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Ancient Greece

Elf Grinder 3000

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Elf Grinder 3000
Joined
Sep 10, 2009
Messages
1,608
Hi,

I am reading Gibbon's History of Roman Empire and wanted to learn about ancient Greece as well.

What books would you recommend?
 
curious questions 1 and 2. I have them, they are in crap shape but I would be willing to part with them for 100 bucks each. let me see what they go for.

They have a 3 volume reprint for sale for 25 bucks shipping included. Looks high quality. I am seriously considering getting it. It basically is a series books of European folklore from the perspective of 140 years ago. Guess I gotta have it even though I am broke. I bought it, it was the only complete set on Ebay. There is a single book available for 18 bucks. I should look for a complete Waverly novel set. I didn't know this stuff was so cheap!
 
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MinnesotaBrant said:
curious questions 1 and 2. I have them, they are in crap shape but I would be willing to part with them for 100 bucks each. let me see what they go for.

They have a 3 volume reprint for sale for 25 bucks shipping included. Looks high quality. I am seriously considering getting it. It basically is a series books of European folklore from the perspective of 140 years ago. Guess I gotta have it even though I am broke. I bought it, it was the only complete set on Ebay. There is a single book available for 18 bucks. I should look for a complete Waverly novel set. I didn't know this stuff was so cheap!
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What?
 
Honestly, if you want to learn about the history of the Roman Empire, why in the world would you choose a 240 years old book? Yes, it's an incredibly important work and interesting in its own right, but history, especially with the advent of modern economics and sociology, has come a far way from Gibbon.
 
TubbaBlubba said:
Honestly, if you want to learn about the history of the Roman Empire, why in the world would you choose a 240 years old book? Yes, it's an incredibly important work and interesting in its own right, but history, especially with the advent of modern economics and sociology, has come a far way from Gibbon.
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I enjoy reading Givbon's work. It contains a lot of factual information (interpretations have changed, but not who killed whom and the order of the empowers and the like). Plus, there is a certain joy in seeing how research and scholasticism was conducted by our ancestors. Plus, it is a fun read.
 
Dinwar said:
I enjoy reading Givbon's work. It contains a lot of factual information (interpretations have changed, but not who killed whom and the order of the empowers and the like). Plus, there is a certain joy in seeing how research and scholasticism was conducted by our ancestors. Plus, it is a fun read.
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Yes, I can absolutely understand that point of view. But if my goal was to understand Roman history, it would be pretty far down on my list.
 
TubbaBlubba said:
Yes, I can absolutely understand that point of view. But if my goal was to understand Roman history, it would be pretty far down on my list.
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I haven't read many books on roman history but Gibbon's work is popular because of his skill as a writer.

and his history is more or less factual, it isn't filled with a lot of speculation or theory on the causes behind events. History in that sense is better learned from someone who can engage the reader.

anyway what other books would you prefer reading?
 
Rincewind said:
I was going to suggest Thucidides, but that's a bit older than 240 years... :D

And it probably depends on what aspects of Ancient Greece you're interested in.
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Did he write the history of the peloponesian war? Yeah the problem with books that old is that the language is very difficult to overcome.

I was interested in day to day life aspects like politics, religion, economics philosophy etc...
 
Elf Grinder 3000 said:
Did he write the history of the peloponesian war? Yeah the problem with books that old is that the language is very difficult to overcome.

I was interested in day to day life aspects like politics, religion, economics philosophy etc...
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Mind your spelling! Some of us are sensitive to these things :)
 
I'm sure there are many modern authors, but if you find a good translation I would also recommend Herodotus.
Sure, it tends to blend myth with fact, but it also gives a good insight on how the greeks thought at the time.
 
If you have an Audible.com account, I like pretty much anything from the "Great Courses" series . I usually listen to one of the lectures while I make dinner or do long car trips.
 
Michael Kuilikowski's Rome's Gothic Wars was an interesting and informative read.

The author was making the argument that the old idea about Rome's fall being linked to its failure to integrate foreign forces into its own military structure was incorrect, that the various Gothic tribes were at least at the elite level Roman in their outlook.
 
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