The Rise of Athens: The Story of the World's Greatest Civilization

by Anthony Everitt

A magisterial account of how a tiny city-state in ancient Greece became history's most influential civilization, from the bestselling author of acclaimed biographies of Cicero, Augustus, and Hadrian

Filled with tales of adventure and astounding reversals of fortune, The Rise of Athens celebrates the city-state that transformed the world--from the democratic revolution that marked its beginning, through the city's political and cultural golden age, to its decline into the ancient equivalent of a modern-day university town.

Anthony Everitt constructs his history with unforgettable portraits of the talented, tricky, ambitious, and unscrupulous Athenians who fueled the city's rise: Themistocles, the brilliant naval strategist who led the Greeks to a decisive victory over their Persian enemies; Pericles, arguably the greatest Athenian statesman of them all; and the wily Alcibiades, who changed his political allegiance several times during the course of the Peloponnesian War--and died in a hail of assassins' arrows. Here also are riveting you-are-there accounts of the milestone battles that defined the Hellenic world: Thermopylae, Marathon, and Salamis among them. An unparalleled storyteller, Everitt combines erudite, thoughtful historical analysis with stirring narrative set pieces that capture the colorful, dramatic, and exciting world of ancient Greece.

Although the history of Athens is less well known than that of other world empires, the city-state's allure would inspire Alexander the Great, the Romans, and even America's own Founding Fathers. It's fair to say that the Athenians made possible the world in which we live today. In this peerless new work, Anthony Everitt breathes vivid life into this most ancient story.

Praise for The Rise of Athens

"[An] invaluable history of a foundational civilization . . . combining impressive scholarship with involving narration."--Booklist

"Compelling . . . a comprehensive and entertaining account of one of the most transformative societies in Western history . . . Everitt recounts the high points of Greek history with flair and aplomb." --Shelf Awareness

"Highly readable . . . Everitt keeps the action moving."--Kirkus Reviews

Praise for Anthony Everitt's The Rise of Rome

"Rome's history abounds with remarkable figures. . . . Everitt writes for the informed and the uninformed general reader alike, in a brisk, conversational style, with a modern attitude of skepticism and realism."--The Dallas Morning News

"[A] lively and readable account . . . Roman history has an uncanny ability to resonate with contemporary events."--Maclean's

"Elegant, swift and faultless as an introduction to his subject." --The Spectator

"An engrossing history of a relentlessly pugnacious city's 500-year rise to empire." --Kirkus Reviews

"Fascinating history and a great read."--Chicago Sun-Times

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Ancient History, Greece, Audiobook, World History, European History

540 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2016

About the author

Anthony Everitt is a British academic. He studied English literature at the University of Cambridge. He publishes regularly in The Guardian and The Financial Times. He worked in literature and visual arts. He was Secretary-General of the Arts Council of Great Britain. He is a visiting professor in the performing and visual arts at Nottingham Trent University. Everitt is a companion of the Liverpool Institute of Performing Arts and an Honorary Fellow of the Dartington College of Arts. Everitt has written books about Roman history, amongst which biographies of Augustus, Hadrian and Cicero and a book on The Rise of Rome. He lives in Wivenhoe near Colchester.

Reviews

[Bradley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks to Netgalley for this ARC!

This is probably one of the most readable accounts of the Athens that I've ever read, punctuated with a little bit of the things we all know, like how the Iliad informs their lives, the huge importance of Sparta, and of course some of the interesting accounts of our favorite Know-Nothing, Socrates.

Even though I have a huge soft spot in my heart for philosophy in general and loved the brief accounts in here, make no mistake: This book is all about the big players of the political history, first and foremost. Wars are an obvious part of it, as is the evolution or even the spontaneous rise of democracy out of almost nothing, but it's the characters of history that makes this book stand out.

It's definitely good enough for a newbie fan of Grecian history and it's readable enough for everyone else, too.

My only complaint may be a personal one. Perhaps we didn't really need the fall of Ilium in as much detail. Yes, it's a cultural thing, but a quicker overview at the beginning before diving head first into the good stuff might have been even better.

Same thing goes for all the extras of Socrates, and that's even though I love reading about him.

Honestly? I'd have been perfectly content on hearing about more of the others that made up the rise of the penultimate Greek City-State. We love to focus on the iconic people, I know, I know, but he was never a real mover or shaker in the political scene, just in the evolution of thought and philosophy.

But I did get a real kick out of all the Satires, though. They gave me a much better story and a more rounded feel of the life.

All in all, I'm perfectly happy with this history. It lets me dive in with a great overview and a telling of a pretty epic and perilous story from the first beginnings, the realization that they were a power against Xerxes, all the way through Alexander. Fun stuff!

[Sud666 · Rating 4 out of 5]

"The Rise of Athens" was quite good. Having had a chance to wander around Athens in 2019, one can not escape the memories of that grand Greek historical tradition. This book traces the rise and fall of the city-state of Athens.

The story begins with an introduction to the key players- the militarized city-state of Sparta, the recently-turned Democracy of Athens, and the Empire of the Persians. As both Sparta and Athens develop, though, along with very different forms of government and society, we see the rise of the Persians under Cyrus.

In time, the city-state of Athens would aid their Hellenistic "cousins" along the Anatolian coast. This will lead them into conflict with the Persians and draw the ire of Darius. Darius' successor, Xerxes, will actually lead an invasion of mainland Greece. This famous event will lay the groundwork for the triumph of the Greeks.

But, ironically, it was this success that also lay the seeds of their own destruction. In time, the Athenians will seek to create an empire of their own. This will cause conflict with Sparta and eventually lead to the devastating Peloponnesian Wars.

The brutal conflict will bleed the Athenians and Spartans dry, and set up the rise of Phillip of Macedon and then his son, Alexander.

This interesting history not only covers these major events, but also gives us a look into the internal politics, society, and beliefs of the Athenians. From the major political players, the military leaders, and the great debates that occur, we are given a birds-eye view of the tremendous changes going on in Athens.

If you are looking for a great overview book to whet your interest in either Athens or any of the Greek city-states of the Ancient World, then you will appreciate this book. It takes complex ideas and historical events and explains them clearly and well. Anyone looking to learn about the Athenian story would be advised to start at this excellent book.

