The Ancient Greeks: An Introduction

by Stephanie Lynn Budin

Overview

This accessible introduction surveys the land and peoples who gave us the Labyrinth, the Acropolis, the Iliad and Odyssey, Herodotus and Thucydides, Sappho and Sophocles, Aphrodite and Aristotle, and so much more. Using the full range of resources of art history, archaeology, and philology, this book details the familiar—mythic heroes and heroines, famous philosophers and poets, as well as classical art and architecture—and introduces the less-well-known aspects of ancient Greece, notably the civilizations of the Bronze and Dark Ages and even the earliest form of written Greek—Linear B. In addition, Stephanie Lynn Budin offers a full history of how the study of classical Greece has evolved from ancient times through the Middle Ages and the Renaissance to the present day. She covers ongoing questions and new directions in Greek studies, including Minoan religion, the role of women in early Greek cultures, the historical accuracy of Homer and Herodotus, and the role of Greece amongst its non-Greek neighbors. The Ancient Greeks includes a rich collection of illustrations, drawings, maps, and photographs, including detailed renderings of Knossos, the evolution of Greek sculpture and pottery, and even a section on ancient weaponry. The result is a superb companion for both newcomers and long-time Hellenophiles, revealing not only what we know about ancient Greece but how we know it and how these cultures continue to influence us.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780195379846
Publisher:	Oxford University Press
Publication date:	03/23/2009
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	496
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.10(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

Stephanie Lynn Budin is the author of The Myth of Sacred Prostitution in Antiquity and The Origin of Aphrodite.

Table of Contents

Series Editor's PrefacePreface and AcknowledgmentsPart 1: Introduction1. IntroductionWhat Did the Greeks Contribute to Modern Society?Part 2: Greek Civilization2. Location of Greek Civilization and Environmental SettingThe Greek MainlandCreteCycladesAsia Minor's West CoastCyprus3. Historical and Chronological SettingThe History of Greek StudiesSources for the Study of Greek HistoryChronology4. Origins, Growth, and Decline of Greek CivilizationCreteThe MainlandThe Dark AgeThe Eighth-Century Renaissance and the Archaic AgeThe Classical Period—From the Persian Invasions to the Death of AlexanderThe Rise and Fall of the5 EconomicsHellenistic Kingdoms: 323-30 B.C.E.Palace Economics of the Aegean Bronze AgeTrade in the Late Bronze AgeThe Dark AgeThe Early EmporiaArchaic and Classical Greece6. Social Organization and Social StructureDivisionsUnionsGroups7. PoliticsMinoan Crete: Kings? Queens? Priestesses? Priests? The Dark Age and "Epic" KingshipThe Archaic Age: Synoecism, Aristocracy, and TyrannyForms of Rule in the Classical Period: Oligarchy and DemocracyPolitics beyond the PolisAlexander and the HellenisticMonarchiesAncient Greek Law8. Religion and IdeologyMinoan ReligionMycenaean ReligionGreek Religion in the Historical Periods9. Material CultureArchitectureSculpturePotteryClothingArms and ArmorThe Art of Death10. Intellectual AccomplishmentsLiteratureSciencePhilosophyPart 3: Current Assessments11. Major Controversies and Future Directions in the Study of Greek CivilizationExcavationLinear AMinoan DeitiesThe Dark AgeNon-Athenian CultureForeign RelationsWomen in Ancient GreeceGlossaryChronologyResources for Further StudyIndexAbout the Author