Alexander to Actium: The Historical Evolution of the Hellenistic Age (Volume 1)

This is a massive, endlessly fascinating, 360-degree view of the empires that sprung up in the wake of Alexander the Great's premature death. As the foundational period of Greco-Roman culture, not only is it essential to know, but Green writes with a literary elegance and subtlety that are a constant pleasure. That being said, it is not a book for beginners: the reader should be well versed in Roman and Greek Classical history, e.g., if you know who Sulla and Mithridates are, you will be able to revel in Green's interpretations and references to them and many others. The book is also peppered with foreign words, from French to Latin and ancient Greek, which annoys many American readers but is pretty mainstream in Europe.The book begins with the sudden absence of a truly over-powering personality, Alexander. At the moment of his death, he had smashed the remnants of the autonomous Greek city states (polis) and carved out the largest empire that had then been known. Unfortunately, he had left neither a clear idea of what direction his empire should go nor named a successor in any provable way. As a result, about 6 of his top Macedonian generals began to compete in the "funeral games" to take over from him. Ptolemy, the only one shrewd enough to see that it was better to retreat to a defensible and self-sufficient chunk of the empire - he chose Egypt - was to establish the most lasting dynasty of these men. Nonetheless, Antigonous wound up with the old Greek mainland and Macedonia and Seleucis took the ill-defined, amorphous Asian Minor expanses; for the next centuries, their heirs would fight a desperate, defensive battle to keep their territories intact from encroachments by barbarians. Only the Ptolemies would operate in near safety (which led them to epically nasty intriguing against each other, but that is a long story).In political science terms, all three of the new empires were run as the privately owned fiefs of their kings, simple despotic autocracies for their pleasures. This marked the end of a fabulous period of experimentation in modes of government as well as culture, i.e. the brief, beautiful flourishing of classical Greek culture was gone forever. As the polis died, so did many of the communal ideals of their citizens. Rather than contribute to the glory of the city, they withdrew under the authority of far away kings into their own private worlds, seeking to amass wealth and keep their privileges but fearing Tyche, or the unpredictable God of Fortune. As a result, much artistic culture became stultified into copies of past masterpieces or took on a more personal, realist cast of identifiable individuals rather than the ideal types and Gods of the past. This was true, too, for the philosophies (e.g. stoicism, cynicism, epicurianism) that emerged: they concentrated on finding freedom from anxiety and pain rather than contribute to the betterment of society. Interestingly, the 3 dynasties maintained a relative isolation from the local cultures, absorbing aspects of them only very, very slowly.One of the most interesting topics covered is the failure of the Greeks to develop experimental science. First, the Greeks (and later the Romans) scorned "lower" professions that involved physical exertion, so get-your-hands-dirty experimentation was out; they also lacked precision instruments, any idea of statistical variance in observations, and failed to record the observations they did make in verifiable and communicable records. Anything practical, such as the military devices that Archimedes invented to protect Syracuse from the Romans, were products of necessity and otherwise little valued. Second, they preferred to speculate on and build over-arching theoretical systems, which were largely sterile without independent experimental verification by peers. It was not until the Enlightenment that all of these strands came together as the modern scientific method. Third, in this period the elites became deeply interested in astrology, divination, and mystery cults at the expense of the schools of rationality associated with Plato and Aristotle. Fourth, with a static, slave-based economy, innovations that saved labor - liberating people to have more time and energy to think - were viewed as disruptive and hence, under-valued. Nonetheless, there were many advances in this period, such as the founding of the libraries of Alexandria and certain medical innovations that the Arabs would discover and develop. Though also rather sterile, they are signs that Hellenistic culture was not completely decadent. That being said, there are many, many more topics like this that are covered in the book, including philosophy, the slave economy, and autocratic governance - anyone can find absorbing historical detail on what interests them here.The concentration on this cultural period filled a significant gap in my perception of classical civilization. It was at this time that the uncultured Romans - they were too busy perfecting a military machine that would enable them to conquer and manage the known world for over 400 years - became impressed with Greek culture and sought to adopt it. With the Romans on the book's periphery, rising as they were, I got a very different (and highly detailed) view on the decline and absorption of this incredible civilization into a more brutish empire. The book is chock full of amazing characters and cultures, from the Jews to Cleopatra. Though this is not a narrative history and it is better to know the traditional stories, Green alludes to these people with vivid images and many wonderful illustrations (and excellent maps).A word of warning to the general reader. This is an advanced text, at the high undergraduate level or beyond, and solidly academic. While it is not a thesis-turned-book that seeks to argue dull academic proofs and the like, it strives to present a comprehensive picture in a scholarly manner - over 1/4 of the book is footnotes and references. This will put many people off, as will the foreign words that frequently pop up. However, for those familiar with this world, this book is an indispenable masterpiece that will define scholarship on this period for many generations to come.This is personal, but I found the book to be an utterly spell-binding intellectual adventure, putting it in a class by itself. Green often makes observations that are profound, even beautiful. For example, on an extended discussion of the slave economy, he mentions that we were unable to finally eliminate it until industrialization liberated us from menial tasks. There are many instances of this kind of philosophical observation that will speak to each reader personally. I also loved Green's writing style. Recommended with the greatest enthusiasm. This is a great book, a classic.

