Product Description
Using primary sources the political, military, social, cultural and religious histories of Ancient Greece are covered. There are relevant time lines, maps, plans and photographs. Particular attention is also given to the society, literature and architecture in its golden age. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (22)

Very solid, short review of Ancient Greece
Ever wanted a great over view of Ancient Greece but did not want to read a thousand page book. Well this book is made for you??
This book is under 250 pages and will provide you a great general overview of Ancient Greece.
Topics include: Persian vs. Greek wars, famous Pelopon. War of Athens and Sparta, Dark Age Greece, Minoans and Mycenaean Greece, Classical Athens and Hellenistic age.

This book will provide you will a solid overview of Ancient Greece. Don't expect to be an expert on Greece but you will greatly enhance you overall knowledge and this book can be completed in a couple of days.


Finally, the writing style is excellent. Very direct and to the point. The way a book should be written.

A good overview in 221 pages
Ancient Greece: From Prehistoric to Hellenistic Times (Yale Nota Bene)
As a general reader with no expertise in ancient Greece, I found this book to be comprehensive and a quite readable way to both refresh my stale knowledge of the subject and to significantly add to it.

It is not a breezy or riveting popular history (although the mind-boggling treachery of Alcibiades had me turning a few pages), so I did read its 221 pages over several days.It seems to be written for the undergraduate college student, but little prior knowledge of ancient Greece is assumed. In fact, so little is assumed that at one point the author even explains the meaning of the word "granary".

To the best of my knowledge, all major aspects of Greek politics, military history, sociology, philosophy, literature, architecture, religion and science from the Paleolithic to the Hellenistic are covered. The author seemed to take special care to explain the roles of women during the different time periods, since it would be easy to neglect them in a history of the Greek male dominated societies.

As another reviewer has noted, one of the book's strengths is its citations and references to original Greek sources.Its maps are decent and frequent.Its illustrations are only fair since, in the paperback edition I read, they are printed on the same, almost newsprint paper as the text, rather than on glossy plates.There is a 16 page bibliography of additional suggested readings.

Overall, I'd recommend the book to a friend who was willing to invest a bit of time and attention.

Cumbersome at Times
If you are a casual reader who wants to pick this up and be finished with it quickly, I'd recommend a different book.Although it is a short book, it is not one that can be read very quickly.The sentences are long, often repetitive, and verbose.I'm not sure if the author cannot convey his message in more reader friendly terms, or if he simply wants to flaunt his extensive vocabulary.

For example, on page 17: "The thorniest question concerning the Indo-European background of Greek culture is whether groups of peoples collectively labeled Indo-Europeans migrated into prehistoric Europe over many centuries and radically changed the nature of the society already in place there, of which indigenous inhabitants of Greece would have been a part" (Martin 17).Although this is comprehensible, the same thing could be said in shorter and less confusing language.

The good thing about the book is that the author quotes many primary sources, unlike many others who quote secondary sources.The use of maps and time lines help to put events into perspective.I gave the book a three because it is a useful source for a student, but it is not a leisurely read, it is one you must reflect on and often stop to think about and to decipher the language used by the author.The book could use a good editing to clean up the language and sentence clarity if the author wishes for a broader audience than undergraduates.

Superb summary
If your knowledge of ancient Greece is poor, but you're not a "dummy" so to speak, Martin's account may be a good start for you.The writing is clean and crisp, at times superb.Surely he covers much ground and undoubtedly leaves gaps, but admits as much and tells you why.His approach is for the first-timer and he clearly explains what he's leaving out while offering a detailed list of sources for additional review.
As for the history, the big wars and big names are covered, as well as a smattering of social history.For a novice, it's difficult to think that any more basic facts could be communicated in a thoughtful way than in these 221 pages, espesically given the breadth of the coverage (pre-history through the Hellenistic Age).
Martin deals with difficult and debatable topics thoughtfully, noting where a general consensus holds sway and where more varied opinion exists, lending credibility to his effort. Experts may feel short-changed but newcomers to Ancient Greece will find they've caught up fairly quickly -- and positioned to learn more.

Trees Should Not Die For Books This Moronic
It baffles me the good reviews on this book as in the first chapter, the words, "PERHAPS, COULD BE and MAYBE" are how the writer writes about history he states, "we just do not know".
Then Mr. Martin continues on in succeeding chapters to inform the Greeks that they do not know their own history as Dorians, who are spoken of, had their own language, invaded Greece, "do not exist".
This is beyond the dumbing down of America, this is the complete moronic view of history! If Mr. Martin does not know about the subject then he should not be writing about the subject nor should others be leaving feedback that this waste of trees for paper is anything but 1 star.

For the record, to prove I know the subject, one only has to look at the "Phoenicians" whom Mr. Martin does mention, but never correlates that this "lumping of peoples" details the facts and archeology found in the Bible.
The invasions of Greece and subsequent changing of character to one of MILITARY KINGS, ELDERS and ELECTED OFFICIALS mirrors exactly the traditions found in the Israelite nations, which include the first Republican form of government which so many people like Mr. Martin refer to "democracy" which is not people rule but MOB RULE.
The key line in this Biblical connection is "every man did what was right in his own eyes as there was no king in Israel". That is individual voting rights at it's genesis.
Furthermore ancient sources factually connect the time of Greek upheaval to the period when Assyria conquered the Israelite kingdom of the north which contained the seafaring people of the Danites.
This tribe of Dan had 2 groups. One exiled in ships touching on many coastal areas to Ireland with the Lebanese (Phoenicians) where they were called the Tuatha de Danaan or Tribe of Dan. Today they can be found in Denmark which means Mark of Dan.
Jewish scholars have long pointed out that Dan spent time in Greece and that the Benjamites were sojourners there. Many have eluded to the fact that the Spartans who practiced homosexuality and are termed "Dorian invaders" by the Greeks are in fact the ancient base of Spartans.

This is where Mr. Martin also comes up with the most heinous of disgustingconclusions when he speaks of Spartans taking children from their parents as boys to live in military camps with older males. Mr. Martin then lists the activities which included "physical love". THERE IS ANOTHER NAME FOR THAT ON WORLD LAW BOOKS AND IT IS CALLED CHILD MOLESTATION.
Yes Mr. Martin terms pedophiles a "physical love".

How on this planet Yale which published this book and others who give this book publication and glowing accounts is beyond the pale of morality.
Check it out, PAGE 78; LINE 18.

Mr. Martin also concludes that the making of metal artifacts for war and agriculture was due to everyone wanted them for prestige and NEVER CONCLUDES ONE HAS METAL DUE TO THE FACT IT IS A MUCH BETTER IMPLEMENT THAN ROCKS OR FLINT.

This is the absolute nonsense found in this book which beyond boring. This book is the dumbing down of professorship in the United States and our academia should be ashamed to put something like this out.

This book is so surpassed by the original Greeks in their writings and for example the book, The Tribes by Yair Davidy has more Greek information in passing WHICH IS ACCURATE that people should not waste time nor money on this nonsense.
I paid 30 cents for the hardcover and that was 30 cents too much.

One does not author books nor go to schools to hear, "might be, could be, probably or I don't know" nor does one want conclusions that people had plows because they were pretty and everyone had them.

I can not strongly enough not recommend people buying this book. If it would not cost more to send the letter for a refund to Yale, I would be demanding a refund from them as this was not history nor even a discussion. This was pure uninformed scribbling.
If this is the product of American secondary education at billions of dollars just turn out the lights and give the people beer money as this book inspires no thought nor reaches a discerning mind.

It is a pure void of information and morality. ... Read more

Product Description
From the epic poems of Homer to the glittering art and architecture of Greece's Golden Age, to the influential Roman systems of law and leadership, the classical Greek world established the foundations of our culture as well as many of its most enduring achievements. Now, in this vivid volume, readers can embrace the spirit of the classical world, from the eighth to the first centuries B.C., a period unparalleled in history for its brilliance in literature, philosophy, and the visual arts. This work also treats the Hellenization of the Middle East by the monarchies established in the area conquered by Alexander the Great. The editors, all celebrated classicists, intersperse chapters on political and social history with sections on literature, philosophy, and the arts, and reinforce the historical framework with maps and historical charts. Moreover, the contributors--thirty of the world's leading scholars--present the latest in modern scholarship through masterpieces of wit, brevity, and style. Together with hundreds of excellent illustrations, these entries provide both a provocative and entertaining window into our classical heritage. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (8)

The best of its genre
Clearly this is the best volume for introduction to the Hellenistic world. Too general would be a criticism for a work not intended to be anything other than an overview.

Too Generalized
Okay, let's start by making a disclaimer: this is an OLD book.It was first issued in 1986 as part of THE OXFORD HISTORY OF THE CLASSICAL WORLD, and it does show its age.It obviously hasn't been updated because it still contains references to the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics as being a current government founded on democratic principles!

