Excessive devotion to or worship of classical literature, art, and culture; treating classical works as infallible authorities.
Compound of 'classico-' (from classics) and '-latry' (from Greek 'latreia' meaning worship or excessive devotion). A critical term coining around the 19th-20th centuries.
During the Victorian era, critics accused scholars of 'classicolatry' for uncritically praising everything Greek and Roman while ignoring the prejudices and limitations of ancient thinkers.
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