This is a wonderful book by a very erudite scholar. For many people, myself included, the introduction must be labeled challenging. Green does not stint on the foreign words and I did not have all of the dictionaries I needed. Fortunately, my local library and its helpful librarian were up to the task. Once the reader gets into the body of the book the dictionary work was at a minimum. The writing is beautiful and the story fascinating. I learned a tremendous amount and enjoyed being asked to think a bit. I would suggest that someone unfamiliar with the life of Alexander the Great might wish to look up some of the key players. Green does assume prior knowledge.

A well-written history of the Hellenistic that blends chronological narrative with cultural and social history. Where the evidence is scanty (which is often the case for this period), author is not shy about speculating about motives and intentions. The writing is not textbook writing. It is lively, fluent and anecdotal. On the other hand, the author has his enthusiasm; Sometimes you wish he would just get back to the main line. Good maps. Would benefit from some timelines. (Which Demetrius are we talking about here? Which Cleopatra?)

This is an excellent scholarly work of reference on the only real Golden Age of culture, that mankind ever lived (almost unnoticed): the Age of Hellenistic civilization, when the divine Hellenic tongue was the language of culture from Mediterranean basin to the Hindus Valley. Few academic treatises on the subject are approaching the Peter Green's masterpiece both in volume and in breadth of his scope. This book will never "grow too old": it will remain for all generations to come.

I was a student of Green's Greek Civilization 3-semester sequence at the University of Texas. This work is clearly related to his lecture style and thorough style of documentation.One comment by the other readers concerns me. In my view, based on my background in the sciences and his own comments, Green is, above all, a scientist, believing that every item in historical analysis is subject to criticism and refutation. There's little in this text (and it IS a text--not casual reading) that suggests it is in any way "subjective." He was also, in my mind, a great teacher, providing a last gasp of academic brilliance into what's become a polytechnic degree mill.Green is a master of the discipline, and this tome represents a lifetime of work. I doubt if it's meant to be "enjoyed." It is meant to be read and to be understood, and hopefully to serve as a reference for further investigation.He's certainly written other books that are far more succinct and accessible. This one is for true students of Hellenistic Greece.

Probably the best book written in relatively recent times about that age. The stuff follows as reality does, comments are witty and to the mark and the personality of the historian is always there as if talking with us of the story he is relating, not just writing it. You get not just a knowledge of the facts related to the hellenistic period, but you see them running in a broad flow. Shortly said, you get history, not taxidermia.

From the death of Alexander up to the defeat of Antonio and Cleopatra, the spread of Hellenism crossed borders and have left its cultural and intellectual developments in a large area from Aegean Sea up to the northwest of India. This fascinating history, in all of its visions, military, cultural and artistic is written in a vivid style that keep us our vivid interest. A Masterpiece.

At the time when this book was written there was a serious lack of literature on this topic. There were books on the individual kingdoms themselves, but no comprehensive comparative ones on the Hellenistic Age as a whole. Having already written a great biography of Alexander ( Alexander of Macedon, 356-323 B.C. . It's one of the best. Check it out) he decided to write one on what came after. There are books that cover this period now but none of them do so as readably or as thoroughly as Green does. The book clocks in at 682 pages of text, and they are big pages too, with a small font. It's a long read, but well worth the effort.What makes this book so great is its inclusiveness. It covers basically everything that happens in the eastern Mediterranean for a period of three hundred years. There may be a string of names which seem to go by at lightning speed, but Green does as good a job as he can at keeping the protagonists clear and separate. He also manages to reveal a good deal about the character of each man, and he does this with the same cutting insight he brought to his examination of Alexander.This book is perfect as either a reference book or an introduction to the period.For the first few decades after Alexander it's also worth checking out  Dividing the Spoils  and  Ghost on the Throne . Green's account of  The Greco-Persian Wars  is excellent as well, although that has little to do with the period in question. Alexander of Macedon, 356-323 B.C.Dividing the SpoilsGhost on the ThroneThe Greco-Persian Wars

Fast delivery. nice book, very impressed