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Customer Reviews (1)

Good info. for kids about ancient greece
This book is a good way to introduce your children to the culture of ancient Greece.It is colorful and attention grabbing. Appropriate reading for ages 6-10 yrs.(at average reading levels). ... Read more

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This is an EXACT reproduction of a book published before 1923. This IS NOT an OCR'd book with strange characters, introduced typographical errors, and jumbled words.This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book. ... Read more

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Herodotus (484-ca. 425 BCE), the 'Father of History,' wrote this account of the ephocal conflict between the Greeks and Persians between 430 and 424 BCE. The title of the work, 'Historie' means 'Inquiry.' Subsequently it became the name of the science of history, and via Latin passed into other languages including English.

Divided by later editors into nine books named after the Muses, the History traces the growth of the Persian empire, starting with Croesus of Lydia, though Cyrus and Xerxes. The pivotal event of the History is the Battle of Marathon (490 BCE), where the Persians were defeated by the Greeks. A decade later the Persians, led by Xerxes, returned but were decisively defeated at the Battle of Plataea in 479 BCE. One can only wonder what the world would have been like if the nascent Greek democracy and high classical culture had been nipped in the bud by Persian despotism.

Beyond the historical narrative, Herodotus is one of the primary sources for information on ancient lands and peoples, including anthropological, geographical, and other information. There are extensive details in the narrative relating to the spiritual practices and beliefs of the Greeks and other peoples. Herodotus has been perennially controversial. However, he was careful to qualify information which he found dubious and evaluate variant theories on their merits. While specifics of his account have been challenged, his preeminence as the inventor of the methodology and philosophy of history are undisputed.--J.B. Hare ... Read more

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This is a major, single-volume introduction to the whole of Ancient Greek History. It covers the period from the Golden Age of Knossos and Mycenae to the incorporation of Greece into the Roman empire in the second century BC and the transfer of Greek culture to Byzantium in the fourth century AD. ... Read more

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In this reference book the rich history of Ancient Greece is explored from the first settlers on the Greek mainland to the great civilizations of Crete, the might of classical Athens and finally, the conquest of Greece by the Roman Empire. It also provides information on wars, politics, daily life and religious beliefs showing what life was like in Ancient Greece. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

12 year old
This book is sooooooo informational! It rocks! It has a lot of info on everything about Greece! It has alot of great pictures of artifacts. It also has pictures of Gods and/or Godesses fighting mythical creatures. I REALLY RECOMMEND THIS BOOK! ... Read more

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Describes daily life in ancient Greece, discussing the home, clothing, food, families, education, and religion. ... Read more

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Despite being enmeshed in a culture steeped in technology and science, the magic and mysteries of the ancient world can still haunt our imagination. Through their architecture, artefacts and deeds, ancient cultures speak to us across thousands of dusty years—from the labyrinthine palace of Knossos on Crete and the lofty pyramids of Egypt to the remotest jungle temples of Peru and the megalithic mystery of Stonehenge.

Hidden History brings together a fascinating selection of these ancient enigmas, arranging them into three sections: Mysterious Places, Unexplained Artefacts, and Enigmatic People. You’ll discover fascinating facts about:• The Great Sphinx—Mysticism and archaeology collide in the ongoing debate over this enigmatic monument. • Mystery Hill—Who built the intriguing megalithic complex lying 40 miles north of Boston?• The Antikythera Mechanism—An ancient Greek computer found beneath the Aegean Sea.• The Giant Hill-Figures of England—The Uffington White Horse and other huge chalk figures cut into the English countryside thousands of years ago.• The Queen of Sheba—Clues to the real identity of this mighty ruler famous for her Biblical visit to King Solomon • Newgrange—Hundreds of years older than the Giza Pyramid and Stonehenge. Who were the builders of this Irish megalithic monument?

Hidden History fills the gap between archaeology and alternative history using the latest available data and a common sense, open-minded approach. The book discusses not only ancient history’s major mysteries, but also some of the puzzles of alternative history—like the "Coso Artefact," the possibility of ancient flight, and the mysterious "Voynich Manuscript"—as well as mysterious peoples from the Magi and the Druids to the Knights Templar and the Green Children.

With more than 50 photographs and illustrations, this is the ideal reference work for those interested in the archaeology of these great enigmas. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (9)

The history we didn't learn in school
Scholarly look at interesting history that we know very little about.Rather than sensationalistic, the author gives a balanced view, combining myth and modern thought - leaves conclusions to the reader.Highly recommended if you are interested in history.

