Greece: A Short History of a Long Story, 7000 BCE to the Present

227 Pages·2.855 MB·English

by  Thomas C.

Greece

Greece
A Short History of a Long Story,
7,000 to the Present
bce
Carol G. Thomas
This edition first published 2014
© 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Thomas, Carol G., 1938–
Greece : a short history of a long story, 7,000 BCE to the present / Carol G. Thomas.
pages cm
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-1-118-63190-4 (cloth) – ISBN 978-1-118-63175-1 (paper) 1. Greece–History.
2. Greece–Civilization. I. Title.
DF757.T46 2014
949.5–dc23
2014015660
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
Cover image: Banana Pancake / Alamy
Set in 9/11pt Sabon by SPi Publisher Services, Pondicherry, India
1 2014
Contents
Preface ix
Acknowledgments xvii
1 Mountains and Sea 1
The Physical Character of Greece 6
Earliest Inhabitants 8
Neolithic Period: Settled Life in Greece 9
Kuria 11
Notes 14
Further Reading 15
2 The Age of Heroes 17
The Role of Islands 19
The Greek Age of Heroes 23
Penelope and Odysseus 26
Notes 29
Further Reading 29
3 End of the Bronze Age: Slow Reshaping 31
The Dark Age 31
Archaic Age: Revival 33
Establishing Classical Greece 35
Hesiod 40
Notes 43
Further Reading 44
4 The Second Age of Heroes: Classical Greece 47
Mediterranean Impact 48
The Golden Age 51
Athens’ Rise to Dominance 55
Socrates, Citizen of Athens: Wisest Man in the World? 58
Outcome: The Peloponnesian War 60
Fourth-Century Greece 63
Notes 65
Further Reading 65
vi Contents
5 Incorporation into a Larger State 67
The Northern Neighbor: Macedon 67
Alexander III 71
Alexander’s Successors 74
The Greatest of Kings: Philip II 81
Notes 85
Further Reading 86
6 Graecia Capta: Roman Control 89
Roman Administration 94
Life in the Province of Achaea 97
Polybius: A Greek Captive Praises Rome 102
Notes 106
Further Reading 106
7 Power Returns to Greece: The Byzantine Empire 109
Separation from Rome 110
Restoration of Order 112
Decline 116
The Byzantine Greek World 117
Administration 119
Economic Health 121
Byzantine Culture 122
Anna Comnena: Daughter of the Emperor and Historian of Byzantium 125
Notes 127
Further Reading 128
8 Ottoman Greece: 1453–1821 129
Ottoman Control of Greece 132
Eighteenth Century 137
Those Who Said “No” 140
Theodore Kolokotronis 140
Adamantios Korais 142
Rigas Velestinlis (Pheraios) 143
Notes 144
Further Reading 145
9 Building a New State: 1821–1935 147
Enter Otto I 153
1862–1913 156
Eleftherios Venizelos, 1864–1936 158
1922–1935 162
Notes 163
Further Reading 163
10 A Player in the Modern World: 1935 to Present 165
Resistance Fighters 168
1944–1952 169
1952 to Present 171
Greece in the New World Order 176
Contents vii
Constantine and Costas Karamanlis 179
Notes 182
Further Reading 182
11 Conclusion: Past and Present 185
Notes 191
Further Reading 191
Chronology: Major Ages of Greek History 193
Index 195