29 Best Books on Ancient Greece
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The Histories
- By: Caius Cornelius Tacitus
- Narrator: James Adams
- Length: 10 hours 9 minutes
- Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
- Publish date: January 01, 2008
- Language: English
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4.13(1 ratings)
4.13(1 ratings)Regular Price:Try for $0.0019.95 USDCaius Cornelius Tacitus, a Roman orator and public official, is considered one of the greatest historians as well as one of the greatest prose stylists of the Latin language. In The Histories, he describes and interprets the period in which heCaius Cornelius Tacitus, a Roman orator and public official, is considered one of the greatest historians as well as one of the greatest prose stylists of the Latin language. In The Histories, he describes and interprets the period in which he lived, beginning with the political situation that followed Nero’s death in AD 69 and ending with the death of Domitian in AD 96 and the close of the Flavian dynasty. The five books of the history still in existance are part of an original work of twelve to fourteen books.
The narrative as it now exists, with its magnificent introduction, is a powerfully sustained piece of writing. Because Tacitus was a conscious literary stylist, both his thought and his manner of expression gave life to his work. He wrote in the grand style, helped by the solemn and poetic usage of the Roman tradition, and he exploited the Latin qualities of strength, rhythm, and color.
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The Sacred Band
- By: James Romm
- Narrator: Vivienne Leheny
- Length: 9 hours 5 minutes
- Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
- Publish date: January 01, 2021
- Language: English
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3.98(262 ratings)
3.98(262 ratings)Regular Price:Try for $0.0019.99 USDFrom classicist James Romm comes a “striking…fascinating” (Booklist) deep dive into the last decades of ancient Greek freedom leading up to Alexander the Great’s destruction of Thebes–and the saga of the greatestFrom classicist James Romm comes a “striking…fascinating” (Booklist) deep dive into the last decades of ancient Greek freedom leading up to Alexander the Great’s destruction of Thebes–and the saga of the greatest military corps of the time, the Theban Sacred Band, a unit composed of 150 pairs of male lovers.
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The story of the Sacred Band, an elite 300-man corps recruited from pairs of lovers, highlights a chaotic era of ancient Greek history, four decades marked by battles, ideological disputes, and the rise of vicious strongmen. At stake was freedom, democracy, and the fate of Thebes, at this time the leading power of the Greek world.
The tale begins in 379 BC, with a group of Theban patriots sneaking into occupied Thebes. Disguised in women’s clothing, they cut down the agents of Sparta, the state that had cowed much of Greece with its military might. To counter the Spartans, this group of patriots would form the Sacred Band, a corps whose history plays out against a backdrop of Theban democracy, of desperate power struggles between leading city-states, and the new prominence of eros, sexual love, in Greek public life.
After four decades without a defeat, the Sacred Band was annihilated by the forces of Philip II of Macedon and his son Alexander in the Battle of Chaeronea–extinguishing Greek liberty for two thousand years. Buried on the battlefield where they fell, they were rediscovered in 1880–some skeletons still in pairs, with arms linked together.
From violent combat in city streets to massive clashes on open ground, from ruthless tyrants to bold women who held their era in thrall, The Sacred Band recounts “in fluent, accessible prose” (The Wall Street Journal) the twists and turns of a crucial historical moment: the end of the treasured freedom of ancient Greece. -
Mythology
- By: Edith Hamilton
- Narrator: Suzanne Toren
- Length: 14 hours 34 minutes
- Publisher: Hachette Audio
- Publish date: April 30, 2013
- Language: English
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4.03(41473 ratings)
4.03(41473 ratings)Regular Price:Try for $0.0024.98 USDDive into the timeless tales of gods and heroes in this bestselling A-to-Z encyclopedia detailing classic myths and legends–perfect for curious readers and academics alike. Edith Hamilton’s mythology succeeds like no other book inDive into the timeless tales of gods and heroes in this bestselling A-to-Z encyclopedia detailing classic myths and legends–perfect for curious readers and academics alike.