Poorly written, poorly documented
I had expected perhaps 10-12 chapters with in-depth research.There are over 40.Each is about 5 pages or less.There is no real information here.It's clear that the book was both authored and published on the cheap.Don't buy it.

A Good Place to Start the Research
Brian Haughton has made an excellent work of compiling the basic facts around the ancient mysteries and secret knowledge topics.Because of the vast number of topics that he has covered in the book, I can imagine that a compromise had to be found in terms of length and depth.A pity that he didn't include more pictures and illustrations on the subjects, though.
All in all, a very good starting point for anyone wanting to research further on any of the presented topics.

Not much "hidden" history here.
If you're looking for those nuggets of history that conspiratorial political, social, and religious forces have attempted to bury or whitewash, don't look here. There really isn't much in this book that you wouldn't find in an encyclopedia entry. Although the author purports to be objective, it's pretty clear he's a skeptic. Not my idea of "hidden" history.If you want basic summaries of some controversial or historically intriguing topics, maybe this is your book. If you want substance I'd look somewhere else.

Good for Beginners
A good book for those with a beginning interest in hidden or alternative history.

If you are already a fan of alternative or hidden history books, this will probably be review. ... Read more

Product Description
“In 1953, at the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II, Princess Alice was dressed from head to foot in a long gray dress and a gray cloak, and a nun’s veil.Amidst all the jewels, and velvet and coronets, and the fine uniforms, she exuded an unworldly simplicity.Seated with the royal family, she was a part of them, yet somehow distanced from them.Inasmuch as she is remembered at all today, it is as this shadowy figure in gray nun’s clothes...”

Princess Alice, mother of Prince Phillip, was something of a mystery figure even within her own family.She was born deaf, at Windsor Castle, in the presence of her grandmother, Queen Victoria, and brought up in England, Darmstadt, and Malta.

In 1903 she married Prince Andrew of Greece and Denmark, and from then on her life was overshadowed by wars, revolutions, and enforced periods of exile.By the time she was thirty-five, virtually every point of stability was overthrown.Though the British royal family remained in the ascendant, her German family ceased to be ruling princes, her two aunts who had married Russian royalty had come to savage ends, and soon afterwards Alice's own husband was nearly executed as a political scapegoat.

The middle years of her life, which should have followed a conventional and fulfilling path, did the opposite.She suffered from a serious religious crisis and at the age of forty-five was removed from her family and placed in a sanitarium in Switzerland, where she was pronounced a paranoid schizophrenic.As her stay in the clinic became prolonged, there was a time where it seemed she might never walk free again.How she achieved her recovery is just one of the remarkable aspects of her story.
... Read more

Customer Reviews (28)

A nun who smoked and played canasta and was royal to boot!
It probably is appropriate to speak of a "royal family," that is the group of people who are both reignng and in exile and who are related either to Queen Victoria and/or King Christian IX of Denmark. She was the grandmother of Europe and he its father in law.Some of these people thoroughly enjoy the perks of the job, the jewels, the castles, and the societal deference.Others chafe at the restraints that society imposes and suffer as a result.Hugo Vicker's biography of Princess Alice of Greece deals with a member of that impressive collection of interbred royalty who chafed and overcome the disadvantages that only high birth can impose.

Who was Princess Alice and how does she rate a biography? First of all, she was the mother of Prince Phillip, the sister of Lord Louis Mountbatten and Queen Louise of Sweden and (like all members of the "royal family") a descendent of Queen Victoria through her second daughter Alice (for whom she was named).Alice's two aunts Ella and Alix, married into the Russian royal family, the former was a grand duchess, the latter changed her name to Alexandria and was the last empress of Russia. Alice herself married into the Greek royal family, which wasn't Greek as much as it was Danish, Constantine I was the grandson of Christian IX.

Alice was a witness to many of the problems faced by royalty in the 20th century.The Greek populace was constantly sending its royal family into exile as late as the 1960s.Where she really found herself was during the Balkan Wars where Alice won renown as the organizer of efficient and effective hospitals.She had organizing skills and despite being the wife of fourth son was respected within Greek society.

