Handbook to Life in Ancient Greece

Rating:
Summary: Not Light Reading
Review: I really hoped to have a book that would convey to me how it was and how it felt to live in Ancient Greece. I guess that all of the necessary information is there, but it is not presented in any cogent way.

Rating:
Summary: Good overall reference book
Review: In his Preface to 'The Genius of Alexander the Great,' 1997, NGL Hammond states:

'The narratives which survive were written between three and five centuries after Alexander's career, and their portrayals of Alexander vary widely not only in what might be regarded as matters of fact but also in interpretations of Alexander's personality. The latter range from intellectual brilliance and statesmanlike vision to unbridled lust for conquest and drunken debauchery. The temptation for modern writers is to pick and choose from these narratives what suits his own conception of Alexander's personality...' Lesley and Roy Adkins have taken it upon themselves to judge Alexander a murderer and self-appointed god.

Hammond also says, 'In 1980 when I published a book on Alexander I wrote that my aim was "to state most of the evidence and bring the reader into the task of evaluation." Thus, to take as an example the Battle of the Granicus, I reported the incompatible versions of the ancient writers (Diodorus, Plutarch and Arrian in particular), added some topographical details, and put forward my reconstruction, which rested on my own evaluation of the worth of the rival accounts. The reader was thereby equipped to make his own assessment of what actually happened, and he was enabled to carry his study further by consulting the works of other scholars to which reference was provided. Thus it was a work designed to provoke inquiry into and estimation of Alexander's achievements.'

The 'Handbook' is clearly designed the other way round, to flatly assert 'facts' where the quest is more powerful than ever, now that we have modern technology and scholarship; and worse, the 'Handbook' is designed to be used regularly by students. Worst of all, perhaps, is that such scholars as the Adkins must know what they are doing, as well as their publisher, no doubt!

So they have to contradict themselves in places, as for example in the statistical description of Alexander's army, they have to admit that 'No work of contemporary authors has survived to provide information about the army of Alexander.' This does not stop them from judging Alexander elsewhere as though their opinion were fact.

This is important because it is reported by many historians, including S. Price, for example, in 'Greece and The Hellenistic World' (Oxford University Press, 1986) that Alexander spread democracy. That the cities he founded continued to assert the desirability of democracy against a tyranny or an oligarchy. This democratic impulse can logically be understood as a liberating force that defined the Hellenistic legacy and continues today. It was so controversial and fought over that the sources are charged with the political atmosphere of their day. If you check the 'Handbook' in its index under democracy you will find that the subject is given the once over lightly. This is irresponsible when it comes to our Greek heritage.

One more quote from Hammond's preface (my parentheses). 'To take an example, it may be more attractive to attribute the burning of the palace (of Darius) at Persepolis to an act of drunken vandalism by an Athenian prostitute and an inebriated king (Alexander) than to a deliberate decision of policy.' A policy, I might add, that could well be reflected in the fact that Alexander designated no 'heir' and even the generals who fought over the land after his death delayed quite a while, it seems, before declaring themselves kings (or gods as in Ptolemy's case, who wrote one of the lost source biographies of Alexander).

Not that I agree with Hammond everywhere in his personal evaluations, but he demonstrates the kind of scholarly integrity that puts the likes of this 'Handbook' and other such references these days to shame. So in spite of the detail the Adkins provide, it is so undermined by their assumptions that I can only warn the buyer with a star.

The 'Handbook' presents the Greek legacy as basically royalist and, without giving the other side, debases the Greeks and our common heritage with important assumptions presented as facts.

Rating:
Summary: Caveat Emptor (Buyer Beware)
Review: In his Preface to 'The Genius of Alexander the Great,' 1997, NGL Hammond states:

'The narratives which survive were written between three and five centuries after Alexander's career, and their portrayals of Alexander vary widely not only in what might be regarded as matters of fact but also in interpretations of Alexander's personality. The latter range from intellectual brilliance and statesmanlike vision to unbridled lust for conquest and drunken debauchery. The temptation for modern writers is to pick and choose from these narratives what suits his own conception of Alexander's personality...' Lesley and Roy Adkins have taken it upon themselves to judge Alexander a murderer and self-appointed god.

