Greece Books

A must read for anyone wanting to better understand the birth and development of the civilization which is responsible for so many elements of our own.

Starr's mini-classic details the seminal world of Archaic Greece in a way that makes clear the sources of the latter Greek Miracle-the Clsassical period. He points to the suddenness of the early takeoff in the age of Hesiod and after, the almost mysterious coming together of the Greek foundations. In a few generations the complete phenomenon came into being.

Guthrie's tentative exploration of one of the most influential mysteries of the Ancient World, together with Eleusis, is very revealing.

The author situates the origin of Orphism with a Thracean hero/singer who was adopted as founder/teacher by mystical sects and whose songs became sacred texts. Although this sects contained only a small group of devotees, some aspects of their philosophical message were taken over by Plato and influenced indirectly Christian belief.

Like many other religions, Orphism's basis was man's aspiration of immortality.
The sacred texts included dogmas and precepts. Dogmas were a belief in a god as a creator and supreme ruler of the universe, man's original sin, a belief that purity of life and observance of the rites would be rewarded by perfect divinity (immortality) eventually after a cycle of rebirths and that punishment awaited the uninitiated and impure.
The precepts were directed towards eradication of sin through ascetism and prohibitions (e.g. meat-eating).
Life was considered as a period of trial and a practise for death. It was seen as a punishment for the soul for previous sins, wherefore the soul was fettered to a body. The body was seen as a source of evil.
Other important characteristics were the emphasis on free will and personal responsibility as well as misogynism.
Each individual had a divine part and a part prone to sin. He had to make a choice between them.

Guthrie explains clearly the crucial differences with Christianism. Orphism excluded the possibility of the resurrection of the body. It had no social ethic. It was selfish for one could save only his own soul.
He also shows the difference with the Eleusian Mysteries. The latter were only a ritual, whereas Orphism was a way of life.

This is a very rich book which treats also other important aspects of religion (e.g. syncretism).
It contains excellent illustrations and a very interesting introduction by Larry J. Alderink.
This book is an essential read for the understanding of a very influential Ancient Mystery.

This work contains excellent notes,
supplements, and photographic plates, as
well as illustrations in the text itself
which have been taken from vases, reliefs,
and other sources.
Guthrie's work is an excellent source of
knowledge, insight, and inspiration concerning
Orpheus, this ancient figure who was poet,
harmonic musician, priest, prophet,
and oracular magus all in one.

No more explain about it!
See and Enjoy~

The Oxford Bible Atlas, edited by Herbert G. May, is a detailed, extremely useful book that will heighten anyone's general understanding of biblical geography. It contains more than maps as it delves into the history behind the maps, and the archaeology behind the history. It cites biblical sources but also cites apocryphal books unfamiliar to most Protestant readers. The end result is a colorful, informative work that helps place both Old and New testaments into perspective.

The book is divided into three sections, the first introducing the ancient world, then the several maps, and concluding with an archaeological overview. Part one blends seemingly incompatible topics of biblical and geologic history. It includes biblical and secular accounts of ancient history. The atlas does not attempt to expound too greatly on the "Holy Land" as being somehow superior in importance. In fact the Holy Land occupies an important crossroads between east and west more so than it stands as a regional religious center of its own merit. Those who held power such as David, Herod, or even Pontius Pilate were rarely more than a regional or even local rulers who paled in stature when compared to Alexander or any of the Roman Emperors.

The map section covers most of the primary locations mentioned in the Bible, and illustrates the vastness of the biblical lands. Many maps retain ancient place names, though the primary focus is on the Near East. There are some areas not covered, such as the city of Tarshish, Jonah's destination when he attempted to flee from his responsibilities, and the route of the Exodus does not take them across either the Red Sea, or either the modern Gulf of Suez or Gulf of Aqaba. But these apparent omissions do little to detract from the overall effectiveness of the maps.

The final section is akin to a primer on biblical archaeology. It introduces Carbon 14 dating, how a site is developed, and a brief history of archaeological efforts in the region. It shows how cultures are understood by what has survived through the ages, and helps fill gaps when written records are not available.

The end result is a very informative atlas that readers of many different backgrounds will appreciate.

Exelent for the novise. Very recomendeble

No doubt this book was intended as a reference work and will be used as such by those who purchase it, for the most part. But, being the rather rum fellow that I am, I read the book from cover to cover and must report that it makes a dashed good read, at least for the peculiar bunch who, like myself, enjoy reading through such compilations. Just one fascinating example: I should never have known, had I not read through the work, that, according to ancient folklore, "A man who sees them becomes possessed by nymphs. They punish unresponsive lovers...." or that "Around 400 BC inscriptions mention Archedemus from Thera....who withdrew to a cave to devote himself to a monklike worship of the Nymphs." Clearly, entries like these prove rich ground for pondering male/female relations. And this is just one example! The perfect book for the Classicist near you....or perhaps yourself.