Putting its age aside, it's an okay read.The book is divided into articles detailing specific areas of interest: history, philosophy, epic poetry, culture, domestic life, etc.In other words, it's a survey of the Greek world.My problem is that the sections dealing specifically with history are so threadbare, and some very important topics are ignored completely.

There is no chapter on Minoan civilization, or even references to it, and the Mycenaean period is also absent.Why it starts with the Archaic period is not made clear.Perhaps in 1986 not enough was known to reconstruct either civilization adequately.Furthermore, discussion of pederasty is almost nonexistent.One chapter on poetry falsely states that pederasty wasn't a subject treated in epic poetry, when "Iliad" clearly portrays a love relationship between Achilles and Patroclos (though not explicitly sexual).Also, Haphaestian, Alexander the Great's gran amour isn't even mentioned!

The worst part of the book is Simon Price's reliance on Biblical literature to reconstruct areas of the Hellenistic period.There aren't many modern historians who treat the Bible as anything other than folklore, and rightly so.Equal skepticism is given to Herodotus, Thucydides, Polybius, Arian, etc., because they didn't use scientific methods to examine history.However, this book relies heavily on their work as well.

The essays on culture are much better than the essays on history.I particularly enjoyed the chapters on philosophy and "Life and Society."

I imagine this book would be ideal for a semester length class on Greece, but there are better survey history books than this one.I think it would have been better if the contributors had opted for a narrative structure closer to that used in The Oxford History of Egypt, which was very well done.

In conclusion, it's okay book, even if outdated; but it didn't live up to my expectations.

Hmmm...
This book is a bit disjointed because each chapter is written by a different author. So, it doesn't flow as easily as it could. Also, some of the authors go on and on about their particular topic of interest. For example,there is an entire chapter on Greek drama that is nearly 40 pages long. A chapter on Greek art and architecture that is 34 pages long. For me, this was too much. It may be right for you, though. Ancient Greece by Thomas Martin was a better read and had more of what I was looking for in a history book on ancient Greece.

The value of this book is high
Whether you're a newcomer to Greek history or someone who has already studied diverse segments of it looking to organize your knowledge, this book will be an aid. It is essentially an overview of the main studies - aka, philosophy, literature, politics, military, eras, etc. That said, as it is a compilation of all these diverse things, it tends to become less specialist and more general (big picture). That is why people who are intensely interested in Greek history would be better off buying books specializing in different parts of it, then buying this book to clarify and put into context what you've learned from those other sources. Newcomers can make use of it too, but there will undoubtedly be parts they won't be able to make sense of due to their inexpertise. By and large, however, this book is accessible and to varrying degrees useful to professionals, amateurs, longtime students, and newcomers alike - providing they can tolerate academic language.

The Oxford History of Greece & the Hellenistic World
Very detailed and interesting information.
It helped a lot prepraring for our trip to Rhodes and AThens ... Read more

Product Description
This book provides a concise, illustrated introduction to the history of modern Greece, from the first stirrings of the national movement in the late eighteenth century to the present day. It is designed to provide a basic introduction for general and academic readers with little or no prior knowledge of the subject. A Concise History of Greece has been revised and now includes a new final chapter that covers Greek history and politics to the present day. Richard Clogg is a Fellow of St. Anthony's College, Oxford and was formerly Professor of Modern Balkan History, University of London. His previous publications include Anglo-Greek Attitudes (Palgrave, 2000) and Parties and Elections in Greece (Duke University Press, 1988). He is currently writing A Concise History of Romania for the Cambridge Concise Histories Series. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (9)

Worthy Reference Book
If you're looking for a blood and guts tale of the rich history of Greece, this isn't it. However it does seem authoritative and worth keeping on your shelf as a reference text. It reads more like a doctoral thesis, than a lively page-turner, but the main characters in modern Greek history were not bloodless, bland creatures, like Wooldrow Wilson, but tough politicoes, and you get no sense of personality in this book.If the author, Richard Clogg, had gone to Podunk State College instead of Cambridge, he might have been able to breath more life into his writing instead of sounding like the "Enclopedia Brittanica".

A Concise History of Greece
Richard Clogg provides a rich history in a concise fashion. Highly recommended to students of Greek history for its well documented and supported writing. Factual evidence and sources add to the history, even though concise. I can think of no better short history of Greece. It is a must read for anyone wishing to understand the trends that have molded the modern Greek state and the historical infuences on Greek national identity. Many have written histories of Greece, but few have delved into an anaylsis of the historical trends that have helped to create the Greek world view and national identity.

A brief but exciting history of Greek nation.
It is well structured, brief and not boring. How could it be? It's about my country's history! It concludes all the history of Greece so anyone could be informed about the facts from 1770-2000.I like the way it presents the destruction of Smyrna and the exchange of populations.
There are enough pictures and drawings as well. There are not enough about the recent history, but I was totally impressed when I saw at leastfew pages about the students occupation in Athens Polytechnic in 1973. I enjoyed it very much considering that in greek schools there is not even a little paragraph about this occupation.
Finally, I think the tables at the last pages of the book are quite useful for anyone who wants to search more or compare to.

interesting
A very interesting and concise history of Greece from the 18th century to the present.It includes detailed examinations of all the major turning points in Greek history in the last three hundred years; the Greek war of independence, Greece under the Nazis, the Greek Civil War and the dictatorship.All of the important passions that have overcome the Greeks are woven into the story as is the story of the destruction of the Greek peoples of Anatolia (The Pontic Greeks and Smyrna Greeks and others) as well as the ethnic-cleansing of Greeks by the Turks from places such as Adrianople, Constantinople and Rumania and Bulgaria.The conflict over Macedonia is highlighted as is the tragic story of the 100,000 strong Greek community of Egypt that was also cleansed by the Nasser regime.

A fascinating history,

Seth J. Frantzman

Deftly written and carefully researched
Now in an expanded second edition, A Concise History Of Greece by Richard Clogg (Fellow of St. Anthony's College, Oxford University, England) is a straightforward, scholarly chronicle of the modern history of Greece, ranging from the Ottoman rule of the late 1700's, to the pressures of Balkan strife and political modernization of the present day. Deftly written and carefully researched, supplemented with tables, short biographies, as well as a listing of the royal houses of Greece, A Concise History Of Greece is an excellent and scholarly survey of the modern growth of the nation which is a strongly recommended addition to academic World History collections in general, and Hellenic History supplemental reading lists in particular. ... Read more

Product Description
The story of the ancient Greeks is one of the most improbable success stories in world history. A small people inhabiting a country poor in resources and divided into hundreds of quarreling states created one of the most remarkable civilizations of antiquity. Comprehensive and balanced, A Brief History of Ancient Greece: Politics, Society, and Culture, Second Edition, is a shorter version of the authors' highly successful Ancient Greece: A Political, Social, and Cultural History, Second Edition (OUP, 2007). Four leading authorities on the classical world offer a lively and up-to-date account of Greek civilization and history in all its complexity and variety, covering the entire period from the Bronze Age through the Hellenistic Era, and integrating the most recent research in archaeology, comparative anthropology, and social history. Using physical evidence from archaeology, the written testimony of literary texts and inscriptions, and anthropological models based on comparative studies, this compact volume provides an account of the Greek world that is thoughtful and sophisticated yet accessible to students and general readers with little or no knowledge of Greece.
A Brief History of Ancient Greece, Second Edition, is concise enough to be used alongside other books in courses in Greek Civilization, Greek and Roman Civilization, Ancient Greece, or Western Civilization. It is enhanced by text boxes featuring excerpts from ancient documents, an extensive glossary, and a timeline and general introduction that provide a bird's-eye view of Greek history.

New to the Second Edition
* New sections on childhood and on marriage and burial rituals
* An expanded treatment of religion
* A revised art program that includes a new 8-page full-color photo insert, 125 black-and-white photographs and illustrations, and 17 new and improved custom-drawn maps
* Key terms--in boldface type when they first appear in the text and listed at the end of each chapter
* Selective, up-to-date recommendations for further reading
* A companion website featuring student self-quizzes, discussion questions, flashcards of key terms, chapter summaries, a pronunciation guide, links to useful websites, and PowerPoint lecture outlines ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

Ancient Greek History
This book is absolutely fantastic. It's been very informative and is written in a very comprehensible manner. The only problems I have with the book is that not all of the "key terms" found throughout the book are defined in the glossary.

Good Book!
fantastic condition, delivered within four days, good value. I would buy from this seller again.

Great for an overview
This book's principle virtue is that it is short, but complete. It gives a good sense of the larger trends in Greek history; it is especially good at showing how changes in society relate to the "big" dates and political events. Greek history emerges as an interconnected process, instead of "one thing after another."

