The Archaeology of Greece: An Introduction

by William R. Biers

William R. Biers wrote The Archaeology of Greece to introduce students, teachers, and lay readers to the delights of exploring the world of ancient Greece. The great popularity of the first edition testifies to his success.

In his preface to the second edition, Biers points out that, while the field of Greek archaeology may seem conservative and slow-moving, it has undergone major changes, especially in regard to work on the Bronze Age. The revised edition brings information on all areas up to date, reflecting the most recent research, and it includes cross references to Perseus II, the interactive electronic data base on Archaic and Classical Greece. This edition includes new illustrations, some of recent finds, some of improved plans, and others added to enhance an explanation or to illustrate a point.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Archaeology, Art, Greece, Reference, Classical Studies

350 pages, Paperback

First published December 1, 1980

Reviews

[LibraryBlonde · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had to read this whole book for school so you can bet your ass I'm counting it on goodreads. It's actually decent, provides good information, and I enjoyed the pictures of artifacts.

[Mir · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this for some art history or archaeology course back in college. I've mostly forgotten all the details but I seem to recall it being a clear and reasonably interesting read, as text books go.

[Elise McGregor · Rating 4 out of 5]

I did it! Half of semester one is done and so is my time with this book. William Biers helped me through a crash course in Greek Archeology. This was easily my favourite set reading so far and I liked being introduced to things I hadn’t learnt about before, particularly Minoan and Mycenaean civilisation. Would recommend to classics students for a good basis understanding of Greek sculpture, architecture and pottery.

[Lieke✨ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good introduction to old Greek art and architecture, recommend it to everyone who wants to know a little more about this subject!

[Kyria · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very clear book that tells you all about the Greek archeology and art in a simple language.

[Jaden Hullinger · Rating 5 out of 5]

An extremely exciting read (for archaeology nerds like me) with many pictures and diagrams that really accentuate Ancient Greek art and architecture.

[Nina · Rating 2 out of 5]

lots of pictures was good but I’m never really gonna enjoy a textbook ngl

[Sean McLachlan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I recently reread this old university textbook of mine in preparation for an assignment in Greece. Biers was one of my professors and his book was assigned for the class.

This well-illustrated book is a clear, general introduction to the topic. No single volume could ever hope to give such a broad subject full justice, but this does give the reader a good handle on the basics. Biers skips lightly over the Paleolithic, Mesolithic, and Neolithic and gets straight down to business with the Minoans. The book continues through the highlights of Greek archaeology down to the Roman period, which is only briefly discussed. Late Antique, Byzantine, and later periods are not covered.

I have only two objections to this book. Neither are major and both may have been solved with the publication of a second edition in 1996. I read the first edition so take these criticisms in that light. I found many of the citations to be rather old. Most dated to the 1970s or sometimes much earlier. Also, some of the photos, especially those of Athens taken by Biers himself, do not show the sights or the city as they appear today. As I said, the second edition may have solved these problems and brought the book more up to date.

In all, this is an easy-to-read introduction to ancient Greek art and archaeology. It's large number of photographs, some in color, the clear prose keep it from ever becoming dry.

[Patrick\ · Rating 4 out of 5]

From temple to the vernacular of the house; from statuary to hair pins; from Crete and Minoan culture through the Hellenistic Age, this compact volume rushes quietly through the artifacts, copies and reconstructions that physically define the human products of this vast period - pictures, too. Published in 1980, it lacks recent isotopic age dating and stratigraphic advances, but it nonetheless is a succinct, very useful survey. It does lack a handy definition appendix - of uncommon terms/words used. Tell me the differences betwen the following forms of pottery: kerch amphora, transport amphora, oinoche, krater, lekythoi, kylix, skyphos, aryballos, olpe, dinos. I miss this sort of handy reference. Still and excellent starter book for anyone.

[Brenna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great introduction!

[Lauren · Rating 5 out of 5]

I used this one so much in college that I broke the spine. I had to get another copy...