Tom LeClair's witty and entertaining novel of basketball's minor and euro leagues is so much more than the candid and humorous tour of garbage ball it starts out as. A hanger-on point guard jumps from the CBA and college recruitment schtick to "pro ball" in Athens, where he unwittingly becomes involved in an eco-terrorist plot. LeClair's real triumph isn't the wonderful depiction of Michael Keever running the point on the floor (and LeClair's depiction of the game is criminally strong) but that same character's ability to weave through the complex human drama surrounding him and go to the hole. Brilliant, satisfying novel.

Don't even think about picking this book up unless you've got a weekend to kill. Mr. LeClaire is a highly skilled writer expert at creating empathy for his main character, excellent dialogue, and gripping suspense. The book follows the exploits of Michael Keever, an American with almost NBA potential who plays for a Greek professional team. Keever occupies the spot on the team reserved for foreign players with Greek ancestry. His only problem: he isn't Greek and a mysterious woman knows his secret. If Keever's ancestry is determined before he collects his bonus, all of his hard work will be for nought. Thus, Keever, is forced to use his basketball-honed deception skills both on and off the court. If you like suspense, you'll love passing off.

The Peloponnesian War, along with the myriad feuds that latched on to the central conflict between Sparta and Athens in the latter half of the fifth century BCE, can be an exhausting subject. The civil and international politics involved in fostering and perpetuating the war rival even today's most complex conflicts.

In this, the third of four volumes on the subject, Kagan skillfully presents, comments on, and refutes the hypotheses presented by history and historians, while still managing a very approachable narrative. These books come in and out of circulation, so best to get ahold of them while they're available. Again, Kagan's work is superb

For the historian, or avid history buff (however you might self-identify), these works are a necessary addition to your library. The more casual reader might, however, consider purchasing Kagan's abridged work entitled simply "The Peloponnesian War." It includes the main thrust of the narrative, but with markedly less analysis of the political motivations included in these volumes.

The first of Kagan's epics had a "Guns of August" feel; the second, with its deconstruction of the false "victory' of the Archidamian War, felt Tolstoyan; the parallel for the Sicilian Expedition, however, is painful and obvious: this was Athens' Vietnam. The mighty commercial power decided to cement its influence in a far flung land across the sea; what resulted was a massive haemorraging of blood and treasure, and complete defeat at the hands of small provincial armies. Among the characters we meet is the incomparable Alciabades, the Athenian general who advocates the expedition, only to be arrested, and escape, just as things begin to turn sour. Another terrific retelling of the great disaster. The battle narrative around Syracuse has a definite Dien Bien Phu feel.

As a reader who occasionally dabbles in classical literature, I decided to give Clayton's book a try after reading the other sparkling reviews. It did not disappoint. Through all of my readings, never have I read a better or more interesting analysis of Penelope. Clayton has some truly revolutionary ideas and makes this a must read for anyone interested in Homer or the Odyssey.

Clayton offers the most significant new interpretation of the Odyssey for the new century. Out of the shadows of maginality, Penelope emerges as a symbol of the most basic meaning of the poem. Using weaving as a metaphor, Clayton demonstrates that Penelope is no less important than Odysseus as a storyteller. Both deeply scholarly and accessible for the non-classicist, this volume will take its place alongside those of Katz and Felsin-Rubin as an indispensible account of the poetics of the Odyssey.

This is an outstanding product at a fabulous price! There are 10 CDs in the collection and they can be purchased individually or as a set. Five of the discs in the collection cover regions in Israel (Galilee & the north, Samaria & the center, Jerusalem, Jordan & the Dead Sea, Negev & the wilderness), and the other five discs cover sites in surrounding countries (Jordan, Greece, Rome, Egypt, Turkey). Each disc contains hundreds of professional-quality, digital photographs, all high-resolution (typically 1600 x 1200 pixels). In addition to the images themselves, each disc comes with pre-prepared PowerPoint slideshows which feature Notes containing a wealth of geographical, archaeological, historical and biblical information relating to the images. As for the images, the color and detail is spectacular. The selection of images includes eye-level views, aerial shots, and panoramas. Because they include all the well-known sites and many lesser known sites, these CDs will be especially valuable to teachers and self-taught students like me. The creator also has a website (www.bibleplaces.com) which makes available free samples and short but informative photo essays on many sites included on these discs.

