The Invention of Racism in Classical Antiquity

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This groundbreaking work challenges the belief that ancient Greeks and Romans only exhibited "ethnic and cultural" prejudices, revealing a more complex reality of racism in classical antiquity. Benjamin Isaac meticulously traces the intellectual roots of racism back to this era, demonstrating that ancient social prejudices and stereotypes serve as prototypes of racism, or proto-racism. These early forms of discrimination influenced later modern racist ideologies. By examining literature from classical Greece to late antiquity, Isaac uncovers various discriminatory stereotypes and social hatreds that have persisted into modern times. The book is both scholarly and engaging, suggesting that understanding ancient attitudes toward different peoples can illuminate Greco-Roman imperialism, the ideology of enslavement, and the integration or exclusion of foreigners. It also connects these ancient perspectives to the disintegration of the Roman Empire and more recent forms of imperialism. The first section addresses general themes in the history of discrimination, while the second part offers a detailed analysis of proto-racism and specific prejudices against various foreign groups. The concluding chapter focuses on Jews in the ancient world, situating anti-Semitism within a broader historical context.