So I went backward. I read what books on the ancient world I could find, as they there what I had. I learned but it was disjointed and understanding came in fits and starts.

Then I read this book.

The tone and voice is perfect. It is not and does not claim to be the ultimate book on the subject. It's a very good and effective introduction. It's written well and introduces what you need to know to continue study.

More over it sets you up for further study. The opening information includes two detailed maps and a timeline for reference. At the end each chapter has it's own list of references to pick up if a topic caught your eye and you want to know more.

But the brilliance that most impressed me is the habit of connecting and explaining events and populations. This is a vibrant, interactive and dynamic world. It's alive and active and passionate. And she is somehow able to bring that off the page.

This is how an introduction book is written. ( )

Ancient Greece culture is one of the pillars of modern Western civilization, and this book is a great introduction to almost two thousand years of history that still shapes our culture.

The author lays out in the very beginning of the book what she considers as the essential components of ancient Greek culture and character, and then proceeds in chronological fashion to show us how parts of ancient Greek history relates to those components. It is not easy to summarize such a long segment of history in only a few hundred pages, but within these constraints, this book does a splendid job, becoming almost a page-turner.

I found some parts of the book not detailed enough, for example the period and events surrounding Hypatia deserve more details, but that's the mathematician in me speaking. There are so many fascinating periods, events, characters in this history, it is indeed very difficult to be fair to all of them. All in all, this book helped me fill in many blanks for me, because before this book, my knowledge of ancient Greece were limited to my readings on history of philosophy, mathematics and medicine; that is somewhat patchy and fragmentary.

I can easily recommend this book to the curious readers who want a very easy to follow introduction to ancient Greek culture and history, a coherent guide to this important period of our civilization. A few laughs and smiles are almost guaranteed and some of the characters you will find so alive as if ready to jump from those pages to you, lecturing on their current events. Finally, suggested reading and notes section are also very valuable for guiding the readers so that they can satisfy their appetite for more history. ( )