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S O C I 4 9 9 T r a v e l & S t u d y I n G r e e c e : A V i r t u a l T o u r
C O U R S E B I B L I O G R A P H Y
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B I B L I O G R A P H Y |
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Ancient
Greece |
Please select an area of interest and browse the bibliography. |
Modern
Greece |
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Byzantine
Greece |
Literature |
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Ancient Athens is remembered today as the cradle of a civilization that stands as an ideal of the reasoned life, as the source of radical transformations of thought that remain with us today in ideas of citizenship, freedom, political organization, and social obligation. Christian Meier gently reminds us, however, that in this context, Athens was a collective of landed citizens numbering fewer than 150,000 individuals spanning four generations in the 6th and 5th centuries B.C.
Illustrated in color and written by nine experts from Britain and America, this volume offers fresh interpretations of classical Greek culture--devoting as much attention to the social, economic, and intellectual aspects as to politics and war. 149 color plates.
It is Thucydides special ability to portray & enliven that has provided us with the most revealing accounts of the people & events in that long war. Pericles funeral ovation, the plague, the civil war in Corcyra, the debate between Cleon & Diadotus, the Melian Dialogue & above all the ruin of the Siciian Expedition.
The companion book to the PBS series, "The Greeks" takes you on a personal tour through the formative years of Western civilization through the stories of fifteen extraordinary men and women who shaped the world, as we know it. Provides a real sense of wrestling with the evidence. No one reading this book will fail to appreciate the complexity of Ancient Greece.
This book comprehensively presents the subject with
narrative and illustrations.
This book examines social change in the cities of the Greek world and in the kingdoms that succeeded Alexander's empire. The investigation is set in the context of an up-to-date appraisal of the momentous military and political changes that took place after Alexander's reign. Graham Shipley's groundbreaking study also considers developments in literature, religion, philosophy, and science, establishing whether they departed radically from Classical Greek culture or developed continuously from it. In addition, he explores the divisions in Hellenistic culture separating an educated elite from the general population, which was more mobile than before, but perhaps less involved in city politics. The book offers an indispensable introduction to the Hellenistic world, and provides the reader with extensive translated source material and references for further study.
Running time: 165 minutes on two videocassettes in full color. It was perhaps the most spectacular flourishing of imagination and achievement in recorded history. In the Fourth and Fifth Centuries BC, the Greeks built an empire that stretched across the Mediterranean from Asia to Spain. They laid the foundations of modern science, politics, warfare and philosophy, and produced some of the most breathtaking art and architecture the world has ever seen. This series, narrated by Liam Neeson, recounts the rise, glory, demise and legacy of the empire that marked the dawn of Western civilization. The story of this astonishing civilization is told through the lives of heroes of ancient Greece. The latest advances in computer and television technology rebuilt the Acropolis, recreate the Battle of Marathon and restore the grandeur of the Academy, where Socrates, Plato and Aristotle forged the foundation of Western thought. This series combines dramatic storytelling, stunning imagery, groundbreaking research and distinguished scholarship to render classical Greece gloriously alive.
This superbly authoritative work provides a comprehensive guide to the rich and bewilderingly varied panoply of Greek and Roman mythology. It summarizes all the major legends and stories, from the creation of the cosmos to the aftermath of the Trojan War and the foundation of Rome, provides a detailed who's who of gods, heroes and mythical creatures, and discusses places, both real and imaginary, that are central to classical myth. Extensive quotations from the ancient literature are included throughout the text, helping to give a sense of the vibrant cultures that shaped the development of classical myth and legend. At the same time, attention is drawn to different versions of the same story and to the varying attitudes to major mythical figures taken by classical poets and playwrights. The impact of mythology on ancient and postclassical art is also discussed, as is the link occasionally to be found in stories and legends between mythology and history.
Of all the world's ancient civilizations, it is perhaps Ancient Greece that has the strongest hold over the modern imagination. The history, philosophy and literature continue to intrigue and enthrall. Now John Hazel has compiled the definitive biographical guide to the Greek and Hellenistic world from 750 BC to the end of the Roman Empire. Subjects covered include: Philosophers such as Socrates and Plato, Poets, including Sappho and Sophocles, Monarchs and warriors from Alexander the Great to the brilliant Theban general Epaminondas, Memorably infamous figures such as the traitor Ephalites and Alexander’s corrupt treasurer Harpalus. Cross-references, select bibliography and a glossary of terms make this an excellent introduction to the world of the Ancient Greeks and an invaluable reference resource.
