Greece Books

The "History and Description of Roman Political Institutions" is the best description of the magistrates and plebian officials that I have read, even though it was written almost a hundred years ago. This would exclude specialized monographs on the various magistrates.

Professor Page's scholarship is deep and wide, a bit like the roaring torrent in Longfellow's Excelsior. One is never left in much doubt what he thinks, and L R Palmer remarks drily in Myceneans and Minoans that 'he is bolder in expression' than are professional archaeologists. To be fair, one is never left in any doubt either as to why he thinks as he does. He presents his evidence and argues his case with absolute frankness. More than that, he is a very good read, and those interested in the story of the siege of Troy and the value of the Iliad as a record of what took place will find this attractively and often amusingly written book an absorbing account of the matter, for all the paraphernalia of professional scholarship.

Denys Page was formerly professor of Greek at Cambridge, and this book constitutes, with some additions, the text of the six Sather classical lectures that he was invited to give at Berkeley in the winter of 1957. Their timing was good. The decipherment of the Linear B tablets, found both on the Peloponnese and at the Palace of Minos in Crete, had only just happened. Moreover it was not long (by classical standards) since the important work of Milman Parry in establishing that the Iliad was the outcome of a folk-tradition of unwritten oral poetry. England more than anywhere else had some recanting to do in the latter respect. Parry's conclusions had been anticipated to a certain extent by some of the great German scholars e.g. Lachmann, to be answered with the most insufferable British condescension by the type of scholar witheringly described by Housman as 'an Englishman demonstrating the unity of Homer by sneers at "Teutonic professors", who are supposed by his audience to have goggle eyes behind large spectacles and ragged moustaches saturated in lager beer, and consequently to be incapable of forming literary judgments'. Page is on the side of the angels, and his second appendix to the book, on multiple authorship in the Iliad, is a model of clarity in putting over a case that I hope by now needs less strenuous advocacy.

On the historical side Page is on less familiar ground. He is better known for his work on Greek texts and linguistic issues. I am slightly more at home on those sides too (si parua licet componere magnis), so when I say I find Page slightly less convincing as a historian, please make allowances for that. One sees the two sides of him very clearly in the first chapter, on references to Achaean Greeks in Hittite documents. He makes a good-sounding case for the identification of Achaean Rhodes as being the 'Ahhijawa' of the Hittites, but hardly one that justifies the sublime self-confidence of his conclusion, more one of the kind that provoked some superciliousness from Palmer. On the other hand he makes a right old meal of supposed linguistic difficulties in equating Ahhijawa with the Greek Akhaia. Sure, one mustn't jump to conclusions from such seeming resemblances, but his case is based not on those but on historical arguments, and it needs no professor come from Cambridge to tell us that Ahhijawa is not a legitimate Greek formation, and maybe not a legitimate Hittite one either. I could have told him that myself. What we are talking about is how a Greek name might have been distorted by the barbarophone Hittites, and that does not need elaborate linguistic processes. Mumbai was Bombay for long enough, and Beijing Peking, among English-speakers, after all.

Where I found Page absolutely excellent was in his analysis of the relationship between the catalogues in book II of the Iliad and the main text as we now have it. Surely his conclusion must be right - the two show strong communality in vocabulary and startling divergence in their versions of the story, proving to me what Page says they prove, namely a common centuries-old origin and subsequent separation.

You can enjoy this book without even being able to read Greek script let alone understand the language. Even in the daunting-looking notes to each chapter Page's delightful turns of phrase are entertaining as well as instructive. He is a gifted narrator as well, and when I think about the strange Mycenaean civilisation, part epic glory from the poets part a bureaucratic nightmare that the European Commission might envy, as shown on the Linear B documents; and then when I think about the sudden silence with the onset of the uncouth Dorians, it's likely to be Page's telling of it all that will stick with me for a while.

