A Brief History of Ancient Greece: Politics, Society, and Culture

by Sarah B. Pomeroy, Stanley M. Burstein, Walter Donlan

Revised and updated throughout, the fourth edition of A Brief History of Ancient Greece presents the political, social, cultural, and economic history and civilization of ancient Greece in all its complexity and variety. Written by six leading ancient Greek historians, this captivating study covers Greek history from the Bronze Age into the Roman period.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Ancient History, Greece, Classics, Reference, Classical Studies

464 pages, Paperback

First published December 1, 2003

About the author

Sarah B. Pomeroy, Professor of Classics and History, Emerita, at Hunter College and the Graduate School of the City University of New York. She was born in New York City (1938) and earned her B.A. from Barnard College in 1957. She received her M.A. in 1959 and her Ph.D. in 1961, both from Columbia University. Pomeroy has been recognized as a leading authority on ancient Greek and Roman women since her book Goddesses, Whores, Wives, and Slaves: Women in Classical Antiquity was first published in 1975. Her other publications include Xenophon, Oeconomicus: A Social and Historical Commentary (1994), Families in Classical and Hellenistic Greece: Representations and Realities (1998), Spartan Women (2002), and, with Stanley M. Burstein, Walter Donlan, and Jennifer Tolbert Roberts, the textbooks Ancient Greece: a Political, Social, and Cultural History (4th edition, 2017) and A Brief History of Ancient Greece: Politics, Society, and Culture (3rd edition, 2011).[i]

Reviews

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a great introductory option for anyone interested in the history of Ancient Greece, whether you are just curious about the topic or actively pursuing a degree/career in relation to the subject (i.e. Classical Studies, Archaeology, etc.).

I felt like there could have been a bit more effort put into the descriptions/explanations of the maps, artifacts, and inscriptions throughout the book. Additionally, there are frequent mentions of the Ancient Near East, which had major influences on the history of Ancient Greece (to say the least); but mentions of said topic are left open-ended and vague. Some knowledge of the Ancient Near East (in its own right) is what is necessary for this book to be properly understood by the reader; otherwise, the material presented is inappropriately isolated and misinterpreted (by the reader) to an extent.

What I appreciated about this book is the consistent sections of "Suggested Readings" at the end of most chapters. That is a great way to provide someone with limited to no prior knowledge on the history of Ancient Greece further credible resources to continue with. I absolutely love it when academic books provide suggested/further readings lists.

Side note: Many sections of this book rely on a wide range of archaeological evidence to support various conclusions. I also recommend readers to obtain the latest edition of any book that heavily relies on material like this, mainly because there are new discoveries and shifts in prevailing thought on a very regular basis (especially for places like Greece and Rome, where archaeological digs are still happening, in contrast to many crucial Near Eastern sites where war and legislation has indefinitely stalled further in-field research). There are likely to be some significant changes to every edition.

[Livia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Inspiring af

[Caitlin ~WordsAreMyForte~]

Does anyone else just skip over most of the war and politicking and focus on the cultures in their history textbooks?? Because I'd 100% rather read about people living rather than people dying, but maybe that's just me.

[Michael A. · Rating 4 out of 5]

A solid primer. Clear scholarly writing without being too dry.

[vivian]

I know what you’re thinking- no way bro put her textbook on here. When I tell you I read this thing COVER TO COVER, SPINE TO SPINE, WORD FOR WORD. So, I am counting this towards my reading goal. And I got an A in this class. 😙

[Jared Saltz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pomeroy et al seek to provide a balanced approach to Greek history by shortening and refocusing their successful Ancient Greece (2011). Providing short chapters that cover Greece and its environs from the Bronze Age until the Hellenistic era, this book excels and providing a (you guessed it) brief political history overview of the various events of the period while giving greater emphasis to cultural and social history.

Don't get me wrong: this is a short book. At 365 pages of history to cover that much time and a people as variegated as the Greeks, Pomeroy et al had to seriously truncate many of the chapters and / or provide cursory treatment or "Observe the Passover." There were times when you can tell that the authors had run out of pages for a given chapter and, essentially, said, "everyone else died, so X was the victor."

But this is a necessary evil for a book like this, which would excel as a textbook for undergraduates. I know of no other introductory text for this period that so effectively uses primary sources (in translation) interspersed through the main text to provide better flavor of the periods and topics addressed. Similarly, I thought that the inclusion of sections for each chapter dedicated to various social, religious, or cultural institutions to be a refreshing change from those texts that solely provide political history or else focus entirely on other approaches.

I would certainly use this as a text for an undergraduate course in Greek history and it functions just as well as an introduction to the subject to those who are at a higher level but are ignorant of the subject, such as graduate students in related fields.

[Martine · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good introduction into ancient Greek history. Good to read and well-structured. It has a good balance between being complete and not having too much detail.

[A. B. · Rating 4 out of 5]

A succint and lucid overview of Ancient Greece- from the Minoan Civilization to Classical Athens to Alexander's romantic conquest up till India and the ensuing Hellenistic World. Immensely enjoyable.

Clarified and introduced me to the great leaders of antiquity- Cimon, Pericles, Thrasybulus, Demosthenes etc. Clarified the precise relationship of philosophy to the polis, and the reasons behind Socrates' trial. Also the diverse chaotic Hellenistic world and the various philosophies that sprang up to make sense of it. Elucidated the precise nature of Athenian direct democracy and the Spartan system of government. Also, general aspects of Greek culture- like their diet, morals, religion, social organisation, politics.

