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The Classical World: An Epic History of Greece and Rome
by: Robin Lane Fox

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Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours Binding: Paperback
EAN: 9780141021416
ISBN: 0141021411
Label: Penguin Books Ltd
Manufacturer: Penguin Books Ltd
Number Of Pages: 720
Publication Date: July 06, 2006
Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd
Studio: Penguin Books Ltd
Sales Rank: 5023

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Customer Reviews

Average Rating: out of 5 stars

Rating:

- Ambitious sweeping view of many different periods
Broad strokes indeed from the historical brush of Robin Lane Fox as he describes the world of the ancient Greeks and Romans. If you know nothing about this kind of history then this is a good a place as any to start. The book begins with the world of Homer and the Dark Ages before Classical Greece began and moves swiftly forward until the reign of the Roman Emperor Hadrian some eight hundred odd years later.

Hadrian might seem a strange place to stop telling the story seeing as there are still many more things to be said about the Roman Empire after him. In another way however this is a natural place to stop. Quite apart from the fact that any more to this book would make it longer than its almost seven hundred pages, Hadrian was ... Read More:

Rating:

- Informative but a tiny bit tedious
This is a very informative and suitably brief history of ancient Greece and Rome. It covers a massive amount of ground in a short space of time and provides enough insight to instill the desire for more in particular areas.

However, it is very heavy on the political and military history - and very light on the social and cultural. This means that it often gets a bit dull, to be honest. There is also much left unsaid about why things were the way they were; or how particular practices evolved and developed.

All in all, though, quite a good read.

Rating:

- Comprehensive, but a bit dull
The prologue immediately launches into a bizarre screed about what defines classicism, which sets the tone for the book; painstakingly researched, but not light reading.

Enthusiasts only.

Rating:

- standard 'history' of Greece and Rome
This is undeniably a good, light read, but in some ways it is almost out of touch with the actual research occupying classicists working academically in the field. Yes, I do know that Lane Fox is a hugely respected Oxford academic, but all the same there is something very traditional and almost wistful about this simple reading of the history of Greece and Rome. As a previous reviwer has mentioned (accurately) this concentrates on 'events' rather than analysis, and given the huge scope of the book, treats them fairly simply and reductively (the entire Julio-Claudian dynasty, for example, is covered in one short chapter).

I suppose the major problem for me is the dismissal of classical literary culture to the margins: Athenian tragedy ... Read More:

Rating:

- So, is it "good" history?
Seeking to cogently summarise an incredible period of development & change - from the emergence of Greek city-states to the peaking of the Roman Empire - in just 600 pages is some challenge, but it's one that Robin Lane Fox rises to through his mastery of the subject and his ability to distil his knowledge into a manageable and highly readable format. And, as an example of making the "key facts" of complex history understandable and sufficiently succinct to capture and hold the attention of non-academic readers, it's an excellent book.

But, is it "good" history? Well that, of course, depends on how you view the subject. If it's a summary of major political & military events then you won't be disappointed for it's a fascinating ... Read More:

Books : The Classical World: An Epic History of Greece and Rome