The civilisation of the Ancient Greeks has been immenselyinfluential on the language, politics, educational systems,philosophy, science and arts of Western culture. As well asinstigating itself as the birthplace of the Olympics, AncientGreece is famous for its literature, philosophy, mythology and thebeautiful architecture- to which thousands of tourists flock everyyear.This entertaining guide introduces readers to the amazing worldof the Ancient Greeks. It offers a complete rundown of Greekhistory alongside fascinating insights into daily life in AncientGreece and a captivating overview of Greek mythology. Readers willdiscover how this ancient culture came to be the cornerstone ofWestern civilisation and the enormous influence it has had on ourlanguage, politics, education, philosophy, science, arts andsport.* The history of Ancient Greece remains a wide topic of interest,particularly renowned for its influential and diverse culture* This basic guide will allow greater access to this vibrant areaof study, and provide a distinct and light-hearted approach to thisvast area history* Covers dozens of topics, including; the early civilisations,war & fighting, home & family, day-to-day life andmuch, much more!About the authorSteve Batchelor is a lecturer in Classics at RichmondCollege and has been teaching ancient history for 10 years. He haswritten reviews for various publications, including HistoryToday, and he has also been involved in running guidedhistorical tours of Greece.

Introduction 1Part I: Travelling Back in Time 7Chapter 1: When, Where, What, Who? Meeting the Ancient Greeks 9Chapter 2: Encountering Prehistoric Civilisations: The Minoans and Mycenaeans 21Chapter 3: Shedding Light on Ancient Greece's Dark Ages 33Chapter 4: Governing by Kings, Tyrants, and (Eventually) Democrats 41Chapter 5: Fighting and Warring: Greece Gets Heavy 55Chapter 6: East versus West: The Persian Wars 67Part II: Athens to Alexander: The Rise and Fall of Empires 81Chapter 7: Athens and Empire Building 83Chapter 8: Dealing with the Neighbours from Hell: The Peloponnesian War 97Chapter 9: Losing Their Way: The End of Classical Greece 113Chapter 10: Rising Quickly to the Top: Macedonia 127Chapter 11: Crowning the Undefeated Champion of the World: Alexander the Great 139Chapter 12: What Happened Next? 153Part III: Living a Greek Life 163Chapter 13: Out in the Fields: Farming, Herding, and Travelling 165Chapter 14: Home and Family 177Chapter 15: Going About Daily Life in Ancient Greece 191Chapter 16: Plays and Pugilism: Enjoying Ancient Greek Entertainment 205Chapter 17: Depicting Men, Women, and Gods in Art 221Chapter 18: Building Beautiful Greek Architecture 237Part IV: Mythology, Religion, and Belief 247Chapter 19: Going Back to the Beginning: Myths and Gods 249Chapter 20: Blending Myth and History: Troy, Homer, and Heroes 267Chapter 21: Practising Everyday Religion: 'A God Put It in My Heart to Say' 281Chapter 22: Trying to Figure Everything Out: Greek Philosophy 293Part V: The Part of Tens 307Chapter 23: Ten Great Greek Inventions 309Chapter 24: Ten Things to Read Next 315Chapter 25: Ten Dodgy Ancient Greek Characters 321Chapter 26: Ten Great Places to Visit 327Index 333