Events That Changed Ancient Greece - Annotated by Bella Vivante (Hardcover)

About the Book

This one-stop resource for information and examination of the ten most important topics and events in Ancient Greek history is an ideal student companion to a study of Greek civilization. Each chapter focuses on one topic or event and contains two essays: a clear, concise introduction to the event that presents complex, factual material in an easily understandable way, followed by an insightful interpretive essay by a recognized authority that explores the short-term and far-reaching ramifications of the event and encourages critical thinking. Chapters cover: Early Greek civilization; political revolutions and the development of ethnic Greek identity; the Olympic games and the rise of Greek religious institutions; Sparta and Athens; the Persian Wars; Athenian imperialism; the Peloponnesian War; the development of Greek philosophy; Makedonian conquests; and Hellenistic empires.

Each chapter features a full-page illustration of the event and an annotated bibliography that identifies the most important and recent scholarship about the event. Useful appendixes include a timeline of important events in Ancient Greece, a glossary of terms, and a list of Greek gods and goddesses. This resource is an ideal addition to the school and public library reference shelf and is also excellent for supplementary reading in courses on ancient history and culture.

Book Synopsis

This one-stop resource for information and examination of the ten most important topics and events in Ancient Greek history is an ideal student companion to a study of Greek civilization. Each chapter focuses on one topic or event and contains two essays: a clear, concise introduction to the event that presents complex, factual material in an easily understandable way, followed by an insightful interpretive essay by a recognized authority that explores the short-term and far-reaching ramifications of the event and encourages critical thinking. Chapters cover: Early Greek civilization; political revolutions and the development of ethnic Greek identity; the Olympic games and the rise of Greek religious institutions; Sparta and Athens; the Persian Wars; Athenian imperialism; the Peloponnesian War; the development of Greek philosophy; Makedonian conquests; and Hellenistic empires.

Each chapter features a full-page illustration of the event and an annotated bibliography that identifies the most important and recent scholarship about the event. Useful appendixes include a timeline of important events in Ancient Greece, a glossary of terms, and a list of Greek gods and goddesses. This resource is an ideal addition to the school and public library reference shelf and is also excellent for supplementary reading in courses on ancient history and culture.

Review Quotes

"[A] good, well-crafted book, quite readable, historically accurate, suitably cast at an audience of high school students and college undergraduates. Appropriately, it does not burden itself with many scholarly controversies which nag every period in Greek history; rather it presents a reasonable and balanced portrait of the Greek world."-Glenn Richard Bugh Associate Professor of History Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

"A thematic approach and a clear writing style make Bella Vivante's Events That Changed the World In Ancient Greece accessible to secondary students and undergraduates....These essays are written by some of today's important classical scholars and provide students with a first look at historiography and the questions that have absorbed researchers of ancient Greece. Following the interpretative essays, annotated bibliographies of mainly recent works on the chapter topics provide students with jumping off points for their own research."-Sheila White Miss Porter's School Farmington, CT

"My students will find Events That Changed the World in Ancient Greece a stimulating journey through the Greek past, as concise introductions guide them capably into each chapter's territory, and the subsequent interpretive essays sink them deeply into its most intriguing aspects. Students will emerge engaged, challenged and satisfied."-Rob Prufer Social Studies Department Chair Newport High School, Bellevue, Wahington

.,."will intrigue college-level collections with fine historical coverage and background."-Internet Bookwatch

?...will intrigue college-level collections with fine historical coverage and background.?-Internet Bookwatch

?As an introductory work for secondary schools or entry level undergraduates it is quite smart. It is also an enjoyable read for those who read about history and trivia in their spare time.?-Against the Grain

?Recommended....helpful for the professional library in those elementary and middle schools that teach Ancient Greek and Rome.?-Gale Reference for Students

?Vivante has brilliantly updated the traditional introductory history text of Greece, assembling well-rounded thematic essays and setting them firmly in a diachronic framework, from the Mycenaean period to the death of Kleopatra....Highly recommended for high school and community college level collections.?-Choice

..."will intrigue college-level collections with fine historical coverage and background."-Internet Bookwatch

"As an introductory work for secondary schools or entry level undergraduates it is quite smart. It is also an enjoyable read for those who read about history and trivia in their spare time."-Against the Grain

"Recommended....helpful for the professional library in those elementary and middle schools that teach Ancient Greek and Rome."-Gale Reference for Students

"Vivante has brilliantly updated the traditional introductory history text of Greece, assembling well-rounded thematic essays and setting them firmly in a diachronic framework, from the Mycenaean period to the death of Kleopatra....Highly recommended for high school and community college level collections."-Choice

About the Author

BELLA VIVANTE is Associate Professor of Humanities at the University of Arizona./e In 2000-2001 she was Hennebach Visiting Professor in Humanities at the Colorado School of Mines. She has translated with notes Euripides' Helen in Women on the Edge: Four Plays by Euripides (1998) and is the editor of Women's Roles in Ancient Civilizations: A Reference Guide (Greenwood, 1999).