Customer Reviews

Greece: An Oxford Archaeological Guide (Oxford Archaeological Guides)

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The new edition of the Oxford Archeological Guide to Greece (part of a excellent series on various parts of the ancient world)will be useful to any interested visitor to over 100 sites of mainland Greece and to Evia, Aegina and Thassos. The guide includes clear maps and a solid introduction to the history and geography of Greece and offers a clear glossary of deities and important figures. It also contains famous quotes and their explanations to add dimension to sites which have been mentioned by classical authors.

This guide doesn't cover as much territory as the "Blue Guide Greece", but it generally offers more detailed info on the places it does cover, and you can never have enough info on places to visit when you're touring around a foreign country, so such in-depth coverage of sites is very welcome. This book also includes interesting info on even some well known sites that I've never seen in any other book (and I've read a lot). If you're interested in archaeology you shouldn't visit Greece without this guide; I only wish I'd had it with me the last time I was there.

The main reason this book gets only three stars is because it is mistitled. The book itself is otherwise quite thorough in its coverage. It is packed with line drawings, monochrome photographic halftone images, maps, and siteplans. Oddly enough for a book that only covers part of Greece, it covers northern Greece including Thessaly and Macedonia.

I am quite pleased I bought this book. I think it would make an excellent companion on an ancient-historical and archeological tour of mainland (modern) Greece, and even includes attractions for the bored partner of the academic tourist. However, I am extremely frustrated, since I wanted to find out more about the sites of ancient Ionia and Magna Graecia which lie in the modern countries of Turkey and Italy respectively (I have a particular interest in the site of the sanctuary of Hera near Samos town on the island of Samos). In this hurried time when books are bought partly on the strength of their titles, it's really asinine that the title should be so inaccurate.

This book is a fantastic collection of sites on main land Greece which date to the classical times. The book is seperated into the different areas of Greece listing the most important ancient sites in each. As with all the Oxford Guides the descriptions of the site are extremely accurate and detailed. If you're looking to do a little sight seeing without really caring about the history of the sites this book is probably not for you. But if you truly want to experience and enjoy each site for the unequaled historical and cultural value they possess I can't recommend this book enough as your guide. I've been to Greece twice and I couldn't imagine my trips without this book.
-Joseph Galascione