How did the concept of democracy emerge? Where does the term marathon come from? Why do we use the expressions “the sword of Damocles” or “Ariadne’s thread”?
Valerio Massimo Manfredi explains these and much more in Akropolis, a journey through ancient Greece and the places that were the scene of so many exploits and legends.
In a fascinating account that takes us from myth to the progressive establishment of Athens as the Mediterranean power, we come across the likes of Zeus, Athena, Theseus, Daedalus, Pericles, Socrates, Phidias … Gods and heroes, but above all poets, philosophers and the leaders who were the architects of unique period of tragedy, glory and liberty. They are the protagonists of this fascinating account of Athens, which takes us from battles and masterpieces of art to philosophy and theatre, and the discovery of a civilisation that for more than two thousand years has been the model for the entire Western world.