The Greek royal family's difficulties with the 20th century began with rise of the charismatic Elefherios Venzielos to the position of Prime Minister. Where Venzielos saw the future as made for a greater Greece (with Allied intervention to defeat the rival Turks).King Constatine attempted to maintain Greece's neutrality.Given what happened in nearby Romania, Constantine was probably correct to try and avoid conflict.This led to Venzielos forcing the king and most of the royal family into exile.Constantine managed to return, but was sent again in exile following the defeat of the Greek forces during the Greco-Turkish war of 1919-22 as was Venzielos.

During the years of exile, Alice saw her marriage and her sanity dissolve and given the account by Hugo Vickers, it is not hard to see how this happened. How anyone could keep their mental equanimity given the array of deadly dull social engagements with dull relatives and politicians is a mystery.Alice spent the 1920s in and out of mental asylums, not exactly the snake pit that less well-heeled members of society might have enjoyed, but constraining at times.During this period, Alice underwent a religious crisis where she (in the words of Queen Mary) went as mad as her Aunt Alexandria following a whole hearted embrace of Orthodoxy.Although Alice's conversion was troubling to some members of her family, it was a way of gaining a more satisfactory life.

Two of Alice's daughters married minor German nobility and they spent the war as wives of SS officers. Alice on the other hand, who had made her way back to Greece, hid Jews in somewhat Spartan accommodation.Alice had to cope with hereditary deafness and whenever questioned would pretend not to understand the questions presented to her by the Nazi occupation officials.She could answer back when the occasion demanded. When asked by one German officer if he could do anything for her (she was one of the few members of the Greek royal family to remain in Athens during World War II), she replied: Yes, you can get your army out of my country."

The break up of Alice's family in the 1920s led to a number of difficulties for her son Phillip whose education and expenses were overseen by his Uncle Louis Mountbatten who married a spectacularly wealthy woman. Edwina Mountbatten's fortune also provided Alice with a measure of comfort.Queen Louise stored her family possessions as Alice seemed to lose all interest in worldly considerations. Alice organized a series of hospitals and an order of Greek Orthodox nuns to function as a nursing order. When she appeared for the coronation of her daughter in law, Elizabeth II, she appeared wearing a gray habit of her order of nuns.Alice's mother, Princess Victoria, took a dim view of Alice's spiritual quest: "What can you say about a nun who smokes and plays canasta?" In the end increased physical frailty and the exile, yet again of the Greek royal family in the 1960s, led to Alice spending her declining years in residence in Buckingham Palace.Her last wish to be interred in the convent of Saint Mary Magdalene in Jerusalem was eventually honored, nearly twenty years after her death.Today she is remembered as "Rightous Among Nations" at the Israeli Holocaust Memorial, Yad Vashem.

Hugo Vickers was given access to a number of documents dealing with Alice's life and time.Although handicapped by high birth, a husband and family who did not understand her, and incidents of mental illness, the portrait that emerges is of a woman who managed to find fulfillment despite these difficulties.This is a very interesting work, at times reminiscent of Harold Acton's history of the last of the Medicis, but hardly the typical book on a member of the royals.

interesting subject,badly written,boring
if you can get thru this book it has some interesting info but it is very badly written

Riveting
Princess Alice's claim to fame in our current times is that she is the mother of Prince Philip - Duke of Edinburgh, consort to Queen Elizabeth II. However, she also was a Princess of Greece and like the woman who inspired her (Grand Duchess Elizabeth of Russia - her aunt), she also did a lot for her adopted country Greece inspite of the uncertainity of the Greek royal family (they went in and out of exile many times).
The narrative is dignified. Although it flattens in a couple of places it pulls through largely in part because of the remarkable story it tries to tell.
All in all, it is a wonderful story of a remarkable woman. This book opened a door to all the other wonderful people who make up her family. Each and everyone of them with their own remarkable lives. I would also recommend by Elizabeth: Grand Duchess of Russia by Hugo Mager for anyone who is interested about how Pricess Alice was inspired by her aunt.

Hmm...
I was really looking forward to getting home and reading this book when I bought it but felt a little let down. It didn't grip me at all. The story of Princess Alice is so lovely but the writing was rather stilted and not at all what I expected. It seemed to be more of a series of facts than an in-depth look at what was going on in Alice's life. Events came and went without a sense of continuity. Having said that, there were occasional interesting anecdotes but there were few and far between. Having been so looking forward to reading it, I felt little cheated.