[Sam · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Rise of Athens is a very accessible account of the formation of the Athenian democracy in Ancient Greece, and gives great context to its rise versus that of its main foils, Sparta and Persia. There's a wealth of facts and information about life in Ancient Greece, from culture and literature to warfare and tactics. It's easy to read and very informative for relative beginners or newcomers to knowledge of Ancient Greece (or in my case refreshers), but for me, what sets apart four and five star nonfiction from three star nonfiction is the writing itself. In this case, Everitt's style was again very easy to process and pick up new facts, but it could be a bit dry, not always engaging, could get hung up on pieces of minutia that could bog down the narrative flow, and ultimately felt more like nicely presented facts with the larger story of Athens in the background, rather than letting the narrative history take center stage. I did like how Everitt would weave in the rituals of belief and the strategic use of the gods by prominent Greeks throughout. And it's definitely sparked me to return to Plutarch's Lives, specifically The Rise and Fall of Athens: Nine Greek Lives and perhaps even History of the Peloponnesian War.

[Steven Walle · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a faboulas book on the rise and fall of the Greek empire. It was very detailed and the author made you feel as if you were actually there with the Athinians.
I am especially interested in this topic because I am to visit Sicily and the Greek Isles this autumn.
Enjoy and Be Blessed

[Melora · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fine narrative history of ancient Greece, focused on Athens in its rise to eminence and then, more briefly, on its decline. The emphasis is strongly on political history -- power struggles among Athenians, and those between Athens and other city states and foreign powers -- but Everitt includes plenty of social history and amusing anecdotes and keeps the story moving along in a lively sort of way. He brings in tales from myths and contemporary dramas, and, particularly when telling of Athens's early days, he relates stories which he admits are likely apocryphal with cheerful relish. I listened to this as an audiobook, read by Michael Page, and enjoyed it.

[Douglas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Where it Succeeds:

"The Rise of Athens" really shines in the richness (and sheer amount) of detail it provides. A far less catchy, though more accurate title to the book might read: "The Rise and Fall of the Greek City States: A Social, Cultural, Economic, Political, Military, and Diplomatic History of Hellas." Saying that this book is comprehensive would be an understatement.

But if you take the time to absorb the details, you will be richly rewarded with:

(1) The stories of all the great figures of Classical Greece: Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, Solon, Pericles, Demosthenes, Alcibiades, Philip II, and so many more. These portraits are dramatic, surprising, and often deeply funny.

(2) The origin story of democracy. In modern times, we take democracy for granted. Reading about Athens' first democratic leaders, it really hit me how great a departure their experiment was from all prior governments.

(3) An appreciation for how culture shapes our lives. Looking at Athens circa 450 BCE, it is easy to mock their adherence to certain customs and traditions. Why did they trust the oracles so blindly, when it is clear to us that the Pythia was bribed by everyone who had an interest in politics and the money to influence it. This book made me reflect on my own culture's sacred cows, and the not so logical beliefs I might have adopted from being a product of my culture.


Where it Falters:

Because there is so much detail in every chapter, it is easy to lose sight of the where you're at in the historical timeline. It would have been nice if the author occasionally stopped to give a 30,000 foot view. When did the various confederations of city states emerge? How did they differ from one another?


Overall Impression

"The Rise of Athens" is not a sprint. I often found myself putting the book down to Google a Greek word or find a map online. If you want to get a clear picture of the historical timeline, that will take time and research. But if you are interested in Classical Greece, it is time well spent.

I would recommend this book to anyone who loves history or wants to learn more about the origins of democracy.

[Tony · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Rise of Athens covers such interesting material that it is a generally enjoyable read despite Everitt's lackluster writing. Far from focusing solely on the rise of Athens, this book chronicles the city's rise and fall. It also devotes considerable attention to Sparta and, to a lesser extent, to the Persian empire and Macedonia. While mostly centered on politics and warfare, the author also highlights some important works of Athenian art and literature. Overall, The Rise of Athens is a tidy summary of ancient Greece, albeit a clumsily written one.

[Lloyd Hughes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Anthony Everitt has given us a wonderfully written account of the Hellenic Era told through an Athenian lens and their relationship with the other two great powers (influence) of this time: Sparta and Persia. His writing style produces crisp, clear, declarative sentences with just the right balance of his analytical perspective with historical accounts and modern scholarship.

In history context is everything because it is impossible to ‘understand’ events and the motivations and fears behind them through the lens of a different era. Mr Everitt has synthesized copious amounts information that gives us all we need to understand and appreciate this remarkable age.

4.5 stars. This amazing book is recommended reading for all and essential reading for anybody wanting a first rate contextual summary.

OPINION
Why can’t we learn anything from history? Why do we continue to make the same mistakes over and over and over again? Why do we continue to allow our leaders to promulgate policies that satiate their need for power and money and make things worse for the people they rule? Where are the voices who purport to hold them in check? Why do historians continue to ignore the really big, foundational issues in favor of pop-culture ones? It is puzzling and disgraceful and disastrous.

[Illiterate · Rating 2 out of 5]

A lively, introductory, narrative history. Not especially critical of sources.

[Dag Ryland · Rating 4 out of 5]

(Firstly, the cover is beautiful)

A good introduction to what must be the most interesting times in history (or one of the top 3, in my opinion) - Ancient Greece. It’s a lot of information that needs to be compressed, and the book is, at times, all over the place due to the huge scope (naturally).

It’s especially interesting when discussing the prelude to and birth of democracy, the Greco-Persian War and the Peloponnesian War.

It’s packed with interesting historical figures, like Solon, Pisistratus, Themistocles, Alcibiades, Pericles, Demosthenes etc., and I’ll probably get around to researching those in the future.

I didn’t really know a lot about this time period before I started reading, but I’m glad I read this book as a starter.

Recommended

[Ric · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ancient Athens is one of my favorite historical places of all time, so it’s obvious that this one would catch my eye when browsing a bookstore. And this was a really informative book, while still being easy enough to read where it wasn’t a slog. I liked the Socrates accounts, but my favorite part was the chapters on the war with Sparta. Definitely one of the more fun nonfiction books I’ve read lately.

[Xavier Patiño · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an extremely comprehensive account on the rise of Athens. The major players all get a shout here -- Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, Pericles, etc. All the wars and battles get covered in great detail too.

