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A History of Ancient Greece in Fifty Lives
The first book to tell the Greek story through the interconnecting lives of the men and women who shaped its politics and literature, its science and philosophy, its art and sport The political leaders, writers, artists, and philosophers of ancient Greece turned a small group of city states into a pan-Mediterranean civilization, whose legacy can be found everywhere today. But who were these people, what do we know of their lives, and how did they interact with one another?
In this original new approach to telling the Greek story, David Stuttard weaves together the lives of the movers and shakers of the Greek world into a continuous narrative, from the early tyrant rulers Peisistratus and Polycrates, through the stirrings of democracy under Cleisthenes to the rise of Macedon under Philip II and Alexander the Great and the eventual decline of the Greek world as Rome rose. Moving from Sicily to Afghanistan, and from Macedonia to Alexandria; delving into the worlds of mathematics and geography, rhetoric and historiography, painting and sculpture; exploring the accounts of historians and mystics, poets and dramatists, political commentators and philosophers, this book creates a vivid picture of life in all arenas of the ancient Greek world. As well as the most famous politicians and writers, in these pages the reader will meet less well-known figures such as Milo, the Olympic wrestler who led his home town in a time of crisis; Aspasia, the brilliant female intellectual, who taught rhetoric to Socrates; and Epaminondas, the Theban who taught tactics to Philip of Macedon and so destroyed his own city. 80 illustrations, 60 in color
In this original new approach to telling the Greek story, David Stuttard weaves together the lives of the movers and shakers of the Greek world into a continuous narrative, from the early tyrant rulers Peisistratus and Polycrates, through the stirrings of democracy under Cleisthenes to the rise of Macedon under Philip II and Alexander the Great and the eventual decline of the Greek world as Rome rose. Moving from Sicily to Afghanistan, and from Macedonia to Alexandria; delving into the worlds of mathematics and geography, rhetoric and historiography, painting and sculpture; exploring the accounts of historians and mystics, poets and dramatists, political commentators and philosophers, this book creates a vivid picture of life in all arenas of the ancient Greek world. As well as the most famous politicians and writers, in these pages the reader will meet less well-known figures such as Milo, the Olympic wrestler who led his home town in a time of crisis; Aspasia, the brilliant female intellectual, who taught rhetoric to Socrates; and Epaminondas, the Theban who taught tactics to Philip of Macedon and so destroyed his own city. 80 illustrations, 60 in color
288 pages, Hardcover
First published September 8, 2014
61 people are currently reading
898 people want to read
About the author
David Stuttard
27 books17 followersDavid Stuttard is a British theatre director, classical scholar, translator, lecturer on classical literature and history, and author, primarily of historical works on the ancient world.
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Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews
May 8, 2023
İllustraayonlarla zenginleştirilmiş, baskısıyle göz dolduran ama içeriği az biraz karışık olan güzel bir çalışma. Özellikle karakterleein yaşamlarını işleyişi, özet olarak yaptıklarını vermesi güzel. Kaba hatlarıyla bile olsa, oldukça iyi bilgi alabileceğiniz bir kitap. Dönemin sanat yapıtlarını da görme şansınız olduğundan, olayları ve karakterleri görmenizi sağlıyor. Tüm bunlara ek olarak, Yapı Kredi Yayınları hem baskı hem cilt hem de özenli baskısıyla güzel bir iş çıkartmış. Tavsiye ederim.
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January 17, 2022Very much Great Man History by definition but look it’s got short chapters and I’m a simpleton.
Edit: It’s been bothering me that I’ve misused the term Great Man History above – the book makes it clear that its players were shaped by their world as much as they shaped it. Even in the case of Alexander III, one of the archetypal “Great Men”, the author points out the historical and social factors that put him in a place to have the effect that he did. Not to say that this is a work of social history, but that’s fine. The biographical structure provides some big names to hang events on, which is a helpful learning tool for beginners i.e. me, and there are sufficient historical-materialist bona fides on show that I didn’t feel like I was sitting in a Victorian classroom. Anyway, I’ve now thought too much about a book that isn’t that deep, thank you and goodnight.
Edit: It’s been bothering me that I’ve misused the term Great Man History above – the book makes it clear that its players were shaped by their world as much as they shaped it. Even in the case of Alexander III, one of the archetypal “Great Men”, the author points out the historical and social factors that put him in a place to have the effect that he did. Not to say that this is a work of social history, but that’s fine. The biographical structure provides some big names to hang events on, which is a helpful learning tool for beginners i.e. me, and there are sufficient historical-materialist bona fides on show that I didn’t feel like I was sitting in a Victorian classroom. Anyway, I’ve now thought too much about a book that isn’t that deep, thank you and goodnight.