Most Beautiful Princess

Maybe her life was more interesting than the book
This book picked up a little more steam after the mid-point, but for the most part it was pretty boring. It was also terribly biased, which could be expected, since Prince Philip asked the author to write this book.

Alice lived during some of the most interesting times in world history, and yet I found myself pushing myself through this book. I'd probably have stopped reading it if I didn't have a little quirk about always finishing whatever book I start, no matter how badly written or boring it is.

I'm afraid the simple fact of the matter is that, from reading this book, I have to conclude that there was really nothing special about Alice, Princess Andrew, except that she was Prince Philip's mother (and she hardly ever saw him, so they weren't even close). I'm sure that's not the case -- I'm sure there were plenty of interesting things about her, and she lived during some of the most interesting times in world history. But this book fails to bring any of that excitement out. So maybe it's Vickers' fault . . . or maybe there was too much oversight by the Royal Family. Hard to say, but this book is only worth a read if you are a real dyed in the wool fan of royalty. ... Read more

Product Description
The series of wars between Classical Greece andthe Persian Empire produced such famous battles as Marathon, Thermopylae and Salamis. This book reveals the social, political and military impact of these wars, drawing on the contemporary writings of Herodotus, author of the world's first'history'. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

Excellent Synopsis of this Ancient Conflict

Overall, this book provides an excellent overview of the Greek and Persian wars.It is easy to follow and organized in a clear chronological order.The author, Philip de Souza, covers the main battles in just the right amount of detail.Specifically, he covers the battles of Marathon, Thermopylae, Salamis, and Plataia.Each of these battles is supported by a concise map that shows just the applicable information.This is notable as it is not always the case.

As with all Osprey books, this one comes with assorted photos of statues, weapons, coins, and other relics.These photos are relevant to the text and add to the reader's overall understanding of events.One interesting color photo is that of the reconstructed Trireme "Olympias" which is part of the Hellenic navy.

The beginning chapters put these wars into historical context.The author does a good job of explaining the Ionian revolt and subsequent reasons for the Persian invasion.At the end, he discusses how this war laid the seeds for the Peloponnesian War.The Portrait chapters of a civilian and soldier also add some interesting information.Contrary to popular belief, not all the Spartans died at Thermopylae.A warrior named Aristodemos apparently survived, although he was later killed at Plataia.

Bottom line:this book is enjoyable, well written, and easy to follow.The battle maps and photos are very good and definitely support the narrative.Overall, this is an excellent book.

The Greek and Persian Wars 499-386 BC
A very nice overview.Not a great scholarly work, but a very useful starting point.I like the Essential Histories series very much.They let me take an area that I am not familiar with and give me a very good introduction.

Good succinct overview of war
This book provides a good succinct overview of the Greco-Persian wars. It starts off, as most of Osprey series of books do, with a brief historical overview providing perspective into the context of the war. This it does by providing a short history of Persian military activity in the Aegian and Asia Minor immediately before the war and the relations between the various Greek city states and these city states and Persia. A discussion is also provided regarding the power and armies of the major powers involved (i.e., Sparta, Athens, Persia). Following this a very brief analysis is provided regarding the military tactics and leaders of the main powers. Then follows a discussion of the major battles fought, the conclusion and the consequences. Adequate maps are provided showing the strategic locations of these battles along with tactical maps showing how the battles transpired.

Some reviewers have also complained that Herodotus is the main source of this text's history. This is true but Herodotus is also the main source of nearly all our knowledge of these wars. Some of the reviewers also complain that the book is too short. Considering the fact that it is only about 90 pages in length (about half of which are illustration) this is not a very fair critique. This book is intended to only provide a very succinct introduction to the topic, as are all the Oprey "Essential History" series of books. If the reader desires to get up to speed on the topic (albeit in only a very rudimentary manner) in only an hour or two this book does the job. If a reader is looking for a more in-depth history, a much larger book such as Professor Peter Green "The Greco-Persian Wars" should be read. This provides a much more thorough history. It also requires more than an hour or two to read.

