Philosophy, art, democracy, language, even computers--the glories of Greek civilization have shaped our world even more profoundly than we realize. Pericles and the Parthenon may be familiar, but what of Epaminondas, the Theban general who saved the Greek world from Spartan tyranny? Alexander the Great's fame has rolled down the centuries, but the golden Hellenistic Age that followed is largely forgotten. "Byzantine" conjures decadence and deadly intrigue, yet the thousand-year empire that ruled from Constantinople and saved Europe twice from invasion was, in fact, Greek.

Greece's modern chapter, too, tells of triumph and calamity--from liberation and expansion to schism, homegrown dictatorship, Nazi occupation, and civil war. Today's nation is battered by austerity, encroaching climate change, and a refugee crisis--yet unwavering in its ancient values.

James Heneage captures the full Grecian drama in this riveting, short history, revealing Greece as the wellspring of Western civilization--and a model that may yet save modern democracy.

Author: James Heneage
Binding Type: Paperback
Publisher: Experiment
Published: 03/21/2023
Series: Shortest History
Pages: 272
Weight: 0.55lbs
Size: 7.70h x 5.10w x 0.90d
ISBN: 9781615199488


Review Citation(s):
School Library Journal 04/01/2023 pg. 76

About the Author

James Heneage author of four bestselling historical novels set in Byzantium. He founded the Ottakar's chain of bookshops (now owned by Waterstones), chaired the Cheltenham Literary Festival, and set up his own festival dedicated to history with author James Holland: the Chalke Valley History Festival, now in its ninth year. He lives in Wiltshire, England.