Historical Atlas of Ancient Greece (Historical Atlas)
Product Description: From the days of Homer’s Mycenean culture until the final collapse of Ancient Greek civilization, the Greek World has provided an enduring fascination to countless generations. Its language, culture, political systems, philosophy, art and architecture still influence our everyday lives, while the stories of Greek warriors, mighty Gods, and glittering cities have captivated our imagination. This book traces the historical, cultural and political development of the Greeks, who created the first democratic society in the world, and whose empire under Alexander the Great spanned most of the known world. While her citizen soldiers safeguarded Greek civilization when it was threatened by the Persians, Greek writers, poets, architects, politicians and philosophers created a cultural legacy that still endures. In this lavishly illustrated book, the history and culture of this remarkable people are traced, allowing readers a clear and concise insight into the Greek World.
Subjects: European history: BCE to c 500 CE, World history, History, History - General History, History: World, Ancient Greece, Ancient - Greece, Reference, Civilization, Greece, Historical geography, Maps,
Excellent atlas to accompany historical study
I found this atlas very helpful as a companion to studying Greek history. It has detailed maps of Greece and surrounding area at different times in history such as the Persian Wars and the Peloponnesian War. These are all amplified by commentary.
Lots of Misinformation
I bought this book, sight unseen, as a way of developing my knowledge of the geography of Ancient Greece. I was not unhappy with the maps, although it would be nice to have more of them. But it is clear that the author and the editor have combined to make this a coffeetable book of little real use to anyone interested in expanding his or her understanding of the subject beyond the obvious. Each subtopic takes up about two pages, including illustrations. It's not enough for any real depth or even the inclusion of many pertinant facts.
Konstam has little apparent background in ancient Greek, although he seems to imply that he has by his use of italicized, transliterated words--erroneously as it turns out; for example, "basileios," meaning war lord(?)with a plural form of "basilei." He also mistranslates words ("anarchia" translated as no-archon, rather than no-government). In addition, as well as factual errors,there are numerous typographical errors throughout.
He states other things that are just plain wrong. For example, he maintains that the wooden horse of the Trojan war must be a post-Homeric addition to the myth because it doesn't appear in the Illiad. He fails to recognize that the wooden horse is at least referred to in the Odyssey. There are two places, one on a map and one in the main text, where the poet Pindar is described as having been "active" from 550-445 BC, a good trick--we should all be so lucky. There are also occasional grammatical howlers, which one would hope an editor would catch, if not the author himself. A good, professional editing job and a thorough overview by a real scholar of ancient Greece would have made this a more reliable book, one that would instill confidence in the reader.
