Greece Books

My two kids 5 and 7 adore this book. It engages the 5 year old totally (a very squirming, fidgeting, unfocused 5 year old) and provides lots of stimulation for the cerebral 7 year old. Great coverage of wide variety of issues.

Although brief at only 38 pages, this is a very well designed and written book on the Greeks intended for school-age children and younger readers. Using cutting-edge graphics in their usual effective way, the author and DK brings the life and times of the ancient Greeks alive in this nicely done little volume.

I note that the author has written more than 60 children's books on various history topics, and has personally visited many of the major historical sites in his 12 trips to Greece. Prof. Hugh Bowden, who teaches ancient history at King's College of London, also served as consultant on the book. So the qualifications of the writers appear to be top-notch.

The book is organized into two-page spreads which present important events and aspects of Greek culture and history. Topics included are The Trojan Horse, Ancient Beginnings, Legends and Myths, The Greek Revival, Sea Battles, Greeks at War, Private Lives, Power and Politics, The Parthenon, Religions and Worship, Greek Theater, The Olympics, King of Macedon, Alexander the Great, and The Greek Legacy. Five of the above spreads are presented using transparent overlays to enhance the display or to show how a building like the Parthenon appears now versus the artist's reconstruction.

Although far older than the intended age-group for this book, I read most of it and picked up some interesting things myself. I'm interested in archaeology, ancient history, and military history, and another of the overlays deals with the famous sea battle of Arginusae, which took place in 406 B.C. I learned that the Greek triremes were much more complex than I had thought. There were 170 oarsmen in three rows (hence the name of the ship); a crew of 10 sailors, 5 officers, and a helmsman to steer; marines consisting of 10 Hoplite soldiers (named for their big, colorful shield, the hoplon), with spears and shields to protect the ship during boarding or to attack another ship; 4 Scythian archer mercenaries from the area of the Black Sea; and a Trierarch or captain, usually a wealthy Athenian who could pay for the cost of the ship. The Hoplites and sailors were paid, however, by the city-state.

The main battle strategy was for the ships to ram each other with the metal-reinforced prows, and they could make 10 knots at full speed, which was enough to crash through the thickly timbered hulls of the ships. After the battle, the sea was full of wreckage and 20,000 dead or dying men, which gives some idea of the scale of the naval operations that were possible even back then. Although Athens won this battle, they eventually lost the 27- year war with Sparta.

All in all another well-designed, well-written, and visually appealing offering in DK's extensive history and ancient history series.

This is the best series of books I have found for history for 9-12 year olds. I teach 4th and 5th graders and they love these books. They have interesting pictures and are written at the perfect level. I like all the art project ideas they include, the organized method in which they are written, and the timeline which runs the bottom of the pages. This is a great resource. I can't recommend it highly enough.

Once more historian Don Nardo provides a well reserched, well written study of Greek civilzation, only this time much bigger than most of his other books, which are usualy aimed at younger readers and therefor pretty short. This book is filled with facinating information and I highly recomend it for students, teachers, generl readers and just about anybody.

Terrific Book. Rhymes and Illustrations are Fantastic. It is a wonderful way to learn about Ancient Greece. Children will love it.!!!!!!!!

This book is very interesting on its own and a great supplement to the Eyewitness series. My 6th graders love it. I do too.

Ancient Greece is an excellent, readable book for Grades 4-7. The "See Through" windows added an interesting dimension (pun intended) to the book. Lots of good pictures and text that give children a clear understanding of Ancient Greece with out being overwhelming with minute bits of data.

When I was in the sixth grade we moved twice, and in all three of the schools from New Jersey to Connecticut to Japan I got to study Ancient Greece in the history part of the class. I also got a lot of mileage out of having read Edith Hamilton's "Mythology" (I still have my mythology report with my versions of all of the illustrations). But in all the times I got to study Ancient Greece before, during, and after the sixth grade I never got to do any of the fun stuff that Avery Hart & Paul Mantell come up with for "Ancient Greece!: 40 Hands-On Activities to Experience This Wondrous Age."

