All About History Book of Ancient Greece - 6th Edition 2022

166 Pages·2022·55 MB·English

W
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ANCIENT
Book Of
GREECE
Art & Culture War & Empire Mythology & Religion Life & Society
Discover
the greatest
minds of
Ancient
Greece

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N Explore one of history’s most influential civilisations
SIXTH EDITIO

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The influence of Ancient Greece on the world around us and the history
of Western civilisation as a whole cannot be underestimated. The Greeks
were responsible for inventing, evolving or advancing everything from
politics, architecture and the arts, to philosophy, science and
mathematics. In this book we explore many of their ideas, concepts and
discoveries and reveal some of the greatest Ancient Greek minds that
ever lived. We uncover fascinating tales of mythology and the
importance of the gods, while we also take an in-depth look at warfare
and conflict in Ancient Greece and how key battles helped shape its
history. We hope you enjoy the journey.

ANCBoIok OEf NT
GREECE
Future PLC Quay House, The Ambury, Bath, BA1 1UA
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All About History Book of Ancient Greece Sixth Edition (AHB4281)
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Part of the
bookazine series
CONTENTS
Explore one of history’s most influential civilisations
08 1 0 ways Ancient Greece

changed the world
34
From architecture to philosophy, find out how
Ancient Greece shaped the modern world
16 Map of Ancient Greece
18 The beginnings of

Ancient Greece
148
Take a journey back to the start and discover
key moments from the period
LIFE &
SOCIETY
28 The Greek city-states
70 The arts in
Explore the great city-states and how they

helped expand Greek culture and influence Ancient Greece
34 E veryday life in From theatre to pottery and sculpture,
learn the history of Ancient Greek arts
Ancient Greece
From education to employment, what 74 Ancient Greek theatres
was day-to-day life like in Ancient Greece?
Take a tour of an ancient amphitheatre
44 H ow democracy and discover how they were built

was born 76 The art of architecture
70
Discover the origins, evolution and
Find out how Ancient Greek architecture
influence of Athenian democracy
inspired future generations
80 Greek temples
Uncover the secrets of these multi-use
ART & architectural marvels
92
82 The great Greek
CULTURE

maths revolution
Explore the theories of Pythagoras and co. and
52 The greatest minds their influence on science and maths

of Ancient Greece
From Socrates to Plato, meet the most
influential thinkers of the time
60 The philosophy WAR &

of Ancient Greece
EMPIRE
Find out how the great thinkers of Ancient
Greece looked to make sense of the world
64 The Ancient Olympics 86 The way of the warrior
Explore the mythology, festivities and Discover the importance of war and
events of the first Olympic Games conflict in Greek society
90 G reek warships
Get on board a trireme – the ultimate
Ancient Greek fighting machine
92 The truth behind

the Trojan War
Uncover the secrets of one of the most
important events in Greek mythology
60 98 S parta: warrior state
Learn how the fearless Spartan warriors
were born, raised and trained to kill
104 The Battle of Marathon
Find out how the Athenians defeated the
invading Persian hordes at Marathon
108 The wrath of Sparta
The story of how one city-state repelled the
greatest force the world had ever seen
52
114 Houses divided

to the death
Examine the Peloponnesian War and its
impact on Athens and Sparta
118 A lexander the Great
Follow in the footsteps of the leader of the
world’s most feared fighting force
128 Ancient Greece

in eclipse
Explore the reasons for the demise and fall
of this once-great empire
76
MYTHOLOGY
86
& RELIGION
136 The Greeks and

their religion
Discover the diverse, contradictory and
inventive nature of Ancient Greek religion
140 T he gods themselves
Meet the Twelve Olympians, the mighty
gods and goddesses of Ancient Greece
148 Greek myths