Hammond also says, 'In 1980 when I published a book on Alexander I wrote that my aim was "to state most of the evidence and bring the reader into the task of evaluation." Thus, to take as an example the Battle of the Granicus, I reported the incompatible versions of the ancient writers (Diodorus, Plutarch and Arrian in particular), added some topographical details, and put forward my reconstruction, which rested on my own evaluation of the worth of the rival accounts. The reader was thereby equipped to make his own assessment of what actually happened, and he was enabled to carry his study further by consulting the works of other scholars to which reference was provided. Thus it was a work designed to provoke inquiry into and estimation of Alexander's achievements.'

The 'Handbook' is clearly designed the other way round, to flatly assert 'facts' where the quest is more powerful than ever, now that we have modern technology and scholarship; and worse, the 'Handbook' is designed to be used regularly by students. Worst of all, perhaps, is that such scholars as the Adkins must know what they are doing, as well as their publisher, no doubt!

So they have to contradict themselves in places, as for example in the statistical description of Alexander's army, they have to admit that 'No work of contemporary authors has survived to provide information about the army of Alexander.' This does not stop them from judging Alexander elsewhere as though their opinion were fact.

This is important because it is reported by many historians, including S. Price, for example, in 'Greece and The Hellenistic World' (Oxford University Press, 1986) that Alexander spread democracy. That the cities he founded continued to assert the desirability of democracy against a tyranny or an oligarchy. This democratic impulse can logically be understood as a liberating force that defined the Hellenistic legacy and continues today. It was so controversial and fought over that the sources are charged with the political atmosphere of their day. If you check the 'Handbook' in its index under democracy you will find that the subject is given the once over lightly. This is irresponsible when it comes to our Greek heritage.

One more quote from Hammond's preface (my parentheses). 'To take an example, it may be more attractive to attribute the burning of the palace (of Darius) at Persepolis to an act of drunken vandalism by an Athenian prostitute and an inebriated king (Alexander) than to a deliberate decision of policy.' A policy, I might add, that could well be reflected in the fact that Alexander designated no 'heir' and even the generals who fought over the land after his death delayed quite a while, it seems, before declaring themselves kings (or gods as in Ptolemy's case, who wrote one of the lost source biographies of Alexander).

Not that I agree with Hammond everywhere in his personal evaluations, but he demonstrates the kind of scholarly integrity that puts the likes of this 'Handbook' and other such references these days to shame. So in spite of the detail the Adkins provide, it is so undermined by their assumptions that I can only warn the buyer with a star.

The 'Handbook' presents the Greek legacy as basically royalist and, without giving the other side, debases the Greeks and our common heritage with important assumptions presented as facts.

Rating:
Summary: Good overall reference book
Review: The purpose of this book is to provide the reader with a overview (and comprehensive at that) of the Greeks up to the ascension ofAugustus in Rome. In this the book suceeds. The information included is well rounded despite its relative briefness and has been validated by recent scholarship. Topics range from city planning to civic calenders. Biographies of famous (and not so famous) people are also included in each section. Included are drawings and plans of architecture as well as maps and photos of ruins.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent handbook.
Review: This handy reference covers the three millenia of Greek life from the Minoan era to the Roman Conquest of c.30bc. Organized thematically rather than chronologically, subjects are accessible under broad topics such as religion and geography, then under subheadings such as festivals and literature. This logical organization, together with an admirably complete index, makes it easy to use to find wanted information, or serves for pleasant browsing.
With photos and drawings, maps, bibliography, and suggestions for further reading, this is a fine one-volume introduction into the Greek world, echoes of which can be heard in our civilization today.

(The numerical rating above is an ineradicable default setting within the format. This reviewer does not employ numerical ratings.)

Rating:
Summary: Nice
Review: This is an excellent overview of all major aspects of Ancient Greece. It is divided under a logical thematic scheme. There are plenty of pictures, illustrations, maps and chronologies to aid in conveying data. Each section has a bibliography for suggestions on where to delve deeper for more information.

As a general introduction and quick reference, it can't be beat. Those wanting a deeper layer of detail will have to consult the books in the suggested bibliographies. This book was meant to be an affordable survey for the general reader, and in that scheme it does pretty well. If you read this along with the counterpart "Handbook to Life in Ancient Rome" you'll have a nice command of classical society. Highly suggested for high school students amd undergraduates.