Each chapter has a really thoughtfully compiled bibliography. These bibliographical lists are not comprehensive; they are a reliable guide to readable, high quality material that fleshes out, and complicates some of the ideas advanced in the text. Any reader, from layperson to an expert in some aspect of the ancient world can count on these lists to point them to consistently rewarding further reading, and this in my opinion is much more useful than a guide to detailed scholarly arguments about the dating of a single group of potsherds. I got this book when I was quite pressed for time, but the short chapters left me ample time to explore the rich works suggested in the bibliographies.

The book is also refreshingly free of old-fashioned unqualified assertions about the "triumph" of Greek civilization. Ancient Greece is explored as a territory and a culture in its own right, and not merely as the beginnings of some vague "Western Civilization".

Presents history in an easy to read way
I bought this book for History of Ancient Greece. Unlike some boring history texts, it is quick reading and easy to understand.

As Far as Greek Texts go this one is greart!
Ok I love this text. I used this and its sister text on Romans for my ancient history classes. I find that the only down fall of this particular text is that Pomeroy tends to push her agenda in the beginning. However as far as texts on Greek History go, this is the best. ... Read more

Product Description

This collection of contested problems in the history of Ancient Greece aims to enhance and deepen the experience of any student.

Each chapter within Problems in the History of Ancient Greece is a self-contained unit that presents a key problem of continuing interest among historians.  In each case there is a selection of pertinent ancient sources in translation, with a number of modern viewpoints also presented.  In this way, students may experience the nature of weighing and evaluating sources; the problem of posing mean­ingful and enlightening questions; the need to change hypotheses in the light of new evidence or new insights; and the necessity, in some cases, of suspending judgment.

Note: The problems selected for this collection span the chronological period usually covered in ancient Greek courses.  Second, they were selected because they have been the subject of relatively recent study.  Finally, they are meant to be sufficiently varied in topic and approach; in order to expose the student to a variety of historical methods and techniques. 

Product Description
Bring history alive as students explore the past by making the interactive projects in History Pockets. Students store the projects in easy-to-make construction paper pockets. Each book contains: a reproducible pocket label; a bookmark of short, fun facts about the subject; an art reference page; a fact sheet of background information; arts and crafts projects;and writing activities. Evaluation forms are provided at the end of the book. Ancient Greece includes: Introduction to Ancient Greece; Military Power; Daily Life; Government; Religion and Mythology; Work and School; Art and Architecture; Language and Literature; Sports and Entertainment. Grades 4-6 ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

I Liked It But My Student Didn't
I've been impressed by the content of the 3 "History Pockets" books we've used in our homeschool (Ancient Civilizations, Ancient Egypt, and Ancient Greece). I think they would be really helpful for visual and tactile learners. Unfortunately, my DD hated all the cutting & pasting involved. She found it to be busywork.

I would recommend the "History Pockets" to students who don't mind all the prep work involved in making the folders/lapbook.

Worth the money - even for do-it-yourselfers!
I procrastinated months before buying this product, saying, "I can do this myself, I don't need everything planned out for me."Yes you CAN search the Internet and photocopy pages from library books and make your own lapbooks/history pockets, but most teachers/homeschoolers have very full plates and it is MUCH easier to use these history pockets as the basis for your project and then supplement with other stuff.

After I relented and purchased the Ancient Greece history pockets, I couldn't believe how easily the project fell into place, after weeks of neglect.You - and your kids - will be very pleased with the informative and interesting results.

I also purchased the Greek Myths literature pockets and am very pleased with those too.

Also, for what it's worth, my kids are in 1st & 2nd grade, more or less, not the 4-6 that is recommended for these pockets.So the pockets have appeal for a broad range of ages.

On the other hand, I did find it necessary to do a fair amount of prep work for them - photocopying the pages and cutting out some of the projects.If they were a couple of years older, the history pockets could have been done independently.

Great addition to history curriculum -especially for kids that love crafts!
I used this to suppliment another world history curriculum with my kindergardener and 4th grader.My little guy couldn't do everything, but he enjoyed the things he did.They both loved it.They are proud of the "books" that they each made.I will try their other products. ... Read more

Product Description
A fascinating introduction to one of the world's greatest civilizations, THE PENGUIN HISTORY OF GREECE offers a one-volume history of Hellas, and is principally written for the reader who is not a student or expert in classical literature. This volume was originally published in paperback as THE PELICAN HISTORY OF GREECE. ... Read more

Product Description

Customer Reviews (1)

How Greece Became Independent
The great majority of history buffs are likely to be quite familiar with ancient Greek history. But when it comes to more modern times, such as Greek history just before, during, and after the four centuries of Ottoman Turkish rule, there may be more of a void in people's knowledge. This book is an effort towards remedying that situation. The author covers the period from the early thirteenth century to the twentieth, but his main focus is from 1453 (the fall of Constantinople) to the establishment of Greek independence in 1833. The events that he describes are not solely those that occurred within Greek boundaries; he also discusses activities of interest in other parts of Europe. The author points out that the subject of Greek life under Turkish rule remains a very sensitive issue among the Greeks even today.As a result, he tries to stick to the facts and to remain objective in balancing the pros and the cons, especially in comparison to Greek life under the European rulers that preceded the Ottomans.

The writing style is authoritative and relatively formal but very accessible and friendly. It is also clear, lively and quite engaging. It can hold the reader's attention. This is a book that would likely be of most interest to history buffs, especially those, like me, with a love of Greece and its fascinating history.
... Read more

Product Description
In A Traveller's History of Greece, the reader is provided with an authoritative general history of Greece from its earliest beginnings down to the present day. It covers in a clear and comprehensive manner the classical past, the conflict with Persia, the conquest by the Romans, the Byzantine era and the occupation by the Turks; the struggle for independence and the turbulence of recent years, right up to current events.

This history will help the visitor make sense of modern Greece against the background of its diverse heritage. Illustrated with maps and line drawings, A Traveller's History of Greece is an invaluable companion for your vacation. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

perfect for travelers
This was the perfect book for a traveler looking for a short history.It was readable and gave me a good understanding of Greek history.

The book plods but the information is there
To most people, Greece means the Greece of the Classics--the Parthenon, Delphi, Homer, Crete, and the Greek Islands. Modern Greece means tavernas, retsina, dancing a la Zorba, Greek Orthodox icons, and maybe the memory of Byron. But that leaves a lot of Greek history out of the mix, and it's impossible to truly appreciate the country as it is today without understanding all the centuries in between.

"A Traveller's History of Greece" condenses these several thousand years of history into a manageable size book . It's divided into two parts, the first, covering early Greece through Byzantium, was written by Boatswain, and the second, which brings the history up to the present, by Nicolson. The pace is fairly brisk, a necessity considering the scope of the work, and there are occasional maps, black and white drawings, and a detailed time line at the end of the book. The information it provides is definitely useful--and vital for understanding of Greece as it exists today.

So--why did I give the book only three stars? To be honest, I found it uninspired. The history was there, all right, but most of the time it seemed to be history of the "this happened and then that and then so-and-so did this" variety. Except for occasional glimmers of insight, I didn't find much cultural depth. I was listening to a set of taped lectures on Classical Greece by "The Learning Company" at the same time as I was reading this book., and frankly the tapes gave me a better understanding of the period they covered than did this book.

That's a shame, but it's less of a problem for Classicalal Greek history, since there are lots of other easily accessible resources. For the later periods, however, that's not the case. At the time I picked this book up (it was recommended reading before a tour to Greece), there wasn't much else available that covered the later periods as well as the earlier. In talking with the tour leaders (one an eminent archaeologist), it became apparent that their reactions were similar to mine--and that this book it was about the only game in town What's really needed is a cultural history of the post-Classical centuries to supplement this political history. But, until that comes along, I too will recommend this book.

Required Reading Before Your Trip to Greece
If you are travelling to Greece and need an overview of history, this is a very easy, if concentrated read. The even pace and focused chapters helps you to remember the pertinent facts and sequence of events.I never really understood how Macedonia, the Roman Empire, Byzantium, Crusades, Venetians, and Ottoman/Turks were tied together, but at least I have a basic understanding now, and why Turkey and Greece are always at odds.

I suppose in order to condense the length of the 1st half of the book, Boatswain leaves out most information about the relationship of history and Greek Mythology (their religion), and focuses on the train of events only.

Some actual photos of famous people, especially in Nicolson's second half describing recent 20th Century history would have helped rather than the cheesy drawings.Also, there is no glossary for the second half, making it difficult to review the meaning of political group abbreviations (PASOK, ERM, EOKA, EAM, KKE, ELAS, etc.)or people's names if you forget who they are (i.e, you have to go back through the book).

