Here, from award-winning historian William Harlan Hale, is the ever-fascinating story of ancient Greece - from the Bronze-Age cultures of Crete and Mycenae, the rise of the Greek city-states, and the wars with Persia to the golden age of Athens under Pericles, the Hellenistic age after Alexander's conquests, and, finally, the slow decline to the status as a Roman province.

Combines a history of Greek civilization with a panorama display of art and architecture and a collection of significant literary works

An intelligent survey of ancient Greece, designed for anyone who would welcome the chance to learn more about the subject with ease, clarity and accuracy. Ancient Greece was the cradle of western civilization; like Rome, its influences on the world, in law, language, architecture, philosophy, and the art of government, remain with us to this day. In this richly illustrated volume, the reader can enjoy an all-around introduction to the politics, people, culture, and everyday life of the world of ancient Greece. Unlike most general histories, the reader will come to know this remarkable culture directly from the Greeks themselves, in their own words, through the works of orators, philosophers, historians, poets, playwrights, and satirists.

This lavishly illustrated volume invites readers to delve into the source of the oldest and most authentic roots of Western civilization, and to immerse themselves in the world of the ancient Greeks-their historical development, cultural horizons, art, and architecture. Hundreds of photographs, aerial views, three-dimensional reconstructions, and details of artifacts reveal the groundbreaking genius of this remarkable civilization. From Minos to the Roman conquest, historical milestones in Greek civilization are examined in an authoritative yet accessible text that presents the most up-to-date findings on the development of Greek art, architecture, and religion. Encompassing its artistic and architectural legacy, military victories, aspects of everyday life, and its inevitable decline, this volume is at once meticulously researched and highly engaging, presenting a well-rounded perspective on the breadth of Greek culture. Chapters include: The Origins of Ancient Greece, The Rise of Greece, Greek Dark Ages: Social and Political Conflicts, The Dominance of Athens, The Rise of Macedon, The Conquest of Alexander, and Greek Society.

Which dimensions of the religious experience of the ancient Greeks become tangible only if we foreground its local horizons? This book explores the manifold ways in which Greek religious beliefs and practices are encoded in and communicate with various local environments. Its individual chapters explore 'the local' in its different forms and formulations. Besides the polis perspective, they include numerous other places and locations above and below the polis-level as well as those fully or largely independent of the city-state. Overall, the local emerges as a relational concept that changes together with our understanding of the general or universal forces as they shape ancient Greek religion. The unity and diversity of ancient Greek religion becomes tangible in the manifold ways in which localizing and generalizing forces interact with each other at different times and in different places across the ancient Greek world.

What was it like to live in ancient Greece? It was a world of gods and goddesses, of fabulous pageantry and splendor, and of beauty and grace. Even though ancient Greek civilization was at its peak thousands of years ago, it is still very much alive. People still read the story of Odysseus and his long journey home, study Greek society because it was the birthplace of democracy, and even visit modern Greece to walk among the ruins of once-glorious buildings like the Parthenon. What was it like to be a boy or girl there in ancient times? What did they eat? How did they dress? What did they do for fun? The answers to these questions might surprise you!