The Classical World: The Foundations of the West and the Enduring Legacy of Antiquity

by Nigel Spivey

A masterly investigation into the Classical roots of Western civilization, taking the reader on an illuminating journey from Troy, Athens, and Sparta to Utopia, Alexandria, and Rome.

An authoritative and accessible study of the foundations, development, and enduring legacy of the cultures of Greece and Rome, centered on ten locations of seminal importance in the development of Classical civilization.

Starting with Troy, where history, myth and cosmology fuse to form the origins of Classical civilization, Nigel Spivey explores the contrasting politics of Athens and Sparta, the diffusion of classical ideals across the Mediterranean world, Classical science and philosophy, the eastward export of Greek culture with the conquests of Alexander the Great, the power and spread of the Roman imperium, and the long Byzantine twilight of Antiquity.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Ancient History, Philosophy, Greece, Classical Studies, Politics

288 pages, Hardcover

First published July 4, 2016

Reviews

[Nancy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Solid and engaging account of the whole sweep of ancient classical history. Of necessity touching on the high points, the framework of focusing on a different city (including one imaginary one) to advance the timeline was creative and effective overall as a hook, if unsurprisingly less so in later periods than earlier ones. Using Ephesus as a jumping off point for Scotland is a reach both figurative and literal.

[Manray9 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nigel Spivey provides an informed perspective on the influence of classical history and thought upon the West, but as other GR reviewers have noted, there is little new here. The book's thematic organization is odd. It is broken down into chapters named for the important cities of the ancient world (Troy, Athens, Sparta, Rome, Alexandria, Ephesus and others), but the ties of the chapters' material to those cities are often tenuous and, in some cases, far-fetched. The Classical World: The Foundations of the West and the Enduring Legacy of Antiquity is worth reading, but rates only a firm Three Stars in my library.

[Nick Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a copy of this book for free through Goodreads Giveaways.

A very good overview of the Classical civilizations of the Mediterranean and the key leaders & thinkers of the time (it should be said that the subtitle is a bit misleading, as the focus is solely on that period and not any connection to modern Western culture). It's very much a broad strokes sort of book, and people who are already well versed on ancient history will probably find it much too limited in detail, but it'd make for a solid resource for somebody taking a college class that references the civilizations covered therein or simply has a general curiosity about that era.

[Socrate · Rating 3 out of 5]

O ruină mai degrabă dezamăgitoare de pe țărmul Asiei Mici; o fortăreață preistorică asociată cu conflictele și cu distrugerile. De ce să-ncepem cu Troia?
Este tentant să răspundem la această întrebare prin clișeul melodramatic „un om...“ – urmat de un nume pronunțat cu o tunătoare voce hollywoodiană: „Homer“. Ispita e primejdioasă nu doar pentru că știm atât de puține despre existența acestui individ. Dar Troia se bizuie pe el, iar această cetate, așa cum și-a închipuit-o, este locul din care pornește civilizația clasică.
Pe la jumătatea secolului al VIII-lea î.Hr. – acum vreo 2 700 de ani – se pare că un anumit poet profesionist, cunoscut posterității drept „Homer“, a devenit faimos prin recitarea unor povești în chip de versuri epice. Nu erau poezii cu rimă, dar aveau o măsură sau un ritm apăsat, iar subiectul lor era și el intens. „Epic“ indică o narațiune ce se desfășoară într-o epocă a eroilor – personaje zdravene și inimoase ale căror isprăvi, prin comparație, fac viețile muritorilor de rând să pară neînsemnate. Numele lui Homer este legat de două epopei ce constituie operele fundamentale ale literaturii occidentale. Una este Iliada, care descrie anumite evenimente din vremea îndelungatului asediu al Troiei de către un contingent de războinici greci conduși de Agamemnon; cealaltă este Odiseea, o prezentare a felului în care unul dintre acei luptători eleni, Ulise, și-a croit aventurosul drum spre casă după ce Troia fusese în cele din urmă cucerită.
Homer nu era originar din Troia. Afirmația sună bizar, deoarece, chiar dacă epopeile lui nu relatează direct distrugerea cetății, era cât se poate de conștient că Troia arsese din temelii. Dar probabil că Homer s-a născut nu foarte departe de situl Troiei – pe insula Chios, poate, sau în colonia-port Smirna (Izmirul modern). Este posibil să fi trecut prin locul unde se găsise cetatea; în vremea lui, era năruită într-o oarecare măsură, dar nicidecum părăsită în totalitate. „Troia“ nu a fost decât una dintre denumirile felurite pe care le-a purtat acel loc.
La un moment dat a fost menționată pe teritoriul anticului Imperiu Hitit drept Wilusa. Grecii cunoșteau cetatea sub numele de Ilios, Ilion sau Troia: câteodată și Homer o numea Pergamos, care nu înseamnă altceva decât „citadela“. Însă, dărăpănată cum era, Troia rămânea semeață în memoria colectivă. Cetatea, prin agonia sfârșitului ei, a fost un simbol al tuturor orașelor, iar fâșia de pământ dintre așezare și mare – „câmpia troiană“ pe care s-au desfășurat cele mai multe bătălii – a devenit o prețioasă bucată de pe suprafața planetei pe care muritorii s-au transfigurat, prin violență brută și rafinată, în semizei.

