That’s the challenge of history - with a long enough perspective, all civilizations, all empires, fail and the lesson is only that everything always ends. Walls, it seems, allow cultures to flourish.Īt least until the walls fail and empire fall and then the walls only contain the rot. Secure in their enclosed city, they argued politics, discussed philosophy, attended theater and developed mathematics and science.”

The Athenians, by contrast, built walls and behind those walls became the freest people on earth. They were instructed in how to speak how, and what, and where to eat how to interact with sons, wives, husbands and daughters and what they could and could not possess. Their elders taught them what to do and how to do it. Athens went the other way.įrye makes the point: “An apparent irony presents itself: the Spartans, who lived openly, without walls, possessed not even a modicum of freedom.

Sparta avoided walls and defenses and developed a culture that valued simple living and constant readiness for war over art and culture.

Where do “we” end and “they” begin, and how do make sure the two stay separate, and how do walls and defenses shape culture? He points to the long-standing conflict between the mentality of warriors versus that of defenders, perfectly captured by the different approaches of the Spartans and Athenians. In Walls: A History of Civilization in Blood and Brick, Frye explores how major civilizations tackled this challenge, which is equal parts protecting against invaders and, importantly, defining the boundaries of empire. When I mentioned to a work colleague that I was reading a book about walls, they asked if it was by the same author who wrote Watching Paint Dry? At first mention, a book about walls may not seem like the most riveting nonfiction topic, but author David Frye has written an engaging, informative book about the perennial question facing civilizations - how do you keep others out? “Sparta avoided walls and defenses and developed a culture that valued simple living and constant readiness for war over art and culture.

David frye walls