Kenneth Lapatin
In this wide-ranging study, Oswyn Murray marshals a lifetime of experience and erudition to examine how historians, politicians, and many others have written and rewritten the history of ancient Greece to suit the changing circumstances, interests, and politics of their own times, from the Enlightenment through the Cold War. This is intellectual history at its best, amply demonstrating how modern authors, famous and forgotten alike, repeatedly and dynamically recast the ancient foundations on which the ideals and the very idea of Western civilization have and continue to be constructed.
Paul J. Kosmin
Our greatest historian of archaic and classical Greece traces the formation and development of Ancient History amidst the often tragic events of post-Enlightenment Europe. A profound, inspiring, and deeply personal book.
Suzanne Marchand
An invaluable reminder of how much all modern humanists owe to European scholars of the classical world, from the French érudits of the eighteenth century to the eastern European Marxists of the twentieth. Oswyn Murray, a foremost historian of western antiquity, here combines trenchant historiographical analysis with biographical snapshots of a host of colorful and innovative classical scholars, many of whom he knew personally. The Muse of History is written with passion, wit, and the firm conviction that ancient history always has, and always will, be of great importance and interest to us all.
Pauline Schmitt Pantel
A fascinating investigation into the diverse ways in which European scholars forged their relationship with the ancient world over three centuries. The Muse of History is a vibrant plea to contextualize European intellectual history. This innovative book offers an unparalleled reflection on the role of ancient history in European culture from the Enlightenment to the present day.
Anthony T. Grafton
In this erudite and elegant book, Oswyn Murray examines how the history of Greece has been written, from the Enlightenment to our own dark time. He follows historians as they travel, to explore Greek sites or to flee persecution; he examines scholarly traditions and institutions as they take shape; he catches new and powerful theses as they crystallize. Above all, he reveals the historians themselves, in all their complex humanity. It’s a marvelous story, full of life and told with wit and warmth.
Paul J. Kosmin Time and Its Adversaries in the Seleucid Empire
Our greatest historian of archaic and classical Greece traces the formation and development of Ancient History amidst the often tragic events of post-Enlightenment Europe. A profound, inspiring, and deeply personal book.