An excellent read
Number 36 in the Osprey "Essential Histories" series, this account of about a hundred years of classical-era warfare is fascinating. I couldn't put the book down till I finished it.The (mostly color) illustrations, including several helpful maps, provide depth and context for the historical account.Some of the war scenes are so vivid, in fact, I felt I was watching them as they happened.The central chapter is "Xerxes' invasion of Greece," which covers the pivotal battle at Thermopylai, the fall of Athens, the sea battle at Salamis, and the decisive defeats of the Persians at Plataia and Mykale (I use the book's spellings).What struck me the most was the arbitrariness of who sided with who in the course of the hundred years recounted.At times Sparta sided with Athens, at times with Persia. De Souza makes clear the unreliability of some of Herodotus's account of these battles.This concise read comes in at less than 100 pages, and is suitable for getting up to speed on this material.

Bare bones
This is the first book I've read on the Persian Wars, and while the book does give a relatively continuous narrative of the conflict, it seems to be pretty much a bare bones retelling of Herodotus's history.The additional analysis seems weak, and is often little more than restatements of obvious points.Some of the history is glossed over, while some random and extraneous facts are given, without much reason that I could find.Maps are helpful but often don't have all the geographic landmarks that are mentioned in the text, which limits their usefulness.Numerous grammatical mistakes further eroded my confidence in the rigor of the book.There's got to be much better stuff out there than this. ... Read more

Product Description
Classical Greece provides an analysis of the physical setting of and the archaic legacy to the classical city, its economy, its civic and religious institutions, the waging of war between cities, the occurrence and ancient analysis of conflict within the city, and the private life of the citizen, finishing with history through the fifth and fourth centuries. Robin Osborne presents us with a concise, comprehensive, and authoritative book that will be enjoyed by classics and history students; students taking courses in classical Greek literature, philosophy, art, and archaeology; academics; and general readers alike. ... Read more

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The discoveries in Crete, Greece, and the Aegean islands that began a century ago were nothing less than stunning, and seemed to give shape and substance to tales of the Minotaur and the Labyrinth, of Theseus and Ariadne, of Minos and Icarus.Ancient Aegean Art is the first comprehensive historical introduction to the art and architecture Crete, mainland Greece, and the Cycladic islands in the Aegean, beginning with the Neolithic period, before 3000 BCE, and ending at the close of the Bronze Age and the transition to the Iron Age of Hellenic Greece (c.1000 BCE).

Covering a broad range of objects and artefacts, from sealstones to pots to buildings and settlements, Preziosi and Hitchcock discuss both the historiography of the field of ancient art history and explain the artefacts original intentions and functions.In chronologically organized chapters, the authors emphasize the more widely known images and structures, with a glimpse at the lesser-known but important discoveries, explaining their design, uses, meanings, and formal developments.Ancient Aegean Art incorporates the latest archeological discoveries and theoretical and methodological developments, in the only volume to examine both Crete and the mainland. ... Read more

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The Spartans were a society of warrior-heroes who were the living exemplars of such core values as duty, discipline, self-sacrifice, and extreme toughness. This book, written by one of the world’s leading experts on Sparta, traces the rise and fall of Spartan society and explores the tremendous influence the Spartans had on their world and even on ours. Paul Cartledge brings to life figures like legendary founding father Lycurgus and King Leonidas, who embodied the heroism so closely identified with this unique culture, and he shows how Spartan women enjoyed an unusually dominant and powerful role in this hyper-masculine society. Based firmly on original sources, The Spartans is the definitive book about one of the most fascinating cultures of ancient Greece. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (43)

Interesting.
I have just finished reading "Spartans" and I must say that I enjoyed the book, it told me a lot about the Spartans that I did not know. The only problem that I had was that of being able to pronounce some of the names of the characters. As a amateur history nut I did learn a lot and I have a few other books by this author that I look forward to reading. If you do not know anything about the Greek history this book will start you on your way but you will need to just take your time and enjoy the book.

Incredibly informative and well written
This book is incredibly detailed and informative.An amazing read for any ancient history buff.Especially fans of ancient Greek history.Loved it!

Review of Carteledge's Spartans
I read this a while ago, so my review is admittedly murky. Carteledge's style is highly readable and entertaining. I don't remember it being especially funny, but this volume is certainly straightforward and intensive. One walks away with a much greater appreciating for the standout city-state that was Sparta.

