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A review by jenn756
The Birth of Classical Europe: A History from Troy to Augustine by Simon Price
4.0
This is a solid read - it took me 3 months to finish. Its strength is it puts the whole era into perspective, so you can see how the Mycenaean world related to Classical Greece and to the Macedonians, to the Etruscans, and later to the Romans and Christianity. I knew something of these cultures individually, but not how one period related to and influenced the next. As a whole the Classical World was profoundly influenced by its own past, even when the early Christians are in the ascendency they were still trying to explain their past in terms of their position within the Classical World.
The other thing I hadn't realised was the pervasiveness of Greek culture - the whole of Turkey and North Africa was essentially Greek or Greek influenced. They spoke Greek and worshipped the pantheon of Greek Gods. However the creation of Constantinople ultimately was to separate off Europe from Asia
I found the book a little dry. The writers don't have the vividness or verve of a Tom Holland for instance, but in terms of sheer detail (for one paperback) it helped me understand the era better.
The other thing I hadn't realised was the pervasiveness of Greek culture - the whole of Turkey and North Africa was essentially Greek or Greek influenced. They spoke Greek and worshipped the pantheon of Greek Gods. However the creation of Constantinople ultimately was to separate off Europe from Asia
I found the book a little dry. The writers don't have the vividness or verve of a Tom Holland for instance, but in terms of sheer detail (for one paperback) it helped me understand the era better.