A guide to the ancient world

by Michael Grant

Book Overview

This useful companion to classical history reveals the ancient world, from Scotland to India and from Spain to the Black Sea, through the numerous sites of its history and legends. Covering nations,... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0760704252
• ISBN13: 9780760704257
• Release Date: January 1997
• Publisher: Barnes & Noble Books
• Length: 728 Pages
• Weight: 2.75 lbs.

Customer Reviews

If This is Tuesday, It Must Be Lambaesis

Michael Grant's very useful "Guide to the Ancient World" makes reading ancient historians much easier. Tacitus and Livy, may their pages never fade, throw around ancient placenames as if they were living there. Of course they were, but for those of us who may not have ancient Rome's neighbors plotted on our consciousnesses, MG's dictionary is a great help. Alternate renderings, modern equivalents, and a brief explanation of the place's relevance to the ancient world make this book indispensible. The maps by Lili Wronker are small but still quite well done. Place names from the first millennium BCE to the 5th century CE cover the Graeco-Roman world.

Great reference material

The subtitle is "A Dictionary of Classical Place Names", and that's exactly what this book is. Let's face it, we all don't know exactly where the heck Halicarnassus was, let alone what other cities or empires were its neighbors (SE Asia Minor, interdicting the sea route to Cos, in case you're wondering). Entries range from Abdera to Zeugma, each with a concise history describing its significance, along with several pages of maps and cross-indexed names. This makes it extremely useful for a student or as a companion to a general interest reader. Naturally, any history book requires a focus, and this one is the Classical World of Greece, Roman and the Etruscans. I found it especially useful for looking up the Roman names of modern European cities. Highly recommended.