Kings into Gods

Vittorio Cotesta is professor of Sociology at the Università degli Studi Roma Tre. His fields of interest are Global Society, Human Rights, Modernity, Civilizations, and Ethnic Relations and Ethnic Conflicts. Among his works are: Global Society and Human Rights (Brill, Leiden/Boston, 2012); Sociologia dello straniero (Carocci, Roma, 2012); Sociologia dei conflitti etnici (revised edition, Laterza, Roma-Bari, 2009); Images du Monde et société globale. Grandes interprétations et débats actuels (Les Presses de l’Université Laval, Québec, 2006).

• List of FiguresForewordIntroductionChapter One: Proskýnesis in Herodotus’s Histories Chapter Two: An Enquiry on Alexander. Apotheosis, Multicultural Empire and Clash of Civilization 1. The Journey to the Temple of Ammon Rā 2. Proskýnesis and the Struggle between Greeks and Persians Chapter Three: The Great Divergence between East and West1. The Quest for Glory2. Power is Instituted by God for the Good of Men 3. The Origin of the Great Divergence Between East and WestChapter Four: Proskýnesis at the Centre of the Clash of Civilizations1. Europe and China 2. To Prostrate Oneself Might be Right – though Not Always3. Macartney’s Genuflection4. A Clash of Civilizations Chapter Five: Proskýnesis in the Euroasiatic Continent. Unity and Diversity1. The Persian Model2. Callisthenes’s Model3. The Mongolian Model4. The Indian Models5. The Chinese Model6. The Byzantine Model7. The European Model 8. Heracles’s ModelConclusionDialogue between the Old Oligarch and the Neo-illuministA Short Glossary of the Main Terms and the Main CharactersBibliographyIndex