@article{741168,
      recid = {741168},
      author = {Lane, M. S.},
      title = {The birth of politics : eight Greek and Roman political  ideas and why they matter /},
      pages = {381 pages :},
      note = {"First published in the United Kingdom as: Greek and Roman  political ideas : a Pelican introduction, by the Penguin  Group, Penguin Books ... London"--Title page verso.},
      abstract = {Overview: In The Birth of Politics, Melissa Lane  introduces the reader to the foundations of Western  political thought, from the Greeks, who invented democracy,  to the Romans, who created a republic and then transformed  it into an empire. Tracing the origins of our political  concepts from Socrates to Plutarch to Cicero, Lane reminds  us that the birth of politics was a story as much of  individuals as ideas. Scouring the speeches of lawyers  alongside the speculations of philosophers, and the  reflections of ex-slaves next to the popular comedies and  tragedies of the Greek and Roman stages, this book brings  ancient ideas to life in unexpected ways. Lane shows how  the Greeks and Romans defined politics with distinctive  concepts, vocabulary, and practices-all of which continue  to influence politics and political aspirations around the  world today. She focuses on eight political ideas from the  Greco-Roman world that are especially influential today:  justice, virtue, constitution, democracy, citizenship,  cosmopolitanism, republic, and sovereignty. Lane also  describes how the ancient formulations of these ideas often  challenge widely held modern assumptions-for example, that  it is possible to have political equality despite great  economic inequality, or that political regimes can be  indifferent to the moral character of their citizens. A  stimulating introduction to the origins of our political  ideas and ideals, The Birth of Politics demonstrates how  much we still have to learn from the political genius of  the Greeks and Romans.},
      url = {http://library.usi.edu/record/741168},
}