It’s never an easy task, I imagine, writing a book that surveys a broad period and a multitude of topics. Often with such books the reader gets either too much information and feels overwhelmed, or receives a more modest amount but in a way that’s oversimplified and risks producing a distorted picture. Robert Garland avoids both these pitfalls, and others, with his Ancient Greece: Everyday Life in the Birthplace of Western Civilization.
Garland’s book, which is part of a series entitled Everyday Life, produced by Sterling Publishing, gives an excellent overview of life in ancient Greece. Divided into eight chapters, it begins with an historical outline, delineating the major divisions within ancient Greek history—from the Mycenaean Period (ca. 1600- ca. 1100 BC) to the Hellenistic Period (323-31 BC). The following six chapters then examine the language, social life, politics, leisure, art, and many other spheres of the ancient Greeks. The final chapter winds down the discussion with a brief consideration for how the ancient Greek world has influenced the modern world, specifically with regard to culture and politics.
The book has a number of strengths. First, there is Garland’s shrewdness to present a topic with enough depth to arouse enthusiasm but not bog the reader down with too many details. He also provides pertinent passages, usually set off in a nice box, from a number of ancient sources. A quote from Thucydides, for instance, not only helps illuminate the discussion on myths (Chapter 7), but introduces the reader to one of our most valuable historians of the ancient Greek world.
Another strength is Garland’s good sense to avoid polemic. By neither excessively praising the Greeks on the one hand, or on the other sharply castigating them for aspects of their culture which many of us find quite deplorable, Garland maintains an appropriately objective look. Indeed whether it’s a discussion of the magnificence of the Parthenon and the artistic triumphs of the Greeks, or the zero-participation that women had in the political realm, Garland provides a contextualized and sensible discussion.
The result of Garland’s book (which includes a number of illustrations and pictures, though a surprisingly small number of maps) is an informative and thought-provoking account of life in ancient Greece.
Spectatio 