For the difficult task the book sets out to do (getting you to remember 4,000 years of Greek History in a painless and entertaining manner) it does a great job. I also felt Boatswain and Nicolson made a clear and successful effort to be as neutral and objective as possible. I usually dislike history books, but found myself fascinated by it all.

Useful for the traveler
This book should prove quite useful for those traveling to Greece, whether the trip is still in the planning stage or even if it has already been done and the traveler wants to enrich his or her experience with some background information. It is clearly intended for the non-specialist but contains a few insights I had not found in more learned volumes. The style and tone are crisp and fast-paced throughout. The first part, by Boatswain (120 pages), goes from very early Greek civilization to the fall of Constantinople. Normally, this would be too few pages for so much material, but the author does an adequate job, considering his purpose. The second part, by Nicolson, takes us to the end of the twentieth century. I must admit to a bit of disappointment with Boatswain's treatment of the world of Hellenism. He gets all the facts right but wobbles on the spirit of the Hellenistic -- as distinct from the Hellenic. But this is not a real flaw since few historians bother to elaborate on the distinction. Recommended for travelers and for general readers.

A concise history lesson perfect for travellers
This was the first Greek history book that I read and was interesting enough to both be read in a single sitting and spur my interest to further study Greek history.It's format is of a general, sweeping politicaloverview with the more dramatic points (Pelo. War, War of Independence, theGreek Civil War) covered in detail, while other eras are glossed over injust a handful of pages (Byzantium, Roman occupation).

There's adetectable populist-sympathetic slant that is detectible especially in thelast third of the book, but such sentiment probably more accuratelyreflects the Greece that the traveller will find today than AncientAthens.

More academic treatments can be found by Richard Clogg in 'AConcise History of Greece' and the sadly out-of-print 'Modern Greece' byC.M. Woodhouse. ... Read more

Product Description

Customer Reviews (5)

Ancient Greeks;Kid's Guide to the History and Science
This is an excellent book!
Well written and a complete review. 9 year oldgrandson says " This is really interesting!"...Amplanning to buy several more for children's gifts.

Excellent book
Tools of the Ancient Greeks: A Kid's Guide to the History & Science of Life in Ancient Greece (Tools of Discovery series)
This is a great book that can be digested bit by bit by a younger reader and read quickly by an older child. Both will find it interesting. We plan to be in Greece for over 2 months and this will be a useful tool fo them to learn more and use their imagination about Greece.

An excellent teaching aid! Homeschool alert!
THis was a favorite of my daughter's. Especially the recipe for Baklava! IT was delicious.I purchased both as support material for our study of Ancient Rome and Greece and enjoyed them volumes. The information was presented well and the activities were worthwhile. Highly recommend!

An Excellent Resource
What a great resource to stimulate young minds!I've got girls in 5th and 7th grades, and have had a hard time finding reference material that interests and challenges them. This book does both. I wish there were more like it.

Brings History Alive for Kids
What a nifty book! Not only do kids learn about the inventions of the Greeks, but how those discoveries help us today. Kids learn about Greek gods, philosophy, architecture, science, math, medicine, art, and even about the start of the Olympics. The "words to know" (ie: Sparta and acropolis) and the quiz questions (ie: What were the three uses of olive oil in ancient Greece?) sprinkled throughout the book invite dialogue, and the 15 activities bring the book's information alive. My favorites? Make your own baklava and write a letter in Greek. This book is interesting, well written, and engaging. A must-read for any kid (or adult!) wanting to immerse themselves in Greek history. ... Read more

Product Description
Sumptuously illustrated in color and packed with information, The Cambridge Illustrated History of Ancient Greece is now available for the first time in paperback. Offering fresh interpretations of classical Greek culture, the book devotes as much attention to social, economic and intellectual aspects as to politics and war. Paul Cartledge and his team of contributors ask what it was like for an ordinary person to partake in "the glory that was Greece." They examine the influences of the environment and economy; the experience of workers, soldiers, slaves, peasants and women; and the roles of myth and religion, art and culture, and science and education. This is a cultural history from the bottom up, which lays bare the far-reaching linguistic, literary, artistic and political legacy of ancient Greece, and seeks justification for Shelley's claim that "we are all Greeks."Paul Cartledge is Professor in Greek History in the Faculty of Classics at the University of Cambridge and is Fellow and Director of Studies in Classics at Clare College, Cambridge. He is the author of several books about ancient Greece, including Spartan Reflections (California, 2001), Hellenistic and Roman Sparta (Routledge, 2001) and Sparta and Lakonia (Routledge, 2002). ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Not for your average reader
This is a comprehensive study of ancient Greece which is obviously intended for those scholars particularly interested in the cultural history of the ancient world.Except for the magnificent photographs and illustrations, the average reader will likely find much of the material presented somewhat tedious and at times rather boring.

The book is written very much in line with the modern approach to history in that information is not presented in chronological order, and the exploits of those leaders who made the history happen are minimized or all but left out of the story.On the contrary, most of the book's chapters deal with subjects that would only be of interest to true scholars of the ancient world (e.g. the environment; the rich and poor; the average women, children, and men; etc.).Each chapter is written by a different expert in his or her particular field, and each one is essentially a stand-alone entity.All of the authors are obviously erudite, but just as clearly some are better writers than others. This constant shifting of gears and styles eliminates any possible thread of historical continuity.

So, unless you are a true scholar concerned with all things about ancient Greece or are studying ancient Greece, you would be well advised to first concentrate on reviewing the photographs and reading their captions. Then pick and chose those chapters which are in your realm of interest and skip the rest.In all probability, no one will ever ask you what the average man, woman, or child ate for dinner in ancient Greece and, even if they did you probably wouldn't remember anyway.

A Good Summary Introduction to Ancient Greece
I feel the book is really a 3.5-star as Cambridge's Illustrated Series 'Ancient Greece' is a very good introductory text that is not a doctoral socio-political analysis or an advanced level chronological review of Greece's evolution from polis to Hellenism such as the massive Cambridge 'Ancient History' editions. It therefore makes it an ideal text for general readers and beginning students despite having some deficiencies that can be easily supplemented by another publisher's as a companion text.

The book is suited for readers ages 12 and up and treats the subject more as a primarily anthropological and interdisciplinary approach to the subject covering things such art, political intitutions, urban life, and how their legacy remains with us today. A collaboration of various respected scholars with different specialties provides readers with a multi-faceted view of Greek civilization without bogging them down with a tedious chronological approach focusing primarily on a geopolitical evolution of its social and military institutions along with its principal agents. Its subjects are illustrated by a good amount of color photographs, drawings, and diagrams, giving the reader a useful visual aid for an enhanced perspective of the subject.

Although it has great qualities, I find it insufficient for general education college classes as its subjects are too limited and without enough detail as to social and political topics in particular. Leslie and Roy Adkins' 'A Handbook to Life In Ancient Greece' is more thoroughly edited and organized than this text despite their having black and white illustrations as opposed to color. The Adkins text is also categorically organized as well, but its approach is more sociopolitical and encyclopedic, giving much more detailed information on a much broader subject range: especially military, economic, and political topics. Its detailed illustrations, maps, and thorough categorical summaries give the reader a better idea how major Greece's impact was on the modern world in its ideas of the city-state, art, philosopy, and cutlure.At the very least, bothtexts should be bought together as complements for the general reader to really have a complete overview of the progression and impact of Roman history: none are very expensive at $20-$40 each.

Cambridge Illustrated History 'Ancient Greece' is a good introductory text that would appeal to a wide general audience ages 12 and up and that would make a fine high school or general education-level college class as a main text. Covering a broad category of topics from various disciplines, the reader will be informed of Greek civilization's evolution and continuing legacy in the modern world. Its drawback is it may be too general as to some subjects which would be complemented with Leslie and Roy Adkins' equally affordable and outstanding summary text 'A Handbook to Life In Ancient Greece.'Both texts allow the reader appreciate how the small Greeks polis and the culture that created it paved the way for our modern political institutions and secular states that prize democracy, science, and rationalism above anything else.I strongly recommend getting both to anyone who wants a broad yet comprehensive overview of Greek civilization.

Great book
I really like this book.The writing is very informative, but I also appreciated the illustrations.There are lots of them, and they are fully explained.It you take the time to examine each picture and its explanation, you will learn a lot.Sometimes the pictures don't exactly match the accompanying text, and this breaks your train of reading, but that's a minor flaw.This book is good for both beginners and Greek history buffs alike.If you are interested in classical Greek history, read this book.