and monsters
Find out why mythology meant so much
in Ancient Greek society and culture
154 S ecrets of the Oracle
128
Uncover the truth about the most powerful
women in the ancient world
Book of Ancient Greece
ways
Ancient
Greece
changed
the world
Spread across the Mediterranean Sea in more
than a thousand small city-states, the secret of the
Ancient Greeks’ greatness lay in their extraordinary
ambition and competitiveness
8
10 ways Ancient Greece changed the world
Warfare
No one had ever fought like
the Greeks, and no one had ever won
like Alexander the Great
10
The Greeks are often credited with
inventing the ‘western way of war’,
fighting pitched battles on foot at fixed
locations until one side was defeated.
This may seem ordinary enough now,
but in earlier periods and other parts of the world
fighting was more tentative and less bloody, more
reliant on missiles, manoeuvres and displays of
force. Troops were also deployed much more on his right-hand neighbour to do the same for
loosely in non-Greek armies, fighting as individuals, him. The line would always creep to the right as
The Greeks’ new and not a unit. Although the Greeks used cavalry and each soldier tried to maximise his shield protection.
extremely disciplined lightly armed soldiers with javelins and the like Each rank of the phalanx would normally be at
approach to warfare made
them a world power for skirmishing, the essence of Greek warfare lay least eight-men deep, making the pressure from the
in heavily armed and armoured infantry in close hoplite line positively fearsome.
formation, fighting hand-to-hand to the death. Morale was crucial. The unprecedented horror
This style of fighting brought a new intensity and of hoplite warfare – crushed from in front and
deadliness to battles. Once it had proven decisive behind, being attacked with spears and swords
in international warfare, most notably against the from close range – was psychologically demanding.
Persians and their huge multinational armies, If soldiers from the front line broke and ran, the
things would never be the same again. battle was almost instantly lost and the fleeing
The basis for this was the hoplite soldier, named army, encumbered by heavy equipment, could be
after the type of shield used. Hoplites were slaughtered. Spirits were shored up by wine with
equipped with a bronze helmet, a leather or bronze the pre-battle breakfast, music during the advance
breastplate, bronze greaves on their shins, a large toward the enemy, and the ‘paean’, the fearsome
circular shield (the ‘hoplon’) made from leather or ululating battle cry of ‘eleleleu.’
wood faced with bronze, a long spear made from This tactic was perfected by the Macedonian
ash and tipped with an iron or bronze blade, and kings Phillip II and his son, Alexander III – ‘the
a short sword, also made from iron or bronze. The Great’. Professional drill, greater tactical flexibility,
armour and weapons were physically demanding better equipment – including the sarissa, a long pike
for the soldiers, requiring extreme fitness. to replace the earlier spears – and increased use of
Hoplites were also highly disciplined. They cavalry were among the factors that allowed them
faced the enemy shoulder to shoulder in the to first conquer Greece and then reverse centuries
famous phalanx formation, each man covering his of Persian expansion and conquer the East in the
companion to the left with his shield and relying late-4th century BCE, changing the world forever.
Phalanx tactics
The first impact and Advance in formation, The sheer physical force and bone-crushing proximity
spear blows are followed accompanied by of the phalanx made it terrifying to non-Greeks who
by pressure from the rear music and war cries. weren’t used to it. Strength was in numbers.
ranks pushing forward,
trying to drive holes in
the enemy formation.
Widen any gaps using
shields and swords
until the enemy breaks.
9
Book of Ancient Greece
Architecture

We can see the influence of the Greeks in
cities around the globe – our world would
literally not look the same without them
09
We all know that the Greeks were
responsible for some of the most
famous structures ever built – just
think of the buildings on the
Acropolis in Athens. Five of the
seven ancient wonders of the world were built by
this small group of people clustered around the
shores of the Mediterranean Sea. This in itself is a
remarkable achievement by any standard.
However, these individual buildings, statues,
theatres and stadiums are a relatively trivial part
of their architectural legacy. What really mattered
was their influence. The Greeks effectively
invented western architecture. Building on eastern
foundations, the Greeks built up their own distinct
style of public buildings, inventing some types
along the way, including theatres and stadiums.
They established the principles of a working
architectural theory and practice, and made
architecture into both an art and a science. It was
The pediment
the influence of this approach – together with their
The pediment housed huge painted
distinctive aesthetic – that was to be so influential. sculptures telling the story of the goddess
Athena. The statues represent a key part
The mark of Greece on Roman architecture is of Athenian civic culture. The pediment
especially obvious, but to this day it is impossible itself is larger than normal because of the
unusually large number of columns.
to study architecture without considering the
Greek legacy. And all we have to do
is look around us to see
how Ancient Greek
architecture changed
our world.
Public space The metopes
The original Acropolis The metopes were horizontal
buildings were destroyed rectangular panels and the Parthenon’s
by the Persians in 480 were, of course, huge. Displayed on
BCE and the new buildings them were scenes from mythic battles
were a statement of civic showing Greek triumphs – this was
pride. The Acropolis was especially significant to emphasise the
a public space, built by perceived superiority to Persians.
and for the Athenian
people. In other cultures,
monuments like this had
been reserved for kings
and emperors.
10