The children of Athena Greek Intellectuals in the Age of Rome: 150 BC-400 AD

Historian Freeman (The Closing of the Western Mind) offers an enlightening survey of the Greek intellectual tradition during the Roman Empire. Often overlooked in favor of classical Athens and its foundational schools of thought, Greek philosophy flourished under Roman rule, according Freeman. Beginning with a brief sketch of classical Greece and its absorption by the Roman Empire, Freeman profiles historians, doctors, orators, philosophers, soldiers, and consultants, who exemplify the wide variety of careers available to Greek intellectuals working as purveyors of culture for their Roman employers. Subjects include the historian Polybius, who, unlike his more mythologically minded predecessors, emphasized firsthand research, thus offering cogent lessons on statecraft to his aristocratic audience; the polymath Posidonius, whose admiring ethnographic writings on the Celts would later be useful to Caesar in his near-genocidal military campaign against them; and the Stoic philosopher Epictetus, whose argument that the most ethical position is to ignore suffering and be useful to the established order was popular among the ruling elite of an imperial slave state. While Freeman endeavors to highlight points of continuity between these thinkers and their classical forebears, many come off as self-interested strivers whose ideas were pragmatic and made-to-measure. It adds up to a lively series of character portraits that shed light on the history of ideas. (Dec.)

A study of the significance of a neglected epoch in Greek cultural history. Freeman, the author of A.D. 381 and other books, argues that scholars have failed to properly account for the achievements of what is, in fact, an intellectually vital and influential period--namely, the years "between the point when Greece came definitively under Roman rule in the second half of the first century BC up to the time when Christianity became the dominant religion of the empire in the fourth century AD." In making his case, the author tracks the resilience and dynamism of Greek philosophy during centuries of profound cultural upheaval. He focuses on a series of individuals and their contributions, weaving them into a broader narrative about "a single, unified and vibrant intellectual culture in which debate was possible across the disciplines." Freeman considers such luminaries as Plutarch, Epictetus, and Plotinus, as well as lesser-known figures, including Dioscorides, Themistius, and Libanius. In each case, Freeman provides a thorough and astute description of how a thinker drew on specific traditions, adapted them according to the idiosyncrasies and emerging debates of the contemporary milieu, and critically influenced later thought. Among the strengths of the book, which should appeal to general readers and subject experts alike, are the author's clear summaries of complex philosophical ideas and his revealing commentary on the assumptions and approaches that linked figures from different generations. Especially insightful is Freeman's account of the impact of Greek philosophy on early Christian history, a topic explored with liveliness in the chapter dedicated to the theologian Origen (185-283 AD). "Christianity needed a strong intellectual background to give it coherence, and Origen provided it," writes the author. Overall, this book satisfyingly fulfills its promise of highlighting intellectual landmarks and hidden continuities. Well-informed, rewarding analysis of an unjustly overlooked period and its intellectual legacy. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.