Publisher Description

"We Greeks are one in blood and one in language; we have temples to the gods and religious rites in common, and a common way of life." So the fifth-century historian Herodotus has some Athenians declare, in explanation of why they would never betray their fellow Greeks to the enemy, the "barbarian" Persians. And he might have added further common features, such as clothing, foodways, and political institutions. But if the Greeks knew that they were kin, why did many of them side with the Persians against fellow Greeks, and why, more generally, is ancient Greek history so often the history of internecine wars and other forms of competition with one another? This is the question acclaimed historian Robin Waterfield sets out to explore in this magisterial history of ancient Greece. With more information, more engagingly presented, than any similar work, this is the best single-volume account of ancient Greece in more than a generation. Waterfield gives a comprehensive narrative of seven hundred years of history, from the emergence of the Greeks around 750 BCE to the Roman conquest of the last of the Greco-Macedonian kingdoms in 30 BCE. Equal weight is given to all phases of Greek history -- the Archaic, Classical, and Hellenistic periods. But history is not just facts; it is also a matter of how we interpret the evidence. Without compromising the readability of the book, Waterfield incorporates the most recent scholarship by classical historians and archaeologists and asks his readers to think critically about Greek history. A brilliant, up-to-date account of ancient Greece, suitable for history buffs and university students alike, Creators, Conquerors, and Citizens presents a compelling and comprehensive story of this remarkable civilization's disunity, underlying cultural solidarity, and eventual political unification.

Author Biography

Robin Waterfield is an independent scholar and translator, living in southern Greece. In addition to more than twenty-five translations of works of Greek literature, he is the author of numerous books, including Dividing the Spoils and Taken at the Flood.

Table of Contents

Preface and Acknowledgements Conventions and Abbreviations List of Illustrations List of Maps Chronology and King Lists General Maps Introduction I: Historical Background Introduction II: Environmental Background ACT I: The Archaic Period (c. 750-480): The Formation of States 1. The Emergence of the Greeks in the Mediterranean 2. Aristocracy and the Archaic State 3. The Archaic Greek World 4. Athens in the Seventh and Sixth Centuries 5. The Athenian Democratic Revolution 6. Sparta 7. Greek Religion 8. The Persian Wars 9. The Greeks at War ACT II: The Classical Period (479-323): A Tale, Mainly, of Two Cities 10. The Delian League 11. The Economy of Greece 12. Periclean Athens 13. Women, Sexuality, and Family Life 14. The Peloponnesian War 15. Socrates and the Thirty Tyrants 16. The Futility of War 17. Athens and Macedon 18. Alexander the Great 19. The Instability of Syracuse ACT III: The Hellenistic Period (323-30): Greeks, Macedonians, and Romans 20. The Successor Kingdoms 21. Greeks and Macedonians in the Third Century 22. The Greek Cities in the New World 23. Life and Culture in the Hellenistic World 24. The Roman Conquest 25. A Feat of Imagination Glossary Recommended Reading Index

