World Eras: Classical Greek Civilization (800–323 B.C.E.)

John T. Kirby

2000

"From BOOKLIST: "This volume introduces a new series patterned after Gale's popular American Decades and American Eras series. Volume 1, The European Renaissance and Reformation, and volume 2, Roman Republic and Empire, will be published later this year. The goal of the series "is to enrich the traditional historical study of 'kings and battles' with a resource that promotes understanding of daily life and the cultural institutions that affect people's beliefs and behaviors." Following a time line and a lengthy introduction, the volume is divided into 10 topical chapters, among them "The Arts," "Social Class System and the Economy," "The Family and Social Trends," and "Religion and Philosophy." These divisions will be standard throughout the series. Except for chapter one, "World Events," which provides context with a list of events outside Greece, each chapter follows the same general plan. A chronology and an overview precede a series of articles on various topics. Among the 13 topics treated in chapter 2, "The Arts," are architecture, sculpture, and tragedy. Chapter 7, "Leisure, Recreation, and Daily Life," covers seven topics, including food and housing. These articles generally range in length from two to four pages and are followed by biographical profiles. "The Arts" has the fullest biographical content, with 17 profiles; some chapters have only 1 profile, and others have none. Each chapter concludes with a discussion of documentary sources. The text is supported by numerous black-and-white illustrations, as well as sidebars and maps. Sidebars provide extra information on selected topics, such as coinage or travel, and often excerpt primary source material. Following the main text are a glossary and a general bibliography. This bibliography, which for the most part cites titles that might be found in an academic library, is in addition to the lists of sources appended to the articles. For a similar audience, Greenwood's Daily Life of the Ancient Greeks (1998), part of its useful Daily Life through History series, delivers information in a straight narrative. Gale's accessible reference format makes this first entry in the World Eras series a good choice for high-school and undergraduate libraries, especially where American Eras and American Decades are popular." — RBB (American Library Association)"