Edith Hamilton’s mythology succeeds like no other book in bringing to life for the modern reader the Greek, Roman and Norse myths that are the keystone of Western culture-the stories of gods and heroes that have inspired human creativity from antiquity to the present.
We follow the drama of the Trojan War and the wanderings of Odysseus. We hear the tales of Jason and the Golden Fleece, Cupid and Psyche, and mighty King Midas. We discover the origins of the names of the constellations. And we recognize reference points for countless works for art, literature and culture inquiry-from Freud’s Oedipus complex to Wagner’s Ring Cycle of operas to Eugene O’Neill’s Mourning Becomes Electra
Both a reference text for scholars of all ages and a book to simply enjoy, Mythology is a classic not to be missed.
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Pandora’s Jar
- By: Natalie Haynes
- Narrator: Natalie Haynes
- Length: 9 hours 24 minutes
- Publisher: HarperAudio
- Publish date: March 29, 2022
- Language: English
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4.27(8598 ratings)
4.27(8598 ratings)Regular Price:Try for $0.003.99 USD“Funny, sharp explications of what these sometimes not-very-nice women were up to, and how they sometimes made idiots of . . . but read on!”–Margaret Atwood, author of The Handmaid’s Tale The national bestselling author of A“Funny, sharp explications of what these sometimes not-very-nice women were up to, and how they sometimes made idiots of . . . but read on!”–Margaret Atwood, author of The Handmaid’s Tale
The national bestselling author of A Thousand Ships returns with a fascinating, eye-opening take on the remarkable women at the heart of classical stories Greek mythology from Helen of Troy to Pandora and the Amazons to Medea.
The tellers of Greek myths–historically men–have routinely sidelined the female characters. When they do take a larger role, women are often portrayed as monstrous, vengeful or just plain evil–like Pandora, the woman of eternal scorn and damnation whose curiosity is tasked with causing all the world’s suffering and wickedness when she opened that forbidden box. But, as Natalie Haynes reveals, in ancient Greek myths there was no box. It was a jar . . . which is far more likely to tip over.
In Pandora’s Jar, the broadcaster, writer, stand-up comedian, and passionate classicist turns the tables, putting the women of the Greek myths on an equal footing with the men. With wit, humor, and savvy, Haynes revolutionizes our understanding of epic poems, stories, and plays, resurrecting them from a woman’s perspective and tracing the origins of their mythic female characters. She looks at women such as Jocasta, Oedipus’ mother-turned-lover-and-wife (turned Freudian sticking point), at once the cleverest person in the story and yet often unnoticed. She considers Helen of Troy, whose marriage to Paris “caused” the Trojan war–a somewhat uneven response to her decision to leave her husband for another man. She demonstrates how the vilified Medea was like an ancient Beyonce–getting her revenge on the man who hurt and betrayed her, if by extreme measures. And she turns her eye to Medusa, the original monstered woman, whose stare turned men to stone, but who wasn’t always a monster, and had her hair turned to snakes as punishment for being raped.
Pandora’s Jar brings nuance and care to the millennia-old myths and legends and asks the question: Why are we so quick to villainize these women in the first place–and so eager to accept the stories we’ve been told?
Supplemental enhancement PDF accompanies the audiobook.
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The Song of Achilles
- By: Madeline Miller
- Narrator: Frazer Douglas
- Length: 11 hours 14 minutes
- Publisher: HarperAudio
- Publish date: March 06, 2012
- Language: English
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4.37(538299 ratings)
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4.37(538299 ratings)Regular Price:Try for $0.0026.99 USD“At once a scholar’s homage to The Iliad and startlingly original work of art by an incredibly talented new novelist….A book I could not put down.” –Ann Patchett “Mary Renault lives again!” declares Emma“At once a scholar’s homage to The Iliad and startlingly original work of art by an incredibly talented new novelist….A book I could not put down.”
