Orient-Occident proposes to trace the history of Western art (and of neighboring cultures historically tied to it) in relation to its philosophical/ theological background, beginning with the Egyptian Book of the Dead through Platonism, Christianity, to Islam and the Renaissance. Of particular ... More
The first is a powerful invocation to God titled “Alleluia,” while the second is a chant composed during the period of the Greek popes in Rome (ca. 7th century), and therefore is directly influenced by Eastern models. —- Other chants can be found at this page. ... More
The essential characteristic of any city, of any polis, is the founding act. This act, played once and for all, embodies a higher, invisible reality, that which allowed the Polis to exist. As such, the laws which the Polis gives herself reflect this reality, and are thus immutable. Thus Solon ... More
It is commonplace to speak of the ancient Greek (or, more exactly, Athenian) democracy, or less commonly nowadays of the Roman Republic, as the ancestor of our modern parliementary democracies. This view corresponds well with a larger interpretation, seeing the ancient world as a beacon of light ... More
“Rome is an empire, so it was built and maintained by force.” Critics of empire, although acknowledging its benefits, also often bring up this point. Such judgement is, however, erroneous because it fails to take into account the reality of history, that people understand a situation ... More
