A good, basic introduction to Greek culture, a nice review. ( )

A school text, but useful for a rounded picture of the society. A good deal more informative than the movie series starting with "The 300".
Finley was an American scholar at Rutgers who was chased from the USA by the Red Scare of the Early-Mid 1950's. He changed his name ans found work in Britain, much to their credit. ( )

The ancient Greeks by Professor M. I. Finley is a very brief introduction to the Greeks and their life, politics, architecture and art beginning with the dark ages of Homer to the archaic, classical, hellenistic and roman periods. There are several maps as well as plates of illustrations (sadly in black and white) of art and architecture. The author includes an extensive set of notes on the plates, a chronological table of ancient Greece, and an index. Although there are few footnotes (and those indicate source of quoted material), there is a section of further reading current to the early 1960s. Finley writes in an informal manner and gives definitions where necessary.

The author is quite clear that this is a quick introduction to the subject and, for more intensive study, other works should be consulted. I used this book as a supplementary college textbook years ago and found it just as interesting reading the second time around. I can recommend it for someone who wants to understand the Greeks without reading dense scholarly material. ( )

An enjoyable overview of life in Ancient Greece. ( )

938 FIN