The Future of the Classical

Every era has invented a different idea of the 'classical' to create its own identity. Thus the 'classical' does not concern only the past: it is also concerned with the present and a vision of the future.

In the Modern Era this emulation of the 'ancients' by the 'moderns' was accompanied by new trends: the increasing belief that the former had now been surpassed by the latter, and an increasing preference for the Greek over the Roman. These conflicting interpretations were as much about the future as they were about the past. No civilization can invent itself if it does not have other societies in other times and other places to act as benchmarks. Settis argues that we will be better equipped to mould new generations for the future once we understand that the 'classical' is not a dead culture we inherited and for which we can take no credit, but something startling that has to be re-created every day and is a powerful spur to understanding the 'other'.

1. The 'classical' in the 'Global' Universe. 2. Ancient History as Universal History. 3. 'Classicism' and the 'classical': Retracing our Steps. 4. The 'Classical' as the Dividing Line Between Post-modern and Modern. 5. The 'Classical' amongst the 'Historical' Styles and the Victory of the Doric. 6. The 'Classical' is not 'Authentic'. 7. Greek 'Classical' versus Roman 'Classical'. 8. The 'Classical', Liberty and Revolution. 9. The 'Classical' as a Repertoire. 10. The Rebirth of Antiquity. 11. The 'Classical' before 'Classical Antiquity'. 12. The 'Classicism' of the 'Classical' Period. 13. Eternity Amongst the Ruins. 14. Identity and Otherness. 15. Cyclical Histories. 16. The Future of the 'Classical'. Note on the Text. Bibliography. Index.