I listened to the audiobook, and that may have been an error on my part. There are many names and dates, which I find difficult to follow while I'm driving. The sections I was able to follow were captivating, mainly the chapters on the Spartans. It did help as well that I do have basic knowledge of ancient Greece.

This is a great work for anyone looking to learn about one of the greatest city-states to exist on the Mediterranean!

[Todd Voter · Rating 3 out of 5]

Informative and readable it unfortunately lacks that spark that makes for great history

[Peter Goodman · Rating 5 out of 5]

“The Rise of Athens: the story of the world’s greatest civilization,” by Anthony Everitt (Random House, (2016). Ordinary subtitular hyperbole aside, this is a fascinating book. The writing is so clear and accessible that one doubts the author is more than a popularizer. Except that he knows Greek and Latin (most of the translations, colloquial and fluent, scattered throughout are his own), and all the scholarship and archeology. The fact that always surprises me is that the true peak of Athenian culture, when the city was at its political and military zenith and simultaneously home to Sophocles, Aeschylus, Aristophanes, Socrates, Plato, Pericles, Alcibiades, Herodotus, Xenophon, Thucydides and so forth, lasted little more than 100 years. They were all of nearly the same generation. They knew one another. They fought in the battles. AND they invented theater and created some of humanity’s greatest works of art. Everitt starts in prehistoric times, traces the origins of the Greeks, including the invasion of “Dorians” and “Ionians.”
He describes how the democracy was actually invented---and, he says, it was deliberately invented. In 503-502, Cleisthenes, a member of the aristocratic Alcmaeonid famiily, had won power but needed some way to keep it. This was after the lawgiver Solon had created the laws which governed the city. Cleisthenes needed the support of the poor and dispossessed, to defeat Isagoras and the Spartans, who had occupied the Acropolis. He created what became the Athenian constitution. Democratia stems from demos—people---and kratia—power. “Democracy” means “people power”! The Greeks, Everitt makes clear, were quarrelsome, rude, aggressive, grudge-bearing, very fractious people. It is amazing that the Athenians accepted Cleisthenes’ rules. And just because they were a democracy does not mean that they were wise, just, or peace-loving. Beyond all the factionalism and resentments which constantly roiled city life, they also liked being the most powerful people in all of Greece, and maintained a very aggressive, imperial policy until they lost so many men and so much treasure that they were just exhausted, and ultimately the Spartans could walk in. Everitt follows three main groups: the Spartans, ascetic, austere, materially poor but highly trained and disciplined, the best soldiers in the land. The Athenians, active, boastful, clever, ambitious, the leading maritime power. The Persians, led by a string of Great Kings: Cyrus, Darius, Xerxes, constantly trying to conquer the Greeks, but defeated at Marathon, Salamis, Platea. They were kept at bay until Alexander, son of the Macedonian king Philip who defeated the Greeks at Chaeronea and ended their freedom, moved into Asia and beat the Persians. There is so much in this book, which is such a quick read, I am not going to try to recount it all, or even part.

http://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/boo...

[Deanna Madden · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent introduction to the rise and fall of a great city that played such an important role in Western civilization. Anthony Everitt’s book is well written, provides helpful maps, a glossary, time line, and an index, and communicates effectively to the general reader. The book was helpful to read as I worked on my final draft of a novel set in Ancient Athens. It was both informative and interesting, and I liked the way Everitt chose to organize his material—as the story of a city and its people—which appealed to the novelist in me. If you would like to know more about the fascinating history of this unique city, The Rise of Athens is a great way to learn about it.

[Rachel Green · Rating 4 out of 5]

Confession time: I won this in a Goodreads giveaway a very long time ago...like years ago. Yikes. In my defense, I did enjoy it when I started reading it, I just put it down to start on works for different book clubs, and after starting and stopping a few times, I just put it down altogether.

So, naturally, this was a prime candidate for this year's personal challenge to read a book on each of my shelves! And I have to say, I'm really glad I did. Although I did end up taking a break to help run discussions for a book club, at least this time I managed to make it like 3/4 of the way through the book before I did so. It made it a lot easier to pick it back up again and watch what was at that point more about the fall of Athens as a city-state.

Ok, so what did I actually like about this book? Well, I enjoy history in general, however I'm not sure that I've read another narrative history book before now. I found Everitt's style engaging, overall, with a dry sense of humor that peeked out from time to time. The book is also apparently very well researched, with an extensive bibliography and additional sections detailing Everitt's research process and how he evaluated various sources.

The only thing I disliked was the location of the primary reference maps - rather than having them at the beginning of the book, they were instead placed between the preface and table of contents. So rather than being able to just jump to the beginning of the book to view the reference maps, I would then have to flip through the preface to find the maps. While this was easily solved with a post-it note, it was an odd decision layout wise that caused a wrinkle when trying to actually use the primary reference maps - and enough of a frustration to come to mind when writing a review, apparently.

Overall, I really did enjoy the book - I'll be sure to check out Everitt's other books and maybe other narrative histories.

[Casey · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great book, providing a history of Athens as a free polis from its mythical inception to its assimilation into the Hellenic Macedonian empire. The author, Anthony Everitt, a very prolific popular historian, sets out to re-introduce Athens to an audience with little appreciation for the city-state’s role in history and western thought - he doesn’t disappoint. The book covers two broad topics, the history of Athens as a democracy in a complicated world and the continual refinement of Athens’ democratic structure. I have been generally remiss in my knowledge of Ancient Greece and its influence on our methods of politics. This book went a long ways towards correcting that, giving me a much better insight into both the long history of Athens and the working of its state. Of course the major events and characters are well covered, Marathon, Pericles, Socrates, Alcibiades, etc. But Everitt also introduces the many other important people and events who are not as famous but just as important. The role that Athens’ bete noires, Sparta and Persia, play in continually influencing the democracy to better itself is well documented throughout. The cultural and social side of Athens is not forgotten, with plenty of well-placed asides to explain various aspects of life in the ancient world. I especially liked how Everitt keeps the story going to the very end (vice trailing off the post Peloponnesian War narrative in a single chapter, as I’ve experienced before). Rather than ending with rule of oligarchs, and thus disproving the viability of democracy, Everitt shows that Athenian democracy survived and was present up to and through the Macedonian and Roman conquests, albeit with a lesser sphere of influence. I also appreciated the analysis Everitt provides as he tells the tale, drawing the decisions made by the Athenian assembly into the larger picture of the socio-politico situation across the Ancient World. Much more than a retelling of the Persian War stories, an explainer of Thucydides’ histories, or the narrative of early Macedonian conquests, this is a history which ties all these together through the actions of famous and not so famous Athenians. Highly recommended for those wanting to better their understanding of Athens and the framework of her political system.

