The Greek City States: A Source Book

by Peter Rhodes and P.J. Rhodes

Book Overview

Political activity and political thinking began in the cities and other states of ancient Greece, and terms such as tyranny, aristocracy, oligarchy, democracy and politics itself are Greek words for concepts first discussed in Greece. Rhodes presents in translation a selection of texts illustrating the formal mechanisms and informal workings of the Greek states in all their variety. From the states described by Homer out of which the classical Greeks...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0521615569
• ISBN13: 9780521615563
• Release Date: April 2007
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press
• Length: 356 Pages
• Weight: 1.30 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 5.9" x 8.9"

Customer Reviews

somewhat disjointed read due to its inherent nature

The book is not a recount of the Pelopennesian Wars. Rather, it gives background into the different societies of the Greek cities. Their economic structures, forms of government, religions and social lives. The text is explicitly a source book. So there is no (or at least very little) overarching narrative. Instead, the reader is treated to excerpts, typically of a few paragraphs, translated from original documents, describing various aspects of the cities. A result is a disjointed read, if you try or want to read it cover to cover. Perhaps best used as a reference.