–Ann Patchett“Mary Renault lives again!” declares Emma Donoghue, author of Room, referring to The Song of Achilles, Madeline Miller’s thrilling, profoundly moving, and utterly unique retelling of the legend of Achilles and the Trojan War. A tale of gods, kings, immortal fame, and the human heart, The Song of Achilles is a dazzling literary feat that brilliantly reimagines Homer’s enduring masterwork, The Iliad. An action-packed adventure, an epic love story, a marvelously conceived and executed page-turner, Miller’s monumental debut novel has already earned resounding acclaim from some of contemporary fiction‘s brightest lights–and fans of Mary Renault, Bernard Cornwell, Steven Pressfield, and Colleen McCullough’s Masters of Rome series will delight in this unforgettable journey back to ancient Greece in the Age of Heroes.
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The Lost Empire of Atlantis
- By: Gavin Menzies
- Narrator: Gildart Jackson
- Length: 11 hours 46 minutes
- Publisher: Dreamscape Media
- Publish date: October 25, 2011
- Language: English
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3.6(583 ratings)
3.6(583 ratings)Regular Price:Try for $0.0017.99 USDFor three millennia, the legend of Atlantis has gripped the imaginations of explorers, philosophers, occultists, treasure hunters, historians, and archaeologists. Until now, it has remained shrouded in myth. Yet, like ancient Troy, is it possibleFor three millennia, the legend of Atlantis has gripped the imaginations of explorers, philosophers, occultists, treasure hunters, historians, and archaeologists. Until now, it has remained shrouded in myth. Yet, like ancient Troy, is it possible that this fabled city actually existed? If so, what happened to it and what are its secrets? The fascinating reality of Atlantis’s epic glory and destruction are uncovered, finally, in these pages in thrilling detail by the iconoclastic historian Gavin Menzies. Meticulously analyzing exciting new geologic research, recently unearthed archaeological artifacts, and cutting-edge DNA evidence, Menzies has made a jaw-dropping discovery: Atlantis truly did exist, and was part of the incredibly advanced Minoan civilization that extended from its Mediterranean base to England, India, and even America. Also includes a bonus discs with artifact photos and maps.
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Songs on Bronze
- By: Nigel Spivey
- Narrator: Yuri Rasovsky
- Length: 8 hours 23 minutes
- Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
- Publish date: January 01, 2006
- Language: English
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3.67(223 ratings)
3.67(223 ratings)Regular Price:Try for $0.0016.95 USDSongs on Bronze is the first major retelling of Greek mythology in half a century; a set of lively, racy, dramatic versions of the great myths which, in a multicultural society, are recognized more than ever as stories without equal. ModernSongs on Bronze is the first major retelling of Greek mythology in half a century; a set of lively, racy, dramatic versions of the great myths which, in a multicultural society, are recognized more than ever as stories without equal.
Modern translations of the Greek myths have often sought to instruct, to edify, or to impart a personal philosophy. Songs on Bronze is different. Nigel Spivey gives us the Greek myths as the spellbinding stories they are. In bold, sensuous prose, he tells of Demeter and Persephone, of Jason and the Argonauts, of the wrath of Achilles and the travels of Odysseus, of Oedipus’ crime and Orpheus’ excursion into the underworld. In his hands, these stories are revealed anew as outsize tales of love and strife, of secret compacts and open rivalries, of lust and desire.
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Alexander the Great
- By: Bill Yenne
- Narrator: Richard Powers
- Length: 8 hours 42 minutes
- Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
- Publish date: January 01, 2010
- Language: English
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3.63(81 ratings)
3.63(81 ratings)Regular Price:Try for $0.0016.95 USDAlexander the Great is considered one of the most successful commanders of all time and was known to be undefeated in battle. He is mentioned in the Bible as well as the Qur’an and is on the shortest of short lists whenever the world’sAlexander the Great is considered one of the most successful commanders of all time and was known to be undefeated in battle. He is mentioned in the Bible as well as the Qur’an and is on the shortest of short lists whenever the world’s best military leaders are catalogued. When asked to name other great military leaders, Caesar reportedly said Alexander was the only great one.
