Customer Reviews

The Penguin Historical Atlas of Ancient Greece

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I am an inveterate map reader. Whenever I travel there is a map in my pocket. But a recent trip to the Middle East and growing hobby collecting ancient coins had left me lost and confused as I tried to put in context the ruins visited and the coins I collected. With time, the names of cities and regions change so that one needs a separate map for each period. Morkot's superbly written historical atlas not only provides maps, but the rationale and context for their evolution and change. One of the best features in the structure of this book is the use of the overview, followed by a series of in-depth accounts, each from the perspective of the important "players" during a given historical period. This approach is immensely effective in reinforcing the information since the same information is repeated and new information added as each of the regions, their politics and battles, are succesively presented. From the Mycenae to the Parthians are thousands of years, thousands of miles, and thousands of political entities whose ebb and flow of power and reach of influence affect us even today. For the first time after years of puzzling over strange Grecian place names and leaders, I am now able to begin to understand the who what when and where for the 5 millenia preceding the birth of Christ. I wish this had been the first book I read in my study of ancient history. I can hardly wait to start on Penguin's sequel - Acient Rome.

This superficially attractive book should be approached carefully. The author makes several strong, yet unsupported statements in an attempt to minimize the effect of Classical Greece on western civilization. It is refreshing to see a different viewpoint. However, the book has no references; only further readings. Had I not been exposed to other viewpoints before reading this book, I would walk away thinking the Athenian contribution to Western philosophy, arts, architecture, letters, etc., was rather inconsequential and evolutionary in nature (rather than revolutionary as it is customarily accepted). There is nothing wrong with a new point of view. But, if it is radical, it should be supported (via references, etc.) -- otherwise, it is suspect.

An example of this is the statement (p. 93) that an exquisite ivory carving of Philip II "a little over three centimetres in height ... belies Demosthenes' claim that the Macedonians were 'barbarians'". In the same paragraph we hear that Philip employed many Greeks at his court, including Aristotle. Could it be possible that the barbarian conqueror, Phillip, surrounded himself with the beauty of the world he conquered? Readers exposed to the beauty of Classical Greek thought and art are left wondering about the motives (or background) of this author who chooses to focus on the political, military, and perhaps greedy aspects of Greek civilization, while completely ignoring its more noble contributions to Western thought. Perhaps the book balances the opposite tendency, i.e., to focus on the marvels of Greek Arts, and disregard the support environment that provided the safety and affluence for Greek Arts to flourish. The author only mentions Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle by name, but without any statement that might suggest he has studied their works (which I am sure he has, but ...).

A search on the web reveals the author is mainly an Egyptologist. This explains his belief that the Greeks were not initiators of Western thought, but rather mere continuators of the Egyptian arts and sciences, and "deeply influenced in all [their historical and cultural] phases by the other civilizations of the eastern Mediterranean and western Asia." While it is true that Greek culture was influenced by other cultures of the region, it is suspect to underplay the influence of Greek innovation on Democratic thought and other noble ideals of western society.

Again, balance this book with other viewpoints and do study some Plato (among others), while you are at it.

OK, when I first picked up The Penguin Historical Atlas of Ancient Greece by Robert Morkot, I was superficially impressed. But having slogged through this thin volume, I have concluded that it is the most poorly written book I have ever read. I think I would rather have my teeth pulled.

The maps look colorful at first glance, but they do silly things like mark battles in a light color that totally dissappears when placed on the maps. Or accompanying text will make direct reference to a place that is not on the map in question, so you have to flip back and forth to find the right map.

Each section starts with an intro chapter that is supposed to sum up what the individual chapters in the section contain, but it reads like a major cut-and-paste job. And by the time you get to the last sections of the book, the intro is actually longer that the indiviual chapters put together.

The atlas has helped me a little bit, and I'll refer to some of the maps from time to time, but this was not worth he effort.

