From Aristotle to Zoroaster: An a to Z Companion to the Classical World [Hardcover]

Arthur Cotterell (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 1998

A groundbreaking and authoritative reference tool, From Aristotle to Zoroaster provides the first comprehensive guide to the classical world as a whole. Never before have the key peoples, places, institutions, and events of Greece, Rome, Persia, India, and China been encompassed in a single volume, highlighting the fascinating similarities and differences, tensions and compound effects that laid the foundations of presentday Europe and Asia. Students, experts, and classical history buffs alike will discover a wealth of information in this easy-to-use volume.

For too long, Greece and Rome have defined the classical world, and we have studied these civilizations in isolation from even the major powers they confronted in Iran and India. As we learn more about the complex interrelations that once existed between the Persians, the Macedonians, and the Indians, the Romans, the Parthians, and the Sasanians, we have a more nuanced, complete, and accurate portrayal of our shared past. The persistent isolation of China, on the other hand, cut off by mountains and desert from India, makes the classical experience there extremely useful for comparison and contrast. The virtual absence of slavery, almost unique in the classical world, is but one of the Chinese Empire's startling features.

This detailed and completely accessible volume covers historical milestones from 600 BC through AD 600. Its alphabetical entries are supplemented by cross-references, a chronological table, 19 maps, 174 illustrations, and a thorough index -- all carefully designed to provide the essential aspects of the classical world in a convenient yet richly informative package. Bringing into clear focus the impact of the rise and fall of the Greek city-states, the conquests of Alexander the Great, the world empire forged by Persia, the unification of China by the First Emperor, and the rich civilizations of early India, From Aristotle to Zoroaster provides new insights and a broader perspective to the study of classics. From Christ to Confucius, Cleopatra to Hannibal, Pythagoras to Shang Yang, the great cast of characters is chronicled and compared.

Comprehensive, wide-ranging, and fully illustrated, From Aristotle to Zoroaster provides a fascinating overview and a detailed analysis of the ancient civilizations of the classical world, making it indispensable for students, scholars, and the general reader.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

The classical world, in British historian Cotterell's view, encompasses not only ancient Greece and Rome, but also Egypt, Persia, India, and China. This encyclopedic compendium is long on thematic entries--for instance, précis of the condition of women in ancient Old World civilizations or the evolution of monumental architecture--but somewhat short on single-subject biographical pieces of the sort covered by, say, the Oxford Classical Dictionary. The thematic entries do make the book exceptionally useful for cross-cultural research, however, and Cotterell draws on the best recent scholarship, especially in anthropology and archaeology. --Gregory MacNamee

Review

Victor Davis Hanson Author of The Other Greeks, The Western Way of War, and with John Heath, Who Killed Homer?

There are numerous scholarly classical dictionaries; but very few are accessible to the general reader -- and fewer still incorporate the persons, places, and ideas of the ancient Chinese, Indians, and Near East. Thus Arthur Cotterell's illustrated companion to the classical worlds of both Europe and Asia is original and useful, reminding us not only how similar East and West were in antiquity, but also how very different the Greeks and the Romans were from the classical Asian civilizations. This is not only a valuable reference tool, but a fascinating book to read in itself. -- Review

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 496 pages
• Publisher: Free Press (October 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0684855968
• ISBN-13: 978-0684855967
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 6.3 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #595,479 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Cotterell casts a broad net on the Classical World, December 27, 2000

By 

Jvstin "Paul Weimer" (Circle Pines, MN United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: From Aristotle to Zoroaster: An a to Z Companion to the Classical World (Hardcover)

Similar to other dictionaries on the Classical World, From Aristotle to Zoroaster has some points which make it stand out from many of the others.

First its accessible. This dictionary is NOT directed at the classical scholar, or even a classics major in College (although both of them would appreciate this work). Its target is the lay reader and assumes only that you have a passing familiarity with ancient history.

Second, it casts a broad net. Most works of this time center themselves around the Mediterranean, but Cotterell has entries for points as far as China and India. His reasoning for including these (ie. none of these civilizations, including the Greek were in isolation from each other) is a good one, and I found myself interested in "what the Indians were doing" at the same time as the more familiar events in Greece, Rome and the Mediterranean region.

The book's maps and tables are well done, and give great overviews of the period . The illustrations, which are numerous, are well done, too. Although some of the entries seem a bit idiosyncratic (like "INVENTIONS"), by and large, this is an excellent work, and highly recommended to anyone with an interest in the period.