A Superlative book with a diverse perspective
The Cambridge Illustrated History of Ancient Greece is dedicated to giving an objective perspective of ancient Greek civilization, and culture.Filled with photos of beautiful Greek pottery, this book is a treasure inboth the pictures of pottery that it contains, and the well writtendescriptions it gives of this glorious culture.Although classified as areference in most local libraries, The Cambridge Illustrated History ofAncient Greece can be read like any other chapter book with a historicalperspective. Unlike other works on ancient Greece, this book is dedicatedto giving an unbiased, factual record of Greek civilization, while devotingas much attention to ancient wars, as to social structure.It will notlead you to one particular conclusion about Greek civilization, as otherbooks do, but will introduce you to the latest theories, and perspectivesof ancient Greek lifestyle, and belief systems.This book covers everyaspect of Greek civilization, from Socrates to Plato, to Aristophanes, aswell as Greek art, religion, myths, wars, etc., devoting a chapter to eachmain idea.It is a well written, high quality book, which can be read bybeginners, and people who are well versed in Greek history alike, and Iwould recommend The Cambridge Illustrated History of Ancient Greece toanyone who loves this glorious culture as much as I do. ... Read more

Product Description
Thoroughly updated and revised, the second edition of this successful and widely praised textbook offers an account of the ‘classical’ period of Greek history, from the aftermath of the Persian Wars in 478 BC to the death of Alexander the Great in 323 BC.

• Two important new chapters have been added, covering life and culture in the classical Greek world
• Features new pedagogical tools, including textboxes, and a comprehensive chronological table of the West, mainland Greece, and the Aegean
• Enlarged and additional maps and illustrative material
• Covers the history of an important period, including: the flourishing of democracy in Athens; the Peloponnesian war, and the conquests of Alexander the Great
• Focuses on the evidence for the period, and how the evidence is to be interpreted

Customer Reviews (1)

Superb
This extremely up to date and knowledgeable work is more in-depth than a simple overview. Rhodes is an editorial genius and supplies the source citations unobtrusively for every single thing he says. You can thus track down the basis of every claim or statement. His judgment is also excellent on everything. As a graduate student preparing for examinations I found it invaluable. It will also be excellent for undergraduates. Its coverage of the period is better than any comparable textbook I have seen; even better than Sealey's History of the Greek City States, which is excellent also, and covers earlier history as well -- but this is better.
Tiniest complaint: a (very) few typos, and the suggestions for further reading at the end of each chapter could have been a LITTLE fuller. ... Read more

Product Description
Written by four leading authorities on the classical world, Ancient Greece, Second Edition, introduces students to the history and civilization of ancient Greece in all its complexity and variety. A comprehensive history, this captivating study covers the entire period from the Bronze Age through the Hellenistic Era, integrating the most recent research in archaeology, comparative anthropology, and social history with a traditional yet lively narrative of political, military, cultural, economic, and diplomatic history. Using physical evidence from archaeology, the written testimony of literary texts and inscriptions, and anthropological models based on comparative studies, Ancient Greece, Second Edition, offers an account of the Greek world that is thoughtful and sophisticated yet accessible to students with little or no knowledge of Greece. The book is enhanced by text boxes featuring excerpts from ancient documents, an extensive glossary, and a timeline and general introduction that provide a bird's-eye view of Greek history.

Revised and updated throughout, the second edition features:

* More in-depth coverage of such social and cultural topics as women and family life, material culture, religion, law, homosexuality, slavery, athletics, and life in the countryside
* A revised art program that includes a new 8-page full-color photo insert, 125 black-and-white photographs (55 of them new), 15 line drawings, and 17 new and improved custom-drawn maps
* Key terms--in boldface type when they first appear in the text and listed at the end of each chapter
* Selective, up-to-date recommendations for further reading ... Read more

Customer Reviews (11)

excellent text
Clearly written, well-organized information, with interesting illustrations, combine to make a really good textbook. No wonder the professor chose this one!

Alot of information for Intro to Ancient Greece
Great for and introduction to Ancient Greece. It has alot of informationand interpretaions. Helpful detail to give you enough insight of Greece.

Too Ambitious... but Valuable
The enormous scope of this treatment--a cramming-in of all these facets of ancient Greek history--almost set the book up for inevitable trouble, but somehow it works. The idea might have been better delineated in several volumes, but all the chief threads that intertwined to make ancient Greece worth writing about, eventually(!) are identified and given their due unraveling and then relacing. The pre-Mycenaean treatment is very very probative and supports the infrastructure of this history, while I think the various "walkabouts" (e.g. Athenian feminist issues) are indicative of editorial laxity, perhaps? Basically, sometimes there is too much that can distract from the trajectory of this history, and trajectory is crucial when composing an account covering this amount of time...to say nothing of the daunting amount of material that deserves primary treatment in such an account. Greek religion and the emergence of learning are wonderfully treated, military development, etc. It's all here (and then some), and the sum is surprisingly cohesive, but then again, it has to be. One book to do it all. Or try to do it all. Readable, sturdy style. Just engaging enough. Still, the intelligent lay reader could do a great deal worse by not including this on one's library shelf. Verdict: recommended and worthy.

This one deserves six stars!!!
Wow, what a masterpiece! I started my self-conducted study of ancient Greek history with a different textbook. A good one but it did not impress me quite as much as this one. Written in a clear and fluent language, covering the whole range of Greece's ancient histoy and enriched with excellent pictures and diagrams, it makes the reading not only highly informative but also pleasant and entertaining, giving both beginners and students in the area a solid foundation for further and more specialised reading. It was sad to read some of the shallow and one-sided comments on here from people who certainly don't have the capability to realize the authors' didactic skill to reach out to a broad spectrum of readers of such a complex, broad and magnificent subject. This text rekindled my passion for the ancient world and gave me a great deal of motivation to pursue further reading on other aspects of ancient Hellas such as Religion, Politics, Mythology and so forth. If you're looking for a solid foundation and inspiration, I strongly recommend this book. Hail Pallas Athena!

Good textbook - not so good writing
This is a good textbook, which is simple and easy to use.However, I am dissapointed in the level of writing skills of its authors.Many sentences use the same word twice as if their was no imagination on the part of the authors.Over all it is no better or worse than most textbooks I have read. ... Read more

Product Description
Since antiquity, the achievements of the Greeks in art and architecture have elicited great admiration.From the Parthenon and the other temples on the Acropolis of Athens to the fabled palace of King Minos at Knossos on Crete to the walled city of Mycenae-home of the Trojan leader Agamemnon-Greek art and architecture continue to this day to fascinate visitors to Greece and influence Western aesthetics. This informative handbook traces Greek art and architecture from the third millennium to the first century B.C. Belozerskaya and Lapatin relate the rich development of styles, techniques, and motifs to the history of this period. The culmination of these developments in architecture, sculpture, and vase painting in the fifth century B.C. is illustrated in such masterpieces as the temples at Paestum in Italy, the sculptures of the Parthenon, the bronze charioteer from Delphi, and works of the Attic black- and red-figure vase painters. Also included in the book is a discussion of the spread of Greek culture to southern Italy and Sicily and the influence of Greek artistic traditions on Roman art. With more than three hundred illustrations, this book will serve as an attractive guide for students, travelers, and all those interested in ancient Greek civilization. ... Read more

Product Description
Egypt, Greece, and Rome is a unique and comprehensive introduction to the ancient world's three major civilizations. The book draws a fascinating picture of the deep links between the cultures across the Mediterranean and explores the ways in which these civilizations continue to be influential to this day. Beginning with the emergence of the earliest Egyptian civilization around 3500 BC, Charles Freeman follows the history of the Mediterranean over a span of four millennia to AD 600, beyond the fall of the Roman empire in the West to the emergence of the Byzantine empire in the East. The author examines the art, architecture, philosophy, literature, and religious practices of each culture, set against its social, political, and economic background. Especially striking are the readable and stimulating profiles of key individuals throughout the ancient world, covering persons like Homer, Horace, the Pharaoh Akhenaten, and Alexander the Great. The second edition incorporates new chapters on the ancient Mediterranean and the Ancient Near East, as well as extended coverage of Egypt. Egypt, Greece and Rome is a superb introduction for anyone seeking a better understanding of the civilizations of the ancient Mediterranean and their legacy to the West. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

Superb
This book is an absolutely excellent introduction to The Ancients. Most of the concentration is given to Greek and Roman history but truly overall a magnificent first read to classical history (which is much missed in an engineering college!)

The World of Antiquity in One Volume
Charles Freeman's "Egypt, Greece and Rome" traces the ancient world from Egypt in the fourth millennium B.C. through the end of the Roman Empire.It looks at the major political and military events of early Western Civilization, but also describes some of the major scientific, philosophical, and literary achievements of antiquity and even looks at the daily life and religions of people in ancient Egypt, Greece, and Rome.

As one might expect, the volume reminds the reader just how much of our civilization descends from the three civilizations studied, as when it mentions that half of common English words have a Greek or Latin origin.The book is only about 700 pages, but seemed to cover the most important topics of the thousands of years of ancient history adequately.There is also a useful timeline/date list at the back of the book. General readers looking for a good one-volume study of the ancient world would likely be well satisfied with this book.

