Greeks - Hardcover

Cartledge, Paul

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1575000938 ISBN 13: 9781575000930

Publisher: TV Books, 2000

Synopsis

A companion to the PBS series offers information about fifteen Greek men and women who helped shape history.

About this title

Reviews

An unusual approach is taken here by Cartledge, a respected scholar of ancient history at the University of Cambridge. A companion volume to a PBS series that aired this month, the book doesn't offer a chronologically anchored narrative of the ancient Greek city states. Rather, the book's 15 chapters focus on the lives of individuals, some well-known to us from history, literature and art: Sappho, Pericles, Socrates, Alexander the Great. Cartledge's main achievement is bringing to our attention others who have been familiar mostly to scholars: Artemisia (a woman who fought on the Persian side in the Persian Wars), Pasion (a money-changer), Neaera (a courtesan). Cartledge personalizes ancient Greek history by using this biographical material to introduce the reader to broader aspects of life in ancient Greece. The focus is primarily social-historical, but the book also connects with such grand military/political events as the Peloponnesian War and the conquests of Alexander the Great. Easy to read and even jaunty in style, this volume also provides an abbreviated time line, a necessary aid for those unfamiliar with the chronology of Greek history, as well as a thoughtful introduction and suggestions for further reading.
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

This compact survey of classical Greek history and culture serves as a companion to the three-hour PBS series that premieres this month. Cartledge, a reader in Greek history at the University of Cambridge, has written a superb general history that weaves the individual stories of diverse Greek icons (i.e., Cleisthenes, Pericles, Alexander) with the broader themes of Hellenic society. While Cartledge pays tribute to the Hellenes for providing many of the pillars of Western civilization, he does not shrink from detailing their warts as well as the striking differences that separate their world view from that of "modern" Western man. The text is enriched with excellent illustrations that convey the grandeur and diversity of Greek civilization. Jay Freeman

Edition details

• Publisher: TV Books
• Publication date: 2000
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1575000938
• ISBN 13: 9781575000930
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 280