Greece

The Rise and Fall of the Roman Empire, the Vatican, and Roman Catholicism

P. Grimal, "Roman Civilization" - Recommended reference book to learn about the overwhelming prosperity of the Roman Empire and its cultural background.

This work, like "Greek Civilization" and "Hellenistic Civilization," which we have previously introduced on this blog, is a valuable reference book that provides a detailed explanation of the background of civilizations that have occurred and what they have to offer.

The book will explain Rome from its origins to its prosperity and how the advanced civilization that sustained the empire was created. In particular, Roman law, building techniques, culture, and art, which are the basis of "Roman civilization," as the book's title suggests, are discussed in considerable detail.

I have to admit that it is a tough introduction to ancient Rome, but I would highly recommend this work to anyone who wants to learn more about Rome.
The Rise and Fall of the Roman Empire, the Vatican, and Roman Catholicism

F. Chamoux, "Hellenistic Civilization" - A recommended commentary on what is the Hellenistic civilization, which is also connected to ancient Rome and Buddhism!

Why are we so fascinated by "Venus de Milo" and "Nike of Samothrace"? There was the cosmopolitan character of Hellenistic civilization.

Studying the Greek and Hellenistic civilizations gives us an idea of the major trends in "history and culture. These civilizations created the soil for the modern society in which we live. Learning about them is of great significance to us living in the modern world.

I strongly recommend reading this book as a set with "Greek Civilization" which I introduced in the last issue. It is extremely interesting. This is a great book. I can recommend it with confidence. Why don't you pick up a copy?
The Rise and Fall of the Roman Empire, the Vatican, and Roman Catholicism

F. Chamoux, "Greek Civilization" - A recommended commentary to learn about the sources of European civilization that had a huge impact on the Roman Empire!

This work gives a comprehensive look at ancient Greece from many different perspectives, which was very gratifying to me as I wanted to know the connection between Rome and Greece. I highly recommend this work to anyone interested in ancient Rome.

There is too much in the book to actually describe in this article, but the sections on ancient Greek art were a real eye-opener.

Why is ancient Greek art so wonderful? Why was Greece able to create overwhelming beauty among so many civilizations in the world? This was interesting. It gave me goosebumps.
The Rise and Fall of the Roman Empire, the Vatican, and Roman Catholicism

Pen BOOKS The Origins of Beauty, Ancient Greece and Rome - A recommended introduction to the origins of European art.

I have been learning about the Roman Empire for the past month and a half. I am very grateful for this book that gives me an overview of ancient Greek and Roman art.

The book is just full of pictures and is a very visual and easy to understand work.

The development of the history of ancient Greece and Rome will also be explained, albeit briefly, and you can learn about the historical background and even the lives of the people of those times.

This will make you feel familiar with ancient Greek and Roman art. It will also make you want to see the real thing.

I highly recommend this book as an introductory book.
The Rise and Fall of the Roman Empire, the Vatican, and Roman Catholicism

Epictetus, "Life Discourse" - What is true freedom? An amazing theory of life by a slave-born Stoic philosopher. And the connection with Mitsuyuki Kiyosawa.

Epictetus was an ancient Roman Stoic philosopher with a surprising origin: he was born a slave. His ideas are known to have greatly influenced the later Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius.

『人生談義』の中で有名なのはやはり「君は私の足を縛るだろう。だが、私の意志はゼウスだって支配することはできない」という言葉でしょう。エピクテトスはこの作品で自由とは何かについて述べていきます。奴隷という最も自由のない人間だったエピクテトスが一体何を語るのか。これは非常に興味深かったです。
The Rise and Fall of the Roman Empire, the Vatican, and Roman Catholicism

Seneca, On the Shortness of Life - Roman Stoic philosopher's philosophy of life that warns against wasting time and tells us to live in the present.

Seneca consistently states, "Live in the moment. And he insists that we should not lose time to things outside of ourselves.

This is no time to waste. How do you live your life, Seneca asks?

I felt that there are elements of Buddhism in this work, so much so that I wondered if Seneca was Buddha. Not only the teachings themselves, but also the style of writing, which seems to ask questions to each reader, is similar.

The similarities between Roman Stoic philosophy and Buddhism were very interesting to me as well.
The Rise and Fall of the Roman Empire, the Vatican, and Roman Catholicism

Koji Nakano, "The Words of Seneca, the Roman Philosopher" - Recommended for an introduction to Seneca! The Stoic philosopher who was a teacher of the tyrant Nero and later forced to commit suicide

セネカはローマ帝国を代表する哲学者であの暴君ネロの教師を務めていたという驚きの経歴の持ち主です。

Surprisingly, the tyrant Nero also ruled the Roman Empire as a good monarch for the first five years after becoming emperor. It is said that Seneca's education was behind this good rule.

セネカは『論語』や仏教とも共通するような思想の持ち主で、これは僧侶である私にとっても非常に興味深いものがありました。

This work is highly recommended as an introduction to Seneca, the great Roman philosopher and forefather of life.
The Rise and Fall of the Roman Empire, the Vatican, and Roman Catholicism

Ovidius, "The Metamorphosis Story" Synopsis and Comments - A short story about ancient Greek and Roman mythology that had a huge impact on European art!

ウェルギリウスとオウィディウスという二人のローマ詩人の存在は後のヨーロッパ文化に凄まじい影響を与えることになりました。まさにヨーロッパ芸術の源泉たる二人です。その二人の作品を読むことができてとても興味深い体験になりました。

これらを読めばヨーロッパの絵画や彫刻、文学と接した時に「あ、これか！」となる機会が増えること間違いなしです。すでにわたしはそんな場面にどんどん遭遇しています。これは面白いです。
この記事ではそんな『変身物語』とベルニーニ、ドストエフスキーとのつながりもお話ししていきます。
The Rise and Fall of the Roman Empire, the Vatican, and Roman Catholicism

Wellgirius' "Aeneis" Synopsis and Comments - The founding myth of ancient Rome! A masterpiece of Latin literature that also lets us know the relationship with Greece!

かつて繁栄していたギリシア国家。しかし今や地中海を支配しているのは我らがローマである！今ここで必要なのは何か。それはギリシアを超える建国神話だ！それがあることでローマ人としての誇り、精神の源泉を求めることができるだろう！

そこで現れたのがウェルギリウスでした。彼はまさしくこの作品でローマ人の誇りを生み出す建国神話を創造したのでした。

『アエネーイス』を読めば、ウェルギリウスが『イリアス』や『オデュッセイア』など、ギリシアを強烈に意識して書いているのがはっきりわかります。

ぜひ三冊セットで読まれることをおすすめします
The Rise and Fall of the Roman Empire, the Vatican, and Roman Catholicism

Ryoji Motomura, "The World History of Rise and Fall Volume 04: The Mediterranean World and the Roman Empire" - Recommended reference book to learn more about Hannibal and Caesar.

This work, as the title suggests, is a commentary on the history of the rise and fall of the Roman Empire. What is gratifying about this book is that it covers not only the history of the Roman Empire, but also its relationship with Greece, Carthage, and other Mediterranean countries.

And I am glad to see that there is plenty of commentary on Hannibal and Caesar.

この本は最初から最後まで一つの小説を読んでいるかのような面白さです。

まさに歴史を学ぶことの醍醐味がこの本にあるように思います。

とても面白い本でした。ローマ帝国に興味のある方にぜひおすすめしたい一冊です。