The Greeks

A Global History

Roderick Beaton

• Publisher: Faber & Faber
• Year: 2021
• Topic: History
• eBook ISBN:
  9780571353583
• Subtopic: European History
• Index: History

'Monumental . . . A wonderful book.' Peter Frankopan

'Magisterial . . . remarkable.' Guardian

'Erudite and highly readable . . . An authoritative guide to the countless ways in which Greek words and ideas have shaped the modern world.' Financial Times

The Greeks is a story which takes us from the archaeological treasures of the Bronze Age Aegean and myths of gods and heroes, to the politics of the European Union today. It is a story of inventions, such as the alphabet, philosophy and science, but also of reinvention: of cultures which merged and multiplied, and adapted to catastrophic change. It is the epic, revelatory history of the Greek-speaking people and their global impact told as never before.

Table of contents

• Landing Page
• Title Page
• Dedication
• Epigraphs
• Contents
• List of Maps and Credits
• Author’s Note
• Preface
• 1: Of Ledgers and Legends (1500 BCE–c. 1180 BCE)
• 2: ‘Homer’s World, Not Ours’ (c. 1180 BCE–c. 720 BCE)
• 3: Inventing Politics, Discovering the Cosmos (c. 720 BCE–494 BCE)
• 4: The First World Wars and the ‘Classical’ Age (494 BCE–404 BCE)
• 5: Cultural Capital (404 BCE–322 BCE)
• 6: ‘Becoming Greek’ (322 BCE–27 BCE)
• 7: Rome’s Greek Empire (27 BCE–337 CE)
• 8: Becoming Christian (337–630)
• 9: ‘The Eyes of the Universe’ (630–1018)
• 10: ‘City of the World’s Desire’ (1018–1204)
• 11: Hopeful Monsters (1204–1453)
• 12: Between Two Worlds (1453–1669)
• 13: ‘Greek Revival’ (1669–1833)
• 14: European State, Global Nation (1833–1974)
• 15: New Ledgers, New Legends (1974–2021)
• Epilogue
• Acknowledgements
• List of Illustrations and Photo Credits
• Permissions
• Notes
• Further Reading
• Index
• Photo Section
• About the Author
• Copyright