Product Description

Egypt, Greece and Rome is regarded as one of the best general histories of the ancient world. It is written for the general reader and the student coming to the subject for the first time and provides a reliable and highly accessible point of entry to the period. The volume begins with the early civilizations of Sumer (modern Iraq) and continues through to the Islamic invasions and the birth of modern Europe after the collapse of the western Roman empire. The book ranges beyond political history to cover philosophy, art and literature. A wide range of maps, illustrations and photographs complements the text. The second edition incorporates new chapters on the ancient Mediterranean and the Ancient Near East, as well as extended coverage of Egypt.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #351731 in Books
• Published on: 2004-01-29
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 736 pages

Review
This is the second edition of what was an excellent book in its first edition, and is now stronger and even more useful ... If you did not add the first edition to your school or college library, I recommend that you do so. If you did, the second edition should still beckon you to include it. (The Journal of Classics Teaching )

When Deborah James reviewed the first edition of this book for JACT in 1997 she said "it beats with the pulse of modern scholarship on the ancient Mediterranean" and drew attention among other merits to the way in which the presentation of the great civilizations in this book enabled the reader to view events in context. This remains one of the great strengths of the book, and with this strength there goes the author's ability to write with skill, precision and vividness for a wide audience. (The Journal of Classics Teaching )

About the Author
Charles Freeman is a freelance academic author with a particular interest in the ancient world. He has published books on the Egyptians, Greeks and the end of the Greek rational tradition. He has taught ancient history on Cambridge's Adult Education programme and leads study tours of Italy for the Historical Association.

Customer Reviews

All there's to know about the ancient Mediterranean cultures
An excellent summary of the ancient Mediterranean history...One of the best books I've read last year. It talks about the rise of these cultures, how they developed, what lead them to the fall of their power and most interesting of all how they influenced each other for ages. It's a great read, it covers political, social as well as religious aspects of the ancient times. From how the the Egyptian goddess Isis is reflected on the Greek pottery to how a lot of the Greek architecture and sculpture was absorbed by Rome, it's all here!

It's easy to read, so don't get intimitated by the volume. The language is easy, the content fascinating. Only after you've read this book, can you fully appreciate the civilisation that had been built in that age.

Covers wide areas and aspect but sometimes lacks in depth.
This book covers vast areas of ancient history: Egypt, Greece and Rome along with other ancient lands, political, social and art history, religions, literature and so forth. This is not an old-fashioned history book about rulers and wars, neither does it concentrate solely on social history and culture without giving political background to cultural developments. Rather the book covers variety aspects and provides a broad view to its subject, which is the major strength of the book.

The strength of the book is, perhaps inevitably, its major weakness. By attempting to cover such varied areas the book often lacks in depth and specialised knowledge. Sometimes one has to struggle through fairly dull lists of events, dates, people, with explanations that I sometimes found too brief to adequately explain developments and factors behind. Sometimes one gets an impression that the author has not thoroughly analysed his information, but rather repeats other scholars in an abridged, sometimes even slightly erroneous manner.

To be fair with the author, no one person can be expected to have expertise on all these areas. A more in-depth analysis would probably have meant a narrower focus or would have made the book too long. As a scholar in one aspect of ancient world, I think the book serves well by offering a comprehensive view to ancient history, and as a reference book for checking dates, names and developments in ancient history.