Ancient Athens: Five Intriguing Lives: Socrates, Pericles, Aspasia, Peisistratos & Alcibiades

by Sanford Holst

We tend to take democracy, philosophy, theatre and the beautiful buildings of Athens for granted, as if they were always going to happen. But in reality, five determined people had an overwhelming impact on making those things come about. And the rich details of their lives give us a deep and satisfying look into how the fabulous Golden Age of Athens came into being. Socrates, of course, was one of those people. But how did he rise from working as a stonemason to being one of the world's greatest philosophers? Why did the early tyrant Peisistratos create prestigious prizes for theatre plays, motivating Aeschylus, Euripides and others to spend their lives producing masterful works? What childhood experiences caused Pericles, the most famous leader of Athens, to erect monumental buildings such as the Parthenon even though he was already struggling to preserve the city's innovative democracy? How did Aspasia manage to make her way into the highest echelons of Athenian society and influence the work of Pericles and Socrates? How close did the Athenian general Alcibiades come to winning the devastating Peloponnesian War, before he was forced out by the city's demagogues? Other remarkable people certainly contributed to the life of Athens, and we see many of them here. But these five people raised Athens to a higher level than the cities around them, and became some of the brightest stars illuminating the Golden Age of Greece.

Genres: History, Biography, Nonfiction, Philosophy

272 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 28, 2016

About the author

Sanford Holst is a historian whose books bring the ancient Mediterranean to life. He wrote Amazon’s #1 book on the Phoenicians, as well as its fresh new second edition. Another of his books explores the influence of Solomon’s Temple on the sudden rise of the Knights Templar. He has presented academic papers at universities around the world, and is a member of the Royal Historical Society in London. He has explored archives and historic sites all across the Mediterranean and benefited from the work of many local experts. His informative websites are read by more than half a million people each year.

Reviews

[Juliew. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Before reading this I hadn't been familiar with three of the personalities in the title and had only recalled Socrates and Pericles but as this was Greek history I thought I would enjoy learning more and this book did not disappoint.I essentially thought the book would just be about each person's life and how they interacted with Greece and it's people and I did not think it was an entire history of Greece itself which turned out to be a nice surprise.Well written,researched and a pleasure to read I couldn't get enough of the sections on Perciles,Aspasia,Aristotle,Themistocles,Herodotus and Euripides.As well as the personalities this book also focuses on Greek government,theatre, art,architecture and general Greek life.I felt the author did a really nice job summarizing so much history into such a small book and looking forward to more from this author.

[Pam Mooney · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very well written and expertly researched. You truly do fall in love with Athens and the illustrations really help to paint the picture. I enjoyed walking down the streets of Athens and getting a feel for the everyday lives of its people over the years. The personalities, values, loves, fears, and motivations, of the citizenry really come through in this telling more than any other accounts I have read. Each individual story is very readable and the obstacles overcome by these individuals and those around them are amazing. I really felt like I was given great insight to their personalities and the influences each had on the building and rebuilding of Athens and each other. I also enjoyed the complete references should I want to read further. A good read.

[The Logophile · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book had a lot of interesting snippets in it, but I struggled to get through it. I felt like I was reading a report by an adolescent in high school writing for a teacher who is already well versed in the subject. I expected a history, but got a Readers Digest (which isn't necessarily a bad thing, I suppose...). I wanted to learn more about Aspasia, but like most women throughout history, I'm guessing not much effort was put into writing about her life. Overall, I'm glad I finished it, but it took a lot of determination.