American author who wrote the Hinges of History series — How the Irish Saved Civilization, The Gifts of the Jews, Desire of the Everlasting Hills, Sailing the Wine-Dark Sea — arguing that certain cultural traditions (Irish monks, ancient Israelites, Greeks) provided decisive gifts to Western civilization.
Creates the most accessible popular synthesis of how specific ancient traditions created Western civilization — the Hinges of History's argument that particular moments (Irish monasteries preserving Roman learning, the Jewish invention of linear time and ethical monotheism) are decisive and recoverable makes history feel consequential.
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