I bought three books about Greece by Matina K. Psyhogeos, including (i) Olympic Games, Past, Present and Future: Passing the Torch to a New Millennium; (ii) Make Your Journey to Greece an Unforgettable Experience; and (iii) History of Greece in a Nutshell. I shared her books with some of my Thai friends and we very much enjoyed reading them. Although there are many books about Greek history, travel, and Olympics out there, they can't be compared with Ms. Psyhogeos' books as her books contain resourceful information (a lot of which could not be found somewhere else) and rare pictures. Combined with her unique writing style (which distilled the information in a thoughtful manner), the stories in the books have become very interesting to follow indeed. We've learned a lot about Greece and the Greek people from her books. Moreover, the layouts and font sizes in her books make the books very easy to read without straining the eyes. This is also a very important characteristic of her books. Many other travel-related books are generally inconsiderate to readers as they are published in very small font sizes which can hardly be read. With all these unique and positive characteristics, we rate these books of hers five stars.

B. Boonyaketmala (Author of various books and articles on Thai politics, media, films, and culture)

I was excited to see that this author's book had been reprinted and I was not disappointed. For anyone interested in how the Greeks managed to survive foreign rule - not only the Turks but the Venetians and others- for almost four centuries, this book is an indispensable addition to one's library.Very detailed account and well sourced.

This book is simply excellent. It is the most comprehensive source in information on the slave trade that I have ever read. It is not just about African slaves but slaves from places all over the world during a several hundred year period of time.

It explains why people resorted to treating fellow human beings in this manner, the crew on the ship were probably treated worse than the slaves in many cases and they were unable to escape as well. (Whips, thumbscrews, "walking the plank,") The doctors on the ships would often times refuse to treat the crew as they were not paid to take care of the crew, only the slaves.

It goes into detail of how mothers would throw their children into the water instead of permitting them to live life as a slave. It goes into great detail the politics of each country and their slaves. Where did they get them, why did the originating country willingly hand over (sell) their citizens to be forced into slavery.

This book was originally privately published. The author hired people to travel and see if there would be a market for such a book. Apparently there was as there is more than one printing date. It has also been reprinted as of the '60s but I would advise anyone to wait for a more inexpensive copy of the original to buy. The cover is beautiful and that is part of the beauty of the book.

This extremely up to date and knowledgeable work is more in-depth than a simple overview. Rhodes is an editorial genius and supplies the source citations unobtrusively for every single thing he says. You can thus track down the basis of every claim or statement. His judgment is also excellent on everything. As a graduate student preparing for examinations I found it invaluable. It will also be excellent for undergraduates. Its coverage of the period is better than any comparable textbook I have seen; even better than Sealey's History of the Greek City States, which is excellent also, and covers earlier history as well -- but this is better.
Tiniest complaint: a (very) few typos, and the suggestions for further reading at the end of each chapter could have been a LITTLE fuller.

A History of the Later Roman Empire from Arcadius to Irene (395 A.D. to 800 A.D.): Volume 2EXCELLENT HISTORY OF THE BYZANTINE EMPIRE FOR WHICH LITTLE IS KNOWN OUTSIDE THE CIRCLE OF EXPERTS.IT IS WRITTEN IN THE STYLE OF THE 'FATHER OF HISTORY' HERODOTUS CONTAINING PERSONAL DETAILS OF THE LIFE OF THE MAJOR PERSONS OF EACH ERA WITH ASTUTE ANALYSIS OF THE SOCIAL,ECONOMIC AND ETHICAL CONSIDERATIONS THAT CHARACTERIZED THAT ERA.THESE CHARACTERISTICS MAKE THE BOOK EDUCATIVE AND ENTERTAINING.HIGHLY RECOMENDED

Alexander the Great, was born on or around July 20, 356 B.C.E., and is my favorite personality to read about in history. To me he is the whole package general, statesman, conqueror, and philosopher. The smartest man who ever lived, Aristotle, tutored him. Alexander conquered more of the known world than any other figure in history, accomplishing all this before he dies at the ripe old age of 33. Some people called him conqueror and violent overlord. Some other called him civilizer and even God! All of them yet, called him "The Great". He was the first man in modern history that took this name, "The Great"! Even as a young boy, he shows great promise.

Curtius' work is the oldest extant work available and based on eyewitness accounts. He does a better job than most in explaining the battle scenes, and seems to be more balanced in his admiration and criticism of Alexander then any of the other early biographers. I love his Bucephalus Story, and I recount it here so you get a flavor of the promise this young Alexander shows.

