From the days of Homer’s Mycenean culture until the final collapse of Ancient Greek civilization, the Greek World has provided an enduring fascination to countless generations. Its language, culture, political systems, philosophy, art and architecture still influence our everyday lives, while the stories of Greek warriors, mighty Gods, and glittering cities have captivated our imagination. This book traces the historical, cultural and political development of the Greeks, who created the first democratic society in the world, and whose empire under Alexander the Great spanned most of the known world. While her citizen soldiers safeguarded Greek civilization when it was threatened by the Persians, Greek writers, poets, architects, politicians and philosophers created a cultural legacy that still endures. In this lavishly illustrated book, the history and culture of this remarkable people are traced, allowing readers a clear and concise insight into the Greek World.
With over 50 history books in print, Angus is a widely recognised and much-published historian. While he specialises in military and naval history he has also written numerous more general history books, designed to make the subject more accessible to a wider audience. Uniquely he has been able to draw on his expertise as a senior museum curator who has worked on both sides of the Atlantic, as well as on his academic training as a historian and as a maritime archaeologist.
His latest book is a full-length biography: Blackbeard: America's Most Notorious Pirate, which is published by Wiley & Sons. of New York (June 2006)
Angus is also just finished writing a history of the Allied landings at Salerno in September 1943 for the British publisher Pen & Sword, and he is currently working on a new project, with the working title of Supership: The Quest for the Renaissance Battleship.
Angus lives in Edinburgh, in Scotland.
