P. Rietbergen "Europe: A Cultural History"
Routledge | 1998-12-07 | ISBN: 0415172306 | 512 pages | PDF | 5MB
This major contribution to the idea of Europe sweeps the continent from its Celtic and German origins through the influence of the Greeks and Romans to the fruitful--and sometimes bloody--contacts with other cultures.
Peter Rietbergen portrays Europe's history as a series of four grand phases of continuity and change set in the context of political, social and economic developments. These phases are new forms of: surviving; believing; looking at man and the world; and consumption and communication. Rietbergen's descriptions are supported by a selection of illuminating excerpts such as: Chaucer's description of London in 1378; Michelangelo on Italian art; and popular music lyrics of Iron Maiden and Sting.