Social History

07-02-02 The American Forties: In the 40's they wore hats so nice that you couldn't see one without wanting it for your own. (David Arkin)

07-01-02 Ancient Fables about Birds: Hesiod and Aesop tell stories which are superficially similar but illustrate morals with diametrically opposite meanings. Both concern a bird of prey tormenting a seemingly helpless victim, but their endings reveal a fundamental difference in philosophy of the respective tellers. (Prof. David Keaton)

06-10-02 The Birth of History in Greece: Greek history began some time around 750, when the Greeks adapted the Phoenician alphabet to their own language, adding vowels and transforming some sounds. (Professor David Keaton)

06-03-02 The Emergence of the Greek Polis: There is a great deal of controversy surrounding the question of why Greek communities became poleis. Some historians and political analysts found it inevitable. Aristotle, in fact, claimed that the polis was the natural situation for mankind. (Professor David Keaton)