Born in 356 B.C., the son of Philip II of Macedonia, Alexander the Great was educated by Aristotle, became a consummate horseman, and commanded a wing of his father’s army in the victory over the Thebans and Athenians at the Battle of Chaeronea — all when he was still a teenager. By the time of his death at age thirty-two, he had united Greece and had amassed an empire that stretched from the Adriatic Sea to the Indus River and included all of Persia and most of Egypt. He ruled as both the shah of Persia and as a pharaoh of Egypt by right of conquest, and he was also crowned king of Asia. The scope of his military prowess remains awe inspiring to this day. Yenne’s masterful biography shows Alexander’s influence on the course of cultural and political history and discusses his leadership, strategy, and legacy.
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Thebes
- By: Paul Cartledge
- Narrator: David Timson
- Length: 11 hours 27 minutes
- Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
- Publish date: January 01, 2020
- Language: English
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3.47(307 ratings)
3.47(307 ratings)Regular Price:Try for $0.0019.95 USDThe riveting, definitive account of the ancient Greek city of Thebes, by the acclaimed author of The Spartans. Among the extensive writing available about the history of ancient Greece, there is precious little about the city-state of Thebes. At oneThe riveting, definitive account of the ancient Greek city of Thebes, by the acclaimed author of The Spartans.
Among the extensive writing available about the history of ancient Greece, there is precious little about the city-state of Thebes. At one point the most powerful city in ancient Greece, Thebes has been long overshadowed by its better-known rivals, Athens and Sparta. In Thebes: The Forgotten City of Ancient Greece, acclaimed classicist and historian Paul Cartledge brings the city vividly to life and argues that it is central to our understanding of the ancient Greeks’ achievements–whether politically or culturally–and thus to the wider politico-cultural traditions of western Europe, the Americas, and indeed the world.
From its role as an ancient political power, to its destruction at the hands of Alexander the Great as punishment for a failed revolt, to its eventual restoration by Alexander’s successor, Cartledge deftly chronicles the rise and fall of the ancient city. He recounts the history with deep clarity and mastery for the subject and makes clear both the differences and the interconnections between the Thebes of myth and the Thebes of history. Written in clear prose and illustrated with images in two color inserts, Thebes is a gripping read for students of ancient history and those looking to experience the real city behind the myths of Cadmus, Hercules, and Oedipus.
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A Thousand Ships
- By: Natalie Haynes
- Narrator: Natalie Haynes
- Length: 8 hours 34 minutes
- Publisher: HarperAudio
- Publish date: January 26, 2021
- Language: English
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4.1(33352 ratings)
4.1(33352 ratings)Regular Price:Try for $0.0024.99 USDNATIONAL BESTSELLER An NPR Best Book of the Year “Gorgeous…. With her trademark passion, wit, and fierce feminism, Natalie Haynes gives much-needed voice to the silenced women of the Trojan War.”–Madeline Miller, author ofNATIONAL BESTSELLER
An NPR Best Book of the Year
“Gorgeous…. With her trademark passion, wit, and fierce feminism, Natalie Haynes gives much-needed voice to the silenced women of the Trojan War.”–Madeline Miller, author of Circe
Shortlisted for the Women’s Prize for Fiction, a gorgeous retelling of the Trojan War from the perspectives of the many women involved in its causes and consequences–for fans of Madeline Miller.
This is the women’s war, just as much as it is the men’s. They have waited long enough for their turn . . .
This was never the story of one woman, or two. It was the story of them all . . .
In the middle of the night, a woman wakes to find her beloved city engulfed in flames. Ten seemingly endless years of conflict between the Greeks and the Trojans are over. Troy has fallen.
From the Trojan women whose fates now lie in the hands of the Greeks, to the Amazon princess who fought Achilles on their behalf, to Penelope awaiting the return of Odysseus, to the three goddesses whose feud started it all, these are the stories of the women whose lives, loves, and rivalries were forever altered by this long and tragic war.
A woman’s epic, powerfully imbued with new life, A Thousand Ships puts the women, girls and goddesses at the center of the Western world’s great tale ever told.
