Democracy and Classical Greece

by John Kenyon Davies

The art of classical Greece, and its political and philosophical ideas, have had a profound influence on Western civilisation. It was in the fifth and fourth centuries BC that this Greek culture – material, political and intellectual – reached its zenith. At the same time, the Greek states were at their most powerful and quarrelsome.

J.K. Davies traces the flowering of this extraordinary society, drawing on a wealth of documentary material: houses and graves, extant sculpture and vases, as well as the writings of historians, orators, biographers, dramatists and philosophers.

Much of the material from these, the best-documented centuries in Greek history presents a formidable challenge to the interpreter. J.K. Davies builds, chapter by chapter, a coherent narrative of events from often sketchy or inconsistent sources, and shows how sometimes the same evidence can throw up quite different interpretations. He uses the material to create a rich and vivid picture of a changing society whose values and achievements have so influenced our own.

Please note that this edition does not include illustrations.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Classics, Ancient History, Greece, Reference, European History

368 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1978

About the author

John Kenyon Davies, FBA, FSA (b. 1937) is a British classical historian and retired academic. Between 1977 and 2003, he was Rathbone Professor of Ancient History and Classical Archaeology at the University of Liverpool.

Reviews

[sophia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Useful primarily as a reference; Davies passes by issues particular to Athens (citizenship mostly) in order to provide a broader, sweeping overview of the whole Hellenistic Mediterranean. Occasionally it caught my interest and got fun—learning about Boetia, Syracusa, what posts made up Athenian democracy—but the level of detail also made it dense. Probably better to read it with a map.

[Mark Singer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brief but detailed survey of Greek history from about 480 BCE up to 336 BCE. Davies manages to summarize the Greco-Persian Wars, the Peloponnesian War, other events in the area, and concludes with the rise of Macedonia. Includes maps, date chart, primary sources and a long list of further readings.

[Nick · Rating 3 out of 5]

Useful for fourth century B.C. Greece, a little on the dry side, though.

[Rob Marshall · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good and readable introduction - perfect for A-Level students or ab initio students at University.