Preface

I strongly believe that today the world experiences a new period, a renewed way of life based on general principles established by Ancient Greeks. I call this period the Third Hellenization Period and I claim that it started with the teachings of St. Thomas Aquinas in the 13th century, after the thousand year-long medieval period. This period differs than the previous two in that (a) it is more global in scope, (b) its underlying principles are adopted at increasing rates – often times through violent uprising, and (c) it is facilitated a great deal by, and evolves with, technological improvements in digital communications, improved transportation, increasing reliance on commerce and tourism, as well as the spread of sport and entertainment. Assertions are supported through selective and non-exhaustive descriptions of how some contributions made by Ancient Greeks have evolved through time to become living culture.

I introduce the concept of the Third Hellenization in Chapter 1 and I accompany it with an explanation on why 'freedom to reason' has been thrusting it forward and more widely. My objective in every remaining chapter is to selectively and non-exhaustively identify evolving ideas from Ancient Greece to today. In Chapter 2, I try to laconically describe philosophical inquiries from ancient to modern rimes. In Chapter 3, I describe the evolution of democracy, along with its pros and cons, from its origins in Ancient Athens to today. In Chapter 4, I deal with Ancient Greek literature – epic and other poetry, mythology, storytelling, playwrights, and historiography, among others, and how they are connected to current global living culture. In Chapter 5, I focus on art (sculpture), architecture (as applied to temples and theaters), athletics (Olympics, Pythia, Nemea, Isthmia), and discoveries (technological). Finally, in Chapter 6, I offer brief descriptions of city-states, other than Athens, inclusive of their mythologies, brief histories, and some lasting achievements; these city states are: Corinth, Sparta, Thebes, and Macedonia.

The book targets the educated layperson as well as college students, researchers and practitioners in classics, foreign affairs, global studies, history, philosophy, politics, business, economics, engineering, religion, sport, and comparative civilizations.