Sites of Antiquity: From Ancient Egypt to the Fall of Rome, 50 Sites that Explain the Classical World (Blue Guides) [Hardcover]

Charles Freeman (Author)

Book Description

Series: Blue Guides | Publication Date: November 17, 2009

A lavishly illustrated tour of the preeminent Mediterranean archeological areas.

Armchair travelers and history buffs alike will thrill to the beautiful illustrations, floor plans, and maps that complement Sites of Antiquity as it traces the evolution of the Classical world through fifty of its greatest sites. From the Egypt of the pharaohs through the democracies of Greece to the fall of Imperial Rome, this handsome volume reflects the perennial Blue Guides’ strengths in erudition and research.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

A member of the Blue Guides editorial board, Charles Freeman is the author of numerous books, including AD 381 and The Closing of the Western Mind. He lives in Suffolk, England.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 250 pages
• Publisher: Blue Guides Limited of London (November 17, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1905131313
• ISBN-13: 978-1905131310
• Product Dimensions: 10.3 x 8.8 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #553,030 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "This is the luxury planning version that you may want to flip ..., December 30, 2009

By 

Robert C. Ross (New Jersey) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Sites of Antiquity: From Ancient Egypt to the Fall of Rome, 50 Sites that Explain the Classical World (Blue Guides) (Hardcover)

... the pages on, peering through your monocle whilst reclining languidly on your chaise-longue."

hillpaul is one of my favorite Amazon reviewers for history books, and his lovely summary in his Review here on Amazon beautifully describes the strengths of this excellent book.

Charles Freeman is an excellent historian and serves as the historian for the "Blue Guides". He has written an outstanding series of short essays describing 50 sites, including several sites in Egypt, Greece and Rome, three Hellenic sites, and five early Christian sites. The great power of his essays is that he puts these sites into a consistent historical pattern, and then leads the reader through the sites as an informed tour guide using excellent photos, drawings and maps.

I haven't found a Table of Contents online, but it was a joy to type out the list myself, bringing back great memories of visits past or whetting the appetites for sites still unvisited:

Ancient Egypt: the pyramids of Saqqara and Dahshur, the pyramids of Giza, Luxor, Karnak, the Valley of the Kings, Tel el-Amarna, Abu Simbel, Edfu, Dendera, Philae.

Ancient Greece: Knossos, Mycenae, Olympia, Delphi, Dodona, Epidaurus, Athen -- Acropolis and Agora, Delos, Segesta and Selinunte, Agrigento, Paestum.

Hellenistic Greece: Pergamon, Priene, Ephesus.

Ancient Rome: Forum, Arch Constantine, Colosseum, Pantheon, Baths of Caracalla, Ostia, Nimes, Pont du Gard, Petra, Aphrodisias, Pompeii, Hadrian's Villa, Hadrian's Wall, Leptis Magna, Palmyra, Diocletian's Villa, Piazza Armerina, Trier.

Early Christian World: Jerusalem, Rome, Ravenna, Constantinople, St. Catherine's Monastery, Sinai.

Freeman provides a very useful bibliography, an excellent Glossary and a rich Index.

It would great fun to travel with hillpaul and see the world through his eyes. Until that is possible (if ever), Charles Freeman has provided this armchair traveller with a "luxury planning version" of these wonderful sites.

Robert C. Ross 2009

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars SITES OF ANTIQUITY: FROM ANCIENT EGYPT TO THE FALL OF ROME, 50 SITES THAT EXPLAIN THE CLASSICAL WORLD (BLUE GUIDES (NORTON)), December 11, 2009

By 

Hillpaul (West Sussex, GB) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sites of Antiquity: From Ancient Egypt to the Fall of Rome, 50 Sites that Explain the Classical World (Blue Guides) (Hardcover)

Apart from my passport the only other thing that has gone around the world with me has been a Blue Guide. There are other guidebooks that will give you better, cheaper or groovier places to eat and sleep but a Blue Guide is like Kipling's six honest serving men. Having said that though this isn't one that you would stuff in your knapsack. This is the luxury planning version that you may want to flip the pages on, peering through your monocle whilst reclining languidly on your chaise-longue. Unlike my dog-eared Blue Guides with their extensive marginalia, I will endeavour to keep this in the pristine condition I received it in. An excellent overview of the Classical world, it does a very good job of linking the major sites. The only caveat I have is that unlike the traditional Blue Guides the number of site maps/architectural illustrations is minimal, but don't let that put you off