This Kaleidoscope Kids volume for kids ages 7-12 not only offers activities but also a variety of information about the Ancient Greeks. So this is not simply a book of activities that teachers can pick and choose from to give their students hands-on experiences, it is also a source of facts and stories that will supplement what exists in whatever textbook is being used. Throughout the book there are "Great Greeks!" and things to "Think About." After reminding young readers of the gifts that have come down to us from Ancient Greece, Hart and Mantell get students acclimated to the idea of looking at the past from the perspective of those who lived way back when. Then the book looks at key periods of Greek history.

"Meet the Minoans: The Pre-Greeks of Crete" looks at the culture that gave rise to the greatness of Greece with activities to make a Greek yo-yo, a Great Mother figure, a Hamster Labyrinth (without the Minotaur), and a fantastic fresco. That gives you an indication of the sort of activities to be found in this book before we even get to Greece itself. Other chapters are devoted to "The Age of Heroes," where you get a super-short version of "The Iliad" and can build a Trojan Horse, "Language Unites!" (including speaking "Pig Greek"), "The Dawn of a Golden Age," where you can organize a pentathlon and make a victory wreath, and "Ye Gods! Greek Religion and Mythology," where you can design your own constellation.

In the last part of the book chapters cover "Classical Athens: The Flower of Ancient Civilization," where you get to build a Greek Temple with Ionic columns (or even build the entire Parthenon), "Think For Yourself: Philosophy," where students can make a monochord or hold a symposium, and "The Amazing Arts," which covers create sculptures and painting pots in the first part and making masks to make up a Greek play in the second part. The final chapter covers "A Wider World: Alexander the Great and the Hellenistic Age," where you can start a library. At the end, students can appreciate how being a Greek meant standing in the center of the world (as least, as far as the Ancient Greeks were concerned).

Again, there are some key issues to be discussed to go along with the activities. Students can debate what is the difference between a hero and a celebrity, understand why every vote counts in a democracy, and decide what makes somebody beautiful. Learning how to press olives or how huge blocks of marble were transported across the sea, gives students an appreciation for how things were different way back when. Throughout the book Hart and Mantell show how ancient ideas live on in modern traditions, which remains the biggest legacy of the Ancient Greeks.

I teach Classical Greek & Roman Mythology (not to be confused with Modern Greek & Roman Mythology apparently) but I teach it online so I do not really have any opportunities to have my students engage in hands-on activities. But that does not mean I cannot do them in the privacy of my own home or that elementary school teachers will not find these extremely useful for their unit on Ancient Greece. Although I am suddenly reminded of coming up with the "Sparthens" (a.k.a. the warriors with the brains) in elementary school. But that is another story.

"Ancient Greece: An Explorer's Guide" is the collaborative work of Robert Emmet Meagher (Professor of Humanities at Hampshire College) and Elizabeth Parker Neave (a travel writer and expert on the Greek islands). Impressively enhanced throughout with a profusion of photographs, maps, site plans, "Ancient Greece: An Explorer's Guide" is the ideal travel planning guide for visiting the sites, and surveying the beauty, and appreciating the history of Greece. Superbly organized, "Ancient Greece: An Explorer's Guide" begins with informative chapters on 'Envisioning and Planning Your Trip';'A Walk through Ancient Greece'; and 'Getting Acquainted with Greece'. Then follows four itineraries that are roughly chronological in history: Minoan Civilization: Crete 1900-1400 B.C.E.; Mycenaean Civilization: The Peloponnese 1500-1100 B.C.E.; Classical Civilization: Athens and Attika 480-336 B.C.E.; and Aegean Civilization: The Cyclades 30000-336 B.C.E. "Ancient Greece: An Explorer's Guide" is an impressive addition for any personal or community library travel guide reference collection, and (being perfect for the 'armchair traveler') is especially recommended for non-specialist general reader contemplating trip to Greece for business or pleasure.

this is a very impressive and well reasearch work. In addition to being a most comprehensive encyclopedia of Ancient Greece's "Gods and Dieties", the intoduction of each chapter and explanatory notes gives the reader a good perspective of the history, philopsophy and mores of Ancient Greece.