A Companion to the Hellenistic World

by Andrew Erskine (Editor)

Covering the period from the death of Alexander the Great to the celebrated defeat of Antony and Cleopatra at the hands of Augustus, this authoritative Companion explores the world that Alexander created but did not live to see.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Ancient History, Classics

624 pages, Paperback

First published August 1, 2003

Reviews

[Tyler Horton · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent set of essays surveying the Hellenistic world. Any of these chapters would make a good next step after reading a more general survey like Peter Green's longer or shorter books on the Hellenistic world. Chapters are arranged under the following headings:

I. Narratives
II. Protagonists
III. Change and Continuity
IV. Greeks and Others
V. Society and Economy
VI. Gods and Men
VII. Arts and Sciences

A few essays are more about the history of studying the Hellenistic world rather than being about the Hellenistic world itself, but this approach is at least self-consciously chosen. These essays are helpful but I missed the material which they did not cover because of this approach. Further, it may have been better to section them off under a reception history heading.

I am sure specialists in each of the areas covered would have bones to pick but the majority of the essays stick to the properly modest goals of introducing the topic and most relevant literature.

[Ollie · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the finest introductory companions I have ever read. Thorough, clear, and methodologically challenging.

[AskHistorians]

A thorough guide with nearly thirty chapters written by world experts.

[Amber · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very informative, lots of different chapters relating to the topic. Some repetition, mostly due to overlap on topics where the chapters are by different authors. Other than that, extremely helpful as supporting read for anything related to Hellenistic studies