A History of Private Life From Pagan Rome to Byzantium (v. 1)

Veyne, Paul; Aries, Philippe; Duby, Georges

ISBN 10: 0674399757 / ISBN 13: 9780674399754

Published by Harvard University Press, Cambridge, MA, 1987

About this Item

Fist American Edition, First Printing. Hard cover large 8vo. Fine and unmarked book in Near Fine DJ w/edgewear, several short tears. 670pp inc. Index; well-illustrated in b/w and color photos, reproductions. Heavy book; additional postage for Priority or International. 704 p.

Seller Inventory # 048080

Bibliographic Details

• Title: A History of Private Life From Pagan Rome to Byzantium (v. 1)
• Publisher: Harvard University Press, Cambridge, MA
• Publication Date: 1987
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0674399757
• ISBN 13: 9780674399754
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition: First American Edition.
• Condition: Fine
• Dust Jacket Condition: Near Fine
• Book Type: Book
• Seller catalogs:
  • History

About this title

Synopsis

First of the widely celebrated and sumptuously illustrated series, this book reveals in intimate detail what life was really like in the ancient world. Behind the vast panorama of the pagan Roman empire, the reader discovers the intimate daily lives of citizens and slaves―from concepts of manhood and sexuality to marriage and the family, the roles of women, chastity and contraception, techniques of childbirth, homosexuality, religion, the meaning of virtue, and the separation of private and public spaces.

The emergence of Christianity in the West and the triumph of Christian morality with its emphasis on abstinence, celibacy, and austerity is startlingly contrasted with the profane and undisciplined private life of the Byzantine Empire. Using illuminating motifs, the authors weave a rich, colorful fabric ornamented with the results of new research and the broad interpretations that only masters of the subject can provide.

About the Authors

Paul Veyne is Professor at the Collège de France.

Georges Duby, a member of the Académie Française, is Professor of Medieval History at the Collège de France.