July 9, 2021
wasn't really that fun to finish; didn't flow too nicely and struggled to keep my interest even though I love Greek Mythology and Ancient Greece in general.
May 11, 2023
I thoroughly enjoyed this one. Stuttard has a style of writing that is educational and enlightening without being dry and dull. I wonder if he has another book in the works on famous Romans …
August 17, 2024
If you’re like me ( a Greek girly) and looking to expand your knowledge on Ancient Greece and Grecian history, this is the book for you. Stuttard commits to enlightening us about the Hellenistic period and Greece’s influential cast of characters who shaped the ancient Mediterranean. There’s a hell of a lot of history and territory to cover, making the book quite wordy. Many battles were fought on Greece’s soil, many myths and legends were born.
I loved learning about Greece’s lesser talked about figures like artist Zeuxis who painted legendary heroes/ realism and Aspasia with her intellect, influence and charm. So many forgotten faces with equally as interesting stories ✨
I loved learning about Greece’s lesser talked about figures like artist Zeuxis who painted legendary heroes/ realism and Aspasia with her intellect, influence and charm. So many forgotten faces with equally as interesting stories ✨
March 19, 2015
XXX I found this book - a gift from a Goodreads Giveaway - fascinating. Greek history has always intrigued me, but I usually find it difficult to keep the personalities set in the right time frame. This book brought it all into line, presented generation by generation. The photographs are exquisite, on heavy stock, and the view though time = from 800 BC to the eventual decline of the Greek world as Rome rose, is easily followed and tied by facts from one biography to the next. This is an excellent book, and one I will keep around to refer to and reread. Thank you, Goodreads for bringing this world alive for me.
October 10, 2015
I didn't think Stuttard's approach was working very well at first, but once I got a few lives in, and they started overlapping with each other more, I changed my mind. It's a good, engaging way to tell the history of ancient Greece. And with only two or three pages per person, he doesn't have room for anything boring.
May 25, 2021
Before this my knowledge of Greek history and figures was pretty patchy and a bit disjointed so I would say this book is quite a good starting point for trying to get into ancient Greece. However it is worth noting that sometimes this books is a little dry and very matter of fact which is completely fine but just worth being aware of.
October 20, 2020
The concept deserves 5 starts but god how do you make some of the most interesting characters from ancient histort boring? Just a rather dry summary of facts. No thank you, will go back to Goldsworthy and Bears
February 6, 2024
A sweeping account of the big names but also an excellent catalogue of names joined together by a compelling historical narrative. I fully expect to use this as an excellent future reference for translations taken from Xenophon, Thucydides, Polybius or even Caesar himself.
March 22, 2025
A good overview of the 50 personalities explained in this book. Sometimes I get confused about who's who. But it shows us tha Greece ancient history was not peaceful at all...
May 16, 2023
„Pre verejný život niet lepšieho vzdelávania ako história a to, ako statočne znášať prelietavosť Šťasteny, nás najľahšie naučí záznam o nešťastiach iných.“
Istotne to všetci poznáte. Staroveké Grécko, Olymp, bohovia, hrdinovia umierajúci v obrovských vojnách a rozpínajúce sa územie zaberajúce až tri svetadiely.
Vždycky ma na starovekých civilizáciách fascinovalo, ako sa dokázali vyvíjať, s čím novým prišli a aké technológie, ktoré dnes využívame, vynašli už oni. Myslím, že takého Pytagora nemusím ani predstavovať a všetci vieme, že jeho učenie využívame dodnes. Že, ty krásne Pytagorova veta? Ale to nie je všetko, čo tento človek (matematik, filozof, mystik) za svoj život dokázal. Je toho omnoho viac a v tejto knihe máte možnosť nazrieť pod povrch a dozvedieť sa, ako jeho učenie ovplyvnilo ďalších mysliteľov ako napríklad Sofokla či Artistotela.
Aj napriek tomu, že kniha ponúka skvelý prehľad rozkvetu a pádu starovekého Grécka, niektoré kapitoly (najmä v druhej polovici, kde sa odohrala väčšina vojen) mi pripadali ako čisté vymenovanie udalostí a faktov, takže to šlo trošku pomalšie. Každopádne som si aj v nich našla to svoje a konečne som si ako tak utriedila časové úseky, kedy sa čo odohralo.
Musím pochváliť grafiku knihy, ktorá je naozaj nádherná. Obsahuje ako mapy, tak aj obrázky a skoro v každej kapitole pár zaujímavostí naviac, ktoré človeku poskytnú komplexnejší náhľad do tohto impéria.
