The Story of Greece and Rome

In this ambitious, entertaining, and fleet-footed survey, Spawforth (ancient history, Newcastle Univ., UK; The Complete Greek Temples) recounts the developments of what is now called classical civilization. The author's objective is to introduce these societies to novice readers of the period, beginning with Neolithic Greece (7,000 BCE) and concluding some 8,000 years later with the rise of the first Islamic Caliphate. The work traverses this substantial period mostly successfully, visiting key figures, developments, and major archaeological discoveries while only occasionally being too oblique in references. Given this breadth, a few errors invariably creep in (e.g., referring to Pompey as younger than Julius Caesar), and parts of the narrative frenetically scamper across both centuries and regions, in litanies of rulers, wars, and reversals, particularly in the concluding chapter. Lastly, the abundant personal anecdotes about Spawforth's own academic development and archaeological experiences frequently consume too much time but do enhance the author's authority.