Rating: 
Summary: Great book
Review: I agree with the reviewer who said that this book assumes you are already familiar with Greek history and even Greek geography. It is not an introductory book. Rather, it's a very good book to read after you have read a number of other books. It ties together scholarly opinion. There are still-existing controversies in Greek history, and it may be that this book takes a position in some instances that not everyone agrees with. But I don't see that as a major issue.
To be able to read comfortably just about any book on Greek history you should be familiar with the geography. This is hard for us Americans, but it is a gradual learning process, and finally when they mention Argos or Thebes or Delphi or Thrace you will know more or less where these places are located. Of course, the maps in this book can be used to make other books more readable.
An example of how this book is enjoyable in the context of other books previously-read, is the subject of Crete, Mycenae and Linear A and Linear B. The most interesting way to learn about this controversy is to read one or better yet both books about the interpretation of Linear B. The significance of the discovery that Linear B was a form of Greek is that it meant that at least by 1450 or 1400 BC Mycenae held sway over Crete instead of vice versa. What this Penguin book does is to emphasize that, according to the author, prior to 1450 BC, and for the previous say 600 years, there is no question that the Minoan civilization (Crete) held sway over Mycenae and much of the eastern mediterranean. I was not aware of that, and I'm not sure there is a consensus on that, but it is an example of how this book is much more meaningful if you have read a lot of Greek history prior to this book. This book is not an introductory course, it is a delicious dessert.
Rating:
Summary: Great book
Review: I agree with the reviewer who said that this book assumes you are already familiar with Greek history and even Greek geography. It is not an introductory book. Rather, it's a very good book to read after you have read a number of other books. It ties together scholarly opinion. There are still-existing controversies in Greek history, and it may be that this book takes a position in some instances that not everyone agrees with. But I don't see that as a major issue.
To be able to read comfortably just about any book on Greek history you should be familiar with the geography. This is hard for us Americans, but it is a gradual learning process, and finally when they mention Argos or Thebes or Delphi or Thrace you will know more or less where these places are located. Of course, the maps in this book can be used to make other books more readable.
An example of how this book is enjoyable in the context of other books previously-read, is the subject of Crete, Mycenae and Linear A and Linear B. The most interesting way to learn about this controversy is to read one or better yet both books about the interpretation of Linear B. The significance of the discovery that Linear B was a form of Greek is that it meant that at least by 1450 or 1400 BC Mycenae held sway over Crete instead of vice versa. What this Penguin book does is to emphasize that, according to the author, prior to 1450 BC, and for the previous say 600 years, there is no question that the Minoan civilization (Crete) held sway over Mycenae and much of the eastern mediterranean. I was not aware of that, and I'm not sure there is a consensus on that, but it is an example of how this book is much more meaningful if you have read a lot of Greek history prior to this book. This book is not an introductory course, it is a delicious dessert.
Rating:
Summary: 5000 yrs of Western Civilization Mapped Out
Review: I am an inveterate map reader. Whenever I travel there is a map in my pocket. But a recent trip to the Middle East and growing hobby collecting ancient coins had left me lost and confused as I tried to put in context the ruins visited and the coins I collected. With time, the names of cities and regions change so that one needs a separate map for each period. Morkot's superbly written historical atlas not only provides maps, but the rationale and context for their evolution and change. One of the best features in the structure of this book is the use of the overview, followed by a series of in-depth accounts, each from the perspective of the important "players" during a given historical period. This approach is immensely effective in reinforcing the information since the same information is repeated and new information added as each of the regions, their politics and battles, are succesively presented. From the Mycenae to the Parthians are thousands of years, thousands of miles, and thousands of political entities whose ebb and flow of power and reach of influence affect us even today. For the first time after years of puzzling over strange Grecian place names and leaders, I am now able to begin to understand the who what when and where for the 5 millenia preceding the birth of Christ. I wish this had been the first book I read in my study of ancient history. I can hardly wait to start on Penguin's sequel - Acient Rome.