Lots of Interesting Material That Gets Lost in the Telling
Cartledge is an authority on the Spartans and has a lot of extremely interesting observations to share.The most interesting is the Spartan emphasis on community over the individual; the removal of all Spartan males from the household at the age of 7 to embark on the calling of every Spartan male -- that of warrior; the reliance of slave labor to make the society work; and an interesting approach to sex roles that is different from what one might expect from such a seemingly "macho" culture.On this last item, it appears that the young boys removed from the home were apprenticed to older boys whom they served.The older boy was strictly accountable for the younger boy's behavior.There was often a sexual dimension to the relationship.Then when the males married, they did not see much of their wives because of military commitments.The marriage ceremony involved a ritualized rape of the female --usually not literally (though sometimes that was the case) and involving carrying the girl off against her purported will.Yet despite this, Spartan women were educated and were considered strong willed and masters of the household.To encourage more children, they were sometimes (with the husband's consent) paired off with additional men and could run multiple households.The strong willed women would reinforce the adult males' role of courageous fighting men and hold them to account.

All of this is absolutely fascinating, and I would have liked to have heard more.Unfortunately, Cartledge seems fixated on dates and lots of political and diplomatic history that gets away from the main issue of Spartan culture, how it worked, how it did not, and to what extent it was a dystopia as opposed to a utopia.

This could have been a far better book.Instead, the book becomes dull and reptitive at times and suffers from poor organization.

The book is extremely detailed, but that's the problem.
If I was rating this merely on how much information you can cram into one book or audio program I'd give it 5 stars, but the problem is that it IS too detailed to the point that your mind is overwhelmed with time, names dates and events.
A historical book is only half of what it could be if it doesn't flow easily. It's tragic that the editor didn't force the author to thin out his work somewhat. ... Read more

Product Description
The first section of this volume examines the Persian empire, the regions it comprised, and its expansion under Cyrus, Darius, and Xerxes.In Greece, Sparta attained maturity as the leader of a military coalition and Athens passed through a period of enlightened tyranny to a moderate democracy of dynamic energy and intelligence.Given the contrast between Greek idealism and Persian absolutism a clash between the two empires was inevitable.Important chapters deal with the revolt of Ionian Greeks against the Persians, and the two Persian invasions of Greece including epic battles at Marathon, Tthermopylae, and Salamis.The book's third part turns to the Western Mediterranean: Italy becomes a significant factor in the area's historical development and is explored in terms of its peoples and languages from the Bronze to the Iron Ages. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Tremendous Scope and Depth of this Fascinating Period
Very well-written, fascinating treatment of thisimportant period in history.Shows the importance of the Persian Empire and its influence on the Greek and Mediterranean empires than came afterward.The book managesto cover a great deal of material rather efficiently -- a must-have foranyone who wishes to seriously expand their understanding of civilization. ... Read more

Product Description
The most important primary texts on homosexuality in ancient Greece and Rome are translated into modern, explicit English and collected together for the first time in this comprehensive sourcebook. Covering an extensive period--from the earliest Greek texts in the late seventh century b.c.e. to Greco-Roman texts of the third and fourth centuries c.e.--the volume includes well-known writings by Plato, Sappho, Aeschines, Catullus, and Juvenal, as well as less well known but highly relevant and intriguing texts such as graffiti, comic fragments, magical papyri, medical treatises, and selected artistic evidence. These fluently translated texts, together with Thomas K. Hubbard's valuable introductions, clearly show that there was in fact no more consensus about homosexuality in ancient Greece and Rome than there is today.

The material is organized by period and by genre, allowing readers to consider chronological developments in both Greece and Rome. Individual texts each are presented with a short introduction contextualizing them by date and, where necessary, discussing their place within a larger work. Chapter introductions discuss questions of genre and the ideological significance of the texts, while Hubbard's general introduction to the volume addresses issues such as sexual orientation in antiquity, moral judgments, class and ideology, and lesbianism. With its broad, unexpurgated, and thoroughly informed presentation, this unique anthology gives an essential perspective on homosexuality in classical antiquity. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

