Through the reading of great Greek authors of antiquity, Jacqueline de Romilly seeks to help us understand the theory of the greatness of Man. The Man who, free from divine fear, created unparalleled achievements, and through these emerged the so-called Golden Age: the 5th century B.C. in the exemplary city of the superior government, that of Democracy, in Athens.

For the first time, the gods no longer have heads of animals or birds; they are no longer hawks, rams, dogs, or cows, nor incredible beings with terrible attributes as in Egypt and Asia or in India. For the first time, the gods have human characteristics. For the first time, humans are transformed into gods through creativity and the power of the Mind.

This experiment does not, however, lead to naive optimism. The Greeks do not believe that everything is rosy for humanity. Tragedy and history, on the contrary, show us that they are fully aware of the defeats, misfortunes, passions, and sufferings to which humanity is exposed.

“The brilliant value of the intelligence of Greece during that Golden Age lies in the fiery desire to tame the passions, to highlight values, to dedicate itself to a higher ideal that would withstand the test of time. The concept of the intellectual greatness of Man is a goal, an achievement, a constantly renewed effort in which man, to be called Man, must dedicate all his powers…”