Rating:
Summary: How to get an excellent overview of Greek political history
Review: Much more than Egyptian, Persian or Roman history, Greek history is very complicated, because it wasn't just an empire with one emperor or king or whatever. Therefore Greek history is very complicated and it's difficult to obtain a clear overview. This historical atlas is the first I've ever seen which really helps you get this overview of the citystates, the alliances and wars. The maps are beautifully styled, this is simply a very good atlas for not very much money.
Rating: 
Summary: Impressive at first sight, but...
Review: OK, when I first picked up The Penguin Historical Atlas of Ancient Greece by Robert Morkot, I was superficially impressed. But having slogged through this thin volume, I have concluded that it is the most poorly written book I have ever read. I think I would rather have my teeth pulled. The maps look colorful at first glance, but they do silly things like mark battles in a light color that totally dissappears when placed on the maps. Or accompanying text will make direct reference to a place that is not on the map in question, so you have to flip back and forth to find the right map. Each section starts with an intro chapter that is supposed to sum up what the individual chapters in the section contain, but it reads like a major cut-and-paste job. And by the time you get to the last sections of the book, the intro is actually longer that the indiviual chapters put together. The atlas has helped me a little bit, and I'll refer to some of the maps from time to time, but this was not worth he effort.
Rating: 
Summary: nice photos but inaccaurate
Review: People lose interest in history quickly if they cannot visualize the world of the past. Penguin's historical atlas series brings the past to life in vibrant color with maps, illustrations, and photographs of historical sites and artifacts. The book is not intended for scholarly research. Rather, it's intended to give an overview of Greek history through the centuries from the ages of Cretan and Mycenean domination over the eastern Mediterranean to the triumph of Rome over her elder Greek sibling states. The reader is introduced to the variety of Greek societies and leaders who shaped the first European civilization. Some long-standing myths are disposed of, and the language is concise yet readable. This is a good resource for any middle or high school student, and is an excellent quick reference for any college student who has to wade through dry, unillustrated texts.
Rating:
Summary: An excellent introduction to ancient Greece
Review: People lose interest in history quickly if they cannot visualize the world of the past. Penguin's historical atlas series brings the past to life in vibrant color with maps, illustrations, and photographs of historical sites and artifacts. The book is not intended for scholarly research. Rather, it's intended to give an overview of Greek history through the centuries from the ages of Cretan and Mycenean domination over the eastern Mediterranean to the triumph of Rome over her elder Greek sibling states. The reader is introduced to the variety of Greek societies and leaders who shaped the first European civilization. Some long-standing myths are disposed of, and the language is concise yet readable. This is a good resource for any middle or high school student, and is an excellent quick reference for any college student who has to wade through dry, unillustrated texts.
Rating:
Summary: A necessary primer and companion
Review: Superb map illustrations and general summaries for this period of history. A "must" for any student of ancient Greek history as a companion to all other books.
Rating: 
Summary: A Useful Reference
Review: The Penguin Historical Atlas of Ancient Greece by Robert Morkot is a very useful reference book as it is loaded with maps that help one interpret what is said in other works on the Greeks which too often come without good maps. There are two weaknesses in the work. 1. The maps are rather small in this edition and the color keys are often hard to sort out as the colors are too close together in tint.
2. The spellings of names for people and places are often considerably different than one commonly runs into in works on the Greeks published in the US and even Britain - there were times when my computerized Encyclopaedia Britannica couldn't match the names as spelled.
Rating:
Summary: nice photos but inaccaurate
Review: This bookis inaccurate in that it does not illustrate all of the greek world correctly. There's always a problem with the extand of the ancient Greeks, but everyone knows that Epiros, lower Macedonia, and the coastal part of thrace were inhabited by Greeks. One thing I loved about this little book, however, is the lovely photos and the clear outlines.
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