The legend begins with Philoneicus, a Thessalian, bringing a wild horse to Philip for him to buy. None of the hands was able to handle it, and Philip grew upset at Philoneicus for bringing such an unstable horse to him. Alexander, however, publicly defied his father and claimed that he could handle the horse. The bet between Philip and Alexander was that if Alexander could ride the horse, Philip would buy it, if not, Alexander would have to pay the price of the horse, which was 13 talents, an enormous sum for a boy of Alexander's age to have.

Alexander apparently noticed that the horse had been shying away from its own shadow, and so he led it gently into the sun, so that its shadow was behind it, all the while stroking it gently and whispering into its ear, (Alexander seems to be the original horse whisperer). Eventually the horse let Alexander mount him, and Alexander was able to show his equestrian skill to his father and all who were watching. The incident so impressed Alexander's father, King Philip that he told the boy "Look thee out a kingdom equal to and worthy of you, for Macedonia is too little for thee". He named the horse Bucephalus, which means Ox head, and rode it across Asia, founding a city in its honor in India after its death. This story gives you an inkling about the man.

This book is a must read for students of Alexander, I also recommend Plutarch's and Arrian's work. Contemporary writers, J.F. C. Fuller and Tarn. Most of Alexander's greatest military traits are in the area of military logistics and to understand his genius in this area I highly recommend reading, "Alexander the Great and the Logistics of the Macedonian Army," by Donald W. Engels.

As a retired U. S. Army Major, I recommend this book to anyone who is interested in ancient warfare, and history.

The greatest of all Greek historians was the Athenian general Thucydides (455-400 B.C.E.). Thucydides' classic work, "History Of The Peloponnesian War", provides us with the historical framework for 5th century Greece, a golden age of intellectual achievement and creativity rarely equaled in human history. This history is by far the best account of the bitter war between Athens and Sparta as well as the only surviving contemporary record of the rise of the Athenian empire. Thucydides as a master storyteller does not just cover the battle scenes; he records the great political speeches of Pericles, leader of Athens, and Lysander leader of Sparta with great acumen. He is recognized as the first historian to actually go and get eyewitness accounts, visit battlefieilds and research documents and records. This work took him over 20 years and it shows!

The lessons he teaches about imperial over reaching and unreasonable peace settlements are prescient today as they were during his times. President Woodrow Wilson, read this book on his voyage across the Atlantic to the Versailles Peace Conference and vociferously fought the other Allies in making unreasonable demands of the Germans. Wilson learned the dangers that the world would be placed in by backing the Germans into a corner politically and economically from Thucydides book.

As a graduate student in philosophy and history, I heartily recommend this timeless classic to anyone who is interested in political philosophy, and history. I also recommend you read it with David Cartwright's "A Historical Commentary On Thucydides."

The greatest of all Greek historians was the Athenian general Thucydides (455-400 B.C.E.). Thucydides' classic work, "History Of The Peloponnesian War", provides us with the historical framework for 5th century Greece, a golden age of intellectual achievement and creativity rarely equaled in human history. This history is by far the best account of the bitter war between Athens and Sparta as well as the only surviving contemporary record of the rise of the Athenian empire. Thucydides as a master storyteller does not just cover the battle scenes; he records the great political speeches of Pericles, leader of Athens, and Lysander leader of Sparta with great acumen. He is recognized as the first historian to actually go and get eyewitness accounts, visit battlefieilds and research documents and records. This work took him over 20 years and it shows!

The lessons he teaches about imperial over reaching and unreasonable peace settlements are prescient today as they were during his times. President Woodrow Wilson, read this book on his voyage across the Atlantic to the Versailles Peace Conference and vociferously fought the other Allies in making unreasonable demands of the Germans. Wilson learned the dangers that the world would be placed in by backing the Germans into a corner politically and economically from Thucydides book.

As a graduate student in philosophy and history, I heartily recommend this timeless classic to anyone who is interested in political philosophy, and history. I also recommend you read it with David Cartwright's "A Historical Commentary On Thucydides."