La Cité Antique
 Étude sur Le Culte, Le Droit, Les Institutions de la Grèce et de Rome

by Fustel de Coulanges

"La Cité Antique" by Fustel de Coulanges is a historical study published in 1864. This groundbreaking work explores how religion and ancestor worship shaped the earliest institutions of ancient Greece and Rome. Fustel traces how family beliefs and domestic rituals evolved into larger social structures, ultimately giving birth to the city-state itself. He argues that private property, laws, and political organization all have religious origins, and examines how social revolutions transformed these ancient systems until Christianity's arrival changed everything.