Ancient Greece: From Prehistoric to Hellenistic Times Paperback – April 16, 2013

Really good introduction to Ancient Greek history. Clearly written, even for novices. Enough detail and context to interest aficionados.

A very good introduction to ancient Greece and its profound cultural achievements.Martin starts with a chapter on prehistory which is not really about Greece at all, and gets sidetracked with speculation - for example, that the development of agricultural society resulted in women taking a subordinate social position.However, from chapter two the book provides a clear, straightforward account of the economic, political, social and cultural development of Greece. Its strength is in description rather than explanation - leaving the reader pondering why Greece's cities concurrently organized themselves into polis with similar concepts of citizenship and popular participation; and more deeply, what were the roots of "the [Greek] view that people must give reasons to explain what they believe to be true" - an astounding development then, which has yet to occur in large parts of today's world.This valuable survey is enhanced by Martin's gift for choosing short quotations from the ancient sources that express the essence of what he is describing, such as the remark of Xenophon about the hatred of helots (community owned slaves) for the Spartans: "They said they would be glad to eat them raw." Throughout, Martin spices the book brilliantly with such extracts.The second edition makes a huge improvement in the reproduction of the book's photographs, which unfortunately are also reduced in number.Martin’s book is very good, but those in search of the best should seek out two classics. One is J. B. Bury’s unsurpassed History of Greece (1900), available in shorter form as History of Greece for Beginners (1903 and subsequent editions). This superbly written political history needs to be supplemented with cultural surveys such as Harold Fowler’s History of Ancient Greek Literature (1903).The other is M. Rostovtzeff’s Greece (1963), which is excerpted from his magisterial and comprehensive History of the Ancient World (1926-7).

I very much enjoyed reading this book. I am a casual student of antiquity. I learned a lot from this book. I would suggest anyone who is interested in the subject to read this book. I liked the way it was organized. I enjoyed the time I put into reading this book.

This was a great intro to Greek history that has prompted my interest to explore further in several areas. A great primer that doesn't assume the reader knows too much—very accessible. Highly recommended, particularly for anyone wanting to dive in or get a broad overview refresh of Ancient Greek history!

Honestly the "good" condition book I received could have easily been "very good". I'm pleased.

Quick read with just the driest of overviews regarding ancient Greece. Ok for a textbook I suppose. Was hoping for in depth explantions.

This book is informative and very well-written. It does, however, have a major drawback: the print is extremely small. After a half hour of reading, I experienced so much eye strain that I had to buy a magnifying glass- the first magnifying glass I have ever bought. Yale University Press should do justice to this excellent book by re-issuing it in a readable font size.

This book is not meant to be an in-depth telling of all the complex intrigue and implication of ancient Greece, but rather a chance for one to "get their feet wet" and have a basic understanding of how ancient Greece evolved and influenced ancient civilization, which is exactly what I was looking for.I finished this book, and have since moved on to 'Ancient Rome' by Simon Baker, which is similar in format and goal.After reading his I no longer feel as much 'in the dark' as I used to about ancient Western civilization history. I hope to find similar books about the Middle Ages and Renaissance next.