A modern retelling of the creation myths, the legends of the birth and lives of the Olympians, and the stories of Theseus, Oedipus, Heracles, the Argonauts, and the Trojan War. In a work that has become a classic reference book for both the serious scholar and the casual inquirer, Graves retells the adventures of the important gods and heroes worshipped by the ancient Greeks. Each entry provides a full commentary, which examines problems of interpretation in both historical and anthropological terms, and in light of contemporary research.
Renowned for her love and knowledge of classical
literature, Edith Hamilton created a legendary bestseller in this masterful
retelling of the great Greek, Roman, and Norse myths. A collection of Greek and
Roman myths collected from various classical sources. Includes a brief section
on Norse mythology.
Organized from A to Z, this book contains a plethora of information about the figures that make up the mythologies of the Greek world. Lavishly illustrated in full color, this is the perfect reference book and a wonderful read for anyone interested in ancient mythology. Populated by the pantheon of gods, goddesses, and heroes of the Greek civilization, this book is a visual feast as well as an instructive and delightful journey back in time. Full color photographs.
The heritage of Greece has inspired and shaped Western Science, art, and philosophy. Yet who are the Greeks? Who were the people who built the Parthenon? What are the links between those times and the Greeks of today? Drawing together the many rich fragments of Greek culture, an international team of experts, headed by Robert Browning, analyzes every facet of Greek history. They are aided by a magnificent array of pictures that set the latest discoveries beside the acknowledged masterpieces and vividly depict the extraordinary Greek landscape, the art and the people. The recent story of Greece is traced through four centuries of Ottoman rule to a time of far reaching Diaspora. After capturing the imagination of the West in the 1820s with its struggle for independence, Greece now has its own special place in the world, guardian of an incredible cultural heritage and mother country to Greek communities around the world. |
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Mark Whittow presents a clear, up-to-date reassessment of the Byzantine Empire during a crucial phase in the history of the Near East. Against a geopolitical background (superbly illustrated with fourteen maps), his book covers the last decade of the Roman empire as a superpower, the catastrophic crisis of the seventh century, and the means whereby the embattled Byzantine empire hung on in Constantinople and Asia Minor until the Abbasid Caliphate's decline opened up new perspectives for Christian power in the Near East. A special feature is Whittow's coverage of Byzantium's neighbors, allies, and enemies in Europe and Asia. He stresses the geographical context of events, often overlooked in other accounts of this period. The origins of Russia, relations with the nomad powers of the steppe world, the competition between Bulgars, Romans, and Slavs in the Balkans, and the frequently ignored region of the TransCaucasus are all given extended treatment. No such wide-ranging work has appeared in English for nearly 30 years, and Whittow's book will be invaluable for all scholars, students, and enthusiasts of medieval history.
The author reveals the extraordinary world of Byzantium in all its grandeur and complexity, surveying Byzantine art within a broad cultural and historical context. Themes emerge: the role of the imperial city within the empire; the place and representation of women; urban and country life; the domestic and secular spheres and the religious and public realms of church, palace, and street. Examining art styles and motifs, Matthews gives fresh readings to icons and iconoclasm, architecture, and the decorative arts. From Roman portraits to the domes of the great church of Hagia Sophia, from the richly colored mosaics of church interiors to the grand spaces of Byzantine mansions, from the distant reaches of Caucasus to imperial Ravenna and Norman Palermo, Matthews leads us on an unforgettable tour of an empire.
For more than a 1000 years, Byzantium flourished at the crossroads of the Eastern and Western worlds. But who were the people of the first modern civilized state? What features distinguished them from earlier civilizations, and what cultural characteristics, despite their multi-ethnic origins, made them uniquely Byzantine? Through a series of remarkably detailed composite portraits, an international collection of distinguished scholars has created a startlingly clear vision of the Byzantines and their social world. Paupers, peasants, soldiers, teachers, bureaucrats, clerics, emperors, and saints--all are vividly and authentically presented in the context of ordinary Byzantine life. No comparable volume exists that so fascinatingly recovers from the past the men and women of Byzantium, their culture and their life ways, and their strikingly modern worldview.
Byzantium was dismissed by Gibbon, in the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, and his Victorian successors as a decadent, dark Oriental culture, given up to intrigue, forbidden pleasure and refined cruelty. The great empire, founded by Constantine as the seat of power in the East, flourished in the fifth century AD during the period of the fall of Rome, yet its culture and history have been neglected by scholars, compared to the interest shown in the Western and Roman empire. The author offers an insight into the nature of the Byzantine Empire in the fifth century; the prevalence of Christianity; the enormity and variety of the landscape of Asia Minor; the history of invasion during the epoch and the wealth of artistic and architectural achievement. |
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Acclaimed for its penetration, balance, and insight, Modern Greece tells the story of Greece and its people, from the founding of Constantinople to the eclipse of socialism in the late twentieth century. C. M. Woodhouse is uniquely qualified to write the history of Greece, having served there in the Allied military and the British embassy during and after World War II before writing several books on Greece. In this classic work, which Woodhouse has updated five times to create a truly masterful piece of literature.
