The Greek Achievement: 1550 BC to 600 AD from Mycenea to the Byzantine Empire [Hardcover]

Charles Freeman (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1, 1999

A fresh, vivid, and thought-provoking introduction to the ancient civilization that helped shape our own and fascinates us anew today.

The immense success of Robert Fagles's translations of The Iliad and The Odyssey has demonstrated the resurgent appeal of the ancient Greeks. Combining the best of recent scholarship with a readable narrative, Charles Freeman's The Greek Achievement traces nearly two thousand years of history and culture--from the earliest settlements through the Classical, Hellenistic, and Roman periods to the splendors of Byzantium.

Like Thomas Cahill's The Gift of the Jews and How the Irish Saved Civilization, The Greek Achievement celebrates both the Greeks and their legacy to the world. It ranges from the tragedies of Aeschylus to the military adventures of Xenophon, from the conquests of Alexander the Great to the love songs of Sappho. It covers Aristotle and the roots of rhetoric; Plato's conception of The Republic, the first great piece of Utopian writing; philosophies such as Stoicism and Epicureanism; Euclid's contribution to mathematics; Galen's work in medicine; how Greek theater has colored dramatists from Shakespeare and the Elizabethans onward; the Greek influence on Christian theology and church structure; and much more.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

The idea of an entity called Greece is a modern one, which a Thracian of Homer's time or an Athenian of the age of Pericles would not have recognized. Ancient Greek politics was organized along the lines first of family, then of clan, then of neighborhood, and then finally of town or city; the concept of nationhood, the existence of a nation called Greece, scarcely entered the discussion.

But if there was no Greece in ancient times, there is more than one ancient Greece. One, writes the noted classical historian Charles Freeman, can be found symbolized in the Parthenon of Athens, its graceful architecture and statuary bespeaking ideals of freedom, citizenship, truth. But another, Freeman continues, can be found early in the pages of Thucydides, who writes of, among other atrocities, the Athenians' slaughtering the citizens of Melos upon their surrender after a long siege. "Whatever the achievements of the Greeks might have been," he writes, "they developed against the backdrop of a real world, one in which human beings were degraded by disease and where brutality was an everyday part of life."

Freeman traces both the real and the ideal Greek world in this comprehensive survey of ancient history, which opens with an up-to-date assessment of the Greek peninsula's Bronze Age cultures and closes with a view of the survival of classical customs and ways of thought in the Western tradition. Gracefully written, Freeman's fine history will find a welcome place on classicists' bookshelves. --Gregory McNamee

From Publishers Weekly

These are not your grandfather's Greeks, flawless creators of a world where, as Freeman writes, "the marble is always shining, the streets are clean, and there is a lot of time for passionate philosophical discussions about art, theater, or the meaning of life." Greek civilization was often bloody and brutal, sustained by conquest, slavery and the subjugation of women. Nonetheless, in demythologizing Greek civilization, Freeman (Egypt, Greece and Rome, etc.) clarifies its extraordinary achievements. His story stretches from the Mycenaeans (circa 1500 B.C.) to the late Hellenistic period (fourth century A.D.), exploring the enormous achievements of the archaic period on which the classical era was built, as well as the previously undervalued Hellenistic era. It's a difficult, complex story that highlights multiple cultural borrowings and transformations as often as it celebrates pure inventions. Drawing on archeology and literature, Freeman expertly illuminates the nature of Greek life. His main thrust is an integrated account that uses the evolving background of everyday concerns, class conflicts and external threats to make sense of Greek culture. He points out the spots where his story is necessarily speculative, and he usually offers competing viewpoints. Chapters focus on such issues as Athenian democracy, drama and philosophy, and Hellenistic science, mathematics and medicine. As a lively survey of a past civilization and the present's debt to it, this is on a par with Thomas Cahill's successful Hinges of History series (The Gifts of the Jews, etc.). But Freeman is a more rigorous historian than Cahill, and he never lets enthusiasm obscure the distinction between fact and myth, between events and their interpretation. Illustrations, maps. (Aug.)
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 576 pages
• Publisher: Viking Adult (August 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0670885150
• ISBN-13: 978-0670885152
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6.4 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.9 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #836,417 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Readable, Intelligent Stroll Through Greek History, September 6, 2002