Anyone who has ever searched for images of the splendors of Biblical lands only to come up with grainy images with little in the way of provenance will deeply appreciate Todd Bolen's impressive job of assembling so many excellent pictures in one place - and granting purchasers the right to use any or all of them freely for personal or educational use. Not only does this CD feature hundreds of high-resolution (1600 x 1200 pixels or higher) photographs from out-of-the-way locations as well as familiar sites (Todd Bolen, a professor at the Israel Bible Extension campus of The Master's College, and his colleagues have lived and traveled extensively over the whole area for years), it provides the purchaser with several ways of viewing and using them. You get all of the images in JPEG format, so they can be viewed in a browser, in any number of photo editing software products, or in VueSlide (a trial version of which is included on the CD). On top of that, though, the CD also features ready-made PowerPoint presentations featuring the images in a local tour-like sequence and, in many cases, built-in notes about each image. Identifying information is coded into the name of each file: the site name, the date the photo was taken, and the initials of the photographer. Even those who have toured the Holy Land could not have traveled to so many sites on multiple occasions in order to view each of them under optimal conditions.

Volume 1, Galilee and the North, features over 600 photographs from the Golan Heights, Huleh Basin, Galilee Hill Country, Sea of Galilee, Jordan River, and the Plain of Asher. Specific sites include the Dan, Hazor, Capernaum, Chorazin, Bethsaida, Arbel cliffs, Baram, Sepphoris, Nazareth, Acco, Haifa, Caesarea Philippi, and such less-visited places as Rosh HaNiqra, Montfort Castle, Jotapata, Kadesh, Abel Beth Maacah, Banias Waterfall, Nimrod's Castle, Nahal Ammud, Nahal Iyon, Nahal Senir, the lower city of Hazor, Mt Hermon, Mt Merom, Qatzrin, Gamla, Rogem Hiri, Tabgha, Cove of the Sower, and Kursi.

Volume 2, Samaria and the Center, features over 550 photographs from the Jezreel Valley, Harod Valley, Mt. Carmel, Sharon Plain, Samaria, Jordan Rift, and Benjamin. Specific sites include the Megiddo; Beth Shean; Mounts Gilboa, Tabor, and Moreh; Muhraqa, Caesarea; Mounts Gerizim and Ebal; Shiloh; Gibeon; and Jericho, as well as such less-visited places as the Dothan Valley, Tanaach, Jokneam, Shunem, Sachne, Dor, Tirzah, Salim near Aenon, the Samaritan Passover, the Beth Horon ridge, et-Tell, Khirbet el-Maqatir, Michmash, Mizpah, and Nebi Samwil.

Volume 3, Jerusalem, features over 650 photographs from the Old City, Southern Temple Mount excavations, the Temple Mount, City of David, Western wall tunnels, the Jewish Quarter, Mt.Zion, and the Mount of Olives. Specific sites include the Gates of the Old City, the Broad Wall, Area G, Warren's Shaft, Hezekiah's Tunnel, the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, Bethany and Yad VaShem, as well other assorted images including important tombs, new discoveries in the City of David, and a topographical map of Jerusalem.

Volume 4, Judah and the Dead Sea, features over 600 photographs from the Hill Country of Judah, the Judean Wilderness, the Dead Sea, Shephelah, and the Philistine Plain. Specific sites include En Gedi, Masada, Qumran, Bethlehem, Herodium, Hebron, Gezer, the Valley of Elah, Bet Guvrin, Lachish, and Ashkelon, and you get images of Wadi Qilt, Nahal Arugot, Mar Saba, the Bar Kochba caves, Sorek Cave stalactites, the cave of Adullam, Yarmuth, Gath (Tell es-Safi), Tell Eiton (Eglon), Tell Beit Mirsim, Gaza and nearly all 11 caves of the Dead Sea Scrolls.

Volume 5, Negev and the Wilderness, features over 500 photographs from Biblical Negev, the Negev Highlands, Nabatean cities, Nahal Zin, the Spice Route, the Wildernesses of Zin and Paran, Aravah, and the Red Sea. Specific sites include Gerar, Ziklag, Tell Jemmeh, Nahal Besor, Tell el-Farah South, Beersheba, Arad, Sede Boqer, Avdat, Mampsis, Nessana, Machtesh Ramon, Red Canyon, Timna Valley, Model of the Tabernacle, and Eilat.