[hannah · Rating 2 out of 5]

Definitely educational but it just didn’t always have me entertained and sometimes felt like a struggle to get through … idk if I’m asking too much of a nonfiction book like this but whatever

[晓木曰兮历史系 Chinese · Rating 3 out of 5]

Let me first talk about my feelings after reading: the author learns to be rich in five carts. When explaining the historical process, historical materials are readily available but he does not blindly follow. The description of wars, especially land and naval battles, makes detailed choices based on the magnitude of the impact on the outcome of the war. The author added his own independent thinking on the causes and results of historical events as a supplement to the lack of records in the ancients and enlightenment to modern people. The glossary, chronology, and notes at the end of the book help readers understand the contents of the book thoroughly. Moreover, the book contains a large amount of the fusion of Greek mythology and real history, or the fusion of nature and supernatural. Of course, I guess it is also because of the need for historical plot descriptions to supplement the inadequacy of archaeological and historical materials in certain historical periods. It reads a little bit. The meaning of magic realism.

Through the description of the rise and fall of the city-state of Athens, this book shows the political, military, economic and diplomatic forces represented by the three forces in the European classical era, the Mediterranean and the Aegean regions, Athens, Sparta, and Persia. Struggle. In the book, Delphi's oracle, that is, the instructions of the Greek god Apollo or Athena, is spoken through the mouth of the priestess Pythia, as a clue or hint to the outcome of history, interspersed in major wars. These major battles determined the strength of the three powers to ebb and flow, and thus affect the entire history. This is also the best interpretation of the "Era of Coexistence of Man and God" in the title. We might as well start from the three major battles in the book to understand the era of golden horses and heroes.

One. Battle of Marathon

In 491 BC, King Darius I of Persia relied on his strong national power and expanded his ambition to conquer Greece in one fell swoop, so he sent envoys to the city-states including Athens and Sparta to ask for fire and water, to test whether their attitude was to descend or fight. , I want to succumb to the soldiers without fighting. Unexpectedly, "The Athenians threw the messengers into the pit like ordinary criminals." Darius used this as an excuse for an expedition to Athens. The chapter "Invaders of the East" begins with a young Greek messenger running a long distance, asking for help from Sparta. When crossing the Arcadia Plateau in the middle, he encounters the Faun Pan (human torso, goat’s legs and horns, and later The lower body becomes a fishtail, and the image of Capricorn comes from this. This is a later story), the Faun Pan asked the messenger to bring a message to help Athens. However, Sparta postponed the dispatch of troops to celebrate the Kania Festival, and the messenger could only return without success. Then the scene changed. The Persian fleet crossed the Aegean Sea, landed from the Marathon, and established a site to attack Athens. After a fierce debate in the Athens Citizens’ Assembly, after the proposal of General Xiaomi Taiyade, it was decided to send him to lead all the heavy infantry. ) Take the initiative to attack, "The goal is to control the beachhead." At the same time, after Persian learned the news through the traitors in the city of Athens, he decided to take advantage of the main force of Athens to go to the marathon, and when the city's forces were empty, it sent a large number of cavalry led by Datis to the port of Farelon and communicated with the informants in the city. The inside should be combined with the outside, and the city of Athens was taken by surprise. The general Xiaomi Taiyade saw through this plan and took the initiative to attack the Persian army at 5:30 in the morning on the Marathon Plain, using the strategy of retreating in the middle and outflanking the two wings, making the Persian army dumplings. After the battle ended at 9 a.m., the Athenian army quickly rushed back to the city of Athens and won the race for time with the Persian cavalry of Datis. The war ended in complete victory in Athens and complete defeat in Persia. After the war, the Athenians did not forget the appearance of the Faun Pan and erected a statue of it. At the same time, they erected a bronze statue of Athena in the Acropolis and built a treasure house in Delphi to victoriously dedicated to Apollo. However, the ending of Xiaomi Tai Yade was unfortunate.

two. Battle of Salamis

After the defeat of the Marathon, Persia rested for 10 years, and the armors were all completed, and it entered Greece again in 480 BC. Athens asked the oracle of Delphi about the upcoming crisis. God’s answer was that “Zeus who perceives everything will eventually give Athena a wooden wall. The wall will not collapse and will protect you and your descendants.” “Holy Sarah Mies, when sowing or harvesting grain, you will destroy the women’s sons.” In the land battle before this battle, the Battle of Wenquan Pass, Persia was sniped by the Spartans and suffered heavy losses. The land offensive slowly came to a standstill. Salamis Bay is the rear of Athens and even the Attica Plain. Once it is lost, there will be endless troubles. Athens placed ambush ships in the narrow, tortuous bay. After the Persian fleet entered the bay, they cut off their way back. Coupled with the fighting spirit of the Athenians, the offensive on the Persian sea ended in failure. The defeat of both the land and the sea, coupled with the long battle front and the lack of logistics, caused the Persian army to be driven out of Greece. After this Hippo War, Athens became the maritime hegemon of the Aegean region. However, the commander of Athens, Semistocles, who had a good command in this battle, was banished from the pottery due to financial problems and could not return to Athens within 10 years. Pausanias, another Spartan fighting hero, was also arrested after returning to China and had to die.

