A History of Ancient Greece in Fifty Lives

by David Stuttard

Overview

The first book to tell the Greek story through the interconnecting lives of the men and women who shaped its politics and literature, its science and philosophy, its art and sport

The political leaders, writers, artists, and philosophers of ancient Greece turned a small group of city states into a pan-Mediterranean civilization, whose legacy can be found everywhere today. But who were these people, what do we know of their lives, and how did they interact with one another?

In this original new approach to telling the Greek story, David Stuttard weaves together the lives of the movers and shakers of the Greek world into a continuous narrative, from the early tyrant rulers Peisistratus and Polycrates, through the stirrings of democracy under Cleisthenes to the rise of Macedon under Philip II and Alexander the Great and the eventual decline of the Greek world as Rome rose. Moving from Sicily to Afghanistan, and from Macedonia to Alexandria; delving into the worlds of mathematics and geography, rhetoric and historiography, painting and sculpture; exploring the accounts of historians and mystics, poets and dramatists, political commentators and philosophers, this book creates a vivid picture of life in all arenas of the ancient Greek world. As well as the most famous politicians and writers, in these pages the reader will meet less well-known figures such as Milo, the Olympic wrestler who led his home town in a time of crisis; Aspasia, the brilliant female intellectual, who taught rhetoric to Socrates; and Epaminondas, the Theban who taught tactics to Philip of Macedon and so destroyed his own city.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780500772218
Publisher:	Thames & Hudson
Publication date:	10/24/2014
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	288
File size:	40 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.

About the Author

David Stuttard is the author of many books on classical antiquity, including Greek Mythology: A Traveler’s Guide from Mount Olympus to Troy, The Romans Who Shaped Britain, and the recent Nemesis: Alcibiades and the Fall of Athens.

Table of Contents

Introduction: History and Identity in the Ancient Creek World 8

Chapter 1 Of Gods and Heroes 14

Hesiod and Homer: The Birth of the Gods and the Ages of Man 18

Homer and the Beginnings of Biography 20

The Logograhoi and the Stirrings of Historiography 23

Chapter 2 The Age of Tyrants 26

Peisistratus (?c. 605-528) Tyrannos of Athens 27

Polycrates (?-522) Tyrannos of Somas 34

Sappho (post 630-c. 570) Lyric Poet 38

Pythagoras (c. 570-c. 485) Philosopher, Mystic and Mathematician 42

Milo (c 555-?) Wrestler and General 46

Hippias (?-490) Tyrannos of Athens 49

Cleisthenes (570-?507) Democratic Reformer 52

Histlaeus (?-? 404) Tyrannos of Miletus 57

Miltiades (c. 554-469) Tyrannos and General 61

Chapter 3 Greece in Peril 66

Cimon (c. 510-450) Politician and General 67

Themistocles (524-459) Politician and General 75

Leonidas (c. 540-480) Spartan King 80

Celon (?-478) Tyrannos of Syracuse 83

Hieron (?-467) Tyrannos of Syracuse 87

Pindar (c. 522-c. 442) Lyric Poet 90

Aeschylus (525/4-456/5) Tragic Playwright 93

Chapter 4 The Age of Pericles 98

Pericles (495-439) Statesman and General 100

Herodotus (c. 484-?420s) Historian 106

Sophocles (497/6-405) Tragic Playwright and Politician 110

Empedocles (c. 495-?) Philosopher and Mystic 114

Protagoras (490-420) Philosopher 117

Pheidias (c 480-c. 430) Sculptor 119

Aspasia (c. 470-c. 400) Intellectual 123

Chapter 5 World War 126

Alcibiades (450-404) Politician and General 127

Cleon (?-422) Politician and General 134

Thucydides (c. 455-c. 395) General and Historian 137

Aristophanes (c. 446-c. 386) Comic Playwright 141

Euripides (c. 485-406) Tragic Playwright 143

Zeuxis (?460-?) Artist 146

Gorgias (485-380) Philosopher and Rhetorician 148

Socrates (?469-399) Philosopher 151

Chapter 6 Fallout 156

Xenophon (c. 430-c 354) General, Historian, Literary Innovator 157

Lysander (?-395) Spartan General 165

Epaminondas (c. 418-362) Theban General 170

Lysias (445-380) Orator and Speech-Writer 175

Demosthenes (384-322) Orator and Politician 178

Plato (c. 427-348/7) Philosopher 183

Aristotle (385/4-322) Philosopher 188

Chapter 7 The Age of the Dynasts 194

Alexander III (356-323) King and Conqueror 195

Ptolemy I (367-283) General and Dynast 207

Demetrius of Phalerum (c. 347-c. 283) Governor of Athens and Scholar 212

Menander (342-291) Comic Playwright 216

Apelles (pre 360-?c. 295) Artist 219

Epicurus (341-270) Philosopher 222

Chapter 8 In the Shadow of Rome 226

Pyrrhus of Epirus (319-272) King and General 228

Apollonius of Rhodes (pre 270-?235) Poet and Scholar 236

Archimedes (c. 287-212) Mathematician and Inventor 239

Attalus I (269-197) King and General 242

Philopoemen (253-183) Statesman and General 246

Polybius (200-118) Politician and Historian 249

Chapter 9 Lives in a Mirror 254

Maps 260

Glossary 264

Timeline 266

Who's Who 272

Further Reading 276

Sources of Illustrations 281

Acknowledgments 281

Index 282

Editorial Reviews

"This biographical approach represents an interesting way to tell the history of ancient Greece. . . . Filled with beautiful illustrations and photographs, many in color. . . . Recommended."

Choice