Reflections on learning about history of Ancient Greece

"The history of the ancient Greeks is one of the most improbable success stories in world history. A small people inhabiting a country poor in resources and divided into hundreds of squabbling mini-states created one of the world's most remarkable cultures."

- Preface to "A Brief History of Ancient Greece: Politics, Society, and Culture" (2nd edition, 2009), page xv

So I recently finished reading a textbook about the history of Ancient Greece. (I've still got a long way to go in my book about the Ancient Greek language, but I've just finished my book about their history.) Fascinating stuff - I'm glad I invested the time in learning it.

My Greek language book

Why did I want to learn about Ancient Greece? (The brief answer)

I've been trying to learn Ancient Greek so that I can one day read the New Testament in the original. Thus, I thought that I should know something about the history and culture of the language. I was also interested in classical history anyway, and so I got myself a book about the history of Ancient Greece. I was anticipating something shorter and more pedestrian than this, not realizing I was getting a major textbook when signing up for this - it's rare to get a textbook for under $60, and so this seemed like it wouldn't be a textbook. But when I got it, I thought to myself that this was actually good: I could become something of an expert in the culture of a Bible language, and know something about the secular history of the West to boot.

Greek New Testament

I don't really recommend reading this, unless you're super-serious about learning the material

I don't really recommend reading this unless you're either taking a class where it's assigned, or unless you're super-serious about learning the material. This is a fairly demanding book, which requires a lot of concentration and attention, not to mention investment of time. Thus, this post will be more experiential, focused on my experiences with learning this, with some personal reflections on the content.

My Greek history book

What does this book cover? (Among other things, Sparta and Athens ... )

For starters, the book is called "A Brief History of Ancient Greece: Society, Politics, and Culture." (A pretty textbooky title, if you ask me.) It's co-written by a few different authors, and is a trimmed-down version of a larger textbook. This "brief" version is long enough - over 350 pages, with large pages and somewhat smaller print. (Took me five months to read it.) But for me, this was quite interesting; as it started around the Bronze Age, and went up through the Hellenistic period. There's an entire chapter about the Spartans, since Sparta was one of the largest city-states in Greece; and there are a few chapters about the Athenians, since Athens was arguably the most successful city-state of all.

The Parthenon

Greek city-states and the wars among themselves (and with foreigners)

One of the most fundamental things about Ancient Greece is that it was divided into city-states. Even though they spoke the same language, and had a similar culture and religion; they often made war on each other, and sometimes got into wars with non-Greeks as well (notably the Persians). There's also some coverage of the rise of the Macedonians; who did not consider themselves Greeks, but who were certainly close to being so. The Macedonian language (which has no living descendants, incidentally) was often considered a dialect of Greek, and the Macedonians spread Greek culture throughout the known world through the empire of Alexander the Great - one of the most important individuals in classical history.

Alexander the Great

Comments on their telling of the Peloponnesian War

There's also an entire chapter on the Peloponnesian War, which quotes extensively from Thucydides' famous history of that war. Naturally, this is in translation, since this textbook is in English; but enough of its meaning gets through to make the excerpts from it quite vivid. The Peloponnesian War is one of the saddest chapters in Greek history, because it involved a Spartan triumph over the Athenians, and was thus bad for democracy. But this period is certainly vivid, and no true account of a war will ever lack for drama.

Thucydides

Conclusion: I feel like I've gotten a good education

So all in all, quite fascinating to me. I feel like I've gotten a good education.

My Roman history book

Next on my list: A textbook about the Roman Empire

Next on my list: a textbook about the Roman Empire. Or in my best Hermione Granger impression, "Ancient Rome: A History." (You know that sounds like "Hogwarts: A History," doesn't it?) I look forward to reading and learning about this great civilization as well. And I'll continue to read my textbook about the Greek language, too.

" ... the dominant strand in the intellectual life of the eastern Mediterranean basin became what scholars call Hellenism, essentially a cosmopolitan form of Greek culture loosely based on Classical Greek literature. In this form Greek culture continued to flourish in the lands conquered by Alexander the Great and influenced the medieval civilizations of Byzantium and Islam and through them the culture of Europe and the Americas."

- Closing lines of the Epilogue to "A Brief History of Ancient Greece: Politics, Society, and Culture" (2nd edition, 2009), page 367

*****

Disclosure: I am an Amazon affiliate marketer, and can sometimes make money when you buy the product using the link(s) above.

If you liked this post, you might also like:

Reading about the trial of Socrates in the original Greek

A review of Bettany Hughes' "The Spartans"

A review of "Athens: The Dawn of Democracy"

A review of "The Greeks: Crucible of Civilization" (PBS Empires)

A review of Michael Wood's "In the Footsteps of Alexander the Great"

Reflections on learning about history of the Ancient Near East

Reflections on learning about history of Ancient Israel

Reflections on learning about history of Ancient Rome

Reflections on learning about history of Ancient Egypt

Reflections on learning about early Christianity and Rabbinic Judaism