A History of Greece, 1300 to 30 BC

Blackwell History of the Ancient World

by Victor Parker

A History of 1300 ‒ 30 BC , offers a comprehensive introduction to the foundational political history of Greece, from the late Mycenaean Age through to the death of Cleopatra VII, the last Hellenistic monarch of Egypt.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Ancient History

510 pages, Paperback

First published November 19, 2013

Reviews

[Sense of History]

I continue to be amazed that professional historians of antiquity can't resist the temptation to follow narrative sources so closely. The historiography of Assyria and Babylonia is particularly guilty of this, but apparently also that of Ancient Greece. In this book, for example, author Victor Parker (University of Canterbury, New Zealand) tells the story of the Persian Wars, the Peloponnesian War, the countless conflicts and wars between the Greek cities, and finally, the endlessly complex wars between the Hellenistic states (you can indeed tell that this is an exclusively military and political history) almost entirely based on the historians of that time. Herodotus, Xenophon, Diodorus, and so on, are quoted constantly, because otherwise, Parker wouldn't be able to cite all the intrigues and striking details that spice up a good story. Not that he displays no critical sense at all, no, but it's as if he automatically considers everything that hasn't ever been refuted, as plausible and therefore true. I'm exaggerating a bit, of course, but it's striking.

Even more striking is that there's one historical source he absolutely dislikes: Thucydides, widely known as—all things considered—the more reliable source from antiquity. Parker clearly has a score to settle with Thucydides, because he repeatedly points out his errors and heavily emphasizes evidence of his bias. Now, there's certainly something to criticize about Thucydides, that goes without saying. But the extremely negative treatment of his account of the Peloponnesian War contrasts sharply with the docility Parker displays when it comes to, say, Herodotus or Diodorus. So, in my opinion, this is not exactly a successful Blackwell edition.

[Marc Lamot · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is truly a textbook aimed at students of classics and ancient history, with plenty of contextual information and a fairly encyclopedic tone. Its merit lies in its coverage of the entirety of Greek history, not just the classical period but especially the Hellenistic period, which is a relief. However, Victor Parker (Professor of Classics, University of Canterbury, New Zealand) sometimes delves too deeply into certain issues, causing the bigger picture to be lost. It doesn't help that his attention focuses almost exclusively on the endless conflicts between Greek cities, with culture and economics almost entirely ignored. Political and military history, therefore, take center stage. It's also noteworthy that Parker frequently writes very confusing sentences and makes some chronological inaccuracies. Even more remarkable is his explicit stance on the value of Greek historians as sources. More on this last point in my History account on Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show....

[Liam Malone · Rating 5 out of 5]

This represents one of the most readable, yet learned, history books I've ever read, and I am in my mid 60s years old. Anyone wanting to read a history of Greece, this is it. It provides a lot of detail, dates, names, and places that can be daunting at times to keep track of. The period after Alexander the Great can be confusing because of all of these. Still Parker does a good job of keeping matters in perspective.

I started in this Spring reading a 2 vol history of the Ancient Near East. Then decided to read one volume of works of Greek (June) then Roman history (July). Followed by the Byzantines, Crusades (August), then as the leaves change read a work on the end of the Middle Ages, then a tome on the Renaissance that I will borrow from my public library 5 blocks walk.

And ending with the 7 Years War as it was fought in North America.

This departs from my plan to read histories of the Ancient Near East from 3 different publishers. I will read the remaining 2 (Oxford & Cambridge presses) over the next 2 years, God willing.

I too will a 4-volume history of Rome from Routledge. Then return to reading mythology and its theories.

I started this grand plan Fall 2022 to read about 20 books I bought 2021-2022 on mythology and its theories including Jungian stuff. One book referred to Ancient Israel a lot. I knew little of Jewish history (still don't know much). So, I read a historical atlas of Ancient Israel and that jostled from my head to stop reading myth and move to history. But, the histories of Sumer, Babylonia, the Hittites and Assyrians start with mythology - their etiologies for nearly everything in their cultures and war games are based on myths. Eventually, then, I will return to myth my favorite subject.

Knowledge for its own sake.

[Iset · Rating 3 out of 5]

A classic textbook for school age students, crammed full of colour photographs, boxes, study questions, and further reading suggestions, and presenting an overview of ancient Greek history. Each chapter is pretty short and shallow, in keeping with the book’s aim to educate new students on the broader picture. That means, if you’re looking for a lot of depth on one particular topic, set this down and look elsewhere – it provides little beyond the very basics. If, on the other hand, you’re just beginning a course of study and have never tackled ancient Greek history before, give this book a read through.

[Jared Saltz · Rating 4 out of 5]

A solid survey that focuses on sociological factors of the development of Greek history. Notable because it covers not only the prehistoric and classical worlds, but also includes the Hellenistic era. I used this as an assigned textbook for a 3000-level Greek history course and would assign it again.

[Emily Santopoulos · Rating 2 out of 5]

Overall a great book that gives a good glimpse of multiple events during the different periods in Ancient Greece. However, Victor Parker is not very good at forming coherent sentences here and there, and can therefore be very confusing. Neither is he very good at summing up which year the various events take place, unless it is something major. I personally did not like his way of wording this book either, and he is only topped by Freeman who wrote Egypt, Greece, and Rome in 1996.

[Allisonperkel · Rating 3 out of 5]

In the intro, the authors calls out the major shortcoming of this book: it’s too broad and too short. At times entire chapters are simply lists of names, battles, and army sizes.