The Greeks: a great adventure PDF
Preview The Greeks: a great adventure
SAN RAFAEL |PUB LIC LIBRARY 3 1111 01252 9358 FPT ISBN O-39S5-ObS7u-7 >$2° %4d THE GREEKS: A Great Adventure ISAAC ASIMOV No nation in history has left the world such a heritage as the Greeks. It seems scarcely credible that so sparse a people, settled on the rocky islands and penin- sulas of the Aegean Sea, could have ac- complished so much; but they excelled at whatever they set their hands to, war- fare or politics, art or athletics, literature or philosophy. They added a new dimen- sion to the human spirit; their ideals, their heroes have become our own. This book begins more than four thousand years ago when semi-civilized tribes from the Balkan Peninsula came into contact with the high culture of ancient Minoan Crete and embarked on the great adventure that was to send Greek armies on campaigns from the pillars of Hercules to the Himalayas and put Greek rulers on the thrones of Per- sia, Egypt, and Sicily; an adventure that was to make Athens the very symbol of civilization and Sparta of selfless hero- ism. The triumphant climax came in the Golden Age of Athens; but that is far from the end of the story, for Greece continued as tutor to the Roman Empire and finally, at Constantinople, as the last preserver of the Ancient World. Not un- | til 1453 was that great center of wisdom and learning finally destroyed. Rich in detail and bold in its sense of the sweep of history, this book can’t help but infect the reader with the author’s own enthusiasm and admiration for the glory that was Greece. Jacket photograph: Sunium. Temple of Poseidon. The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston 0124 AYNSO 4G THE COTTA Y/ BOOKSHO a San Rofael, C 05134584 Nee m g m u i | 938 Asimov, |. The Greeks, DATE DUE : 00 AOE nog _|OCT 17 2060 | Wali ocr 07 IosB RA I 5M 84y WEiD p‘ L. et ; ie “a) a §o cPt 1© 12 919866 it0ete 05e o oano TAN ap wap t-¢ 2602 J} | JUL 3 1 1997 AUG SU DEC 2 0 Zuu3 SEP 47 1997 ' APR 0 2 2004 MAY 29 “af Jun 4.9 2004 | AUG { 9 1998 erp? L oZ nei the r Ji PRINTED INUSA THE GREEKS BOOKS ON HISTORY BY ISAAC ASIMOV THE KITE THAT WON THE REVOLUTION A SHORT HISTORY OF BIOLOGY A SHORT HISTORY OF CHEMISTRY ASIMOVS BIOGRAPHICAL ENCYCLOPEDIA OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY THE GREEKS T AE GR’ Bees A GREAT ADVENTURE ~ BY ISAAC ASIMOV HOUGHTON MIFFLIN COMPANY BOSTON To the memory of JoHN FrIrzGERALD KENNEDY, 35th President of the United States With few exceptions, the decorations in this book are adapted from Greek vase paintings. Copyright © 1965 by Isaac Asimov All rights reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording, or by any information storage or retrieval system, except as may be expressly permitted by the 1976 Copyright Act or in writing from the publisher. Requests for permission should be addressed in writing to Houghton Mifflin Company, 2 Park Street, Boston, Massachusetts 02108. Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 65-12174. Printed in the United States of America V 17 16 15 14 13 12 11 109 CONTENTS VV) 1 THE MYCENAEAN AGE 1 KNOSSOS / 2 MYCENAE AND TROY 6 ARGIVES AND ACHAEANS 9 2 THE IRON AGE 12 THE GREEK LANGUAGE 12 THE PEOPLES OF THE SEA 14 THE DORIAN INVASION 16 THE ISLANDS AND ASIA MINOR 17 THE CITY-STATE 19 THE BONDS OF UNION 25 3 THE AGE OF COLONIZATION 29 ADVANCE TO THE EAST 29 ADVANCE TO THE WEST 33 EGYPT 37 PHOENICIA 4] 4 THE RISE OF SPARTA 46 LACONIA 46 ARGOS AND MESSENIA 49 THE SPARTAN WAY OF LIFE 51 THE PELOPONNESUS 53 5 THE AGE OF TYRANTS 56 FROM FARMING TO COMMERCE 56 TYRANTS IN IONIA 59 TYRANTS ON THE MAINLAND 63 SAMOS 65 4 \ ee ay 6 THE RISE OF ATHENS 69 THE BEGINNINGS 69 DRACO AND SOLON 72 PISISTRATUS a! CLEISTHENES 80 Ren a Le kn Sa ee 7 ASIA MINOR 85 PHRYGIA 85 LYDIA loid MEDIA AND CHALDEA 89 PERSIA 92 ee ee oe ee eee 8 THE PERSIAN WAR 96 THE IONIAN REVOLT 96 THE BATTLE OF MARATHON 100 AFTER MARATHON 104 INVASION FROM EAST AND WEST 109 THERMOPYLAE AND SALAMIS iz THE BATTLE OF HIMERA 116 VICTORY 119 9 THE GOLDEN AGE 123 THE TROUBLES OF SPARTA 123 THE CONFEDERACY OF DELOS 126 ATHENS AT ITS HEIGHT 130 THE TROUBLES OF ATHENS 137 10 THE PELOPONNESIAN WAR 142 THE BEGINNINGO F THE WAR 142 SPHACTERIA AND AMPHIPOLIS 146 THE SICILIAN EXPEDITION 150 THE FALL OF ATHENS 156 11 SPARTA IN CONTROL 162 ATHENS AFTER AEGOSPOTAMI 162 THE TEN THOUSAND 167
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