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Philip and Alexander
- By: Adrian Goldsworthy
- Narrator: Neil Dickson
- Length: 20 hours 36 minutes
- Publisher: Hachette Audio
- Publish date: October 13, 2020
- Language: English
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4.34(604 ratings)
4.34(604 ratings)Regular Price:Try for $0.0026.98 USDThis definitive biography of one of history’s most influential father-son duos tells the story of two rulers who gripped the world — and their rise and fall from power.Alexander the Great’s conquests staggered the world. He led his... Read moreThis definitive biography of one of history’s most influential father-son duos tells the story of two rulers who gripped the world — and their rise and fall from power.Alexander the Great’s conquests staggered the world. He led his army across thousands of miles, overthrowing the greatest empires of his time and building a new one in their place. He claimed to be the son of a god, but he was actually the son of Philip II of Macedon.Philip inherited a minor kingdom that was on the verge of dismemberment, but despite his youth and inexperience, he made Macedonia dominant throughout Greece. It was Philip who created the armies that Alexander led into war against Persia. In Philip and Alexander, classical historian Adrian Goldsworthy shows that without the work and influence of his father, Alexander could not have achieved so much. This is the groundbreaking biography of two men who together conquered the world. -
The Peloponnesian War
- By: Donald Kagan
- Narrator: Bill Wallace
- Length: 19 hours 1 minutes
- Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
- Publish date: January 01, 2010
- Language: English
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4.13(4485 ratings)
4.13(4485 ratings)Regular Price:Try for $0.0027.95 USDFor almost three decades at the end of the fifth century BC the ancient world was torn apart in a conflict that was, within its historical context, as dramatic, divisive, and destructive as the great world wars of the twentieth century. TheFor almost three decades at the end of the fifth century BC the ancient world was torn apart in a conflict that was, within its historical context, as dramatic, divisive, and destructive as the great world wars of the twentieth century. The Peloponnesian War pitted Greek against Greek: the Athenians, with their glorious empire, rich legacy of democracy and political rights, and extraordinary cultural achievement, against the militaristic, oligarchic Spartan state. The result was a period of unprecedented brutality, one that violated even the rugged code that had previously governed Greek combat, and led to an enormous destruction of life and property, intensification of factional and class hostility, and a reversal of the trend toward democratic development. With these came a collapse in the habits, institutions, beliefs, and restraints that had long been the foundation of civilization.
Now Donald Kagan, one of the world’s most respected historians, has written a new account of the Peloponnesian War—a lively, readable narrative that offers a richly detailed portrait of a vanished world while honoring its timeless relevance. In chronicling the rise and fall of a great empire, The Peloponnesian War illuminates the interplay of intelligence and chance in human affairs, the role of great individuals and masses of people in determining the course of events, and the potential of leadership and the limits within which it must operate. Among the brilliant portraits of extraordinary statesmen are those of Pericles, the greatest among the Athenians and a man determined to pursue a policy of deterrence, and the charismatic, duplicitous Alcibiades. Kagan captures the dynamic of war in his thrilling re-creations of some of the most famous military campaigns of antiquity.
With its fresh examination of a pivotal moment of Western civilization, The Peloponnesian War is a magisterial work of historiography—a chronicle of a dark time whose lessons are especially resonant today.
