Publisher's Synopsis
This single-author survey combines an authoritative and engaging retelling of the history of ancient Greece with an assessment of the relevance of the Greeks today. Drawing upon the latest archaeological research and a wealth of textual evidence, Jeremy McInerney describes an extraordinary culture that produced innovations in such areas as philosophy, democracy and medicine that have helped shape our concepts of truth, justice and science, among many others. Spanning the Minoan and Mycenaean origins of Greece to its eventual conquest by Rome, this wide-ranging and comprehensive account also emphasizes the interconnectedness of the Greek experience in the Mediterranean, framing the history of the Greeks as inextricably tied to their relationship with the wider world of antiquity, and the Persians in particular.
Beautifully illustrated with examples of art, archaeology and architecture – from the frescoes of Akrotiri to the spectacular discovery of the Tomb of the Griffin Warrior in 2015 – this account foregrounds the variety and diversity of what it meant to be Greek. Dedicated chapters on Athens and Sparta highlight the differences of culture and civic structure within the Greek world, as well as the political tensions that would precipitate the Peloponnesian War and the subsequent Macedonian Hellenistic Age. Numerous maps and timelines support the clear chronological narrative, while ‘Spotlight’ features at the end of each chapter offer a visual commentary on specific concepts, places and institutions, such as the oracle of Delphi and the image of Alexander the Great.
Greece in the Ancient World is the story of a culture that transformed the Western world. The Greeks’ achievements and failures, their ideals and their faults, established a legacy that remains at the heart of our modern life.
