ANCIENT GREEKS W

by Chester G. Starr

A realistic account of life in ancient Greece as experienced by an ordinary citizen of the time, this work presents the ancient Greeks not only in their role as founders of Western civilization, but also as people who are interesting in themselves. The author traces the development of early Greece--from Mycenaean times, through the period of Homer and Archaic Greece, and finally to the expansion of Greek culture following Alexander's conquests. The volume features color plates, illustrations, maps, and charts that form an integral, visual complement to the text. Bibliographies, quotation sources, and a glossary provide additional study aids.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Ancient History

236 pages, Paperback

First published February 15, 1971

Reviews

[Chris Bassett · Rating 3 out of 5]

Written at a high school/early college level, presents a short general review of Greek/Hellenistic history from about 700-300BC. Starr argues against presenting a strictly linear history and jumps around the timeline - which IMO sabotages an understanding of the reasons for the progress and decline of Greek civilization - so earns only 2.5 stars. We’ll round up for the nice pictures.

[Erik Graff · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a decent introduction to ancient Greek culture which I read in conjunction with the courses I was taking about classical Greek philosophy at Loyola University Chicago.

[Kathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Somewhat dryly written, Starr's The Ancient Greeks is nonetheless a fine overview of the complex history and culture of this people and their influence on future generations, all the way down to us.

[nadia anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed it. It is written in an interesting way, and it was very informative. I noticed few typos but other than that, I liked it :)

[Διόνυσος Ελευθέριος · Rating 2 out of 5]

Chester Starr's The Ancient Greeks is a nice little history of Ancient Greece because its scope is relatively wide and it makes use of a relatively good deal of fairly recent (timely as of the book's printing, but now a bit dated) archaeological discoveries that can help shed light on many aspects (political, social, and cultural) of Ancient Greece. The many photographs will give an initiate into the ancient Greek world an opportunity to see things first-hand, so to speak, and its length is appropriate to its intended audience.

[Rob · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is definitely an introduction to ancient Greece. The photos are a bit lack-lustre when compared to more recent publications but the text is easily readable and engaging. Particularly, I enjoyed the social history as presented through the viewpoint of an average citizen in the classical period.

[Thomas not Becket · Rating 3 out of 5]

A friendly little overview, this book follows one hypothetical Cleon, a man of Athens circa 440 B.C., yet does not limit itself there but relates everything from the Dark Ages to the Hellenistic Age, cultural, political, religious, etc., to him. Do not fear, it is but a lightly used device and does not intrude detrimentally.

[Benjamin Plume · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good smattering of information; could be more in-depth.

[Jules · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great overview of the Athenian culture and some mention of Spartan culture too. A lot of images, maps and timelines make this an accessible read.