Za mňa solídne 4.
September 10, 2023
This is the book for everyone that wants to start with ancient greek history but also for everyone that already has knowledge in the subject. It has everything. It is very well written, in chronological order from around 650 bc to Rome's conquest of Egypt in 31 bc. Combining good writing skills with beautiful coloured photos reading this book will truly become joyfull. After this book you have:
1. A good understanding of ancient greek history( archaic, classical, hellenistic).
2 You know the most important figures from all the periods I mentioned above. You can place figures like Socrates, Plato, Alcibiades, Pericles and Pythagoras in their world.
3 You will have a good cultural knowledge about Greek religion/festivals/rituals/mysteries
4 You will have basic knowledge on Greek mythology( for greek mythology I advice you the book by Lucas Russo)
5 You will have knowledge about Greek warfare, greatest greek military leaders.
6 After this book you can easily start reading the source books( Herodotus, Thucycides,Xenophon)
1. A good understanding of ancient greek history( archaic, classical, hellenistic).
2 You know the most important figures from all the periods I mentioned above. You can place figures like Socrates, Plato, Alcibiades, Pericles and Pythagoras in their world.
3 You will have a good cultural knowledge about Greek religion/festivals/rituals/mysteries
4 You will have basic knowledge on Greek mythology( for greek mythology I advice you the book by Lucas Russo)
5 You will have knowledge about Greek warfare, greatest greek military leaders.
6 After this book you can easily start reading the source books( Herodotus, Thucycides,Xenophon)
June 3, 2020
Clearly written and a fresh way of writing ancient history.
February 18, 2026
„Dajte mi miesto, kam sa môžem postaviť, a pohnem svetom.“
Po niekoľko týždňovom ťažení voči „náročnosti“ tejto knihy som sa nakoniec prebil až na záver.
Publikáciu som dostal na narodeniny k dvadsiatke a ako milovník histórie a kedysi aj pravidelný základoškolský účastník dejepisných olympiád (kde staroveké Grécko samozrejme skoro vždy nejako figurovalo), ma Stuttardovo dielo na prvý pohľad zaujalo.
Pekné grafické spracovanie, „nový“ koncept uchopenia dejín – cez päťdesiat životopisov najznámejších osobností – sprievodné ilustrácie a vôbec moje nadšenie k histórii hrali dôležitú úlohu v tom, ako som k tomu pristúpil.
Zo začiatku ma hlavne oslovil prístup pána autora k tomu, čo a odkiaľ mi vlastne o tých starovekých Grékoch vieme. Cením, že sa tu poukazuje na to, že častokrát ide o rôzne pozliepané fragmenty, odpisy, či rôzne mytologicky poprepájané príbehy. Taký, na dnešnú dobu „akademicko prijateľný“ revizionizmus dejepisnej témy, o ktorej sa samozrejme zapochybovať môže ;-)
Hneď poučenia na úvod: všetky tieto životné profily brať s rezervou, tak som teda aspoň ja pochopil autorov odkaz k tomu, čo o gréckej antike vlastne vieme (vzhľadom na nerozlučné prepojenie bájneho a „faktografického“). Sranda však spočíva v tom, že sa definitívnu pravdu možno nikdy nedozvieme a budeme musieť uznať, že pre starovekého človeka rovina mytologická a historická splývali do jednej.
Úprimne je mi však ľúto, že som si tento exkurz viac neužil. Nejde o popularizačnú knihu pre širokú čitateľskú obec. Pohltilo ma šialené množstvo mien, dátumov, miest, konfliktov, rodinných zväzkov a kadejakých cudzích slov, z ktorých si snáď aspoň niečo užitočné do ďalších čítaní zapamätám. Žiaľ, záverečné prepojenie chronológie s príchodom kresťanstva ako akejsi aktualizácie starogréckych mýtov pozitívnemu zážitku veľmi nepomohlo.
David Stuttard spísal pomerne suchú, no jasnú a „čistú“ zbierku tých najvýznamnejších tvorcov západných, starogréckych dejín, z ktorých ako Európania všetci čerpáme. Písané je to však s predpokladom, že čitateľ už o téme niečo vie a tak sa treba poriadne pripraviť na dejepisnú čítanku pre náročných.
Po niekoľko týždňovom ťažení voči „náročnosti“ tejto knihy som sa nakoniec prebil až na záver.
Publikáciu som dostal na narodeniny k dvadsiatke a ako milovník histórie a kedysi aj pravidelný základoškolský účastník dejepisných olympiád (kde staroveké Grécko samozrejme skoro vždy nejako figurovalo), ma Stuttardovo dielo na prvý pohľad zaujalo.
