A primer for anyone interested in the foundation of Western thought and a companion for visitors to Greek and Roman sites. It unfolds the thinking about nature, life, death and other worlds that informed the culture and society of the classical world still visible in todays cityscapes and archaeological sites.

This is the perfect primer for anyone interested in the foundation of Western thought and a unique companion for visitors to Greek and Roman sites. John Gaskin unfolds the thinking about nature, life, death and other worlds that informed the culture and society of the classical world still visible in todays cityscapes and archaeological sites and draws out its relevance and interest for the modern reader. The author associates each philosopher and his ideas with a particular tourist destination, and a gazetteer describes the sites and notes the people and ideas connected with them.