Ancient Greece: A Very Short Introduction By Paul Cartledge
(Paperback, 2011)

Product Description

The contribution of the Ancient Greeks to modern western culture is incalculable In the worlds of art architecture myth literature & philosophy the world we live in would be unrecognizably different without the formative influence of Ancient Greek models Ancient Greek civilization was defined by the city
- in Greek the polis from which we derive 'politics' It is above all this feature of Greek civilization that has formed its most enduring legacy spawning such key terms as aristocracy oligarchy tyranny &
- last but by no means least
- democracy This stimulating Very Short Introduction to Ancient Greece takes the polis as its starting point Paul Cartledge uses the history of eleven major Greek cities to illuminate the most important & informative themes in Ancient Greek history from the first documented use of the Greek language around 1400 BCE through the glories of the Classical & Hellenistic periods to the foundation of the Byzantine empire in around CE 330 Covering everything from politics trade & travel to slavery gender religion & philosophy it provides the ideal concise introduction to the history & culture of this remarkable civilization that helped give birth to the world as we know it ABOUT THE SERIES The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly Our expert authors combine facts analysis perspective new ideas & enthusiasm to make interesting & challenging topics highly readable