Friendship in the Classical World

Hardback

Main Details

Title Friendship in the Classical World
Authors and Contributors      By (author) David Konstan
SeriesKey Themes in Ancient History
Physical Properties
Format:Hardback
Pages:222
Dimensions(mm): Height 229,Width 152
Category/GenreWorld history
World history - BCE to c 500 CE
World history - c 500 to C 1500
World history - c 1500 to c 1750
World history - c 1750 to c 1900
World history - from c 1900 to now
ISBN/Barcode 9780521454025
ClassificationsDewey:302.340938
Audience
Professional & Vocational
Tertiary Education (US: College)

Publishing Details

Publisher Cambridge University Press
Imprint Cambridge University Press
Publication Date 6 February 1997
Publication Country United Kingdom

Description

This book - the only history of friendship in classical antiquity that exists in English - examines the nature of friendship in Greece and Rome from Homer to the Christian Roman Empire of the fourth century AD. Friendship is conceived of as a voluntary and loving relationship, but there are major shifts in emphasis from the bonding among warriors in epic poetry, to the egalitarian ties characteristic of the Athenian democracy, the status-conscious connections in Rome and the Hellenistic kingdoms, and the commitment to a universal love among Christian writers. Friendship is also examined in relation to erotic love and comradeship, for its role in politics and economic life, in philosophical and religious communities, in connection with patronage and the private counsellors of kings, and in respect to women. Its relation to modern friendship is also fully discussed.

Reviews

"...this is a valuable study of interest to such diverse groups as the ancient historian, the moral theologian or the philosopher with an interest in the virtues." Alicia Batten, Toronto Journal of Theology "Konstan's account will serve well anyone who wants to learn more about the classical thinkers who gave us our language and our understanding of friendship, or who wants to contemplate what we have made of that inheritance." Gilbert Meilaender, First Things