Pekné grafické spracovanie, „nový“ koncept uchopenia dejín – cez päťdesiat životopisov najznámejších osobností – sprievodné ilustrácie a vôbec moje nadšenie k histórii hrali dôležitú úlohu v tom, ako som k tomu pristúpil.
Zo začiatku ma hlavne oslovil prístup pána autora k tomu, čo a odkiaľ mi vlastne o tých starovekých Grékoch vieme. Cením, že sa tu poukazuje na to, že častokrát ide o rôzne pozliepané fragmenty, odpisy, či rôzne mytologicky poprepájané príbehy. Taký, na dnešnú dobu „akademicko prijateľný“ revizionizmus dejepisnej témy, o ktorej sa samozrejme zapochybovať môže ;-)
Hneď poučenia na úvod: všetky tieto životné profily brať s rezervou, tak som teda aspoň ja pochopil autorov odkaz k tomu, čo o gréckej antike vlastne vieme (vzhľadom na nerozlučné prepojenie bájneho a „faktografického“). Sranda však spočíva v tom, že sa definitívnu pravdu možno nikdy nedozvieme a budeme musieť uznať, že pre starovekého človeka rovina mytologická a historická splývali do jednej.
Úprimne je mi však ľúto, že som si tento exkurz viac neužil. Nejde o popularizačnú knihu pre širokú čitateľskú obec. Pohltilo ma šialené množstvo mien, dátumov, miest, konfliktov, rodinných zväzkov a kadejakých cudzích slov, z ktorých si snáď aspoň niečo užitočné do ďalších čítaní zapamätám. Žiaľ, záverečné prepojenie chronológie s príchodom kresťanstva ako akejsi aktualizácie starogréckych mýtov pozitívnemu zážitku veľmi nepomohlo.
David Stuttard spísal pomerne suchú, no jasnú a „čistú“ zbierku tých najvýznamnejších tvorcov západných, starogréckych dejín, z ktorých ako Európania všetci čerpáme. Písané je to však s predpokladom, že čitateľ už o téme niečo vie a tak sa treba poriadne pripraviť na dejepisnú čítanku pre náročných.
August 28, 2023
Veľmi zaujímavá, podnetná a poučná kniha, ktorú som si vychutnával cestou do a z práce, v autobuse. Je na to ideálna, krátke kapitoly, viete sa zastaviť, zahľadíte sa z okna a sledujete ako ubieha život... Výborne popísané osobnosti starovekého Grécka, tie slávne a známe mená ako Pytagoras, Aristoteles, Alexander Veľký, Sokrates, Sofokles, Prolemaios, Epikuros, Archimedes...
Čriepky z ich života, zasadenie do spoločenskej situácie, prepojenie s ďalšími osobnosťami...
Aby sa dala ľahšie sledovať história a ilustrovať obrovská pestrosť kultúry starovekého Grécka, životy sú usporiadané približne podľa generácií. Každá kapitola sa začína hlavnou biografiou, ktorá obsahuje väčšinu historických informácií potrebných na pochopenie kontextu ďalších, vedľajších životopisov.
Hlavné biografie poskytujú prehľad gréckych dejín od roku 700 do roku 100 a ostatné životopisy dopĺňajú podrobnosti.
Dobré je, že biografie možno čítať aj samostatne a bez ohľadu na poradie. Teda vyberať si povedzme tých známych, o ktorých chcete viac a potom sa vraciate k ostatným.
Čriepky z ich života, zasadenie do spoločenskej situácie, prepojenie s ďalšími osobnosťami...
Aby sa dala ľahšie sledovať história a ilustrovať obrovská pestrosť kultúry starovekého Grécka, životy sú usporiadané približne podľa generácií. Každá kapitola sa začína hlavnou biografiou, ktorá obsahuje väčšinu historických informácií potrebných na pochopenie kontextu ďalších, vedľajších životopisov.
Hlavné biografie poskytujú prehľad gréckych dejín od roku 700 do roku 100 a ostatné životopisy dopĺňajú podrobnosti.
Dobré je, že biografie možno čítať aj samostatne a bez ohľadu na poradie. Teda vyberať si povedzme tých známych, o ktorých chcete viac a potom sa vraciate k ostatným.
August 31, 2025
A History of Ancient Greece in 50 Lives by David Stuttard - Good
I mentioned in a previous review that I'm going on a trip to Greece later this year. I will be travelling around various archaeological sites and thought I ought to try and remind myself of some Ancient Greek history beforehand - especially as it's 53 years since I last studied it!
