Author Description

From the Bronze Age and Mycenaean culture to the final collapse of ancient Greek civilization, the history of the Greek world with its language, culture, political systems, philosophy, art, and architecture has fascinated countless generations. From the acts of citizen soldiers who safeguarded Greek civilization when it was threatened by the Persians to the Greek writers, poets, architects, politicians, and philosophers on whose foundations Western culture has been built, the Greek influence endures. Even their mythology, which relates everything from the origins of the gods to the heroic exploits of Greek warriors, and the ruins of their once thriving, cosmopolitan cities continue to captivate the imaginations of students, scholars, and general readers of all ages. Annotation. Though lavish in its use of color photos, there are surprisingly few maps in this atlas. The chapters provide a competent and accessible overview of the history of ancient Greece, beginning with the Minoans, Greek mythology, and Mycenae and continuing to the advent of Rome. Greek philosophy, religion, daily life, love of sports, and art and architecture are the subject of individual chapters.