Panorama of the Classical World

by Nigel Spivey, Michael Squire

Here is a new and imaginative approach to the era in which Western civilization was born. "Panorama of the Classical World is a thorough-and thoroughly accessible--synthesis of the Greek, Roman, and Etruscan worlds, spanning the period from Late Geometric Greece (ca. 700 B.C) to the rule of Constantine (early 4th century A.D.). In ten thematically oriented chapters, the authors incorporate the most important developments in recent scholarship, including ideas of gender, erotics, war and pacifism, imperialism and dissent, political propaganda, economy, cultural identity, racism, hygiene and diet, and the public and private uses of space. The many illustrations, selected for their geographical and chronological diversity, range from the iconic to those never before published. The book also highlights the modern relevance of classical antiquity, from its influence on contemporary politics to the representation of the female body in Western art. The final chapter chronicles, and beautifully illustrates, the posthumous history of classical civilization, and the reference section includes biographies, an introduction to classical mythology, a glossary of technical terms and vase shapes, timeline, map, bibliography, and index.

Genres: History, Classics, Nonfiction, Art, Art History

590 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2004

Reviews

[Russell James · Rating 5 out of 5]

An unsurpassable introduction to the (mainly) Greco/Roman world. At first glance a picture book but no: a superb text, readable, hugely informative and involving. A big book in which I savoured every word.

[Michael McGuinness · Rating 3 out of 5]

I first came across this as one book in an apparent series, though confusingly, this is called "Panorama" while the other books are called "Complete"; "The Medieval World Complete" "The Renaissance Complete" except the book on the Enlightenment, which is called "Panorama of the Enlightenment". Who knows what motivated these name changes, or what goes on in the marketing departments of publishing houses.
This also differs quite a bit from the Medieval and Renaissance books, whose whole charm and appeal is that they are very illustration-heavy. This volume is very lavishly illustrated as well, but features considerably more text, rather than just captions to the pictures, which I found a refreshing approach in the Renaissance book.
There are better introductions to the Classical era, but this is a good one if you like big glossy coffee table books with lots of illustrations.

[Ann Tonks · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm not sure I can truthfully that I've "read it". I've read parts of this book and browsed other parts of it. It's extraordinary dense in material and analysis with the most wonderful array of images. If you have a serious interest in ancient Greece and Rome, you must buy this book.

[Adam · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nice little overview of the classical era from a variety different perspectives. Illustration-heavy.