Publisher's Synopsis
This historic book may have numerous typos, missing text or index. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. 1871. Not illustrated. Excerpt: ... PREFACE. The first edition of La Cite Antique, by Monsieur Fustel De Coulanges, Historical Professor at Strasbourg, appeared in 1864, and has since been crowned by the French Academy. Perhaps no other treatise could be found more useful for educational purposes or affording a clearer insight into the spirit of antiquity. The distinctive features of it are the use of Sanscrit for further purposes than those of philology, and a comparison of the laws and institutions of the Greeks and Romans with those of the ancient Hindoos. Greek and Roman civilization is shewn to have been based upon the worship of men's dead ancestors; from which worship, and not so much from the right of labour, were derived the idea of property and the old laws of succession. Among the points proved is the identity of the ancient gens with the primitive family, and the revival of the patriarchal theory for at least a portion of the Aryan race. The extent to which religion pervades all Greek and Roman institutions, customs, offices, is impressed on the mind by a detailed examination, and the author shews in a very interesting manner how kings were but priests from whom political power might be taken without destroying their royalty; how the census was once but a ceremony of purification; and the triumph nothing but the performance of a vow. The latter part of the work points out how much analogy there is between the histories of all ancient cities, and that they all really passed through the same series of revolutions, and consequently may be studied together. The chapters in which it is explained how all were eventually conquered by one particular city, especially merit perusal. It may seem presumptuous, after this, to say that the present is not an exact tr...
