to paint a vivid picture of Athens and its people. The book is an engaging and informative read for anyone interested in ancient history, Greece, or the development of Western civilization.I. In the age of Pericles (B. C. 444) there is that which seems to excite, in order to disappoint, curiosity. We are fully impressed with the brilliant variety of his gifts--with the influence he exercised over his times. He stands in the midst of great and immortal names, at the close of a heroic, and yet in the sudden meridian of a civilized age. And scarcely does he recede from our gaze, ere all the evils which only his genius could keep aloof, gather and close around the city which it was the object of his life not less to adorn as for festival than to crown as for command. It is almost as if, with Pericles, her very youth departed from Athens.This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the old original and may contain some imperfections such as library marks and notations. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions, that are true to their original work.