Life In 209 BC
Life In 209 BC II
Is a mingling of Classical simplicity with Oriental lavishness a plausible idea? Would the lavishness not overwhelm the simplicity? Is the lavishness represented by the fanciful frescoes and the simplicity by the Attic dining style? Does the word, "However..." (The Shield Of Time, 209 B.C., p. 34), signal the transition from the lavishness to the simplicity? Will Poul Anderson ever cease to amaze us with his descriptions of everyday life in ancient civilizations as if he had been there? Can I write an entire post consisting entirely of questions instead of of statements? Will I shortly retire for the night while beginning to wonder what to post about tomorrow? Will The Shield Of Time, which has already given us Shalten, Antiochus, a trap for Exaltationists and Bactria, continue to provide new blogging material? Who can possibly say?
2 comments:
One important reason the Hellenistic world was more "lavish" was simply that it had more money. Greece isn't a rich country in natural endowments.
Classical city-states concentrated their splendor on public monuments; a rich man lived better than a poor one, but he didn't live in a palace. His dwelling, especially after the anti-aristocratic movements of the 7th and 6th centuries BCE, was likely to be quite plain. He'd do his public boasting by things like giving his -polis- a trireme, or something of that sort.
Classical culture was (especially when you consider the individualistic and competitive nature of Ancient Greek society) surprisingly collective. People thought in terms of their city. In some cases (Sparta being the most famous) this lead to a high degree of ascetic restraint.
The Hellenistic world, by breaking the tight bonds of the city-state and opening up the Orient to Greek colonization, did more than accumulate a lot of boodle; in an odd way, the decline of city self-government 'freed' the individual. Freed of communal bonds, he could turn inward towards his own life. Private experience moved up the status bar.
Kaor, Paul!
The plunder and loot obtained by many Greeks as a result of the conquests of Alexander the Great gave them the MEANS needed to indulge in lavishness. Austerity and restraint is not necessarily what many people WANT.
Sean
Post a Comment