Creators, conquerors, and citizens : a history of ancient Greece / Robin Waterfield.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Waterfield, Robin, 1952- author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Greece--History.

Greece.

History.

Greece--Civilization.

Civilization.

Civilization, Ancient.

Genre:

History.

Physical Description:

xxi, 511 pages ; 25 cm

Place of Publication:

New York, NY : Oxford University Press, [2018]

Summary:

"We Greeks are one in blood and one in language; we have temples to the gods and religious rites in common, and a common way of life." So the fifth-century historian Herodotus has some Athenians declare, in explanation of why they would never betray their fellow Greeks to the enemy, the "barbarian" Persians. And he might have added further common features, such as clothing, foodways, and political institutions. But if the Greeks knew that they were kin, why did many of them side with the Persians against fellow Greeks, and why, more generally, is ancient Greek history so often the history of internecine wars and other forms of competition with one another? This is the question acclaimed historian Robin Waterfield sets out to explore in this magisterial history of ancient Greece. With more information, more engagingly presented, than any similar work, this is the best single-volume account of ancient Greece in more than a generation. Waterfield gives a comprehensive narrative of seven hundred years of history, from the emergence of the Greeks around 750 BCE to the Roman conquest of the last of the Greco-Macedonian kingdoms in 30 BCE. Equal weight is given to all phases of Greek history -- the Archaic, Classical, and Hellenistic periods. But history is not just facts; it is also a matter of how we interpret the evidence. Without compromising the readability of the book, Waterfield incorporates the most recent scholarship by classical historians and archaeologists and asks his readers to think critically about Greek history. A brilliant, up-to-date account of ancient Greece, suitable for history buffs and university students alike, Creators, Conquerors, and Citizens presents a compelling and comprehensive story of this remarkable civilization's disunity, underlying cultural solidarity, and eventual political unification. "-- Provided by publisher.

"A brilliant, up-to-date account of all of ancient Greek history (the Archaic, Classical, and Hellenistic periods), suitable for history buffs and university students, enlivened by a strong thesis about the disunity of the Greeks, their underlying cultural unity, and their eventual political unification"-- Provided by publisher.

Contents:

Machine generated contents note:

Preface and Acknowledgements

Conventions and Abbreviations

List of Illustrations

List of Maps

Chronology and King Lists

General Maps

Introduction I: Historical Background

Introduction II: Environmental Background

ACT I: The Archaic Period (c. 750-480): The Formation of States

1. The Emergence of the Greeks in the Mediterranean

2. Aristocracy and the Archaic State

3. The Archaic Greek World

4. Athens in the Seventh and Sixth Centuries

5. The Athenian Democratic Revolution

6. Sparta

7. Greek Religion

8. The Persian Wars

9. The Greeks at War

ACT II: The Classical Period (479-323): A Tale, Mainly, of Two Cities

10. The Delian League

11. The Economy of Greece

12. Periclean Athens

13. Women, Sexuality, and Family Life

14. The Peloponnesian War

15. Socrates and the Thirty Tyrants

16. The Futility of War

17. Athens and Macedon

18. Alexander the Great

19. The Instability of Syracuse

ACT III: The Hellenistic Period (323-30): Greeks, Macedonians, and Romans

20. The Successor Kingdoms

21. Greeks and Macedonians in the Third Century

22. The Greek Cities in the New World

23. Life and Culture in the Hellenistic World

24. The Roman Conquest

25. A Feat of Imagination

Glossary

Recommended Reading

Index.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Other Format:

Online version: Waterfield, Robin, 1952- author. Creators, conquerors, and citizens

ISBN:

9780190234300

019023430X

OCLC:

983824622