A Short History of Ancient Greece

257 Pages·2014·9.869 MB·English

by  P. J. Rhodes

I.B.TAURIS SHORT HISTORIES
I.B.Tauris Short Histories is an authoritative and elegantly written
new series which puts a fresh perspective on the way history is
taught and understood in the twenty-first century. Designed to have
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and topics in the fields of history, the history of ideas, religion, clas-
sical studies, politics, philosophy and Middle East studies, the series
seeks intentionally to move beyond the bland, neutral ‘introduction’
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While always providing students and generalists with the core facts
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into how a topic has been understood in the past, and what differ-
ent social and cultural factors might have been at work. It brings
original perspectives to bear on manner of its current interpretation.
It raises questions and – in its extensive further reading lists – points
to further study, even as it suggests answers. Addressing a variety
of subjects in a greater degree of depth than is often found in com-
parable series, yet at the same time in concise and compact handbook
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plex and globalized digital age.
www.short-histories.com
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‘Peter Rhodes’ expert new history of Ancient Greece (of the archaic
through Hellenistic periods) is very clearly and economically written,
packing in a tremendous amount of accurate information and
making abundantly clear the perennial interest and importance of
the subject. Readers looking for a reliable and brief introductory
account of the major political, diplomatic and military events and
episodes need look no further than here.’
– Paul Cartledge, A G Leventis Professor of Greek Culture,
University of Cambridge
‘This vivid and clearly written account of Greece from the Bronze
Age to the Roman conquest will be eagerly welcomed by students
and general readers who want to know not only the history of the
region but also some of the scholarly debates surrounding the inter-
pretation of ancient texts, inscriptions, coins and archaeological
remains. Professor Rhodes’ widely acknowledged mastery of the
material allows him to compress an immense amount of informa-
tion into crisp and direct prose without ever sacrificing the most
important details.’

– Jonathan M Hall, Phyllis Fay Horton Distinguished Service
Professor in the Humanities and Professor of History and
Classics, University of Chicago
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A Short History of . . .
the American Civil War Paul Anderson (Clemson University)
the American
Revolutionary War Stephen Conway (University College London)
Ancient China Edward L Shaughnessy (University of Chicago)
Ancient Greece P J Rhodes, FBA (Durham University)
Ancient Rome Andrew Wallace-Hadrill (University of
Cambridge)
the Anglo-Saxons Henrietta Leyser (University of Oxford)
the Byzantine Empire Dio nysios Stathakopoulos (King’s College
London)
the Celts Alex Woolf (University of St Andrews)
the Crimean War Trudi Tate (University of Cambridge)
English Renaissance
Drama Helen Hackett (University College London)
the English Revolution
and the Civil Wars David J Appleby (University of Nottingham)
the Etruscans Corinna Riva (University College London)
Irish Independence J J Lee (New York University)
Imperial Egypt Robert Morkot (University of Exeter)
the Italian Renaissance Virginia Cox (New York University)
the Korean War Allan R Millett (University of New Orleans)
Medieval Christianity G R Evans (University of Cambridge)
Medieval English
Mysticism Vincent Gillespie (University of Oxford)
the Minoans John Bennet (University of Sheffield)
the Mongols George Lane (SOAS, University of London)
the Mughal Empire Michael Fisher (Oberlin College)
Muslim Spain Alex J Novikoff (Rhodes College, Memphis)
the New Testament Halvor Moxnes (University of Oslo)
Nineteenth-Century
Philosophy Joel Rasmussen (University of Oxford)
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the Normans Leonie Hicks (University of Southampton)
the Ottoman Empire Baki Tezcan (University of California, Davis)
the Phoenicians Mark Woolmer (Durham University)
the Reformation Helen Parish (University of Reading)
the Renaissance in
Northern Europe Malcolm Vale (University of Oxford)
the Risorgimento Nick Carter (University of Wales, Newport)
the Russian Revolution Geoffrey Swain (University of Glasgow)
the Spanish Civil War Julián Casanova (University of Zaragoza)
the Spanish Empire Felipe Fernández-Armesto (University of
Notre Dame) and José Juan López-Portillo
(Pembroke College, Oxford)
Transatlantic Slavery Kenneth Morgan (Brunel University)
Venice and the Venetian
Empire Maria Fusaro (University of Exeter)
the Vikings Clare Downham (University of Liverpool)
the Wars of the Roses David Grummitt (University of Kent)
Weimar Germany Colin Storer (University of Nottingham)
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ANCIENT
GREECE
P. J. RHODES
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Published in 2014 by I.B.Tauris & Co. Ltd, reprinted 2015
London • New York NY 10010
www.ibtauris.com
First published in hardback in 2014 by I.B.Tauris & Co. Ltd
Copyright © 2014, 2015 P.J. Rhodes
The right of P. J. Rhodes to be identified as the author of this
work has been asserted by him in accordance with the
Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. Except for brief quotations in a review, this book,
or any part thereof, may not be reproduced, stored in or introduced
into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means,
electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without
the prior written permission of the publisher.
Every attempt has been made to gain permission for the use
of the images in this book. Any omissions will be rectified
in future editions.
References to websites were correct at the time of writing.
ISBN: 978 1 78076 594 5
eISBN: 978 0 85773 551 5
A full CIP record for this book is available from the British Library
A full CIP record is available from the Library of Congress
Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: available
Typeset in Sabon by Ellipsis Digital Limited, Glasgow
Printed and bound in Great Britain by T.J. International,
Padstow, Cornwall
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Contents
List of Maps and Illustrations viii
Preface xv
Words and Names; References to Sources xvi
Principal Dates xviii