I have to admit that I think I picked the wrong book here. I really enjoyed reading about all 50 lives detailed. Some I had a vague recollection of, some I didn't know at all, some I knew a reasonable amount about and one is the subject of my hero worship. Great to place them in their context. What it didn't do is clear up my hazy memory of Greek History. I suspect I'll need to do a bit more background reading via other means and books.
There was a great quote from Lysias (445-380 BCE) an Orator and Speech-Writer that is still pertinent now:
"We must remember that no one is born a democrat or an oligarch; rather he favours the constitution which will benefit him most."
#review
I mentioned in a previous review that I'm going on a trip to Greece later this year. I will be travelling around various archaeological sites and thought I ought to try and remind myself of some Ancient Greek history beforehand - especially as it's 53 years since I last studied it!
I have to admit that I think I picked the wrong book here. I really enjoyed reading about all 50 lives detailed. Some I had a vague recollection of, some I didn't know at all, some I knew a reasonable amount about and one is the subject of my hero worship. Great to place them in their context. What it didn't do is clear up my hazy memory of Greek History. I suspect I'll need to do a bit more background reading via other means and books.
There was a great quote from Lysias (445-380 BCE) an Orator and Speech-Writer that is still pertinent now:
"We must remember that no one is born a democrat or an oligarch; rather he favours the constitution which will benefit him most."
#review
February 5, 2024
I am very glad that I pushed myself to read some non-fiction, especially about a topic that I love. This book was very informative, I was amazed by all the tidbits of historical figures and the ones I didn't know of, and I seriously enjoyed learning about them.
I am also reading up on topics, like the Lycaeum.
Thank you for this wonderful book, I truly felt like we were walking through the ages with these 50 lives
I am also reading up on topics, like the Lycaeum.
Thank you for this wonderful book, I truly felt like we were walking through the ages with these 50 lives
January 23, 2025
An interesting way of telling the history of Greece although it suffers from being limited to the actions and immediate circumstances surrounding each individual so there's no big picture of the country. Also it suffers from the barrage , even assault (if that's not a tautology), of names of people in each chapter. However, it is a very handy reference point for an introduction to/summary of Aristotle, Plato etc
November 11, 2018
Başka her yerde olduğu gibi, antik Yunan tarihine de güç sahibi kişiler yön vermiştir. Bunlardan bazıları kendileri ya da şehirleri için ün kazanma peşinde koşarken, bazıları dünya hakkındaki bilgi ve kavrayışın sınırlarını genişletme, bazıları da fikirleri kayda geçirip bunları "sonsuza dek baki kalacak bir edinim"e dönüştürme çabası içindeydi...
October 2, 2023
تاریخ یونان باستان در پنجاه زندگینامه
نویسنده دیوید استاندارد
مترجم شهربانو صارمی
انتشارات ققنوس
شابک ۹۷۸-۶۰۰-۲۷۸-۴۳۰-۸
تاریخ نشر ۱۳۹۷۰۹۰۵
قابل توجه کتابداران گودریدز لطفا ورژن ترجمه فارسی را اضافه کنید
کتاب فوقالعاده ای است که از طریق پنجاه شخصیت و کاوش در زندگی آنان مروری بر تاریخ یونان باستان دارد
نویسنده دیوید استاندارد
مترجم شهربانو صارمی
انتشارات ققنوس
شابک ۹۷۸-۶۰۰-۲۷۸-۴۳۰-۸
تاریخ نشر ۱۳۹۷۰۹۰۵
قابل توجه کتابداران گودریدز لطفا ورژن ترجمه فارسی را اضافه کنید
کتاب فوقالعاده ای است که از طریق پنجاه شخصیت و کاوش در زندگی آنان مروری بر تاریخ یونان باستان دارد
February 6, 2025
I’ve had a hard time enjoying it even though i truly wanted to like it. But it felt so much like going through linked Wikipedia pages… Guess it serves better as ad hoc look up of particular person rather than a read from start to the end.
January 27, 2026
I hate to be harsh but I did not enjoy this. I'm not sure who this is for, it is too surface level for anyone who knows anything about the topic (I don't) but being able to dedicate such little space to each person means it struggles to tell a coherent story that hangs together.
October 11, 2020
Rijkelijk geïllustreerd, reeks mini-biografieën, natuurlijk niet in één hap te consumeren
May 22, 2021
Some uncreative fairy tales weaved upon fragments of texts written in different centuries.
October 26, 2022
I feel like a model Classics student
August 27, 2023
Now and then somewhat dry, but excellent for future reference.
September 22, 2025
DNF. I love Greek Mythology but this narrative is not for me
Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews