John R. Hale (1)Critiques

Very good course in combination with other courses or books on the greek and roman era as this is an overview of the practical side of archaeology and some famous archaeologists and sites that are part of forming the understanding and narrative of the history you've been reading. While this does of course dovetail said history, it's nearly always in the context of the sites and finds. Therefore, it's probably not a good stand-alone.

As soon as I finished, I wanted to start the book over again.

Fast moving with enough detail to intrigue but not so much that it drags. Explains how the development of the navy and naval strategies led to the Athenian dominance of the ancient world. Fast paced, skillful narrative.

Hale is a fabulous guide through Greece and Turkey. As an archaeologist, he brings a deep understanding and appreciation for history, but also for the culture that has shaped that part of the world. The lectures are full of videos and illustrations of the places he speaks of, so this is completely engrossing. As a lecturer, Professor Hale is smooth, friendly, non-academic, and full of good advice for tourists (e.g., wear a hat, watch for those slippery stones). This course will make you want to book your own several weeks long journey to the places he mentions--but of course, in 2016 that part of the world, especially Turkey, is not quite the relaxed, idyllic place it was in 2011 when this course was published. Let's hope that things eventually return to normal and we are able to once again pay our homage in person to the great Greek and Ottoman civilizations.

A great read following wily Greeks and more specifically Athenians, as they battle with triremes against, Spartans, Persians whoever, and they win more than they lose.

Fascinating book by someone who has studied the Athenian navy for forty years according to the preface. And yet, the book is very accessible vs being written for other scholars.

This covers the history of Athens and to a lesser extent Sparta from the time of King Leonidas and the 300 Spartans vs Persian thousands at the battle of Thermopylae until the reign of Alexander the Great.

I knew democracy was born in Greece at Athens. But I didn't realize democracy was a product of war and was maintained by warfare for generations. Once the Athenian navy was powerful enough to overawe their neighbors peace was maintained for long periods of time. Then they would stop supporting the navy to the same degree and as their power waned so did peace. Interesting analysis of naval power and the creation of democracy and the effects on Athenian society.

It's always interesting to learn about cultures that are so incredibly different then our own. We tend to think other cultures are more like us than not in many ways. And that is just not the way things have always been. But we look back in history sometimes we find that we, rather than the people of the past, are alien.

My first thought before I even started this book is, "why bother?" I already read Donald Kagan's phenomenal history of The Peloponnesian War, who is this guy and what can he possibly add? Well, it turns out Mr. Hale is not only a former student of Kagan, but he's the guy who twisted Kagan's arm to distill his 4-volume scholarly epic into the excellent book aimed at a broader audience. When that deal went down. Hale was contracted to write a sort of companion book that focused entirely on the Athenian Navy.

The story of the Athenian navy starts with the Persian wars. Athens at the time had a middling hoplite army that was less effective than Sparta and no better than the rest of the Greek city states. The decision to focus entirely on maritime supremacy launched a veritable golden age that peaked even after a stunning defeat in the Peloponnesian War. It wasn't until Alexander the Great humbled all of Greece that Athenian power ceased to be a dominate factor in the Aegean. For nearly 200 years prior to this, however, Athens won stunning victories against horrific odds, celebrated (and then sometimes ostracized) many generals; and experienced ebbs and flows within their novel democracy that led to the demise of some generals and the great teacher/philosopher Socrates. This latter bit is important when considering the military history of Greece during this time -- knowing the outcome of the battles is not nearly enough, the context changed so rapidly that the same general (like Alcibiades) might find himself fighting on different sides during the course of his career.

This book is an excellent companion to Kagan's book, and although it is more Athenian-centric, it also has a broader scope, covering events before and after the Peloponnesian War. My only complaints are minor -- I think I would have liked a little more biography with some of the Spartan, Persian, Theban, and other adversaries...Hale drops a lot of names that are somewhat familiar to me but only because I've heard about them in passing in other such books. I did learn more about trireme battle strategy and many of the Athenian generals though, this book certainly was not a rehash of what I already know (and if that needs to be qualified, I started with Thucydides 35 years ago in an Ancient Greek History class and have been reading on this subject ever since).

With "characters" like Sophocles, Socrates, Aristotle, Thucydides, Plato, Alexander the Great and many others, Hale takes what could be a dry history book and makes it a fascinating page turner. It also served as a reminder to me that the world has always been a crazy place.

John Hale's book is actually a history of the rise and fall of classical Athens framed by the story of the Athenian Navy. Hale tells this history clearly and well in a scant 300 pages, pretty impressive given that his story includes Thermopylae, Salamis, the building of the Long Walls, the Peloponnesian War, the story of Atlantis and Plato's aim in creating it, the death of Socrates, and more.

My readings in Ancient history are extremely limited but I had no trouble following this and staying absorbed. It's all new to me so I actually sort of loved the book, the author brought the period to life. Many famous people, battles and events a placed into a continuity of time that is easy to follow. Hale writes in a way that is accessible, he employes narrative techniques to great effect without sacrificing history, it helps the events are so dramatic. The Athenian navy at first seemed a bit gimmicky to hang a book from but it turns out to be appropriate, it really was the central feature of Athens rise to power, and Democracy. I look forward to reading more about the period, probably starting with Kagan's book on the Peloponnesian War.

He describes a location or area each of the 24 lectures. He gives advice on when and how to tour the area, if you are traveling there. He gives the back round history and culture for each place. He has nice pictures of both the actual site ruins, and overlays of what it would have looked like when it was built. My daughter likes watching it as history and travel video. I have learned of several interesting less known interesting sites in the region.

12 30 min lectures
2 DVDs