Guide to Greece, Vol. 2: Southern Greece [Paperback]

Pausanias (Author), John Newberry (Illustrator), Peter Levi (Translator)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 28, 2006

Written by a Greek traveller in the second century ad for a principally Roman audience, "Pausanias' Guide to Greece" is a comprehensive, extraordinarily literate and well-informed guidebook for tourists of the age. Concentrating on buildings, tombs and statues, it also describes in detail the myths, religious beliefs and historical background behind the monuments considered. In doing so, it preserves Greek legends, quotes classical literature and poetry that would otherwise have been lost, and offers a fascinating depiction of the glory of classical Greece immediately before its third-century decline. This, the second of two volumes, explores Southern Greece including Sparta, Arkadia, Bassae and the games at Olympia. An inspiration to travellers and writers across the ages, including Byron and Shelley, it remains one of the most influential of all travel books.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Pausanias was a Greek geographer and native of Lydia who explored Greece, Macedonia, Asia and Africa, before settling in Rome. Pausanias is believed to have lived in the second half of the second century A.D. and is thought by some historians to have been a doctor as well as a scholar.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 18 and up
  
• Paperback: 560 pages
• Publisher: Penguin Classics (November 28, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 014044226X
• ISBN-13: 978-0140442267
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5.1 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #667,886 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Ian Myles Slater on: More on the Penguin Translation, October 6, 2003

By 

Ian M. Slater "aylchanan" (Los Angeles, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Guide to Greece, Vol. 2: Southern Greece (Paperback)

I have reviewed the companion volume (Guide to Greece: Central Greece) in the Penguin Classics series, and commented there that the Peter Levi translation is not ideal. One of the problems I had in mind is that the division into two volumes, while sensible in itself, does not follow the standard order of the books, but groups them geographically. Pausanias should have done this himself, but the innovation means flipping between the volumes when looking up cross-references to originally adjacent material, and really complicates using references in other volumes. Still, this is not an insurmountable problem, and should not be an objection if (when?) this translation is returned to the Penguin list. Of course, the Penguin Classics are currently (2003) being reprinted in a larger format, and that may prove an occasion for altering the "Guide to Greece" in a new edition

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great Footnotes!, August 30, 2004

By 

Economos (Palo Alto) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Guide to Greece, Vol. 2: Southern Greece (Paperback)

I purchased the Pausanias' Guide to Southern Greece many years ago before vacationing in the Pelopponese. Pausanias gives a very detailed account of many tourists sites. It is referred to on plaques at Greek sites in Greece. However, as important as Pausanias, is Peter Levi. His footnotes are extremely helpful in understanding the text and relating descriptions to what is on the ground today. I learned at least as much from the Peter Levi's footnotes as I did from Pausanias' text. I would not buy a different translation without his footnotes.
I give this only a 4 star rating because it may be too detailed for the casual reader.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great for archaeology buffs who tour the Peloponnese, February 23, 2007

By 

Fredrick Broome - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Guide to Greece, Vol. 2: Southern Greece (Paperback)

I'm not a professional archaeologist, but love the subject all the
same -- my ideal vacation is to tour obscure sites with ancient literature
mentioning the places.

For that, Pausanias is ideal! True, as a previous reviewer wrote, the
names are thick and obscure (just say "Sthenelaus" off-hand, then
imagine dozens of other tongue-twisters in close context), the writing
is not the best (although as early travel books go, this is the real
thing!), and without looking at the actual sites, the casual reader
may find little of interest.

But I agree, Levi's footnotes bring hours of pleasure to someone who
has visited the little-known places that, with a little attention
from the Greek archaeologists, would be just as famous as those
knee-deep in tourists. The fact you are alone, and with a voice from
1800 years ago to guide you, is like a personal discovery. Having
been to such places, I plan to return again, and I'll have my copy
with me. . . .