Les Grecs face aux catastrophes naturelles
Savoirs, histoire, mémoire
By (author) L. Thély
Paperback (Published)
(December 2016)
ISBN: 9782869582781
Price: $85.00
On back order
Throughout Antiquity, natural disasters, seen as exceptional and tragic moments in the history of ancient communities, never ceased to evoke astonishment, irrationality and fear. They were the subject of debates between the defenders of rational opinions founded on an understanding of the world’s harmony and excess, and those who were puzzled by the violence of such phenomenas and held the gods responsible for them. Nevertheless, it is a surprise to discover that the Greeks did not have a word for ‘natural disaster’. This study therefore has as its basis a contemporary definition and paradigm, the study of the social implications of random natural events on societies. Instead of giving way to fatalism, human communities were able to adapt gradually to the constraints of their environments, drew lessons on desirable behaviour from these experiences, and took effective measures to overcome devastating events. People’s reactions also demonstrate the variety of different attitudes shown towards catastrophes, including acts of bravery and religious piety, evacuations of damaged areas, appeals to neighbourhood networks, and the reconstruction of ruined buildings. These responses to disasters make clear daily realities in Greek cities. In this way catastrophes did not constitute a break in people’s lived experience but rather became part of a long-term historical process.
Throughout Antiquity, natural disasters, seen as exceptional and tragic moments in the history of ancient communities, never ceased to evoke astonishment, irrationality and fear. They were the subject of debates between the defenders of rational opinions founded on an understanding of the world’s harmony and excess, and those who were puzzled by the violence of such phenomenas and held the gods responsible for them. Nevertheless, it is a surprise to discover that the Greeks did not have a word for ‘natural disaster’. This study therefore has as its basis a contemporary definition and paradigm, the study of the social implications of random natural events on societies. Instead of giving way to fatalism, human communities were able to adapt gradually to the constraints of their environments, drew lessons on desirable behaviour from these experiences, and took effective measures to overcome devastating events. People’s reactions also demonstrate the variety of different attitudes shown towards catastrophes, including acts of bravery and religious piety, evacuations of damaged areas, appeals to neighbourhood networks, and the reconstruction of ruined buildings. These responses to disasters make clear daily realities in Greek cities. In this way catastrophes did not constitute a break in people’s lived experience but rather became part of a long-term historical process.
- By (author) L. Thély
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