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17 reviews for:
Introducing the Ancient Greeks: From Bronze Age Seafarers to Navigators of the Western Mind
Edith Hall
3.62 AVERAGE
17 reviews for:
Introducing the Ancient Greeks: From Bronze Age Seafarers to Navigators of the Western Mind
Edith Hall
3.62 AVERAGE
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!!
informative
slow-paced
funny
informative
slow-paced