Completely recast my previous researches into the Ancient Greeks, this book provided a solid foundation for them.

Read in conjunction with the Open Yale Course by Donald Kagan.

[Derek Winterburn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great textbook, introducing the reader to a major civilisation in its various phases. The emphasis is of course 'history', but for me the value was more in the coverage of social and domestic life. Some of the historical sections, perhaps necessarily, move too quickly and the narrative collapses into 'this happened, and then that happened.' The book is well illustrated, although sadly only in B/W; the maps are useful too.

[Tyrone Curliss · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a very in-depth book that covers everything from the so-called 'dark ages' of Greece to classical Athens. I can't fault the content (it is afterall one of my mandatory books for this year at Uni) however I did cringe at the amount of US slang written by the academics in this book, eg a tyrant king is described as having being 'suckered' rather than tricked or deceived. While I have nothing against crude slang in novels, it just feel out of place in this type of book.

[Jackson McAloon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read this just to brush up on overall chronological timeline of Ancient Greek history and as a general survey, it’s very good. Author really loves imposing modern day prejudices at every available opportunity which is very frustrating to a reader who wants an objective take on the mentality of this time. This is more of a problem in modern academia in general though so I can’t fault her too much.

[Faith Williams · Rating 4 out of 5]

Brief is the word. This is a narrow overview and a good introduction to the world of Ancient Greece. If you're looking for in-depth historical analysis, look elsewhere. But, if you're looking to educate yourself on the general life and culture of Ancient Greece, this is an enjoyable and well-written book.

[Tyler S · Rating 4 out of 5]

For anyone looking to get into philosphy, a common saying is "Start with the Greeks". That is the reason I picked up this book.

This book was a great outline of Greek history from the Mycenaean period all the way up to Roman times. Would recommend for anyone looking to understand Greek history.

[Pedro · Rating 4 out of 5]

Brief indeed, and sometimes confusing and oddly organized. Still, a good overview of Ancient Greece

[Ann Goodwin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one of the set books to be bought for A229. I did find it really useful and easy to read. So short chapters and with maps and illustrations. The glossary is also handy.

[Roberto Yoed · Rating 3 out of 5]

Still, we don't know anything about the origin of Crete.

Nice.

[Patrick Santino · Rating 4 out of 5]

Honestly can't recall when I read this, had it at Ignatius in a Greek History class but I don't think I read the whole thing & I would have reread the full thing in college.

[Madison · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ron, my don, I fear I do not like Ancient Greece.

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read for my upcoming classics module for university, probably one of the most detailed but easy to read textbooks so far.

[Luka · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's a nice overview, nothing too deep, just a good textbook introduction to the studying of ancient Greek history.

[Fatima · Rating 3 out of 5]

loved learning about the different tradition and cultures that ancient greeks had.

[Floyd Jr. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this on the plane ride to Greece and enjoyed it immensely. It is exactly as advertised: a brief history of ancient Greece!

[Benjamin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book, learned a lot. the Spartans and the Athenians both were very interesting societies and cultures

[Nicholas · Rating 4 out of 5]

A pretty compelling short history of Ancient Greece from the Early Bronze Age through the Hellenistic period. Evenhanded treatment of a variety of subjects from art to social history, including examinations of gender and class.

Most importantly, annotated bibliography of references at the end of each chapter makes following up with more scholarly and detailed work easy. Think I've built an entire reading list for the year just from cannibalizing sources. I don't think I appreciated this work as much as it deserved when I read it as an undergrad because of the workload. As an adult with slightly more time on my hands it was a nice companion piece to Assassin's Creed: Odyssey. Cool to read about the history and important places and people and then going to see if I could track them down in the game.

[Nicolas Quattromani · Rating 5 out of 5]

Who said textbooks were boring?

I read this for my recent course on Greek history, and while I wasn't very consistent with the readings---there were just so many of them---I *always* made time for the Pomeroy text. It's just amazingly well-done. There's a whole wealth of information, with great pictures and maps, and the writing is eminently readable, not dry at all. The authors clearly care about the subject matter and want to inspire students with that same fascination. I would recommend this not just for college students, but for anyone who wants an in-depth look at ancient Greek history.

[Alexander · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was brief; and because of this it lacked a lot, and didn't give the best history possible. You just wanted to argue with the author, and ask for more sources and a better argument. Yet, it still has something to offer, by giving some accounts of small tidbits of Athenian culture during the classical period. My favorite is having slaves of mark citizens with red paint when they are not in the assembly, but still around town.

[Andrea · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had to buy this book for a class I took in my freshman year of college (it was a 300 level; I don't know what I was thinking) but I did enjoy reading it for class. Well, I read a majority of it. There was a lot of skimming involved during the course of that class.
Ancient Greece was an interesting, elaborate, sensual, destructive and intellectual time. The book highlights important occurrences.
I liked this book much, much more than the one I had for the Romans.

[Sara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent historical background.

[Heidi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Part of the required reading for The World of the Greeks class.
It was full of information, photos and gave a good overview of
the Greeks. Worth the read even if you don't have a class.

[Michidmaa]

READ