History - Ancient - Greece

The Hellenistic Age chronicles the years 336 to 30 BCE, a period that witnessed the overlap of two of antiquity's great civilizations, the Greek and the Roman. Peter Green's remarkably far-ranging study covers the prevalent themes and events of those centuries: the Hellenization, by...

Translated by Aubrey de Sélincourt with an introduction and Notes by John M. Marincola. For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of...

"The father of history," as Cicero called him, and a writer possessed of remarkable narrative gifts, enormous scope, and considerable charm, Herodotus has always been beloved by readers well-versed in the classics. Compelled by his desire to "prevent the traces of human events from...

The Histories of Herodotus is considered the founding work of history in Western literature. Written in 440 BC in the Ionic dialect of classical Greek, The Histories serves as a record of the ancient traditions, politics, geography, and clashes of various cultures that were...

"Unquestionably the best English translation of Herodotus to have appeared in the past half-century." --The Times Literary Supplement In Tom Holland's vibrant translation, one of the great masterpieces of Western history springs to life. Herodotus of Halicarnassus--hailed by Cicero as the "Father of History"--composed...

The History of Herodotus — Volume 1 331 (return) [ See the remarks of P.-L. Courier (on Larcher's version) in the preface to his specimens of a new translation of Herodotus (OEuvres compltes de P.-L. Courier, Bruxelles, 1828).] 332 (return) [ Mr. Woods, for...

The History of Herodotus — Volume 2 This text was prepared from the third edition, printed in 1914, by MacMillan and Co., Limited, St. Martin's Street, London. Greek text has been transliterated and marked with brackets, as in the opening citation above. 1. In...

A definitive and refreshingly readable new translation of Thucydides's History of the Peloponnesian War, paired with a brilliant introduction on how to read and understand Thucydides Thucydides called his work a "possession for all time," and his History of the Peloponnesian War has been...

Written four hundred years before the birth of Christ, this detailed contemporary account of the struggle between Athens and Sparta stands an excellent chance of fulfilling the author's ambitious claim that the work "was done to last forever." The conflicts between the two empires...

Arrian's Campaigns of Alexander, widely considered the most authoritative history of the brilliant leader's great conquests, is the latest addition to the acclaimed Landmark series. After twelve years of hard-fought campaigns, Alexander the Great controlled a vast empire that was bordered by the Adriatic...

"The most densely annotated, richly illustrated, and user friendly edition" of the greatest classical work of history ever written (Daniel Mendelsohn, The New Yorker)--from the editor of the widely praised The Landmark Thucydides.Cicero called Herodotus "the father of history," and his only work, The...

Thucydides called his account of two decades of war between Athens and Sparta "a possession for all time," and indeed it is the first and still the most famous work in the Western historical tradition. Considered essential reading for generals, statesmen, and liberally educated...

From the editor of the widely praised The Landmark Thucydides and The Landmark Herodotus, here is a new edition of Xenophon's Hellenika, the primary source for the events of the final seven years and aftermath of the Peloponnesian War. Hellenika covers the years between...

"Consider just this, and give your minds to this alone: whether or not what I say is just" Plato's account of Socrates' trial and death (399 BC) is a significant moment in Classical literature and the life of Classical Athens. In these four dialogues,...

The trial and death of Socrates (469-399 BCE) have almost as central a place in Western consciousness as the trial and death of Jesus. In four superb dialogues, Plato provides the classic account. Euthyphro finds Socrates outside the court-house, debating the nature of piety,...

Subtitled, The Heroic Battles of the Greeks and Persians at Marathon, Salamis, and Thermopylae, this is a great retelling of those epic ancient battles which shaped the course of Western Civilization. All the great characters are there: Darius and Xerxes, the Persian Kings; the...

An up-to-date introduction to the mysterious, ancient European civilization. This book offers an authoritative introduction to the world of the Minoans, the first "modern" civilization on European soil. With its grand palaces, a sophisticated bureaucracy, an indecipherable writing system, exquisite artworks, powerful depictions of...

What was it like to attend the ancient Olympic Games? With the summer Olympics' return to Athens, Tony Perrottet delves into the ancient world and lets the Greek Games begin again. The acclaimed author of Pagan Holiday brings attitude, erudition, and humor to the...

The Origin of TyrannyThe seventh and sixth centuries B.C. constitute from many points of view one of the most momentous periods in the whole of the worlds history. No doubt the greatest final achievements of the Greek race belong to the two centuries that...

"The greatest historian that ever lived." Such was Macaulay's assessment of Thucydides (c. 460-400 BC) and his history of the Peloponnesian War, the momentous struggle between Athens and Sparta that lasted for twenty-seven years from 431 to 404 BC, involved virtually the whole of...