Review

"A highly readable and stimulating introduction to a fascinating area of history. Waterfield's accessible but still authoritative tone brings the sights, sounds and citizens vividly to life. This evocative book manages to tread an often fine line between storytelling and scholarly history with a lightness of touch that belies the depth and scope of its approach ... This engaging one-volume history will appeal to a great many readers." -- All About History"The scholarship is thorough, deep, and well-explained... Readers looking for an authoritative account of almost any aspect of ancient Greek history should be thoroughly gratified."--Kirkus "Creators, Conquerors, and Citizens is an ideal seminar on ancient Greek history, in book-form: it's scholarly but never pedantic, and it's all told by a true enthusiast with a gift for clarifying. If Waterfield is correct that every generation needs its own new history of ancient Greece, he's certainly provided a fine example, a book fit to stand alongside Christian Meier's Athens or Josiah Ober's magnificent The Rise and Fall of Classical Greece."--Steve Donoghue, Open Letters Review"Highly readable, with well-produced maps and figures, it can be relied on as a distillation of twentyfirst-century historians' overall view of the subject... We are in sure hands as Waterfield guides us through the major historical milestones... Any of these would warrant a volume in itself, and the fact that Waterfield keeps the whole huge freight train on track, indeed clacking elegantly along, is proof of an experienced engineer."
--Literary Review of Canada
"A distinctive and decidedly modern interpretation of Greek history."--MHQ Magazine"Waterfield's searching approach to the nature of Greek identity transforms this otherwise highly traditional, chronological history into something more revelatory... suitably authoritative and measured... wide-ranging, but enlivened by its detail."
--Daisy Dunn, Sunday Times [London]
"[Waterfield] sets out to trace seven and a half centuries of Greek history (from roughly the first Olympiad to Rome's annexation of Egypt), recognizing the diversity of the Greek diaspora, while explicating many of the social and cultural practices that lent it a degree of unity, and tracing innovations in areas as diverse as philosophy and siege warfare. It is a mark of his skill that he succeeds so brilliantly... This book provides an invaluable resource for anyone wishing a comprehensive account of Greek history and culture, while reading lists point the way for those who wish to find out more. W.'s masterly review of how tensions between cultural unity and political disunity unfolded over eight hundred years is to be thoroughly recommended."--David Stuttard, Classics for All
"Waterfield's account is an engaging, sometimes original chronicle...
Highly recommended."--CHOICE Reviews"As one might expect, the scholarship is impeccable. Waterfield touches on a staggering array of topics, succinctly reviewing the evidence and summarizing the most recent scholarly work." -- Andrew T. Alwine, College of Charleston

Review Quote

"The scholarship is thorough, deep, and well-explained... Readers looking for an authoritative account of almost any aspect of ancient Greek history should be thoroughly gratified."--Kirkus "Creators, Conquerors, and Citizens is an ideal seminar on ancient Greek history, in book-form: it's scholarly but never pedantic, and it's all told by a true enthusiast with a gift for clarifying. If Waterfield is correct that every generation needs its own new history of ancient Greece, he's certainly provided a fine example, a book fit to stand alongside Christian Meier's Athens or Josiah Ober's magnificent The Rise and Fall of Classical Greece."--Steve Donoghue, Open Letters Review "Highly readable, with well-produced maps and figures, it can be relied on as a distillation of twentyfirst-century historians' overall view of the subject... We are in sure hands as Waterfield guides us through the major historical milestones... Any of these would warrant a volume in itself, and the fact that Waterfield keeps the whole huge freight train on track, indeed clacking elegantly along, is proof of an experienced engineer." --Literary Review of Canada "A distinctive and decidedly modern interpretation of Greek history."--MHQ Magazine "Waterfield's searching approach to the nature of Greek identity transforms this otherwise highly traditional, chronological history into something more revelatory... suitably authoritative and measured... wide-ranging, but enlivened by its detail." --Daisy Dunn, Sunday Times [London] "[Waterfield] sets out to trace seven and a half centuries of Greek history (from roughly the first Olympiad to Rome's annexation of Egypt), recognizing the diversity of the Greek diaspora, while explicating many of the social and cultural practices that lent it a degree of unity, and tracing innovations in areas as diverse as philosophy and siege warfare. It is a mark of his skill that he succeeds so brilliantly... This book provides an invaluable resource for anyone wishing a comprehensive account of Greek history and culture, while reading lists point the way for those who wish to find out more. W.'s masterly review of how tensions between cultural unity and political disunity unfolded over eight hundred years is to be thoroughly recommended."--David Stuttard, Classics for All "Waterfield's account is an engaging, sometimes original chronicle... Highly recommended."--CHOICE Reviews "As one might expect, the scholarship is impeccable. Waterfield touches on a staggering array of topics, succinctly reviewing the evidence and summarizing the most recent scholarly work." -- Andrew T. Alwine, College of Charleston

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