Freedom

Abstract

In this book, Vallianatos paints a picture of freedom in Greek history and civilization. Freedom for the Greeks, he says, has been like breathing air. He documents how freedom gave birth to the great achievements of Greek civilization. The Greeks repeatedly defeated large invading Persian armies in early fifth century BCE. Those heroic victories secured Greek and Western civilization. Modern Greeks also won over large Turkish forces in the 1820s, thus establishing the independence of Greece. In 1940, the Greeks defeated a large Italian army, winning the first victory of WWII.

The result of the triumph of freedom, especially in ancient Greece, Vallianatos says, was an explosion of light. Civilization bloomed with the craftsmanship of the Bronze Age, 3,100 BCE, the poetry of Homer, the Olympics, democracy, Aristotle and his invention of science, technology, theater, the Parthenon, gorgeous art and architecture, and the cosmic Greek influence of Alexander the Great and the Antikythera computer of genius in the second century BCE. These Greek achievements influenced the founders of the American Republic. They are still important for clear thinking and inspiration in support of our democracy. They guide us to family farming and citizen soldiers, always commanded by civilians.

This book may attract readers the world over, Classics scholars, students, and tourists. About 22,000 of them visit the Parthenon every day. These Parthenon lovers would be interested in this book, which in addition to its global overview of Greek history, includes a chapter explaining why the Parthenon has been the Soul of Greece.

Vallianatos argues that the Greeks are us. They were reason and science as much as piety for the gods. The Olympics celebrated Zeus. The Athenians built the Parthenon to honor Athena, daughter of Zeus. The second century BCE Antikythera computer was designed to predict the eclipses of the Sun and the Moon, both gods for the Greeks. This book brings this intimate dimension of piety for the gods to the surface where it belongs. This enables Vallianatos to retell Greek history as it actually happened. In contrast, many books about the Greeks ignore or malign Greek religion, which distort the history and civilization of the Greeks.



REVIEWS and WORDS of PRAISE

List to author interview by Jim Underdown "Taking Inspiration from Greek History With Evaggelos Vallianatos" for Point of Inquiry. March 7, 2025

Vallianatos' book seeks to ensure that the flame lit by ancient Greeks continues to shine brilliantly not only in the Euro-West but also in the world at large. In his thinking, he is driven not by narrow Greek patriotism but by historic contribution that the ancient Greeks made to the human pursuit and cultivation of truth, knowledge, and liberty--all contributing to the flourishing of humankind. His work ought to be read by all those who truly care for human wellbeing and for the health of the natural environment in which we live.

The world needs more truth tellers like Vallianatos to rescue us from contemporary catastrophic trends. Truth matters. It is not a luxury. Vallianatos is doing good for Greece and for all those who cherish truth in education. Keep writing, Evaggelos. This book on freedom and Greek history is good for those who cherish human dignity. True, history matters. It is therapeutic.
--John Murungi, Professor of Philosophy, Towson University, Towson, Maryland

Vallianatos, known for The Passion of the Greeks, his study of Adamantios Koraes, and his book on the Antikythera Mechanism, offers a sweeping appreciation of Greek culture from the Bronze Age to the present day. Richly detailed and densely argued, based on nearly a lifetime of research, this work contains much more than a typical survey. Ancient Greek literature, religion, scientific advances, theater, and great historical milestones are interwoven with new insights and personal testimonials that show their continuing power today. The book reminds us that the world needs more than ever the Greek message of knowledge and freedom – especially when, as here, it is imbued with love and passion.
--John Lenz, Professor and Chairman, Classics Department, Drew University, Madison, New Jersey

Traveling through time, Evaggelos Vallianatos allows us to live through all the phases of Greek civilization, to feel and understand its essence and achievements (in craftsmanship, science, technology, architecture, the Olympics, theater, political theory, democracy and freedom). These Greek achievements made enormous contributions to the Renaissance and the Enlightenment of humanity.
--Leonidas Chrysanthopoulos, Ambassador ad honorem

I was very impressed by the clarity and the depth through which Vallianatos gives us a very meaningful analysis of the greatest literature ever created by humans, that of the Golden Age of Greece (or Hellas, better yet)!

His kind of approach is extremely unique, due to the fact that not only he is an authority of the very difficult task he is dealing with, but being also a Hellene who preserves and cultivates the fundamental principles of our ancestors. Academics of such character are rare indeed.

I very much enjoyed and also related to his analysis, especially in the 9th Chapter: Τhe Theater of Dionysos. Here Vallianatos takes the reader in a journey departing from the Homeric epoch (1100 BCE) through the Theater of Dionysos in classical Athens (5th century BCE), the main stage where all the tragedies and comedies were performed, landing in New York and inside a Broadway Theater attending a modern performance of Sophocles’ Electra! Here he has an intense emotional and nearly parallel experience with the protagonist, due to the amazing resemblance with his own life:

"But no matter where I went," Vallianatos says, “the lament for Apostolia [the author’s dead mother] was overwhelming--and it was this lament that united me with the lament of Electra. I understood her perfectly....And the words and pained voice of Zoe Wanamaker transported me to other memories of Greek culture: The Iliad and the Odyssey of Homer, the Greek victory over the Persians, the powerhouse of ideas and drama of Aeschylus, Sophocles, Euripides, the comedies of Aristophanes and Menander, the Greeks' beautiful and intensely religious festivals, the Eleusinian mysteries, the philosophy of Plato and Aristotle, the Parthenon of Athens and the Antikythera Mechanism-Parthenon of science and technology of the global empire of Alexander the Great, and the terrible tragedy of the Christianization of Hellas."

And, furthermore, in a brave, clear and very original hypothesis he declares: "The loss of Satyr plays, measuring one-fourth of all that Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides wrote, is immense. And probably the Christians burned all the Satyr plays. The idea of naked horsemen and naked goat-men dancing and singing on the stage with erect phalli must have driven them mad with hatred. But without these Satyr plays we inherited a crippled tragic legacy."

Most likely that is partially how things happened, and I endorse this herculean research and impressive achievement of Professor Vallianatos! A must read!
--Alexandros Hahalis, Composer, author, researcher

About the Author

Vallianatos studied ancient and medieval Greek history and zoology at the University of Illinois; earned a Ph.D. in modern Greek and European history from the University of Wisconsin; did postdoctoral studies in the history of science at Harvard; worked on Capitol Hill and the US Environmental Protection Agency; taught at several universities, authored hundreds of articles and several books.