A Much-Needed Work
Thomas Hubbard has produced the most significant anthology about Greek and Roman homosexuality ever. I had wanted to do such a book twenty years ago, but I lacked the skill. A master of the Greek tongue, he found the best translations of texts often misunderstood or bowdlerized, and when he couldn't find any, he translated them himself or commissioned others to do so.He additionally placed extensive and erudite introductions along with very useful bibliographic notes at the beginning of each of chapter. Each chapter is well footnoted, and as Hubbard says in his preface, "The footnotes are geared to a general undergraduate audience that has little previous knowledge of classical civilization and may need explanation of basic cultural artifacts or historical references.The notes also include points of interpretation, which should interest both the general and the more knowledgeable reader."
He effectively demolished the absurdities of John Boswell and David Halperin, and criticized the less reprehensible but still erroneous theses of Dover and Foucault.True, Hubbard did not do much with lesbianism, but then it didn't appear often in the sources. His subtle but devastating attacks on social constructionists, extreme feminists, lesbiterians, and Socarides, the other (dying-off) old-time American Freudians, and the child abuse industry make his work not only intellectually unassailable but socially and legally relevant. It is the first of its kind and will not conceivably be surpassed. Reviewers and others may over time be able to add a few items or even quibble a bit with the translations offered. It is plausible, at the most, that a second edition may be needed in a decade or two.

An Indispensible Sourcebook
This is an exhaustive, absolutely fascinating compendium of a vast number of ancient texts, all of which make reference to classical attitudes concerning homosexuality.The array is fascinating, the conclusions myriad.For anyone who really wants to get down the the nitty gritty of ancient opinions -- or to see what day to day ancient life was like -- this book is indispensible. ... Read more

Product Description
The Gymnasium of Virtue is the first book devoted exclusively to the study of education in ancient Sparta, covering the period from the sixth century B.C. to the fourth century A.D. Nigel Kennell refutes the popular notion that classical Spartan education was a conservative amalgam of 'primitive' customs not found elsewhere in Greece. He argues instead that later political and cultural movements made the system appear to be more distinctive than it actually had been, as a means of asserting Sparta's claim to be a unique society.

Using epigraphical, literary, and archaeological evidence, Kennell describes the development of all aspects of Spartan education, including the age-grade system and physical contests that were integral to the system. He shows that Spartan education reached its apogee in the early Roman Empire, when Spartans sought to distinguish themselves from other Greeks. He attributes many of the changes instituted later in the period to one person—the philosopher Sphaerus the Borysthenite, who was an adviser to the revolutionary king Cleomenes III in the third century B.C. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Good Academic Study of The History of the Agoge
This is an excellent book about the Spartan system of educating young men (The Agoge).It looks at the way the Agoge existed in the Roman period and then traces it back through the Hellenistic period to the Archaic period.It has great coverage of the various rituals such as the Endurance contest. Occasionally, it becomes weighted down with discussion of details such as the names given to Spartan age groups.This is however within the scope of the book.It was not written so much for a general reader, though it can be read by one, but rather for someone with some knowledge of Spartan history.Overall, it is well researched and documented.Kennell reaches interesting conclusions about the Agoge's ties to society and religion. ... Read more

Product Description

Why did Greek society foster social conditions, especially early marriage with its attendant early childbearing, that were known to be dangerous for both mother and child? What were the actual causes of death among women described as dying of childbirth in the Hippocratic Epidemics? Why did families choose to portray labor scenes on tombstones when the Greek commemorative tradition otherwise avoided reference to suffering and illness? In Birth, Death, and Motherhood in Classical Greece, Nancy Demand offers the first comprehensive exploration of the social and cultural construction of childbirth in ancient Greece.

Reading the ancient evidence in light of feminist theory, the Foucauldian notion of discursively constituted objects, medical anthropology, and anthropological studies of the modern Greek village, Demand discusses topics that include midwifery, abortion, attitudes of doctors toward women patients, and the treatment of women generally. For evidence, she relies primarily on the case histories in the Epidemics concerning women with complications in pregnancy, abortion, and childbirth. She also draws relevant details from cure records and dedications from healing sanctuaries, labor scenes depicted on tombstones, Aristophanic comedy, andPlatonic philosophy.

"This book is an important contribution to the scholarship on the lives of ancient Greek women, ancient medicine, and the social construction of gender among the Athenians. Nancy Demand has constructed a richer, more nuanced, and very likely far more accurate picture of childbirth and its attendant dangers than we have had to date. Her collection of translations of the Hippocratic texts on childbirth and related issues will be of great value for future investigators." -- Valerie French, American University.

Customer Reviews (1)

Good beginning on a neglected subject
Demand is in her area of specialization, medicine, and into the more general field of women and motherhood.Strong use of ancient evidence and knowledge of medicine itself, help make this book a must read for thoseinterested in women, motherhood, or medicine in the ancient world.Moretime spent on women's view of medicine might improve but such informationis scarse.Not written for the layperson or undergraduate. ... Read more