How the Irish Saved Civilization (The Hinges of History #1)
Thomas Cahill
Rated: 3.81 of 5 stars
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· 31 ratings · 279 pages · Published: 15 Feb 1995
From the fall of Rome to the rise of Charlemagne - the "dark ages" - learning, scholarship, and culture disappeared from the European continent. The great heritage of western civilization - from the Greek and Roman classics to Jewish and Christian works - would have been utterly lost were it not for the holy men and women of unconquered Ireland.
In this delightful and illuminating look into a crucial but little-known "hinge" of history, Thomas Cahill takes us to the "island of saints and scholars, " the Ireland of St. Patrick and the Book of Kells. Here, far from the barbarian despoliation of the continent, monks and scribes laboriously, lovingly, even playfully preserved the west's written treasures. With the return of stability in Europe, these Irish scholars were instrumental in spreading learning. Thus the Irish not only were conservators of civilization, but became shapers of the medieval mind, putting their unique stamp on western culture.
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The 'The Hinges of History' series
3.82 · 113 ratings- How the Irish Saved Civilization by Thomas Cahill Book #1
- The Gifts of the Jews: How a Tribe of Desert Nomads Changed the Way Everyone Thinks and Feels by Thomas Cahill Book #2
- Desire of the Everlasting Hills: The World Before and After Jesus by Thomas Cahill Book #3
- Sailing the wine dark sea by Thomas Cahill Book #4
- Mysteries of the Middle Ages: The Rise of Feminism, Science and Art from the Cults of Catholic Europe by Thomas Cahill Book #5
- Heretics and Heroes: How Renaissance Artists and Reformation Priests Created Our World by Thomas Cahill Book #6
historical · non-fiction · audiobook · philosophy · religion · christian · religious · spirituality · ancient-civilization · historical-fiction · book · adult · medieval · politics
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