Against the backdrop of ever-increasing nationalist violence during the last decade of the twentieth century, this book challenges standard analyses of nation formation by elaborating on the nation's dreamlike hold over the modern social imagination. The author argues that the national fantasy lies at the core of the Enlightenment imaginary, embodying its central paradox: the intertwining of anthropological universality with the primacy of a cultural ideal.
This volume is a collection of the author's research treatises and studies bearing on several aspects of Greek civil society and politics. The 16 chapters cover a wide spectrum of topics on Greek society, civil-military relations, and politics.
The Elgin Marbles, designed and executed by Phidias to adorn the Parthenon, are some of the most beautiful sculptures of ancient Greece. In 1801 Lord Elgin, then British ambassador to the Turkish government, had pieces of the frieze of Parthenon sawn off and removed to Britain, where they remain, igniting a storm of controversy which has continued to the present day. In this book the author recounts the history of these precious sculptures and forcefully makes the case for their return to Greece.
'Xeniteia', or sojourning in foreign parts, is central to the experience of the Greek people in modern times. Yet the study of the emergence and present state of the Greek communities, in many cases large and prosperous, that exist in many parts of the world has not so far received the attention it deserves. This volume brings together studies of a number of the major communities of the Diaspora: the United States, Australia, Canada, South Africa, Russia/Georgia and Egypt.
No one will ever be so favorably placed to write the history of the Greek Civil War as Woodhouse. As Commander of the Allied Military Mission to the Greek Guerrillas in German-occupied Greece in 1943-4, he had to hold an uneasy balance between the combatants. Against a background of conflicting doctrine, shifting alliances, territorial disputes and personality differences, the three round Communist struggles for Greece began in 1941. |
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The story of the mythical hero Theseus, slayer of the Minotaur, abductor of princesses, and king of Athens presented in these pages as a clearly defined personality; brave, aggressive and quick. The core of the story is Theseus' Cretan adventure. One of the most enduringly popular historical novels of our time, the story of young Theseus is a spellbinding blend of myth and imagination set in ancient Greece.
Follow the continuing saga of the hero Theseus describing his triumphant return from Crete after slaying the Minotaur.
In fourth-century B.C. Greece, Nikeratos, a tragic actor takes with him on all his travels a gold mask of Apollo, a relic of the theater's golden age. The mask gradually becomes his conscience, and he refers to it his gravest decisions, when he finds himself at the center of a political crisis in which the philosopher Plato is also involved. Much of the action is set in Syracuse, where Plato's friend Dion is trying to persuade the young tyrant Dionysios the Younger to accept the rule of law. Through Nikeratos' eyes, the reader watches as the clash between the two looses all the pent-up violence in the city.
The biography of Alexander the Great presented as info/fiction.
Also a motion picture, this book offers a fictional reinterpretation of the Gospels by one of the giants of Modern Greek literature.
Also a motion picture, this novel tells the story of an
unnamed narrator is a scholarly, introspective writer who opens a coalmine on
the island of Crete. An elderly employee named Zorba, an ebullient impulsive man
who revels in the social pleasures of eating, drinking, and dancing, gradually
draws him out of his ascetic shell. The narrator's reentry into a life of
experience is completed when his newfound lover, the village widow, is ritually
murdered by a jealous mob. Kazantzakis
has written many books all of which are highly recommended. Below is a partial
list:
At the Palaces of Knossos: A Novel |
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The
Cambridge Illustrated History of Ancient Greece
Who's
Who in the Greek World
Mythology:
Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes
The
Greek World, Classical, Byzantine and Modern
The
Byzantines
Modern
Greece: A Short History
Dream
Nation, Enlightenment, Colonization and the Institution of Modern Greece
Studies
on Modern Greek Society and Politics
The
Elgin Marbles, Should They Be Returned to Greece?
The
Greek Diaspora In The Twentieth Century
The
Struggle for Greece 1941-1949
The
King Must Die
The
Bull from the Sea
The
Mask of Apollo
The
Nature of Alexander
The
Last Temptation of Christ
Zorba
the Greek
Grind
the Big Tooth, A Collection of Contemporary Greek Poetry
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2000 Omicron Group Project.
This page last updated Saturday, December 04, 2004 05:57 PM