Volume 6, Jordan, features over 550 photographs from Gadara, Gerasa, Jabesh Gilead, Ramoth Gilead, Penuel and Mahanaim, Tell Deir Alla (Succoth), Bethany Beyond the Jordan, Iraq el-Emir, and Amman. Among the sites you'll find Tell Hesban, Tell Jalul, Medeba Map, Mt. Nebo, Macherus, Kerak, Bozrah, Petra, and Aqaba. You'll get photographs from atop the High Place, the Monastery and Umm el-Biyara in Petra, Bab edh-Dhra (Sodom?), the Wadis Yarmuk, Jabbok, Arnon, Zered and Punon, the Pools of Heshbon, and the King's Highway.

Volume 7, Egypt, features over 550 photographs from Coral Island, Northern Sinai, Jebel Musa, St. Catherine's Monastery, the Suez Canal, the Pyramids in Giza, Saqqara, Cairo, and the Dashur Pyramids. Among the sites included are the Temples at Karnak and Luxor, the Valley of the Kings, Medinet Habu, Aswan, Elephantine Island, and Philae Island. You'll get photographs of the Nilometer at Aswan, Shishak's city list, Thutmose's city list, Merneptah's campaign panels, Medinet Habu reliefs of the Sea Peoples, the Ben Ezra Synagogue and Wadi el-Arish.

Volume 8, Turkey, features over 700 photographs from Paul's old stomping grounds (Antioch on the Orontes, Seleucia, Tarsus, Pisidian Antioch, Lystra and Derbe, Colossae, Hierapolis, Assos, Alexandria Troas, and Miletus) as well as the locations of the seven churches referred to in Revelations (Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea). In addition, you'll find photographs of as Istanbul, Cappadocia, Didyma, Priene, and Troy.

Volume 9, Greece, features over 550 images of Amphipolis, Arcadia, Argos, Athens, Berea, Cenchrea, Corinth, Delphi, Dion, Dodona, Epidaurus, Isthmia, Meteora, Mycenae, Neapolis, Nicopolis, Olympia, Philippi, Thessalonica, and Tiryns.

Volume 10, Rome, features over 500 images from the Arch of Titus, the Basilicas of Rome, the Church of St. Paul, the Circus Maximus, the Colosseum, the Roman Forum, Mamertine Prison, the Museum of Roman Civilization, Ostia, Palatine Hill, the Pantheon, Pompeii and Paestum, and the Vatican.

This is a veritable treasure trove for church leaders and educators, as personal users are given the rights to use these images in class presentations, lectures, course syllabi, newsletters, and church materials.

This book really is a fantastic introduction to the interaction of politcs and relgiion in biblical Israel, OB Mesopotamia, and Homeric Greece - easy to read, engaging, and informative.

This book is great for anyone interested in learning how kings were viewed in Ancient Greece, Babylon and Israel. It is a wonderful introduction into the documents, stories and myths that informed the decisions and shaped the consciousness of the people. The wealth of knowledge and the summaries of the stories that shaped the people will initiate any reader into the cultures of the ancient world, but the author's examination and evaluation of particular texts can inform the experts as well.

Pindar's world, and the circumstances of his writing, are so foreign to ours that it's hard to expect any translation to bring over the features of his Victory Odes into English. Nisetich himself is the first to clue you into this, with a thorough apparatus of explication, history, metrical analysis, and gloss that prepares you for exactly what not to expect from Pindar--business-as-usual "my heart sings" lyricism that Pindar, writing for pay for elaborate choral events, had little time for. Instead, the sudden shifts in reference, narrative gaps, and apparently oddball approach to commemoration (whole victory odes where the victor's not mentioned; the hero celebrated negatively only by the qualities he lacks) are explained as features of an archaic world-view that was already antique by Euripides's time. The translations are direct and adequate, broken up like modern free verse, and framed with ode-by-ode intros that make this book a helpful combination of poetry and archaeology.

Pindar, arguably the greatest lyric poet of ancient Greece, presents the translator with a difficulty--how to retain the often grandiose beauty of Pindar's Greek (and perhaps even show something of the form of Pindar's odes) while not departing far into the land of the unreadable.

This translation is the only one that does it. These are renditions that are literal, and yet can be read out loud and impress the ear with a beauty that can only be called Pindaric. And every ode is laid out on the page in a fashion that, without clutter, conveys the structure of the ancient Greek song-and-dance performance that these choral odes originally were.

Moreover, this edition provides you with an ideally informative and insightful introduction. The only thing wrong with it is the high price--though you do get a superbly made, sewn-binding, oversize paperback for your money.

One final note--whether your interest is specifically in ancient Greek poetry, or in poetry period, you should also check out Holderlin's "Hymns and Fragments" (ISBN 0691014124), which are informed by the spirit of Pindar and early Greek religious feeling like nothing else written by a modern human being.