Daily Life of the Ancient Greeks

by Robert Garland

Book Overview

Ancient Greece comes alive in this recreation of the daily lives of ordinary people--men and women, children and the elderly, slaves and foreigners, rich and poor. Taking account of the most up-to-date discoveries, the author provides a wealth of information on such varied facets of Greek life as food and drink, dress, housing, literacy, juvenile delinquency, the plight of the elderly, the treatment of slaves, and much more.

Readers can...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0313303835
• ISBN13: 9780313303838
• Release Date: August 1998
• Publisher: Greenwood
• Length: 264 Pages
• Weight: 1.28 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 6.1" x 9.3"

Customer Reviews

A superb overview of Greek culture

Garland does an outstanding job of presenting a readable, easily understandable overview of daily life and culture among the ancient Greeks. His book destroys a number of myths about ancient Greece, and avoids the trap of becoming too closely engaged with the subject. He remains objective throughout, presenting neither positive nor negative spin on Greek lifestyle, and avoiding political bias. Garland clearly has no axe to grind. Furthermore, he presents the material in a way that modern readers can understand; he places the subject matter in the context of the times, but does not assume detailed knowledge of Greek culture or history by the reader. His writing is a bit dry at times, but that's unavoidable when presenting detailed descriptions of lifestyle and culture. I do wish the publisher would release another print run at a more reasonable price. $55 is unreasonable for any book. I suggest buying it used. In spite of the high price, I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in the way the ancient Greeks thought and acted. It has definitely improved my understanding of Greek history.