[Abigail · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a very succinct overview of the classical world. Each chapter title was named after a city, although I think subject headings for chapter titles would have been more apt. There were some chapters that really had very little to do with the city in the chapter name. There were moments of reading where I wondered if all of the information was really the most important to include considering the short length of the book. Experts probably won't find much new here, but as a non-expert, I did learn some good information, with a few chuckles along the way.

[Binston Birchill · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you’re looking for a brief overview of the classical world of Greece and Rome then you could do much worse than Nigel Spivey’s effort. Broken into chapters primarily by location Spivey sweeps you through the Greeks, their philosophy and colonies, their legacy and then only Rome and its. There isn’t anything new encountered here but if you want a broad idea of how the classical world fit together or a quick sweep of your cob-webbed memory then this is a good one.

[Michael · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading the book. However I feel that it leaves out too many details.

Maybe it is a good book for someone that has never studied the subject and does not have time to actually study it (or does not want to).

[Caio De · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a great introduction to the Classics. It is not an in-depth analysis of its subject (particularly Roman history), but it does provide a wonderful overview and it makes the reader want to explore more topics on the subject on his or her own.

[Davis Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of my go-to reference volumes on antiquity. Rather dry and surface-level to be frank, but it provides a wealth of essential information within a relatively compact package. One could do far worse for background reading to accompany a study of the classics.

[Chuck Abdella · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good, readable overview of Classical Civilizations with an interesting hook by examining a different ancient city in each chapter.

[Seamusin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Meander with me. Manages to squeeze a lot into ~300p, in terms of time and theme, and still remain pleasently readable. If it had been just a little tighter and shorter would've been 5-star for sure.

[Daniel Kukwa · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book offers this write-up as an explanation of what it sets out to be: "an authoritative and accessible study of the foundations, development, and enduring legacy of the cultures of Greece and Rome". Does it succeed? It's a mixed bag, to be sure...the concise nature of the book IS accessible, but it travels by at such a pace that it picks and chooses what to focus upon with dispassionate brutality. The focus is variable: for every fantastic analysis of Socrates, there is an annoying dismissal of several Julio-Claudian emperors. In the end, this is the most warp-speed presentation of the classical world you are likely to find. There is much to enjoy here, and much that is useful...but I can't shake the feeling the author is attempting to be Edward Gibbon on speed.

[Kme_17 · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this as a first read. This book is a great look at history in the Mediterranean . Definitely very well research. There is not a lot of detail however that is to be excepted with such a broad span of time. A very interesting book that got me interested in different cultures featured here.

[James · Rating 3 out of 5]

An easy-going style in a historical narrative is always a pleasure. The 'classical' world is Greco-Roman. As noted, it drew on Egyptian sources for geometry and pharaonic administration. Athens and Sparta are my favorite chapters.

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very well presented. Already knew most of the content, but this was extremely readable and fun