Ancient Greece

At first glance, the civilization of ancient Greece, with its ruined temples, vanished gods and age-old mythology, may seem to belong entirely to the past. Over the centuries, however, the culture forged by the ancient Greeks has had a profound influence upon the development of modern Western civilization, and in many respects their ideas and achievements remain highly relevant in the modern world.

The ideas of ancient Greek thinkers contributed greatly to the foundation of contemporary philosophy, politics, mathematics, science, architecture, literature and a host of other subjects. Even our modern languages contain thousands of words of Greek origin.

The gods and heroes of Greek mythology, meanwhile, have long been absorbed into the modern literary tradition, and continue to exert a powerful hold on the modern imagination, providing inspiration and material for a plethora of novels, plays and films.

The same may also be said of a small number of real people, such as Alexander the Great, and of the actual historical events of the period, encompassing a wide panorama of history, from the invention of democracy to the many wars that were waged both between Greek city-states and with enemies from beyond the borders of Greece.

Often described as the cradle of modern European civilization, ancient Greece continues to fascinate everyone, from archaeologists to tourists. We know a surprising amount about ancient Greece and the lives of its varied inhabitants, largely because theirs was one of the first civilizations to leave behind a detailed written and artistic record.

This book aims to summarize what we understand today about the world of the ancient Greeks, including their history, their religion and mythology, their daily lives, their culture and the wars they fought.

The Greek revival

Interest in the world of the ancient Greeks intensified in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, when it became fashionable for wealthy aristocrats and academics to visit sites in the classical world. Greek ideas were soon taken up with enthusiasm throughout the arts and sciences.

Situated in the central Mediterranean, with easy access by sea to Egypt and north Africa, Asia Minor and what is now modern western Europe, Greece was positioned ideally as a centre of trade and cultural exchange. Its mountainous landscape, meanwhile, made invasion by outsiders difficult and allowed the various small city-states to develop in relative peace and largely independent of their neighbours.

Hot, dry and mountainous, mainland Greece offered little good farmland, so from an early date the Greeks explored far afield in search of places where they could grow crops to feed the population. Colonization of coastal areas throughout the Mediterranean and Black Sea region increased from around 750 BC, spreading Greek influence the length and breadth of the known world. By 600 BC, there were some 1,500 Greek colonies around the Mediterranean.

Thriving colonies were also established to the north and east, in what is now modern Bulgaria and Turkey, as well as on numerous islands in the Aegean Sea. There was also a strong Greek presence in north Africa, southern Italy, Sicily and southern France.

Everywhere the Greeks went, they took their culture with them, building temples, establishing trade links and communicating their ideas about religion, art, science and philosophy.