Three. Peloponnesian War

After the Hippo War, Sparta did not want to see the Athenian limelight overshadowing itself. At the same time, the Spartan oligarchy and the Athenian democracy were ideologically opposed. Hidden dangers for the occurrence of the Greek Civil War. I almost watched this Greek civil war with a heavy heart. The process of the war, you can read this book, I won't repeat it. In 404 BC, Athens surrendered and was forced to accept humiliating conditions, demolished the city walls, no longer established a navy, gave up a large number of overseas territories, and recognized Sparta as its leader. At this point, the Greek Civil War that lasted for 27 years has finally ended. Most of the characters in this play, whether they are the protagonist or the foil, the main general or the soldier, or the civilian, are mostly unfaithful and must not end well. The feeling that this war has given me is that the national civil strife has never been triumphed at all, and some are just full-scale injuries. At the beginning, after great efforts, the Greek city-states united in the final stage of the Hippo War and formed the Delian League against the enemy with one heart. Everyone lives and works in peace and contentment, and each is in its place. Different civilizations are running fast on their own tracks and conducting mutual trade with each other. The Greek region is prosperous. However, when Persia, an external enemy, did not become the main contradiction for the time being, the Greeks themselves soon began infighting. The arrival of the prosperous age requires the efforts of several generations, but the prosperous and the declining are called upon. When everyone was seriously injured, the Macedonians broke in, settled all the Greek city-states, and established a unified Greek nation-state. This was a prerequisite for a strong Greek civilization. Of course, with the death of Alexander the Great, the country was torn apart. I really responded to the phrase "If you divide for a long time, you must be together, and if you are together for a long time, you must divide." This is the end of this book.

This book is not always serious topics such as politics and military, but also explores and describes some interesting topics, such as the discussion and description of the phenomenon of Greek homosexuality: whether it is Solon, Pericles or the Greek mythology. Chloes, they all have very good male friends, and some even have a series of battles because of their male partners. Some of these battles have become the fuse of some major events. Seeing this, I think of the words of the teacher Aristotle in the movie "Alexander" starring Angelina Jolie in teaching the teenager Alexander the Great, "If a man sleeps together out of sexual desire, it is a surrender to emotions." , Does not help our excellence. But the exchange of knowledge and virtue between the men who sleep in the same bed is pure and noble. They will strive to bring out the best in each other, and it is this kind of love between men. The establishment of a city-state frees us from the situation of sitting in a well and watching the sky.

Looking back, I saw so many heroes in the era of Athens, shining brightly, like stars shining endlessly on the dark scroll of history. It's just that whenever I want to say something for them, I just want to say it but it turns into an insufferable sigh. Generally speaking, this is the commonality of all heroes at home and abroad: they all have a great ideal, and they all want to use their own power to achieve a great cause, but after all, in the face of a huge destiny, they are scattered into mud and crushed into dust. . In the end it became a story in some books including this book. People know that they are not heroes, because people are so struggling in front of life, but people need heroic stories, because this will make them still have the courage to face fate in their hearts. Western poets played the lyre among the crowds of the city, sang Homer’s epic, told about the Trojan war and the Trojan horse, and told about the beauty of Helen, letting people know that even Alexander the Great can have his brother Hephaes who had been in love since childhood. Tian, ​​Achilles can also become brothers in a rage. Seeing that the heroes of Greece dedicate their lives to their ideals, they have used their lives to achieve fame, and people have to be moved even though they live in this era that values ​​individual life and individual independence.

[Sander Meere · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dit boek was af en toe heel goed maar helaas iets vaker heel taai om doorheen te komen. Ik vond alle politieke en culturele veranderingen heel interessant. De opkomst van democratie en karakters zoals Solon en Pisistratus zijn enorm interessant en onvergetelijk. Alleen vanaf de tweede helft dwaalt het constant af in militaire geschiedenis, strategieën, coalities en vrede’s waar niet aan gehouden wordt en razendsnelle politieke omwentelingen. Het eindresultaat is een onbegrijpbare smurrie aan woorden, termen en namen die vrijwel onmogelijk is om doorheen te komen.

Dit boek heeft me wel (hopelijk) genoeg voorbereid op mijn trip naar Athene, alleen ik wou gewoon dat dit boek iets ‘leuker’ was om te lezen. Waar waren de grapjes? De anekdotes? Een van de leukste en domste onderwerpen in de geschiedenis werd als een stijve hark beschreven.

Also, Plato en Aristoteles (met stip 2 van de grootste namen van de griekse oudheid) werden behandeld in 3 bladzijdes, erg erg erg jammer.

Als allerlaatste heb ik veel moeite met de ondertitel. World’s greatest civilization??? De Athense democratie zat vol met de meest vreselijke zaken (corruptie, moord, verkrachting als ingebakken cultuur, slavernij, misogynie, en don’t get me started over de oorlogspolitiek). Dit was sowieso het werk van de uitgever die een snappy maar helaas morele- en historisch-onjuiste titel geeft aan deze heavily flawed polis.

[applepumpkin500 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Incredibly thorough and chronological account of Athenian history. Some parts of this book will make you forget that you are reading a historical nonfiction and not a Homeric epic, an impressive feat.

Begins with the failed legal code of Dracon and the seisachtheia of Solon. Solon’s successor and lover Pisistratus became a tyrant, building the Athenian agora and turning the city into a hub for commerce, arts, and scholars. Pisistratus was succeeded by his sons, Hippias and Hipparchus, with Hipparchus being an infamous playboy who upset a local aristocrat by trying to steal his lover, the maneuver resulted in the deaths of the lover, Harmonius, the assassination of Hippachus, and the abduction and torturing of the aristocrat, Aristogeiton. Hippias continued to rule but his reign was marked by paranoia and brutality after the assassination attempt. The Spartans invaded Athens on behalf of the exiled aristocrats, forcing Hippias to flee the city.

Cleisthenes, leader of the aristocrats returned to the city, only to be challenged for power by Isogoras, who faced public backlash when he tried to dissolve the democratic councils and constitution of Solon. He was forced into exile after attempts to call on Spartan assistance for his regime. Cleisthenes empirically realized that the public would no longer accept blatant aristocratic, designing an elaborate and complicated facade of democracy institutions, that he believed to be too complicated for the public to actually participate in. This included equal rights for all male citizens, he allowed the lower lower classes to be represented in the public forums, and established representative districts known as “demes”. He’s known as the “Father of Democracy”.

Athens supported the resistance movements in the Ionian city-states that were under Persian influence, this upset the Persian King Darius who launched an invasion of Attica. With Sparta participating in an annual festival, Athens had to march into the Plains of Marathon to meet the Persian threat themselves. In a heroic battle, the Athenians lost 192 soldiers to the Persians’s 6,400. These martyrs for democracy were idolized across the Hellenic world, and showed that democracies could come together and organize against a greater threat, and win.

