Maps Preface Acknowledgments About the Authors Timeline Pronunciation Guide 1. A Small, Far-Off Land Historical Sketch Why Study the Greeks? Who Were the Greeks? The Structure of This Book: History, Culture, and Society Key Terms Further Reading 2. Country and People Greek Geography, Climate, and Agriculture Demography Migration Health and Disease Nutrition Economic Growth in Ancient Greece Key Terms Further Reading 3. The Greeks at Home Gender Relationships: Ideals and Realities Sexuality Adults and Children Key Terms Further Reading 4. The Greeks Before History, 12,000-1200 BC The End of the Last Ice Age, 13,000-9500 BC The Origins of Agriculture, 9500-5000 BC Neolithic Society and Economy, 5000-3000 BC The Early Bronze Age, 3000-2300 BC The Middle Bronze Age, 2300-1800 BC The Age of Minoan Palaces, 2000-1600 BC The Rise of Mycenaean Greece, 1750-1500 BC The End of Minoan Civilization, 1600-1400 BC Mycenaean Greece: Archaeology, Linear B, and Homer The End of the Bronze Age, c. 1200 BC Key Terms Further Reading 5. The Dark Age, 1200-800 BC The Collapse of the Old States Life Among the Ruins Dark Age "Heroes" Art and Trade in the Dark Age The Eighth-Century BC Renaissance: Economy The Eighth-Century BC Renaissance: Society The Eighth-Century BC Renaissance: Culture Conclusion Key Terms Further Reading 6. Homer The Homeric Question Milman Parry and Oral Poetry The Oral Poet in Homer Heinrich Schliemann and the Trojan War The Tragic Iliad Homer and the Invention of Plot The Comic Odyssey Odysseus and Homer Key Terms Further Reading 7. Religion and Myth Definitions of Religion and Myth Hesiod's Myth of the Origin of the Gods Greek Religion in History Forms of Greek Religious Practice Hesiod's Myth of Sacrifice Gods and Other Mysterious Beings Chthonic Religion The Ungrateful Dead and the Laying of the Ghost Ecstatic and Mystical Religion Conclusion Key Terms Further Reading 8. Archaic Greece, 800-480 BC: Economy, Society, Politics Government by Oligarchy Elite Culture The Tyrants The Structure of Archaic States Conclusion Key Terms Further Reading 9. The Archaic Cultural Revolution, 800-480 BC Natural Philosophy in Miletus Pythagoras: Philosophy and Social Science in the West Hecataeus, Herodotus, and Historiê Lyric Poetry Material Culture Art and Thought in Sixth-Century BC Greece Key Terms Further Reading 10. A Tale of Two Archaic Cities: Sparta and Athens, 800-480 BC Sparta Spartiates, Perioikoi, and Helots Plutarch's Sparta Spartan Government Athens The Seventh-Century bc Crisis Solon Pisistratus and the Consequences of Solon's Reforms Dêmokratia Athens Submits to Persia Key Terms Further Reading 11. Persia and the Greeks, 550-490 BC Empires of the Ancient Near East Cyrus and the Rise of Persia, 559-530 BC Cambyses and Darius, 530-521 BC Persia's Northwest Frontier and the Ionian Revolt, 521-494 BC The Battle of Marathon, 490 BC Key Terms Further Reading 12. The Great War, 480-479 BC Storm Clouds in the West Storm Clouds in the East The Storm Breaks in the West: The Battle of Himera, 480 BC The Storm Breaks in the East: The Battle of Thermopylae, 480 BC The Fall of Athens The Battle of Salamis The End of the Storm: Battles of Plataea and Mycale, 479 BC Conclusion Key Terms Further Reading 13. Democracy and Empire: Athens and Syracuse, 479-431 BC The Expansion of the Syracusan State, 479-461 BC The Western Democracies, 461-433 BC Economic Growth in Western Greece, 479-433 BC Cimon and the Creation of the Athenian Empire, 478-461 BC The First Peloponnesian War, 460-446 BC Pericles and the Consolidation of Athenian Power, 446-433 BC Economic Growth in the Aegean The Edge of the Abyss, 433-431 BC Key Terms Further Reading 14. Art and Thought in the Fifth Century BC Philosophy Material Culture Key Terms Further Reading 15. Fifth-Century BC Drama Tragedy The City Dionysia The Theater of Dionysus Narrative Structure Character and Other Dimensions of Tragedy Tragic Plots Conclusion The Origins of Comedy The Plots of Old Comedy The Structures of Old Comedy Conclusion Key Terms Further Reading 16. The Peloponnesian War and Its Aftermath, 431-399 BC The Archidamian War, 431-421 BC The Peace of Nicias and the Sicilian Expedition, 421-413 BC Sicily and the Carthaginian War, 412-404 BC The Ionian War, 412-404 BC Aftermath, 404-399 BC Conclusion Key Terms Further Reading 17. The Greeks Between Persia and Carthage, 399-360 BC Sparta's Empire, 404-360 BC Economy, Society, and War Sparta's Collapse, 371 BC Anarchy in the Aegean, 371-360 BC Carthage and Syracuse, 404-360 BC The Golden Age of Syracuse, 393-367 BC Anarchy in the West, 367-345 BC Conclusion Key Terms Further Reading 18. Greek Culture in the Fourth Century BC Material Culture Plato Aristotle Conclusion Key Terms Further Reading 19. Philip and Alexander the Great, Warlords of Macedon Macedonia Before Philip II Philip's Struggle for Survival, 359-357 BC Philip Consolidates His Position, 357-352 BC Philip Seeks a Greek Peace, 352-346 BC The Struggle for a Greek Peace, 346-338 BC Philip's End, 338-336 BC Alexander the King The Conquest of Persia, 334-330 BC Key Terms Further Reading 20. Alexander the God The Fall of the Great King Darius, 331-330 BC Alexander in the East, 330-324 BC War in India, 327-326 BC The Long March Home, 326-324 BC The Last Days, 324-323 BC Conclusion Key Terms Further Reading 21. The Greek Kingdoms in the Hellenistic Century, 323-220 BC The Wars of the Successors, 323-301 BC The Hellenistic World After the Battle of Ipsus The Seleucid Empire Ptolemaic Egypt The Antigonids: Macedonia Conclusion Key Terms Further Reading 22. The Greek Poleis in the Hellenistic Century, 323-220 BC Impoverishment and Depopulation in Mainland Greece Athens in Decline Sparta's Counterrevolution The Western Greeks: Agathocles of Syracuse (361-289/8 BC) Pyrrhus of Epirus Hellenistic Society: The Weakening of Egalitarianism Conclusion Key Terms Further Reading 23. Hellenistic Culture, 323-30 BC Hellenistic Historians Poetry Material Culture Hellenistic Philosophy Medicine Quantitative Science in the Hellenistic Age Conclusion Key Terms Further Reading 24. The Coming of Rome, 220-30 BC The Rise of Rome, 753-280 BC Rome, Carthage, and the Western Greeks, 280-200 BC Rome Breaks the Hellenistic Empires, 200-167 BC Consequences of the Wars: The Greeks Consequences of the Wars: The Romans Rome's Military Revolution The Agony of the Aegean, 99-70 BC Pompey's Greek Settlement, 70-62 BC The End of Hellenistic Egypt, 61-30 BC Aftermath Key Terms Further Reading 25. Conclusion The Bronze Age (ca. 3000-1200 BC; Chapter 4) The Dark Age (ca. 1200-800 BC; Chapter 5) The Archaic Period (c. 800-480 BC; Chapters 6-10) The Classical Period (c. 480-323 BC; Chapters 11-18) The Macedonian Takeover (c. 350-323 BC; Chapters 19-22) The Hellenistic Period (c. 323-30 BC; Chapters 22-24) Conclusion Credits Index and Glossary