An absolutely overambitious book which manages to hit the mark.
I've owned this book for over a year now and still find it indispensable (I have highlighted and written in it to such an extent that I am probably the only person who can actually read my copy). Its span seems ridiculous for one book, even though it is pretty long (about 650 pages, plus an excellent 27 page time line), but it gives one a great understanding of the Mediterranean World's evolution, starting not only from Archaic Greece, the unification of Egypt and its First Dynasties, but from the earliest settlements, the earliest urban settlements, and earliest cities in the Ancient Near East, which of course set many precedents (if not THE precedent) for those civilizations after which the book is named. In fact, the initial chapter is an excellent, thorough -- yet still very nuanced and fascinating to read -- overview of the first cities and cultures that sprang up in that region, from the cities of Sumer and Uruk, to the Akkadians (and Sargon the Great, generally accepted as history's first emperor), the early Israelites, the Babylonians, Assyrians, Hittites, and all the way to the Achaemenid Persian Empire.

Conservative/orthodox views are presented alongside liberal views, and "revisionist" theories are -- refreshingly -- given equal credence as well. Many currently accepted consensuses about the Ancient World held by Classicists, Anthropologists, and Historians have traveled from (often laughable...) beginnings, and many of those evolutions are presented here in a way almost as interesting as the way in which the Roman Civil Wars are portrayed. If intrigued by a certain topic or period, the reader is constantly referred to the names of scholars and authors, both well-known and obscure, whose works they may also find interesting. While this is hardly revolutionary, it is VERY prevalent throughout this work. Hardly any alternative argument or contrary opinion pertaining to events is included without the person from which it originated.

If there is one strong point of this book that stands above the others, it is how accessible it is, while also being such a treasure of information. The sheer volume each chapter manages to say about its subject(s) without becoming a bland and simple chronology is simply amazing. One striking example of this accessibility is the treatment of the period that begins with the rise of Macedonia under Philip II, and ends after the conquests and death of Alexander. Despite the fact that this crucial topic in ancient history (which many have easily stretched out into often redundant works of several hundred pages) is mainly covered inside of 33 pages, it is one of the most informative and most evocatively written studies of the subject I have ever come across, and gives one plenty of insight into this moment in history. After reading it (and I had very little knowledge about Alexander's life at the time I bought this book, I'm ashamed to say), I felt as though I read a 300+ page piece: it is that concise and well written.

Do not be misled by the title and expect a strict format that dedicates one section to Egypt, one to Greece, and to for Rome. Though there are such sections, they are merely guidelines, and bits and pieces of each consistently creep into the others. The histories of all three (plus that of the Ancient Near East) are not presented as having occurred inside of a vacuum (as they too often are), but instead, as having developed alongside and with each other and other neighboring civilizations of the profoundly fluid Ancient Mediterranean World (perhaps the most concise chapter on anything that I have ever read is this book's short chapter on two of those lesser known, lesser appreciated cultures of the period, the Celts and Parthians, and what they contributed and took from surrounding cultures). There are wonderful profiles of the iconic figures from every conceivable aspect of the Ancient World: from the various schools of philosophy in Greece, the greatest minds of each, and their notable ideas; the great military leaders like Ramses II, Caesar, Pompey, Hannibal, Epaminondas, Pyrrhus, Philip, and Alexander; the most influential poets and playwrights, from Homer and Hesiod, Aeschylus and Aristophanes, to Catullus, Horace, and Virgil; the first men who seemed to have viewed history as a science, Herodotus, Thucydides, and much later, Polybius, who did explicitly think of both historiography, and what we might call political science, as sciences; and the political genius behind such larger than life figures as Cyrus the Great, Pericles, Cleisthenes, Cicero, Augustus, and Vespasian.

While the book typically does not delve into great detail when discussing important battles (e.g. how many troops on which side, nature of the terrain, strategies employed by the winners and losers, etc.), it seems insignificant given the attention and analytical thought given elsewhere (besides, one can often find great descriptions of famous battles on Wikipedia, in addition to just about every other history book).

In little over 600 pages, this book illustrates both Western and Near Eastern Civilization, from about 5000 BCE, the initial evolution of the settlement to the city state, the rise and fall of great empires long thought to be invincible, the dominance and demise of the Roman Republic, the dominance and demise of the Western Roman Empire, and the rise of Christianity and monotheism. This nearly perfect history begins its end with one of history's great turning points: the seventh-century war between the Byzantine Emperor Heraclius and the Sassanid Persian Shah Khusro II (and by proxy, the dominant monotheistic religions: the Orthodox Christianity of Constantinople and Zoroastrianism of Ctesiphon), in which Heraclius, against all odds, managed to save the Byzantine Empire, defeat the Sassanids, and retake critical territory in the Near East (most importantly Jerusalem, along with Christendom's most venerated relic, the True Cross, which he brought back to Constantinople after a triumph through the Holy City's streets).

As centuries of war between the Mediterranean's two superpowers finally seemed to be over, the Muslim armies of Arabia came, driven by their own monotheistic faith, and united by intense religious fervor. Soon Palestine and Syria were lost (this time, forever), and the Sassanid Empire fell after being soundly defeated by the Muslim forces; soon Alexandria too fell, followed by all other Roman/Byzantine lands in North Africa.

However, the book does not end on this note in order to provide a catastrophic ending to what we consider the picturesque, classic, ancient world. Instead, these events and their aftermath are used to reinforce and continue its main theme: the ever-fluid nature of the Ancient Mediterranean World. Greek culture proved to be profoundly important to the early Muslim armies and empires, the leaders of which -- especially early on -- depended on their new Greek neighbors to aid them in administering their new cities. Likewise, because non-Orthodox Christians in these cities faced persecution under Byzantine rule, in many cases they and the Jewish populations (who, obviously, also faced persecution) welcomed their new rulers; many cities, including Jerusalem, had willfully, even gladly, accepted Muslim rule without resistance (many Christians are said to have actually fought with the Muslim armies against the Byzantines). The Arab rulers, whose people had always been on the outskirts of the Ancient Mediterranean World, were now fully engaged, and -- like so many other empires and civilizations who took from and contributed to that very world -- within a century had done away with much of their old ways, particularly the Bedouin tradition of oral transmission and memorization, which grew from the necessities and limitations of desert life, and embraced the options and ideas which other cultures presented to them. There was an explosion of literacy among the previously-illiterate Arabs, and by the ninth-century, many sophisticated Greek works of medicine, philosophy, and mathematics, which had long been neglected by an increasingly scripture-centric Byzantine culture, were translated into Arabic, and thus spurred a renaissance among Muslim scholars. Soon, the Muslim world was the center of the sciences, where the ideas of Classical Greece thrived, and where the ideas of the great minds of antiquity were debated, built upon, and above all, revived in a manner "that was not possible in the Christian world." (p.648) Indeed, it is commonly accepted among historians that had the Muslim armies never conquered those Byzantine lands, many works of the ancient Greek philosophers and scientists, of which we are today so familiar, would likely not have survived.

This book gets my highest possible recommendation, simply for being a work of comparative history at its finest. Throw in the fantastic and informative maps (32 in all), beautiful plates (80 in all), its consistently nuanced tone, and a study of power politics in the ancient world that would make Polybius proud, and it becomes a must buy for anyone merely slightly interested in history. And again, this is a book which just about anybody can pick up and enjoy. The casual reader will take away from it not only a great amount of knowledge regarding the beginnings of each "civilization" of the ancient Mediterranean, but also new perspective into how much each owes -- to this day -- to each other.

excellent read in ancient history
This is a great intro book on ancient civilizations around the mediterranean. While the subtitle is Egypt, Greece & Rome, the author goes into other, older and more distant cultures as well. The chapters are short and leisurely - you get a good feel for each section without being buried in details.

Egypt, Greece, Rome
This book was one of the required texts for a course I took on ancient history. Egypt, Greece and Rome was the perfect text, because the book reads as a narrative; nothing in Charles Freeman's book is boring or dry. It covers Mesopotamia from 5000 BC up through the emergence of the Byzantine Empire in the fifth century AD. This book is the key to understanding ancient history, and I highly reccomend it.