Themistocles was the next popular leader, with his primary objective being to establish Athens as a naval empire. He believed it would be beneficial to establish colonies in fertile lands to feed the growing population, and to defend against another Persian invasion. When a second invasion looked certain under Darius’s successor, Xerxes, Athens hosted a pan-Hellenic congress to establish a common resistance plan. Athens evacuated its entire population to the island of Salamis. Xerxes met Spartan General Leonidas at the Battle of Thermopylae, demanding the Spartans drop their weapons, only to be met with Leonidas’s famous response, “Come and get them!” Xerxes feared battle in the narrow passage, believing the strong Spartan defense would result in a bloody stalemate, but after bribing a local man to show them a secret route around the passage, the Persians encircled the Spartans. Upon learning of this, Leonidas ordered his men to “Eat a quick breakfast, for we will eat dinner in Hades.” Leonidas died in the fabled battle and after a Homeric battle over his body, was impaled on a pike. The Persians pursued the Athenians to Salamis. Themistocles, facing the threat of deserters, conducted a risky maneuver by sending a spy to tell the Persians to commence a blockade, for the “Athenian defenses were weak”, this forced the threatening deserters to stay in Salamis and participate in the battle. Strong winds funneled the ships through the Bay of Eleusius where fast moving Greek ships rammed the Persian warships, resulting in confusion. Xerxes declared a premature victory and returned to Persia, leaving Mardonius behind to occupy the Greek mainland. Upon the defeat of Mardonius at the Battle of Platea, some soldiers recommended his impalement to avenge Leonidas, but it was decided against, for it “wasn’t the Greek way”. Though repelled, Xerxes claimed a symbolic victory by pillaging the abandoned and evacuated city of Athens.

Themistocles and the hero of Platea, Pausanias, emerged war heroes after the war. Themistocles fell out of favor with the public after bragging about his war hero status, surprisingly moving to Persia and requesting to be made a governor by Xerxes’s heir, Artaxerxes. Pausanias went on to liberate Cyprus and Byzantium from Persia but also made diplomatic overtures, requesting the Persians support him and prop him up as loyal ally in Greece. This conspiracy was revealed and Pausanias locked himself in a Temple of Athena in Sparta and starved himself to death to avoid the authorities. Strange endings for the first heroes of the Greco-Persian War.

In Athens, a “Maritime Alliance” was proposed to act as a military pact against Persia, with member states contributing ships or money. Cimon, the son of Militades, a hero of the Battle of Marathon became leader. He forcefully and punitively enforced harsh penalties for member states of the League that couldn't meet ship or funding quotas, forcefully squashing revolts in states that tried to leave the League. In addition to this brutality, Athens established an empire of colonial garrison outposts, facing backlash for stealing resources and commerce from its allies. Evolving from a collective defense pact into a punitive imperialist empire, Athens acted selfishly under the veil of League business. 

In 465 Sparta was destroyed by a series of earthquakes, resulting in a slave revolt in the countryside. Allies, including Athens were called in to help suppress the rebels, but once pushed to Mount Ithome, Sparta exiled their allies out of suspicions they may turn around to assist the rebels. Cimon, who advocated for a strong relationship with Sparta was humiliated and voted out of power. After the armistice, Athens provided refuge for some Spartan rebels, further upsetting the relationship between the two states.

Pericles was born into nobility but aligned himself with the Democrats of Athens. A popular democratic movement was sweeping Athens led by Ephialtes who sought to strip the Areopagus, a council controlled by oligarchs, of its power. He did this, and delegated the council’s authority to the democratic Ecclesia. Ephialtes was kidnapped and killed, likely by the oligarchs, leaving Pericles the natural successor of the democratic movement. He built a series of walls to secure naval access, founded food colonies, and agreed to the Peace of Callias, officially ending the Greco-Persian Wars, which saw Persia retreat from the Mediterranean all together, with Ionian city-states becoming fee. With the threat repelled, some began to question the need for the expensive and domineering Maritime League.

Pericles was a democrat with an aristocratic temperament. He recognized imperial overreach and instead of continuing to overextend, using the naval power to coerce allies into unity. He encouraged festivities in the city, promoting architecture, philosophy, and art. He extracted wealth from colonies and hired teams of renowned sculptures and architecture to make Athens “a city crowned with violence”, with baths, music halls, ands gyms all being open to the public. Pericles understood the use of "soft power" of culture, inviting tourists and students to diffuse Athenian culture and artistic styles across the Hellenic world.

Pericles faced opposition from a populist demagogue, Cleon. In the colony of Epidamnus, a democratic revolution threatened to overthrow the aristocracy. The colony’s mother city of Corcya supported the aristocrats, while Cocyan rival, Corinth, supported the democrats, conducting a naval buildup as tensions heightened its Corcya. This naval buildup threatened Athenian naval supremacy, prompting them to form a defense pact with Corcya. Corinth sought an ally in Sparta, who was growing weary of Athenian hegemony. The first battle took place in Platea, an ally of Athens, where Thebans were assisted by Spartans in taking the city, the Spartans then marched towards Attica, forcing Athenian farmers to flee the countryside for the city as Spartans marched through. Overcrowding led to a pandemic that killed thousands of people. Athenians were fatalist, believing the Gods had turned against them. Pericles became unpopular and depressive, with his own sons dying from the pandemic, he soon followed them. Athens faced a failing economy, expensive naval maintenance, supply chain complications, food shortages, a raging pandemic, all in the face of a defensive war. Cleon succeeded his rival Pericles and turned to an aggressive offensive war posture. In these times of crisis, the standards of decency the Greeks once prided themselves on collapsed, Athenians killed Spartan diplomats en route to the city, angry mobs murdered aristocrats in Corcyra. Across Greece, people took advantage of the anarchy engulfing the land to settle personal debts, grievances, and vendettas against neighbors and rivals. Aggression in these times came to be regarded as party loyalty, with suggestions of moderation considered treacherous to the cause, politics was a zero-sum game, Hellenic unity was a lost cause. Cleon ruled Athens with terror through public surveillance and secret police informants, he used brash rhetoric to whip crowds of supporters into violent partisan mobs. Cleon went as far as to approve the total eradication of the male population of Scione, selling the women and children into slavery and giving the land to the Plateans. The great bloodletting spilled across the land. As the war turned against the Spartans, the last holdout was established on the island of Pylos. Sparta made diplomatic overtures but Cleon demanded total victory. General Nicias, a general loyal to Pericles blamed Cleon for prolonging the war with winter approaching, which was making Cleon unpopular. He challenged Cleon to end the war himself, which was a challenge he surprisingly accepted, traveling to Pylos himself, attacking Spartan defenses and pushing them all the way to Amphipolis, where he and the Spartan general Brasidas killed each other in battle. General Nicias took control of the city and negotiated a a peace with the Spartans after the symbolic death of both leaders.

