National Geographic the Greeks - by Diane Harris Cline (Hardcover)

About the Book

"Companion to the PBS series The Greeks"--Dust jacket.

Book Synopsis

On the culture that brought us democracy, the Olympics, Socrates, and Alexander the Great, this lavishly illustrated reference about ancient Greece presents the amazing history through gripping stories; the rise and fall of the phenomenal empire; the powerful legacy left by ancient Greece for the modern world; and the new discoveries shedding light on these ancient people that are still so much with us. Even today, Greek art and architecture dominate our cities; modern military strategists still study and employ Hellenic war tactics; Greek poetry, plays, and philosophy are widely read and enjoyed; and science, mathematics, medicine, and astronomy all build on the fundamentals of early Greek thinking. Included are fascinating insights into Greek island living, ancient social networking, and the extreme priority Greeks placed on athletic competition (warring city-states declared truces during the Olympic games). Learn of spectacular discoveries such as the Uluburun shipwreck, the earliest writing ever found in Europe, and buried palaces. A stunning treasure, this lushly-illustrated, uniquely comprehensive and accessible history of Ancient Greece is perfect for anyone interested in the origins of our modern world.

About the Author

DIANE CLINE is an associate professor of history and classics and an affiliated faculty member of the Digital Humanities Institute at George Washington University. She is a popular lecturer on the history of Greece with expertise on the city of Athens, Greek sanctuaries, Greek art and archaeology, Greek inscriptions on stone, and Greek biography. She holds a B.A. from Stanford University in classics and a Ph.D. from Princeton in classical archaeology. She was a fellow at the American School of Classical Studies in Athens, where she was also a Fulbright Scholar and studied Greek inscriptions in the National Museum there. Her current research focuses on social networks and innovation in classical Athens.