Plus, there are a number of black and white and full-color plates, plus some in-text drawings and maps. ... Read more

Product Description
The contribution of the ancient Greeks to modern western culture is incalculable. In the worlds of art, architecture, myth, literature, and philosophy, the world we live in would be unrecognizable without the formative influence of ancient Greek models.
This highly original and stimulating introduction to ancient Greece takes the city as its starting point, revealing just how central the polis ("city-state" or "citizen-state") was to Hellenistic cultural achievements. In particular, Paul Cartledge uses the history of eleven major Greek cities--out of more than a thousand--to illuminate the most important and informative aspects of Greek history. The book spans a surprisingly long time period, ranging from the first examples of ancient Greek language from Cnossus in Crete around 1400 BC to the establishment of Constantinople (today's Istanbul) in 324 AD on the site of the Greek city of Byzantion.Cartledge highlights the role of such renowned cities as Athens (birthplace of democracy) and Sparta, but he also examines Argos, Thebes, Syracuse in Sicily, and Alexandria in Egypt, as well as lesser known locales such as Miletus (home of the West's first intellectual, Thales) and Massalia (Marseilles today), where the Greeks introduced the wine grape to the French. The author uses these cities to illuminate major themes, from economics, religion, and social relations, to gender and sexuality, slavery and freedom, and politics. And throughout, the book explores how these eleven cities differed both from each other and from modern society.
An innovative approach to ancient Greece and its legacy, both in terms of the time span covered and in its unique city-by-city organization, this superb volume provides the ideal concise introduction to the history and culture of this remarkable civilization. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (8)

Doesn't answer too many questions
About ten pages into this, I found the book confusing (yes, I did finish it).It wasn't that it was hard to read (although like many academics I've been reading recently Cartledge's phrasing is awkward, his jokes fall flat and he takes to inventing words).It was really that I wasn't sure exactly what he was trying to achieve- and yes, I read the introduction.

It seems Cartledge wants to give an "introduction" to the "themes" present in Ancient Greek history.He wants to do this quickly by offering a brief history in rough chronological order of 11 important cities or, as we might want to say in this case, poleis (plural for polis or, roughly, city-state).He does spend a few pages explaining that while we talk about the city, the city always included attached or associated country-side areas where the majority of the populations usually lived.Thus, we're looking at a city-focused culture rather than an urban one.Good to know- but then he does pretty much nothing with that theme for the rest of the book.

The cities he covers are Cnossos, Mycenae, Argos, Miletus, Massalia, Sparta, Athens, Syracuse, Thebes, Alexandria and Byzantion.You know more than half of these if you have a working knowledge of Greek myths (FYI, he spends very little time talking about the mythology except to cite it's historical implausibilities- and that's not a criticism).You also know some of these cities under different names- Massalia is the modern-day Marseilles, and Byzantion has been known as Constantinople and Istanbul.There were, of course, many other cities he could have covered (I'd still like to know why Corinth and Megara didn't make the cut), but he gives good reasons for why he chose these to cover the range of influences that Greece exerted.He also does successfully make the point that the concept of "Greece" or even "Greek" came much later than identification with the polis, and that even when it did, it hardly discouraged conflict.

Of course he spends a lot of time on Athens and just about apologizes for doing so.He also spends a fair amount of time on Sparta, in part to debunk stereotypes (Sparta was NOT more evil than Athens, and Athenian democracy was both politically expedient and limited by design).He notes that the Athenian model was looked upon with suspicion up until the 1830s when the United States repopularized the idea.

A good amount of time is spent on Alexandria, and part of that is to discuss some of the rise and conquests of Alexander the Great of Macedon (no, Macedon does not get it's own section).But not too much.By the time we're done, he's moved onto Ptolemy, sidetracked a little into the Seleucid empire, moved back to Cleopatra, Antony and Caesar and recounted the destruction of the legendary Library of Alexandria.All in 18 pages.

Athens had a BS democracy; Spartans were a people of few words.Early civilization thrived at Cnossos in Crete.The "Greeks" had a bunch of cities on three continents (Europe, Asia and Africa).But... so what?Why?What was the impulse or idea, other than survival?Strangely enough, the theme of trade is rarely mentioned here.There was *something* about Greek or Hellenic civilization that was special enough to be emulated by the Romans and their cultural descendants, but the end of the book, we're still not sure exactly what that was.

It's not an entirely useless book- I didn't realize that Linear A was a Semitic language, for instance and it has a useful glossary, timeline and "who's who"- but this is only going to make you want to read more, and not necessarily in the good way.

Very Informative
One of the most readable summaries of the Greek experience I have read in years. This book provides a quick overview of Greece. Though this has some great images of ancient artefacts, it is not an extremely light read. If you have an interest in Greece this is a good start, though. I appreciated Martin pointing out that, in many ways, what we know of Greek history is actually a history of Athens, and therefore, not truly Greek history--since the various city-states of Greece had very different cultures and methods of operation.

What n awful book!
Here is a scholar who thinks (page 113) that Athens, not Atlanta, is the capital of the state of Georgia, and that it is vital to the reader of his 202 page tome that the (rather insignificant) city of Sparta, Tennessee, "...was the setting for the famous movie of pre-civi rights racial intolerance, starring Rod Steiger and Sidney Poitier, In The Heat of The Night".Wow, thanks for sharing that in a history book about Greece - VERY PERTINENT!
Seriously fellow lovers of culture - do not buy this awful book.

Excellent Little Book
For a book of such brevity, this is a remarkably full accounting of the Ancient Greeks. As Cartledge observes, ancient mainland and Aegean Greece included over 700 individual city-states (poleis), as well as hundreds more Greek colonies and trading-posts along the rims of the Mediterranean and Black Seas. Thus it is salutary that Cartledge chooses to approach ancient Greek history through the technique of considering 11 representative Greek city-states in 11 successive chapters, and an Epilogue. This is appropriate, as the polis remained the fundamental unit in over two millennia of Greek History, even when under the later hegemony of such Great Powers as Macedon, Rome, and Constantinople.
The poleis Cartledge chooses are as follows: Prehistory: Cnossos (on Crete) and Mycenae; Dark and Archaic Ages (ca. 1000-500 B.C.):Argos, Miletus, Massalia, and Sparta; Classical Period (500-330 B.C.): Athens, Syracuse (on Sicily), and Thebes; Hellenistic Age (ca. 330-31 B.C.): Alexandria; and, finally, Byzantion (later Constantinople and Istanbul). As Cartledge makes clear, this list of necessity leaves out many other worthy contenders such as a Black Sea settlement (though Byzantion is on the narrows of the Bosporus, which lead into the Black Sea); the significant North African city of Cyrene, on the eastern Libyan coast (though Alexandria is later placed some 400 miles east, on the coast of the western Nile Delta); or a city of Magna Graecia (mainland Italy), maybe Cumae, on the Bay of Naples.
Through the cities Cartledge DOES choose, he is well-able to narrate the history of Ancient Greece, including the Minoans on Crete; the Mycenaeans on Crete (after 1400 B.C.) and the mainland (Mycenae, Argos) who used Linear B, (deciphered as the earliest known written form [ca. 1400 B.C.] of Greek by Michael Ventris in 1952) mainly for taxation and inventory purposes; colonization; the rise of tyrants; the Greco-Persian Wars (ca. 500-479 B.C.); the Peloponnesian War between Sparta and Athens (431-404 B.C.); the ascendancy of Thebes (early 4th c. B.C.); the rise of Macedon (ca. 338 B.C.); and the coming of Rome (2nd c. B.C.).
Professor Cartledge's mind is clearly brimming with a lifetime's learning, and he ranges with alacrity across this sweep of time and geography. This is the first book by Cartledge that I have read, and I quite enjoyed it. He has an engaging style, often leavened by humor. As the book was published in 2009, Cartledge is able to incorporate the most recent scholarship, often archaeological. We learn that a Linear B tablet was found at Thebes with a word that looks like "Lakedaemon," the southwestern region of the Peloponnese which includes Sparta, and is mentioned frequently in Homer as the home of Menelaos, King of Sparta, original husband of Helen (later "of Troy"). No Mycenaean palace (as would have housed King Menelaos), has yet been found in Lakonia, but recent surface finds of Linear B fragments in the vicinity of Sparta offer tantalizing prospects.
Also, in Athens, the recent tunneling for the new subway uncovered mass graves, probably from the plague that swept Athens in 430-29 B.C. and took the life of Pericles (builder [and rebuilder] of the sacred structures on the Athenian acropolis) and countless other Athenians.
In his narrative, Cartledge notes some interesting facts. He states that Sparta was by far the largest Greek polis in terms of land area, followed by Syracuse, and Athens/Attica in third place. He mentions that at the height of its "Athenian Empire," (ca. 440 B.C.) Athens was collecting 1,000 talents a year from its "allied" poleis, an huge sum not to be equaled by a Greek power until Alexander the Graet pillaged the seemingly limitless wealth of the Persian Empire after 331 B.C.
Cartledge also makes the important point that, to the "Old Greeks" in the eastern homelands, the colonies of Sicily, Italy, and the western Mediterranean, represented the "Golden West:" a region of rich agricultural lands and favorable settlement sites. Indeed Sicily, known as a breadbasket and land of sumptuous local coinages, exerted a powerful pull on the Athenians' imagination; and fantasies of riches led to the Athenians' ill-fated Sicilian naval expedition in 415-13 B.C. This horrific defeat at Syracuse planted the seeds for the Athenians' final defeat by Sparta in 404 B.C.
Cartledge brings the narrative full-circle by ending with Byzantion. Originally founded as a colony of Megara (on the eastern coast of the Isthmus of Corinth) in 688 or 657 B.C, Byzantion controlled the trade-routes to the rich grainlands of today's Ukraine and south Russia. Constantine moved his main capital from Rome to Byzantion (renamed "Constantinople") in 324-30 A.D. Here Latin was the official language until the reign of Justinian the Great (527-65 A.D.). Later, as the capital of the "Byzantine Empire," (through 1453 A.D.) the inhabitants spoke Greek, but continued to call themselves "Romans."
To me, Cartledge's book is a compact but rewarding read. However, as some other reviewers note, it may not be the ideal introduction to someone who knows very little about Ancient Greece. If you paid attention in a decent college survey of Ancient Greek History, much of the book should be familiar. But if there are too many names and places coming too fast, I would suggest reading Cartledge's "Ancient Greece: A History in Eleven Cities" along with H.D.F. Kitto's "The Greeks" (1951), or Moses Finley's "The Ancient Greeks" (1964), both short treatments that will further flesh out the details. The maps in Cartledge's book are quite good, and there in a helpful Glossary, Who's Who, and suggestions for further reading. All in all, a very good book.

