Cambridge Comp to Archaic Greece

Cambridge Companions to the Ancient World

by H.A. Shapiro (Editor)

The Cambridge Companion to Archaic Greece provides a wide-ranging synthesis of history, society, and culture during the formative period of Ancient Greece, from the Age of Homer in the late eighth century to the Persian Wars of 490–480 BC. In ten clearly written and succinct chapters, leading scholars from around the English-speaking world treat all aspects of the civilization of Archaic Greece, from social, political, and military history to early achievements in poetry, philosophy, and the visual arts. Archaic Greece was an age of experimentation and intellectual ferment that laid the foundations for much of Western thought and culture. Individual Greek city-states rose to great power and wealth, and after a long period of isolation, many cities sent out colonies that spread Hellenism to all corners of the Mediterranean world. This Companion offers a vivid and fully documented account of this critical stage in the history of the West.

Genres: History, Ancient History, Greece, Nonfiction

354 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 2007

Reviews

[Marc Lamot · Rating 2 out of 5]

10 articles on the early history of ancient Greece, roughly the period from 800 to 500 BCE, so even before the so-called 'Golden Age'. As is often the case with this type of collection, the quality is quite uneven, but I noticed that the content is usually specialized and rather technical. Also, the bibliography rarely includes anything younger than the year 2000, which says enough as well. Personally, I enjoyed the articles by Kurke on archaic poetry and Nightingale on philosophy the most.

[Sense of History]

What is it about the introductions to the history of ancient Greece?: so far I haven't read any that could convince me. In most cases they are hastily written, or they reveal too much of the author's special focus. This book suffers from that as well. Admittedly, it is a 'companion', which already indicates that it is aimed at a somewhat more specialized, academic audience. Most of the articles in this collection delve just a bit too deeply into highly specialized topics for my taste; and they do not bring anything truly new. The latter may also be due to the fact that most authors are still relying on academic publications from before the year 2000. Even in a supposedly dusty subject like classical Greece, that is a grave sin, as new insights are constantly being gained in that specific field.