The Greeks is quite simply the best introduction available to the ancient Hellenes, whose contributions to modern civilization are exceptional in their creativity and scope, from philosophy to democracy and from the invention of the alphabet to that of the analog computer. The authors' breadth of vision and insight is based on a thoroughly interdisciplinary approach that embraces art, archaeology, history, language, society, ecology, literature, and the contributions of the ancient Near East. Their clarity of judgement and sureness of touch make this book a reliable guide to a part of humanity's past without which we cannot understand our present or shape our future."-Richard Janko, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor

"The Greeks is quite simply the best introduction available to the ancient Hellenes, whose contributions to modern civilization are exceptional in their creativity and scope, from philosophy to democracy and from the invention of the alphabet to that of the analog computer. The authors' breadth of vision and insight is based on a thoroughly interdisciplinary approach that embraces art, archaeology, history, language, society, ecology, literature, and the contributions of the ancient Near East. Their clarity of judgement and sureness of touch make this book a reliable guide to a part of humanity's past without which we cannot understand our present or shape our future."--Richard Janko, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor "Morris and Powell offer a rich and clear-eyed journey through the complex world of ancient Greece, including full treatments of the Hellenistic era and the 'coming of Rome' down to the battle of Actium. Careful examinations of historical and cultural cause and effect help us understand why things might have happened in a certain way, while still showing how many open questions remain; discussions of geography, demography, economics, and the experiences of other Mediterranean cultures introduce some of the complicated factors that underlie the historical narrative. Morris and Powell help us understand the Greeks--and they also use the Greeks to help us understand history."--Sarah Brown Ferrario, The Catholic University of America

Selling point: Offers a holistic view of ancient Greece: not just a narrative of events, or an overview of culture, but history and culture taken together Selling point: Provides a broad, chronological framing of ancient Greek history from the end of the Ice Age to the irresistible progress of Roman armies across the Mediterranean Selling point: Places the Greeks as part of a larger Mediterranean world. The authors instead integrate the Greeks of Sicily and southern Italy into the narrative, showing how thoroughly linked developments were in eastern and western Greece. Selling point: In contrast to older accounts that present non-Greek peoples like the Persians and Carthaginians as cardboard characters, the authors make clear their own motivations and their own contributions to the larger story Selling point: Generous quotations from ancient authors that help readers understand who the Greeks were and what they accomplished Selling point: To assist student readers, the authors provide a pronunciation guide for the first time that difficult names appear in the text, and they put important names, places, and concepts in bold letters