Ancient Greek Civilization

A concise narrative of Greek history and an analysis of the literature, art, and thought of the ancient Greeks.


Tells the story of Greek civilization from the from the Minoan Period to the time of the Byzantine Empire
Surveys the remarkable culture and history the ancient Greeks
Explores the ways in which Greek civilization has been continually reinvented from antiquity to the present day
Updated edition includes additional illustrations, maps, and timelines, a glossary, and an annotated bibliography

David Sansone is Professor of Classics at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. He has published extensively on Greek language and literature, including literary and textual criticism of Greek tragedy and Plutarch's Lives and a theoretical study of the origin of sport. He has been on the Board of Directors of the American Philological Association and held a number of editorial positions, among them the editorship of Illinois Classical Studies and membership of the editorial boards of Classical Philology and Bryn Mawr Classical Review.

"Sansone’s book admirably fills the need for a succinct, readable, and reliable survey of ancient Greek civilization. The first edition was perfect for my Classical Civilization course - the second edition offers even more while maintaining the accessibility of the original."
Kathryn Gutzwiller, University of Cincinnati

"In this book David Sansone brilliantly analyzes the strands of history, literature, art, and culture which combine to form the tapestry of Ancient Greece."
David Sider, New York University

Praise for the first edition:

"Sansone's coverage and approach are fresh and distinctive, and his book richly informative, well-balanced, and engagingly written." Professor Stephen White, University of Texas at Austin
'Ancient Greek Civilisation is a deeply thought-out and personal survey of ancient Greek culture." Times Higher Education Supplement

"The classicist approach to the topic is evident in his focus on artistic and literary developments and their relationship to history, politics, and everyday social practices." Art Book News Annual

List of Figures.
List of Maps.
List of Timelines.
Foreword: Looking Backward.
1. Greece in the Bronze Age.
2. Iron Age Greece.
3. The Poems of Hesiod and Homer.
4. Poetry and Sculpture of the Archaic Period.
5. Symposia, Seals, and Ceramics in the Archaic Period.
6. The Birth of Philosophy and the Persian Wars.
7. Setting the Stage for Democracy.
8. History and Tragedy in the Fifth Century BC.
9. The Peloponnesian War: A Tale of Thucydides.
10. Stage and Lawcourt in Late Fifth-Century BC Athens.
11. The Transformation of the Greek World in the Fourth Century BC.
12. Greek Culture in the Hellenistic Period.
Afterword: Looking Forward.
Glossary.
Index