Classical Greece: Great Ages of Man

Great Ages of Man

by Cecil Maurice Bowra

Classical Greece

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Greece, Art, Reference, Historical, Ancient History

192 pages, Hardcover

Published January 1, 1965

About the author

Sir Cecil Maurice Bowra was an English classical scholar and academic, known for his wit. He was Warden of Wadham College, Oxford, from 1938 to 1970, and served as Vice-Chancellor of the University of Oxford from 1951 to 1954.

Reviews

[Erik Graff · Rating 4 out of 5]

My virtual addiction to reading was stimulated by several factors. One was that my parents, Dad in particular, had a lot of books and read themselves. Another was that much of childhood was spent without a television and when a tv was obtained my brother and I were not allowed to use it. Another was that the family moved thrice while I was in primary school, meaning long periods without friends. Finally, and most positively, Dad's mother, my "Nanny", early on started buying me books, including several Time-Life series, volumes of which would arrive regularly to be presented on special occasions like XMas and birthdays or simply after I'd gone through the previous ones.

The Time-Life Great Ages of Man series was substantially responsible for my development of an interest in world history. This, the first volume to arrive, got me interested in classical history and literature while I was still in junior high, an interest which got me enrolled in a sequence of Latin classes in high school.

[Austin Justice · Rating 4 out of 5]

CM Bowra's "Classical Greece" is a short overview of the Hellenic world from its Minoan and Mycenaean antecedents to its Hellenistic age, largely intended for a younger audience (though not necessarily small children). To that end, it serves its purpose well enough.

Written by the late Oxford Hellenist in the mid-1960s, this work certainly isn't for seasoned students of the classics who are in search of significant scholarship. Indeed, "Classical Greece" is not at all a comprehensive survey of the Greek world and it can be a bit dated at times (although much of its content holds up surprisingly well). Were I reviewing it as a piece of serious, academic literature by modern standard, I'd probably rate it a one or two. But I'm not; I'm rating this book for what it is: a fun yet informative way to introduce young people to the world of ancient history. Bowra's work gave my 13 year old self a chronological framework into which I could fit everything they taught about Ancient Greece in middle school and ignited an insatiable curiosity about the world in which the Greeks lived. Looking back now as a history and classics double major, I carry a sense of nostalgia about the book in a way; without it, who's to say if I'd be studying classics today.

[Tammie Painter · Rating 3 out of 5]

Glosses over quite a bit of stuff that might be controversial, but a nice overview with great pics.

[Emma · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lot of interesting information.

[Ricardo Cifuentes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excelente texto introductorio de la cultura griega, aunque el libro es de la década de los 70, sigue siendo un material ordenado y con apartados interesantes de la cultura griega.

[Kili · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful

[Caroline Duggan · Rating 5 out of 5]

An elegantly written, concise history of Ancient Greece. Chapters follow the historical development of Ancient Greek civilisation and its expansion, with excellent descriptions of the main wars, and of the Athenian Empire and Alexander's defeat of Persia. The history chapters are interspersed with social history and art history, with illustrations, maps and photographs of important sites and art. Recommended as an introductory history.

[Peter · Rating 3 out of 5]

The late British Classicalist Sir C.M. Bowra’s 1965 edition of the book, Classical Greece, is a history of Ancient Greece. The book is for the series of Time-Life Books’ Great Ages of Man. Bowra was a vice-chancellor of the University of Oxford in England. Bowra’s book is probably dated, but it is still worth reading if one is interested in the historiography of the history of Ancient Greece. Bowra's book is a good, perhaps a little old-fashioned introduction to the history of Ancient Greece. The book, Classical Greece, is readable. The book has a beautiful layout, and each chapter is followed by a photo essay. An example of the amount of work and care that was put into Bowra’s book is that on page 115 there is shown a reproduction of the statue of the Goddess Athena in the Parthenon in Ancient Athens. Bowra writes of the reproduction that “the model shown here was constructed on the basis of the best modern scholarship” (114). The picture of the reproduction is in a photo essay entitled "The Periclean Epoch" named after the statesman Pericles of Athens (who died in 429 BCE) (105-115). At the end of the book, there is a Timeline. There are three sections at the end of the book entitled “The Olympian Family” of Greek Gods (181-182), “A Gallery of Heroes” (183-184), and “Greeks Great and Famous” (184-185). Even though it was dated I did not regret spending time reading the book, Classical Greece.

[Jonathan Grant · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good general overview of the history of Greece, mostly centred on Athens, and taking in the Persian invasions and the Peloponessian Wars.

There was a little bit just past the introduction which showed a comparison of our (Roman-derived) alphabet and the Greek one, which I thought was pretty cool. They do the same for Greek and Cyrillic alphabets in the Byzantium book, which I'm reading now.

[Sarah Fulenwider · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you rely solely on YouTube documentaries like I did, then you are really missing out on a lot of information. I learned many things that I never knew before, including the origin of the word lesbian. Awesome and interesting read from the very first page, and the pictures are worth a thousand words!

[Joseph Panno · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love it so far. Already read the Ancient Egypt volume. I found both of them in a thrift store that had more volumes in the series on the shelf. I'm going to head back and get them all. Very informative.

[Foxtower · Rating 3 out of 5]

I must admit I never read history books, but as an art reference I look at the pictures! This book could use more pictures, yet as a focus on a certain period it contains more than enough samples of art and architecture of the era to serve as a good reference to art the period.

[Wilhelm Weber · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good revision of a complicated past and wonderful reminders of Greek glory in many areas of culture and philosophy long gone... Have carried the book around for some time. Got it from J.Schroeder many years back - and now it was the perfect conclussion of our holiday in Athens etc.

[Tue Le · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this old book from a public library. I am glad to have done so. It is a fine introduction to Greece during what later historians refer to as the Classical Age, after the Greek Dark Ages and before the Hellenistic Period.

[Jade Murphy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very informative about ancient Greece. Didn't show any favoritism to a single person, but showed a good overall review.

[Leonard Pierce · Rating 4 out of 5]

The swell second book in the Time/Life "Great Ages of Man" series is informative, well-designed, and decently written, with a very properly heavy reliance on the classics.

[Mick Maye · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very informative about ancient Greece. Part of the Time-Life Great Ages of Man series. Showed a good overall coverage of events and culture.

[James Violand · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent synopsis of the culture that began Western Civilization.

[Amber · Rating 4 out of 5]

A non-fiction broken up into readable chunks so you don't get info overload. Very useful if you want/need to learn more about a fabulous period of history.

[Henrique Albuquerque · Rating 4 out of 5]

Capa dura, em português

[Buck Wilde · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well written, and the photos were gorgeous. I learned things and was only bored to sleep, what, twice? That's rare, considering it was just a big history book.

[Rob Markley · Rating 3 out of 5]

A great series of books but this one probably had too big a topic to cover. Did well, nevertheless underwhelming

[Stacy Croushorn · Rating 2 out of 5]

Very general history. Good photographs and drawings, but text is very dry.