Ancient History: Evidence and Models

This is a book about the study and understanding of the history of the Greeks and Romans ; about the evidence that is available to the historians and its severe limitations ; about the practices of the historians in dealing with the evidence, and about alternative procedures that might be attempted ; in sum, about what we can know and what we are unlikely ever to know. Thus, Sir Moses Finley states his purpose, with characteristic clarity, at the start of the book in which he distils the thoughts and conclusions he has come to after fifty years of teaching and scholarly work in history. His intention is avowedly polemical. In fundamental ways he challenges the prevailing tradition : the special status so often accorded to classical texts, for example, or the flaws in the traditional analysis of the Greek city-state. He exposes unacceptable assumptions in the traditional accounts of ancient wars and urban structure, and offers pointers to a more fruitful approach through models. Always the emphasis is on asking the right questions, to enlarge our understanding of life in the ancient world "as it really was". Professor Finley's book provides a keynote for future research in the field of ancient history and, at the same time, a liberating analysis of the problems of method that all historians face. -- Publisher description.