Tour 11 cities and a few millenia of history!
As an exceedingly brief albeit readable account of its subject, Paul Cartledge's //Ancient Greece: A History in Eleven Cities// is entertaining and even occasionally insightful.Given its length, there is no chance of offering a complete review of such a rich and complex topic, nor does it appear that this was the author's goal. Instead, by focusing on the city -- the irreducible unit of ancient Greek political identity - this volume offers an interesting context into which the author pours an overview of an enormous sweep of history.While some will doubtless complain about its brevity, this work falls into a genre of writing with which British academics have a long history.Thoughtful, and at times more than a little cheeky, it will offer something to every level of interested reader, even if sometimes only a taste of a far more complex whole, as well as a sense of the variety of ancient Greek political experimentation.Well versed readers may find this a strange format, and at times it can feel a bit forced, but overall, I thought it successful and entertaining. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

Great place to begin
This book is perfect for the lay reader, somebody who hasn't taken a class will become much more interested as a result of this book. I never took a course on this specific period, although his Alexander book was a requisite in a post Grad Alexander class. In the years after, I read his other works, since I focus primarily on post Alexander Greece, and this was my latest book, because I never really read deeply into the Classical Age.
Every Classical book I have picked up bored me, besides the Peloponnesian and Persian Wars. This is almost definitely a result of being Greek and being forced to learn Leonidas the way Americans are forced to learn the Constitution pre-amble and the French and Indian War. That and a really old, bad professor during my first morning class in my very first semester in college.
Green has the talent of making peace as interesting as war in the Greek world.Green is probably the best writer on Greece, and this is coming from a Greek. He writes how Greek politics haven't changed much, he wrote this book during the tragic days of Military Dictatorship of the early 70's and as I write this December of 2008, Communists and Anarchist riots are burning Athens.The same old "stasis", and I just took a line of his that was as true when he wrote it in 1973, when tanks crushed kids, as it is true today. The country never has and may never be able to meet the economic needs of the nation without stasis, internecine war or emigration to colonies.

Vivid beginner's guide to stony Attica
This book is an introductory survey of the civilizations on ancient
Crete, Greece, and the Greek cities of Asia Minor.

From the outset he acquaints the reader with the interpreting of
physical artefacts, texts and also the impact of geography and
climate.

He draws on insights from images on ceramic, emphasizes the larger
contributions of written records, and points out for the student where
speculation must stop. For example, despite passionate and clashing
assertions, nobody really knows what the "Archaic smile" signifies on
statues from Miletus, though Miletus' philosophical currents were of
huge importance.


What drew me in to the book was the early geographical theme. Mr.
Green links the Greek proclivity to open-air discourse and oratory to
the abundance of clear weather, and matches class differences to the
different uses of the land.

This approach pays off in the telling of Athens' political feuding and
Cleisthenes' redistribution of tribes in 508, after which he says
"Athenian democracy had at last come of age."

Professor Green's specialty is the 4th century BC.

This book delivers more concepts more rapidly than other survey
works such as the Pelican Greek Ancient History.

My favorite author on ancient Greece
I just had to laugh when I saw the previous reviewer's comment that Peter Green's area of expertise was not ancient Greece. It certainly is! He has written a critically acclaimed biography of Alexander the Great, Alexander of Macedon 356-323 BC: A Historical Biography, ..., as well as numerous histories of many of the pivotal events in Ancient Greece.

a bit too concise?
This is a edited version of my review because some people are taking for too much offense at this short review.I advise them to read it again.Green is a specialist in the Hellenistic period, a culture quite different from the Classical city of Athens or the archaic development of the polis for example.

If one reads the review below you'll note that I did not trash this book, I pointed out that it was lacking evidence and topics btut also how it might best be used in a classroom.I'm a college instructor so I think in terms of what I would use in a history class and how best to use it.I stand by what I said below because I'm comparing the book to others of its type, and this book is not the best (that would earn 5 stars).

You should also note the "?" in my title -- you are entitled to your own opinions but when people start sending me nasty private emails about my reviews, I can only feel sorry for their lack of professionalism.

For the specialist, Green's book is too concise, short on evidence to support all of his "facts".However, for the introductory history class, it might be a good book if supplemented by cultural andsocial history by the instructor.It is clear that Green's area ofspecialization is not ancient Greece but he is knowledgable nonetheless.

If you love history you will love this book!
Peter Green is correct in saying, "The Greeks have influenced Western society more, and more fundamentally, than any other nation in history." The Greeks introduced much of the vitality into ouraesthetics, literature, ethics, and our language. Their wars with Persiasaved the West. The Greeks insisted on making sense of things. The worldmust have an order, and the Greeks had the intelligence and fortitude todiscover it. Likely, their elite were as close to gods as man has yetbecome. Athens, with about 50,000 citizens, produced more knowledge thantoday's cites of over a million. If you are a serious person on historythis is the book for you. ... Read more

Product Description
This scarce antiquarian book is a selection from Kessinger Publishing's Legacy Reprint Series. Due to its age, it may contain imperfections such as marks, notations, marginalia and flawed pages. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment to protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature. Kessinger Publishing is the place to find hundreds of thousands of rare and hard-to-find books with something of interest for everyone! ... Read more

Product Description
A Smaller History of Greece: From the Earliest Times to the Roman Conquest is presented here in a high quality paperback edition. This popular classic work by Sir Smith is in the English language. If you enjoy the works of Sir Smith then we highly recommend this publication for your book collection. ... Read more

Product Description
Archaic and Classical Greek Art is a revolutionary introduction to the images and sculptures of Ancient Greece from the Geometric period to the early Hellenistic. By carefully examining the context in which sculptures and paintings were produced, author Robin Osborne shows how artists responded to the challenges they faced in the formidable and ambitious world of the Greek city-state, producing the rich diversity of forms apparent in Greek art. Artistic developments of the period combined the influences of the symbolism and imagery of eastern Mediterranean art with the explorations of humanity embodied in the narratives of Greek poetry, while drawings and sculptures referred so intimately to the human form as to lead both ancient and modern theorists to talk in terms of the 'mimetic' role of art. Ranging widely over the fields of sculpture, vase painting, and the minor arts, and offering a wide selection of unusual images alongside the familiar masterpieces, this work discusses the changing forms of art, and how art was used to define mens relationships with other men, women, slaves, society, nature, and the gods. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Enjoyable, at best
Archaic and Classical Greek Art is good supplementary reading if you're into art history or classics that focus on ancient Greece. While the text isn't too exciting, the pretty pictures make up for it; if ever you need to make a presentation on the reading, you can do what I did and talk about how pretty the pictures were. And while the text is a bit boring, it's simple and concise, which would be lifesaving attributes if you're reading it 5 minutes before class. It's an ideal introduction into the subject matter; the content is easy enough to understand and the pictures make it enticing enough to pursue.

On a more general scale, why 4 stars? Because to a classics nerd, it's vastly exciting delving into the world of ancient Greece when it's completely unrelated to school. So I read it after we were tested on it and found it all the more enjoyable.

Really worth reading
This book gave me a new look into greek art. I have read a lot of books about this period and I found that Robin Osborne added new viewpoints. I liked his style of writing, it invited me to read on.

It's OK
Well, once you get past Osborne's pedantic writing, it's an informative treatment of the subject. But, doesn't most academic writing suffer from the "write-like-it's-a-lecture" syndrome? I guess I'll always be a scientist at heart, never a humanist. ... Read more