Some Spartan allies refused to uphold the treaty, destroying towns and bases that were supposed to be returned to Athens. The Sicilian city of Segesta requested Athenian support against their rival, Selinus. Alcibiades, an Athenian statesman favored intervention, while Nicias, favored peace. Alcibiades won the debate and set sail for Sicily. As the expedition began, an overnight vandalizing of Hermes statues across the city was blamed on Alcibiades and the sacrilegious act seemed to spell a bad omen as the expedition began. While in Sicily, authorities demanded he return to Athens to stand trial, but instead, he fled to Sparta offering to reveal state secrets for refuge. Meanwhile in Sicily, the Spartan ally of Syracuse intervened on behalf of Selinus, which prompted the Athenians to double down, sending additional resources and General Demosthenes. The first battle at Epipolae, at night, resulted in Athenians falling from cliffs and losing cohesion. The Spartans sent General Gylippus who recruited large numbers of native Sicels from the island’s interior. Demothenes advised a return to Athens, but Nicias, now refused to show weakness by retreating, only convinced to leave by a soothsayer he consulted out of superstition after witnessing a lunar eclipse. The soothsayer advised him to leave in three days. The Syracusans and Spartans learned of the Athenian intentions to retreat in three days and blockaded the shores, forcing the Athenians to move inland and survive off the land, cut off from coastal supply lines. Many fell ill, and Demosthenes lagged behind, surrounded and forced to surrender, Nicias soon followed, surrendering to Gylippus personally, both were executed. The Sicilian Expedition was a display of imperial hubris from an already overextended empire, it irresponsibly wasted resources for the unattainable goal of securing the island of Sicily, with no further plans on how to govern the island after the war. The war resulted in ships being destroyed and the loss of many soldiers.

After the disaster in Sicily the Ionian cities rebelled from the League, supported by Sparta, who was building a new fleet with Persian funding. Once the Ionian cities were free, Spartans, in return for the fleet, allowed them to fall under Persian rule. Alciabides fled to Persia out of fear the Spartans might kill him. Athenian aristocrats senses instability, hiring assassins to kill leading democrats, dissolving the democratic councils and constitution, and establishing the Council of 400 Oligarchs. The lead oligarchs were subsequently killed out of fear they might accept Spartan hegemony in a peace deal. Moderate oligarch, Theramenes took control. Alcibiades is recalled but after an admiral he appointed sacrifices a large naval fleet while taunting the Spartans he’s exiled, and returns to Persia, where Persian officials assassinate him at request of the Spartans. The final peace deal saw there dissolution of the Maritime League, Athenian city defenses destroyed, an end to its independent foreign policy, and an oligarchic council led by Critias and loyal to Sparta established in the city.

The Peloponnesian War cut the Athenian population in half, socio-economic inequality rose, ships no longer delivered gold or food, unemployment rose as manufacturers had to move away from wartime production, and independent merchants controlled the seas. With the Athenian fleet gone, piracy rose to disrupt commerce. Many Athenians fled to the countryside to become self-sustaining farmers, finally ending the city’s reliance on grain imports. Critias confiscated weapons, made a registry of democrats, and executed many rivals in a reign of terror, including Theramenes. Admiral Thrasybulus and democratic politician Anytus join forces to march on the city, with their promises of a restored democracy drawing many supporters. Critias and many oligarchs die in battle and the oligarchic council is dissolved, the Spartan garrison is removed from the city and Anytus restores democracy in the city. The Corinthian Wars ensued with Athens, Thebes, and Corinth attempting to rise against Spartan hegemony, but failing.

The city of Chalcidice was growing and threatening Sparta. Sparta marched through Thebes to reach Chalcidice, however, a Spartan general was enticed by a local Theban oligarch to help him overthrow the Theban government. He accepted and occupied the city, and his impulsive actions were supported by the Spartan government. Theben rebels and Athens declared war, outraged that Sparta would so blatantly violate the peace. Athens proposed a new League to tame Sparta, promising it wouldn’t be as authoritarian as the last, with member states having seats in a democratic Ecclesia. Theban rebels overthew the oligarchic government with help from Athenian volunteers. Theban General Epomionodes reformed the Theban army, chasing the Spartans back to the Peloponnese. He freed the populations enslaved by Sparta, including Messenia and Arcadia, helping them establish democracies and build defensive walls. This ended Spartan hegemony, humbling it into a local power in the Peloponnese.

Meanwhile in a rural region called Macedon that spoke butchered Greek and remained in permanent conflict with itself between different feudal warlords, Thebes intervened on behalf of one of the warlords. The warlord sent his rivals, including Philip of Macedon to Thebes as hostages. In Thebes, Philip learned about Epomionodes’s military techniques and reforms that destroyed the Spartans. An Anti-Theban league formed and killed Epaminondas at the Battle of Mantinea, ending Theban hegemony by killing their most brilliant general. Meanwhile in Athens, the War of Allies ensued, with member states growing angry that Athens had begun establishing colonies with undisciplined mercenaries. Bankrupt Athens couldn’t suppress cities in revolt and was forced to accept their independence. Athens became an “open air museum” as Everitt describes it, only renowned for its cultural influence, attracting artists, poets, and scholars from all over the world, including Plato, a student of Socrates who opened the “Academy” for Philosophy and Mathematics there.

