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19 reviews for:
Introducing the Ancient Greeks: From Bronze Age Seafarers to Navigators of the Western Mind
Edith Hall
3.62 AVERAGE
19 reviews for:
Introducing the Ancient Greeks: From Bronze Age Seafarers to Navigators of the Western Mind
Edith Hall
3.62 AVERAGE
informative
medium-paced
Finally, a history of Ancient Greece that can rightly be called a good introduction. Edith Hall is a renowned English classicist (now at King's College London). She follows a more or less chronological order (even up to the year 400), but she has structured her narrative around 10 different aspects (unique qualities) of the ancient Greeks. The book is very informative, yet written for a wide audience. More on my History account on Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3924301673
informative
medium-paced
Historiography goes in swings, and the historiography of Ancient Greece proves this. In the 19th century and the first half of the 20th century, ancient Greece was considered one of the pinnacles of human civilization, specifically the Golden Age of Athens (5th century BCE), the so-called cradle of democracy. In the second half of the 20th century, a backlash against this "Hellenophilia" emerged: the Greek miracle owed a debt to much older cultures in the Near East, was far less exceptional than traditionally portrayed, and the focus on the development of the democratic form of government was not only an excessive distortion of reality but also an expression of arrogant Eurocentrism ("the Oldest Dead White European Males"). From the 1970s to the 2000s, numerous eminent studies underscored these assertions.
And then the pendulum swung back, but perhaps not all the way. This book by Edith Hall highlights this. Hall certainly doesn't dismiss the criticism of Hellenophilia: all the arguments presented are certainly relevant to her. But she believes the baby shouldn't be thrown out with the bathwater. And that's why she emphasizes the special merits of the Ancient Greeks. "My constant engagement with the ancient Greeks and their culture has made me more, rather than less, convinced that they evinced a cluster of brilliant qualities that are difficult to identify in combination and in such concentration elsewhere in Mediterranean or ancient Near Eastern antiquity."
Hall identifies 10 characteristics that make the Greeks unique, and she elaborates on them in several chronologically organized chapters: "Most ancient Greeks shared ten particular qualities most of the time. Of these, the first four—that they were seagoing, suspicious of authority, individualistic, and inquiring—are tightly interconnected and the most important. They were also open to new ideas, witty, and competitive. They admired excellence in talented people, as well as being wildly articulate and addicted to pleasure." I won't judge Hall's specific choice here (I'm only at the beginning of my Greek antiquity reading program), but I suspect no one will detract from her 10 qualities. The execution is a different matter: Hall tries to fit her characteristics into the chronological line (from 1500 BCE to AD 400), but that feels a bit forced. However, that doesn't stop me from finding this an excellent, highly readable introduction to Greek history.
adventurous
informative
reflective
fast-paced
Enjoyable introduction to the culturally rich and diverse world of the ancient Greeks: a far more expansive world than some would like to assume. A pleasure to read and rich in history and literature.
I feel sort of bad giving this three stars because I’m sure for its goal it’s a solid book, but it was not what I expected. It felt like it was trying to do too much in not many pages and so everything felt somewhat shallow and rushed.
informative
medium-paced
informative
I’m not sure why I stayed with this book after Hall wrote that “there are only twenty-five thousand square miles in Greece today” in the introduction. This is straight up not true. Imagine how bad the fact-checking for this book must’ve been if they missed this easily disprovable fact. The writing is so stale as well; somehow she managed to bore me with topics as exciting as Alexander’s conquests
informative
slow-paced
This book was fascinating to read, and I loved how she picked 10 characteristics that take us through history to define and analyze Ancient Greek history and culture. It was very insightful, and her talking points all seemed highly informed and backed up by decades of research and clear understanding of the ancient world.
I also really enjoyed seeing the religious perspective, as it’s something I haven’t looked too far into before. It was interesting to see how the different Greek cities worshipped so differently yet so similarly, and how the gods that were picked as chief deities informed their identity and way of life. Also, the fact that so much of the book focuses on language and how the Greeks used their intellectual pursuits to drive progress was great, I loved the linguistic aspect that runs throughout the book.
Very fun read!!
I also really enjoyed seeing the religious perspective, as it’s something I haven’t looked too far into before. It was interesting to see how the different Greek cities worshipped so differently yet so similarly, and how the gods that were picked as chief deities informed their identity and way of life. Also, the fact that so much of the book focuses on language and how the Greeks used their intellectual pursuits to drive progress was great, I loved the linguistic aspect that runs throughout the book.
Very fun read!!