The Ancient Greeks (People of the Ancient World) [Paperback]

Allison Lassieur (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 11 and up | Series: People of the Ancient World

FOR USE IN SCHOOLS AND LIBRARIES ONLY. Explores life in ancient Greece through its people. Learn about philosophers, such as Aristotle, and poets, such as Homer, and many others. Read about some of the discoveries and writings that led to our present-day understanding of this fascinating civilization.

--This text refers to the Library Binding edition.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 4-7 - Each book provides a general history and then devotes separate chapters to different groups of people within the culture. Greeks includes scientists, philosophers, poets, playwrights, slaves, workers, and so on.Egyptians discusses farmers, brewers, kings, queens, pharaohs, warriors, captives, and mummy makers, among others. Chinesehighlights kings, emperors, artisans, inventors, healers, and so on. Each book ends with a chapter on the legacy of the civilization, a time line that extends beyond the period covered in the text, and short biographies of major figures. Theses titles are illustrated with a few modern pictures, but mainly with photos of items from the culture discussed (except for Greeks, which mostly has Renaissance-era and later prints). There are no pronunciation guides except for a few words in Chinese, and Greeks only really looks at Athens. These titles offer useful information that would help report writers and would also engage interested readers. While not necessary purchases, they will augment collections. - Lynda S. Poling, Long Beach Public Library, CA
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Library Binding edition.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 11 and up
  
• Paperback: 112 pages
• Publisher: Children's Press(CT) (March 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0531167399
• ISBN-13: 978-0531167397
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 7.9 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #125,431 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #17 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Children's Books > History & Historical Fiction > Europe
  • #20 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Children's Books > History & Historical Fiction > Ancient
  • #26 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > History > Europe > General

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17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Look at the Ancient Greeks from an occupational perspective, January 26, 2006

By 

Lawrance M. Bernabo (The Zenith City, Duluth, Minnesota) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Ancient Greeks (People of the Ancient World) (Paperback)

The People of the Ancient World series takes a different approach to the study of ancient civilizations in that this look at "The Ancient Greeks" is arranged by sociological strata rather than following the standard chronological approach. The historical chronology of Greek culture is laid out by Allison Lassieur in the introduction to this volume, so that it is clear to young readers how Mycenaean culture gave way to a Dark Age from which Archaic Greece emerged and that after the city-states battled Persia for Control of their land the Greek ascendancy was realized during the Classical Age and the Hellenistic Greece that followed the death of Alexander the Great. But the book itself starts at the top of Greek society with the people of the government and ends up with the slaves and workers, with Lassieur creating a portrait of life in Ancient Greece through a look at its inhabitants.

This approach suits the ancient Greeks given that in ancient Athens there were four economic classes: the wealth aristocrats (pentakosiomedimnoi), knights (hippada telounts), farmers (zeugiatai) and poorest Athenians (thetes). But Lassieur follows more of an occupational approach looking at the people of the government, scientists, athletes, philosophers and thinkers, priests and priestesses, poets and playwrights, artists and architects, warriors, and slaves and workers. That first chapter on the people of the government covers not only the evolution of government in Greece, but also the wide range of governments that existed (i.e., a comparison of Athenian democracy with Sparta's military city-state).

Consequently, other history books will give you more of a sense of what happened when, but this look at "The Ancient Greeks" will do a better job of telling young students who did what. If you have to do a report on a specific occupation, such as a priestess at Delphi, or a specific person like the playwright Sophocles, this book will be very helpful. One of the nice things about this series is that as we go along Lassieur discusses how we know what we know about this particular ancient civilization. There are also sidebars highlighting important archeological discoveries such as the Colossal Zeus at Olympia and the Theater at Epidaurus, and interesting facts about things like Plato's Academy and the Athenian Soldier's Loyalty Oath.

The back of the book includes a Time Line that covers from when the early Greeks established their power 1600-1200 B.C. to when Theodosius I banned pagan festivals and the Olympics and closed the temples in 392 A.D., and a Biographical Dictionary of important historical figures from Aeschylus to Thucydides. There is a Glossary of key terms from "apella" to "tyranny," and a list of books, organizations and online sites where young readers can go To Find Out More. Other People of the Ancient World Titles look at "Ancient Mesopotmia," "The Ancient Chinese," "The Ancient Egyptians," "The Ancient Inca," and "The Ancient Romans."