By 

Ricky Hunter (New York City, NY United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Greek Achievement: The Foundation of the Western World (Paperback)

Charles Freeman in the Greek Achievement (The Foundations of the Western World) will take the reader through 1,500 years of history that is fascinating, entertaining, and enlightening. The information will prove familiar for those who have studied this period but the author throws in opinions at many points to keep his version fresh. This book, though, is perfect for the beginner. It is more than a survey yet not at all bogged down with scholarly detritus. One of the most pleasant discoveries is that this book is not a form of idol worship posing as history (as the subtitle threatens) but a balanced account with examinations of how past historians have looked into the material and how new research changes the interpretations. An easy and satisfying read.

16 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Surprisingly Readable, July 16, 2004

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R. Whitelaw "Rebel Broker" (Morgan Hill, CA USA) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Greek Achievement: The Foundation of the Western World (Paperback)

Confession time. I expected this book to really put me to sleep. So why did I buy it? Well.... the recent release of the movie "Troy" peaked my interest in the classical world, so here I am.

But surprise, I found myself captivated with this discussion of the Greek world. If you have any interest in the classical world, this would be a great place to start.

Now I know a little something about boring history books. I majored in history and even taught it at the high school level for a short time. Trust me, I have shelves full of stinky, boring required reading from my college days and from later attempts to look deaper into specific historical topics. This was a breath of fresh air.

If you have ever had to read some of the other required classic reading (IE: Homer, Sophocles, Euripides, etc.) this will serve as an excellent work to enhance what you got out of those folks. And lets be honest, anyone who has actually read all of Euripides has got to admit that having something like this work to gain better understanding is a good thing!

Now, lets get it in perspective. This work covers a monumental period of time. If your looking for indepth works on the hellenistic period or any other particular period of Greek/Classical history - this is likely not for you.

However, if what your looking for is something to cover all the key waypoints of Greek civilization, this is the place to be.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A good book for the beginner, June 11, 2002

By 

Atheen M. Wilson "Atheen" (Mpls, MN United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Greek Achievement: The Foundation of the Western World (Paperback)

Freemen's The Greek Achievement is a nice survey of the history of the Greek world from the Mycenaean to the Hellenistic periods. Although it concentrates heavily on the Athenian contribution to history, it does not stop with the end of the classical period as if nothing of importance had happened after the end of the Peloponnesian War. From notes by professional reviewers I had understood that Charles Freeman was a British professor, so I found most unusual his use of translations of Greek and Latin texts by other authors, even of quotes of translations quoted by other secondary sources (p. 189). This left me with a feeling that the author's credentials might be a little weak. He definitely offers little that is new with respect to the interpretation of historic events, art, architecture, etc, but he does offer insight into the history of the West's concept of Greek achievement. I had already learned of the painted surfaces and crowded display of statuary that we now see as pristine white marble displayed with great care, individually in our museums world wide. What I hadn't quite understood was the degree to which the character of ancient Greek culture, even of the notion of "Greece" and "Greek," had been filtered through the prism of the 19th Century psyche, particularly those of scholar Robert Wood, art historian Johann Winkelmann, and financier and adventurer Heinrich Schliemann. For anyone wanting to find out about the overall events of the period this is a good place to start. There is an excellent date list with summary of events and artistic examples on pages 445 to 462, which might help the survey student study for exams, and a list of books on various topics (with publication dates from the mid 80's to the mid 90's) with which to follow up on selected subjects. The material is clearly presented and would be fully comprehended by senior high students and even interested junior high students, and would thus make a good addition to a school library.