Students lined up to borrow my copy of this concise, well written book. The maps are clearly marked, the text readable and accurate. Our professor had not seen it before and added it to his required reading list. Well worth the small price.

Much more than Egyptian, Persian or Roman history, Greek history is very complicated, because it wasn't just an empire with one emperor or king or whatever. Therefore Greek history is very complicated and it's difficult to obtain a clear overview. This historical atlas is the first I've ever seen which really helps you get this overview of the citystates, the alliances and wars. The maps are beautifully styled, this is simply a very good atlas for not very much money.

The Penguin Historical Atlas of Ancient Greece by Robert Morkot is a very useful reference book as it is loaded with maps that help one interpret what is said in other works on the Greeks which too often come without good maps.

There are two weaknesses in the work.

1. The maps are rather small in this edition and the color keys are often hard to sort out as the colors are too close together in tint.
2. The spellings of names for people and places are often considerably different than one commonly runs into in works on the Greeks published in the US and even Britain - there were times when my computerized Encyclopaedia Britannica couldn't match the names as spelled.

I agree with the reviewer who said that this book assumes you are already familiar with Greek history and even Greek geography. It is not an introductory book. Rather, it's a very good book to read after you have read a number of other books. It ties together scholarly opinion. There are still-existing controversies in Greek history, and it may be that this book takes a position in some instances that not everyone agrees with. But I don't see that as a major issue.
To be able to read comfortably just about any book on Greek history you should be familiar with the geography. This is hard for us Americans, but it is a gradual learning process, and finally when they mention Argos or Thebes or Delphi or Thrace you will know more or less where these places are located. Of course, the maps in this book can be used to make other books more readable.
An example of how this book is enjoyable in the context of other books previously-read, is the subject of Crete, Mycenae and Linear A and Linear B. The most interesting way to learn about this controversy is to read one or better yet both books about the interpretation of Linear B. The significance of the discovery that Linear B was a form of Greek is that it meant that at least by 1450 or 1400 BC Mycenae held sway over Crete instead of vice versa. What this Penguin book does is to emphasize that, according to the author, prior to 1450 BC, and for the previous say 600 years, there is no question that the Minoan civilization (Crete) held sway over Mycenae and much of the eastern mediterranean. I was not aware of that, and I'm not sure there is a consensus on that, but it is an example of how this book is much more meaningful if you have read a lot of Greek history prior to this book. This book is not an introductory course, it is a delicious dessert.

People lose interest in history quickly if they cannot visualize the world of the past. Penguin's historical atlas series brings the past to life in vibrant color with maps, illustrations, and photographs of historical sites and artifacts. The book is not intended for scholarly research. Rather, it's intended to give an overview of Greek history through the centuries from the ages of Cretan and Mycenean domination over the eastern Mediterranean to the triumph of Rome over her elder Greek sibling states. The reader is introduced to the variety of Greek societies and leaders who shaped the first European civilization. Some long-standing myths are disposed of, and the language is concise yet readable. This is a good resource for any middle or high school student, and is an excellent quick reference for any college student who has to wade through dry, unillustrated texts.

What I was expecting from this book was a condensed, informative, and illustrated short story of the Greek civilization. The book does it, and remarkably well at times. However, it is poorly referenced and assumes the reader knows already a lot about Greek history It was not my case, and so it was very annoying to see references to concepts such as "linear 1 writing", without any explanation. The same happens with some parts of the maps and geography concepts. Sometimes, places such as the Peloponnesos peninsula are referred to in the text but not apparent in the maps. Again, maybe unnecessary for people who know them, but annoying for those who don't. In brief, it's a very good book that could easily deserve 5 stars after an improved editorial revision.

With all the fine Classical scholars out there, why did Penguin pick an Egyptologist? The volume on Egypt isn't done by a scholar of Summerian history. His views are often dated, criticising or praising theories that are long since forgotten. A scholar like Peter Green could have made a fine book out of this.