When Philip of Macedon returned home, he defeated his feudal opponents and was elected king, establishing a professional army that employed the techniques he learned from Epaminondas in Thebes. He founded the gold-rich city of Philippi and introduced the first army engineering corp, constructing catapults and battering rams, alongside introducing a proper infantry division to his ranks. The newly freed Peloponnese city-states looked to Philip for support after the collapse of both Athens and Thebes. Philip respected Athens and sought an alliance with them, but after besieging the cities of Byzantium and Perinthus, Demosthenes (not the one from the Sicilian expedition) declared war against Philip. Upon a Macedonian victory at the Battle of Chaerona, Athens was forced to dissolve its maritime league and return all hostages. Thankful for the soft peace, statues of Philip were built in Athens, and he and his son Alexander were awarded Athenian honorable citizenship. Philip announced a Common Peace across Greece, marching against the only dissenter, Sparta, dissecting even more than the Thebans did by freeing more enslaved cities. Philip arranged plans to invade Persia and free the Ionian cities, only to be assassinated before the plan could be enacted. His son Alexander succeeded him, invading and conquering Persia. After Alexander’s death the empire collapsed. Athens, as a city, rotted under mismanagement of imperial occupiers, from the Romans, to Byzantines, to Ottomans, but was always spared from total destruction only due to its historic legacy. 

[Dalton Massingill · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good overview of Athens during the classical period of Greece with a few splashes of interesting stories/details. It’s a great starter book for readers to use and further their knowledge on important Greek figures, culture, and battles that are briefly mentioned. It was enjoyable to see Anthony Everitt’s personality shine through at moments, so it didn’t feel like reading a textbook.

[Mike · Rating 4 out of 5]

Zdania nie zmieniłem, chciałbym jeździć na wakacje do antycznej Grecji.

[Mac · Rating 5 out of 5]

Buy.

Wonderful account of the great city of Athens. This could have gone on another 500 pages and I would have kept enjoying it - in fact I would have been happy to see more depth in certain areas. For example the Peloponnesian War was expectedly covered in some detail (not complete) but there could have been coverage of post-Alexander Athens. The author also falls for some of the legends (especially Persian ones) which are broken down and dissected by authors like Llewellyn-Jones.

[Leonard Janke · Rating 4 out of 5]

Athens was definitely the world's greatest civilization. Contrary to the title, however, the book covers not only its rise but also its downfall. The author argues that it was precisely because of Athens’ direct democracy and, specifically, choosing citizens to fill most roles in government by lot and paying them to serve that it achieved this greatness. Everitt shows how the achievements of the city plus the general ability of its most aggressive leaders to stir the polis led to overconfidence. This, in turn, led to aggressive expansionism beyond what the city could sustain, harsh treatment of its supposed allies in the Delian League, and outright atrocities against others.

Athens’ great rival Sparta is described in good detail. Other rivals like Thebes and Persia are covered but only briefly. The bulk of the book is focused on Athens’ Golden Age and the Peloponnesian War. It also spends a couple of chapters wrapping up with Athenian history after its loss in this great war up to the rise of Alexander. After that there are a few paragraphs at the end very briefly recounting what happened to the city after Alexander.

For the most part the book is a good read. There are, also, fascinating questions that come to mind along the way such as how much of an Athenian style democracy we would want today? Many on the left want to move in the direction of more direct democracy so it is an important question to ponder. What benefits would we be likely to see and what would be the risks?

The story generally moves along well, although in some cases too many years and too many characters are packed into too short a space. The description of the Athenian outlook on life and how religion influenced it is fascinating. Although I liked the amount of detail on exactly how Athens’ government worked, I would have liked to see more time spent on its intellectual achievements. These are described but I felt too little time is spent there compared to military and political history. Every empire has its military and political history, but Athens’ intellectual achievements are what is most unique about it. So why not more focus there?

The book would probably work better as a two-volume set, with one volume ending at the end of the Peloponnesian War and another covering the subsequent period until Phillip's assassination. As it stands, the latter history is just breezed through too quickly.

[Piker7977 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Everitt's The Rise of Athens is a straight forward narrative study if one of the most interesting civilizations in history. The reader encounters relevant context about this particular polis along with basic insight into Sparta, Persia, and Macedon. I read this after reading a couple of books about Ancient Greece and Athenian Democracy. While this book may be a little pedestrian for the hardcore enthusiast and a little esoteric for the reader looking for a general overview of Ancient Greece, I found it to be a good tie-in read that used the history of Athens as a thread sowing together what I previously encountered. I wished it would have covered a little more of Alexander but our author chose to conclude his work with Philip. This works well as we understand a little more of Philip's contribution to the rise of Macedon and its relation with Athens. Everitt's treatment of Philip is a good counter to popular conceptions that portray the Macedonian king as a reckless tyrant.

The Rise of Athens is a worthwhile read. Straight forward history without a lot of flare. And there's nothing wrong with that.

[Dario Andrade · Rating 4 out of 5]

Um bom livro. Oferece um panorama do desenvolvimento de Atenas, desde os tempos mais primitivos até o fim da democracia na cidade, com a chegada de Alexandre e seus sucessores.
Evita aspectos mais técnicos e que interessariam mais ao especialista. É uma obra voltada para um público mais amplo e, assim, faz uso de um linguajar mais simples. Às vezes peca pelo excesso de simplificação. No caso dos acusadores de Sócrates, oferece apenas uma versão do que teria acontecido com eles. Há outras e acho que poderia tê-las apresentado. Não chega a ser um pecado mortal, mas considerado que seja uma falha.
De modo geral, é uma obra que ajuda bastante quem deseja aprender ou se recordar de Atenas e da Grécia Antiga.
Um ponto negativo é tradução e revisão da edição brasileira. Há os erros mais óbvios, como ‘deception’ virar decepção e não fraude. Mas isso é o de menos. O pior são alguns trechos que ficaram bem difíceis de compreender. O livro merecia uma revisão da tradução.

[Steve · Rating 2 out of 5]

This reads like a long chronology of events in the rise and fall of ancient Greek city-states, mainly Athens. It's interesting and fun to read in places, but if the author doesn't seem to have an over-arching point of view about the subject.
I just read Mary Beard's SPQR--a History of Ancient Rome, which was great. She's enthusiastic and tells us exactly why she thinks ancient Rome is so important and fascinating. This book just has too many dates and names and places and battles that I found difficult to care about.

[Tessa · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

I found the first half of this book to be difficult to follow as an audiobook. It was interesting and well-written but better suited for print, I think. I enjoyed the second half more.

Poor Sparta. The only thing they do better than Athens is warfare and then Athens had to be the best at that too.

[Måns Sunesson · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book covers hundreds of years of history without any narrative thread or central idea. Thus, making it feel shallow and not very engaging. It's also quite uncritical about its sources.

It's not all together bad. Some parts of it is actually quite good. However, its failure to keep me interested makes it hard for me to like this book.