Reviews for Peoples of Philadelphia: A History of Ethnic Groups and Lower Class Life, 1790-1940 - John K...

The average rating for Peoples of Philadelphia: A History of Ethnic Groups and Lower Class Life, 1790-1940 - John K... based on 2 reviews is 4.5 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2015-01-18 00:00:00 Michael Lerew "They create a desert and call it peace". This is our classical history, told by the other half. A nice departure from the usual 'economy and culture' route that nondescript books on ancient civilizations tend to tread. This is first a chronicle of war and kings. Cornerstones of ancient history such as the near-capture of Rome (averted by the sacred geese) and the sack of Delphi are integrated into a geographical narrative; where the Celts are, the book goes. They were present in Gallia Cisalpina and Hispania which means they played their part in the erosion of the Etruscans and served in the Phoenician Wars... Once Caesar has opened up the Gallic world to the legions, the cultural influence of Celt upon Rome is felt: not just in "the dying Gaul", but the provincial Livius of all people would've employed the epic style of oral tradition to shape Ab Urbe Condita ! The saga of the Celts comes to rest in Ireland, from whence they would play an important role in the nurturing of Western European Christianity in the first centuries after the fall of Rome.

Review # 2 was written on 2013-11-19 00:00:00 Nigel Harris Alcune parti sono un po' troppe didascaliche e piene di nomi in cui è facile perdersi. Qualche ragionamento qua e là non mi ha convinto troppo. La cosa davvero strana è che il libro, che pure inizia narrando in dettaglio e in modo interessante le origini dei celti e l'evoluzione del loro linguaggio, termini poi "in media res", cioè con la cattura di Carataco da parte dei Romani attorno al 50 d.C., ignorando quindi una larga fetta di storia celtica. Alcuni capitolo tuttavia li ho trovati estremamente interessanti, ad esempio quelli sulle presenze celtiche in Galazia, in nord Africa e in Egitto (mercenariato del tempo dei regni ellenistici).