Chapter 1: Prologue 1

Archaic Greece, c.800–500
Chapter 2: The Archaic Greek World 9
Chapter 3: Sparta and Athens 32
Chapter 4: The Greeks and the Near-Eastern Kingdoms 50

Classical Greece, c.500–323
Chapter 5: The Pentecontaetia, 478–431 65
Chapter 6: The Peloponnesian War, [435–] 431–404 85
Chapter 7: Life in the Greek World 105
Chapter 8: After the Peloponnesian War, 404–c.360 120
Chapter 9: The Rise of Macedon, c.360–323 138

Hellenistic Greece, 323–146
Chapter 10: Alexander’s Successors, 323–272 163
Chapter 11: Life in the Hellenistic World 179
Chapter 12: Until the Roman Conquest, 272–146 189
Chapter 13: Epilogue 207

Guide to Further Reading 211
Glossary 213
Notes 216
Index 230
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List of Maps and Illustrations
Maps
1. Greece and the Aegean, pp. x–xi
2. The Eastern Greek World, pp. xii–xiii
3. The Western Greek World, p. xiv
Figures
1. Cyrene: temple of Apollo. © tourdottk, from Shutterstock.com,
p. 16.
2. Syracuse: Ortygia. © Luigi Nifosi, from Shutterstock.com, p. 17.
3. Hoplite scene on Chigi Vase. Rome, Museo Nazionale Etrusco
di Villa Giulia: De Agostini Picture Library / The Bridgeman
Art Library, p. 20.
4. Corinth: temple of Apollo and Acrocorinth. © Borisb17, from
Shutterstock.com, p. 23
5. Olympias, replica trireme. Photo: John Coates / Trireme Trust,
p. 24.
6. Delphi: temple of Apollo. © Anastasios71, from Shutterstock.
com, p. 28.
7. Olympia: entrance to stadium. © Panos Karas, from Shutter-
stock.com, p. 29.
8. Athens: ‘owl’ coin. © Anna Jurkovska, from Shutterstock.com,
p. 43.
9. Athens: ostraka. Photo: American School of Classical Studies
at Athens, Agora Excavations, p.46.
10. Delos: Lion terrace. © gdvcom, from Shutterstock.com, p. 67.
11. Athens: acropolis. © P. J. Rhodes, p. 70.
12. British Museum: bust of Pericles. © Kamira, from Shutterstock.
com, p. 78.
13. Acragas: ‘temple of Concord’. © milosk50, from Shutterstock.
com, p. 82.
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14. Athens: theatre of Dionysus. © Elpis Ioannidis, from Shutterstock.
com, p. 114.
15. Halicarnassus: reconstruction of Mausoleum. © Museum of
Ancient Art, Aarhus University, p. 114.
16. Delphi: statue of charioteer. © Anastasios71, from Shutterstock.
com, p. 115.
17. Myron, statue of diskobolos. © Sergei Vasilyev, from Shutterstock.
com, p. 116.
18. Praxiteles, statue of Hermes with child Dionysus. © Denis
Kornilov, from Shutterstock.com, p. 116.
19. Aegeae: Hades abducting Persephone. Public Domain: Manolis
Andronicos via Wikimedia Commons, p. 117.
20. Athenian red-figure vase. © Olemac, from Shutterstock.com,
p. 119.
21. Reconstructed head of Philip II of Macedon. © Manchester
Museum, The University of Manchester: reconstructed head of
Philip II of Macedon, p. 146.
22. Statue of Victory from Samothrace. © Panos Karas, from
Shutterstock.com, p. 186.
23. Laocoön statue group. © Asier Villafranca, from Shutterstock.
com, p. 187.
24. Alexander Mosaic. © Alfio Ferlito, from Shutterstock.com,
p. 188.
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