Ebook: Ancient Greece : a history in eleven cities

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 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, the author 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 from the first documented use of the Greek language around 1400 BCE, through the glories of the Classical and Hellenistic periods, to the foundation of the Byzantine empire in around CE 330. The book spans a 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. He 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 volume provides a concise introduction to the history and culture of this civilization. Read more... Content: Greek Measures of Money and Distance -- Prehistory. Cnossos ; Mycenae -- Early History (to 500 BCE) : Dark Age and Archaic. Argos ; Miletus ; Massalia ; Sparta -- Classical (500-330 BCE). Athens ; Syracuse ; Thebes -- Hellenistic. Alexandria -- Retrospect and prospect. Byzantion -- The Panhellenic Sanctuaries. Abstract: A highly stimulating introduction to the history of Ancient Greek civilization, from the first documented use of the Greek language in about 1400 BCE, through the glories of the Classical and Hellenistic periods, to the foundation of the Byzantine empire in about CE 330. Read more...