A brief history of Ancient Greece / Don Nardo
the Bronze Age (ca. 3000-ca. 1100 B.C.)
The early Bronze Age and arrival of the first Greeks / Sarah B. Pomeroy [and others]
The Minoan culture flourishes on Crete / Rodney Castleden
Mainland Mycenaen traders and builders / M.I. Finley
The discovery that the Mycenaeans spoke Greek / J. Lesley Fitton
The age of heroes and the Trojan War / Michael Grant
The Greek forces assemble before Troy / Homer
The end of the Bronze Age / Thomas R. Martin
the Dark Age (ca. 1100-ca. 800 B.C.) and the Archaic Age (ca. 800-ca. 500 B.C.)
Independent farmers transform the land and community / Victor D. Hanson
A new alphabet and the rediscovery of writing / Anthony M. Snodgrass.
The rise of city-states / Chester G. Starr
The Greeks establish colonies far and wide / Hermann Bengtson
Rule by tyrants / Robert B. Kebric
Lawgivers and political experimentation / M.I. Finley
Solon reforms Athen's social and legal systems / Plutarch
The Classic Age, part I : the Fifth Century B.C.
The Athenians crush the Persians at Marathon / Peter Green
The Persians' massive second invasion of Greece / Peter Levi
An eyewitness describes the Battle of Salamis / Aeschylus
The rise of Athens's maritime empire / Alan L. Boegehold
A contemporary view of the turbulent mid-Fifth Century B.C. / Thucydides
The causes of the Peloponnesian War / Raphael Sealey
The Peloponnesian War devastates Greece / Charles Freeman
An Athenian recalls his city's surrender / Xenophon.
the Classic Age, part 2 : the Fourth Century B.C.
The march of the ten thousand / Stringfellow Barr
Continued rivalries cause the city-states to decline / Chester G. Starr
The Thebans challenge Spartan dominance / Plutarch
Philip II and the rise of Macedonia / N.G.L. Hammond
The conquests of Alexander the Great / Thomas R. Martin
Alexander's brilliance as a leader / Arrian
the Hellenistic Age (323-30 B.C.)
Wars of Alexander's successors / Michael Grant
The Hellenistic kingdoms / Hermann Bengtson
Rise of the Achaean League / Polybius
Roman armies enter Greece / Arthur E.R. Boak and William G. Sinnigen
Rome subdues the mainland Greek states / Max Cary
Cleopatra : last of the Greek Hellenistic rulers / Peter Green
Democracy, citizenship, and justice.
Athens establishes the world's first democracy / Michael Grant
Meetings of the Athenian Assembly / Donald Kagan
The Athenian justice system / N.R.E. Fisher
An accused murderer defends himself in court / Lysias
Democracy on the local level / Eli Sagan
An Athenian complains about democracy's drawbacks / Old Oligarch
An Athenian extols the benefits of democracy / Pericles
The family and social roles and institutions
The family : its members and structure / W.K. Lacey
The lives of classical Greek women / Eva Cantarella
Wedding arrangements and ceremonies / Sue Blundell
A wife's duties in marriage / Xenophon
The Hellenistic Age brings increased opportunities for women / Sarah B. Pomeroy
Classical views of childhood and children / Mark Golden.
The status and treatment of Greek slaves / Michael Grant
A philosopher attempts to justify the institution of slavery / Aristotle
Religious beliefs and customs
The creation of the world and the Gods / Hesiod
The major Gods : their attributes, attendants, and images / David Bellingham
The nature and forms of Greek worship / Michael Grant
The Oracle at Delphi / Manolis Andronicos
Varying beliefs about the afterlife / Jon D. Mikalson
Burial rites and customs / Donna C. Kurtz and John Boardman
The emergence of monumental architecture / William R. Biers
The practical but beautiful works of the master potters / Thomas Craven
Structures for the ages : the Periclean Building Program / Plutarch
Architectural perfection achieved in the Parthenon / Manolis Andronicos
Wonders of the world : Phidias's statues of Athena and Zeus / Pausanias.
Hellenistic art emphasizes realism and emotion / John G. Pedley
Greek playwrights draw mainly on traditional myths / Michael Grant
Choruses, masks, costumes, and acting styles / James H. Butler
The nature of Greek tragedy / D.W. Lucas / Oedipus receives the prophecy of his own downfall / Sophocles
Aristophanes and the old comedy / C.M. Bowra
A comic play ridicules the new education / Aristophanes
Menander and the new comedy / Robert Flaceliere
Literature, philosophy, and science
Homer and his epic poems / Michael Grant
The Great age of Greek lyric poetry / Jacqueline de Romilly
Early Greek philosophy / Charles Freeman
Hippocrates and Greek medicine / Philip Wheelwright
Socrates and Plato examine the human condition / Michael Grant.
A friend remembers Socrates / Xenophon
Why philosophers should rule / Plato
Aristotle expands the frontiers of knowledge / Michael Grant
New philosophies thrive in the Hellenistic Age / Sarah B. Pomeroy et al.
Inventions and discoveries of the Hellenstic scientists / Michael Grant
The fabulous inventions of Archimedes / Plutarch
Farming, commerce, and trade
Trade in Greece's Bronze Age / Michael Wood
Why land was the basis of Greece's economy / Alfred Zimmern
A Greek farmer describes planting and harvesting / Xenophon
How the Greek grain-shipping business worked / Lionel Casson
Common foods and eating customs / Andrew Dalby
Local industries, banking, and financial dealings / W.G. Hardy
Agriculture, industry, and trade in Hellenistic times / Max Cary
Athletic training and competition
Legendary heroes race their chariots / Homer.
The sacred games at Olympia / Judith Swaddling
Nudity in Greek athletics / Waldo E. Sweet
A victorious athlete is glorified in verse / Pindar
Military customs and warfare
Late Bronze Age warfare / William Taylour
The development of Hoplite warfare / Victor D. Hanson
Greek naval warfare / F.E. Adcock
The Macedonian Army developed by Philip and Alexander / Peter Connolly
Hellenistic sieges, fortifications, mercenaries, and battle elephants / John Warry
Why the Roman legions were able to defeat the Greek Phalanx / Polybius
Greece's legacy to the western world / Will Durant
A detailed chronology of Ancient Greek civilization
Prominent people, places, and Gods
