Review: Introducing the Ancient Greeks: From Bronze Age Seafarers to Navigators of the Western Mind

Introducing the Ancient Greeks: From Bronze Age Seafarers to Navigators of the Western Mind by Edith Hall
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Introducing the Ancient Greeks: From Bronze Age Seafarers to Navigators of the Western Mind by Edith Hall is an exceptional review of the impact of the ancient Greeks and clearly describes how these innovators gained their knowledge and scattered their culture abroad to what ultimately becomes known as the Roman Empire. Hall uses ten characteristics unique to the ancient Greeks and how each of these characteristics manifest themselves, especially in literature and archaeology. Hall begins the tale with the Mycenaeans who inhabited the island of Crete during the late Bronze Age and continues the narrative through the colonization of Asia Minor, the Persian Wars, the Peloponnesian War, and the conquests of Macedonian and Rome. With each time period, she brilliantly connects the characteristics and shows how they evolve and developed over the centuries. The evidence does become rather slim after the conquests of Macedonia under Alexander the Great - almost as if the characteristics become diluted, as if the characteristics became a shadowy reflection of what the ancient Greeks ultimately become.

The most interesting aspects of Introducing the Ancient Greeks were the archaeology commentary. The ancient Greeks left a wealth of information in their pottery, palaces, and temples, giving scholars the foundation in which to understand how the ancient Greeks lived, which only highlighted the evidence of Hall’s thesis that many of the skills and ideas commonly associated with the ancient Greeks have roots in cultures that predate them.

My only complaint about the book is that there is no new information or new theory being presented. It is an ideal book for anyone who is new to the study of the ancient Greeks but those who have studied the culture would find that the book has nothing new to add to the history. If you are really into the ancient Greeks, you will enjoy the book just to reread the philosophy and mythology (who can really get tired of reading those?).


View all my reviews