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Venus and Aphrodite
- By: Bettany Hughes
- Narrator: Bettany Hughes
- Length: 3 hours 11 minutes
- Publisher: Hachette Audio
- Publish date: September 22, 2020
- Language: English
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3.83(847 ratings)
3.83(847 ratings)Regular Price:Try for $0.0024.98 USDA cultural history of the goddess of love, from a New York Times bestselling and award-winning historian.Aphrodite was said to have been born from the sea, rising out of a froth of white foam. But long before the Ancient Greeks conceived of thisA cultural history of the goddess of love, from a New York Times bestselling and award-winning historian.Aphrodite was said to have been born from the sea, rising out of a froth of white foam. But long before the Ancient Greeks conceived of this voluptuous blonde, she existed as an early spirit of fertility on the shores of Cyprus — and thousands of years before that, as a ferocious warrior-goddess in the Middle East. Proving that this fabled figure is so much more than an avatar of commercialized romance, historian Bettany Hughes reveals the remarkable lifestory of one of antiquity’s most potent myths.Venus and Aphrodite brings together ancient art, mythology, and archaeological revelations to tell the story of human desire. From Mesopotamia to modern-day London, from Botticelli to Beyonce, Hughes explains why this immortal goddess continues to entrance us today — and how we trivialize her power at our peril.... Read more -
Classical Religions and Myths of the Mediterranean Basin
- By: Jon David Solomon
- Narrator: Ben Kingsley
- Length: 2 hours 55 minutes
- Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
- Publish date: January 01, 2006
- Language: English
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3.48(78 ratings)
3.48(78 ratings)Regular Price:Try for $0.0011.95 USDThe early myths of Mesopotamia, Egypt, Asia Minor, Canaan, Greece, and Rome have greatly and continuously influenced all of Western culture and civilization. Myths rely on imagination and intuition; they express fervently held convictions about theThe early myths of Mesopotamia, Egypt, Asia Minor, Canaan, Greece, and Rome have greatly and continuously influenced all of Western culture and civilization. Myths rely on imagination and intuition; they express fervently held convictions about the ultimate nature of things, exploring the mysteries of life and death, passion and suffering. Today, theological interest is resurging in goddess worship, and other early nature-based religions are receiving a renewed attention. This presentation also discusses how the literature and culture of these religions have influenced Hebrew and Christian scriptures.
The Religion, Scriptures, and Spirituality Series describes the beliefs, religious practices, and the spiritual and moral commitments of the world’s great religious traditions. It also describes a religion’s way of understanding scripture, identifies its outstanding thinkers, and discusses its attitude and relationship to society.
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Sparta’s Second Attic War
- By: Paul A. Rahe
- Narrator: Paul A. Rahe
- Length: 15 hours 13 minutes
- Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
- Publish date: January 01, 2020
- Language: English
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3.9(18 ratings)
3.9(18 ratings)Regular Price:Try for $0.0022.95 USDThe latest volume in Paul Rahe’s expansive history of Sparta’s response to the challenges posed to its grand strategy In a continuation of his multivolume series on ancient Sparta, Paul Rahe narrates the second stage in the six decadesThe latest volume in Paul Rahe’s expansive history of Sparta’s response to the challenges posed to its grand strategy
In a continuation of his multivolume series on ancient Sparta, Paul Rahe narrates the second stage in the six decades long, epic struggle between Sparta and Athens that first erupted some seventeen years after their joint victory in the Persian Wars. Rahe explores how and why open warfare between these two erstwhile allies broke out a second time, after they had negotiated an extended truce. He traces the course of the war that then took place, he examines and assesses the strategy each community pursued and the tactics adopted, and he explains how and why mutual exhaustion forced on these two powers yet another truce doomed to fail.
At stake for each of the two peoples caught up in this enduring strategic rivalry, as Rahe shows, was nothing less than the survival of its political regime and of the peculiar way of life to which that regime gave rise.
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Tales of the Greek Heroes
- By: Roger Lancelyn Green
- Narrator: Edward Lewis
- Length: 5 hours 3 minutes
- Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
- Publish date: January 01, 2007
- Language: English
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3.88(1913 ratings)
3.88(1913 ratings)Regular Price:Try for $0.0013.95 USDGods and heroes are brought to life in this masterful retelling of the legends and tales of ancient Greece. Here are the great stories of the Heroic Age, from the myths of the making of the universe to the death of Heracles–also calledGods and heroes are brought to life in this masterful retelling of the legends and tales of ancient Greece.
Here are the great stories of the Heroic Age, from the myths of the making of the universe to the death of Heracles–also called Hercules. Set against the colorful background of Greece and the Aegean, the adventures of heroes such as Perseus the Gorgon-slayer, Dionysus, Theseus, and Jason and the Argonauts once again come to life.
In this skillful retelling, these tales are as vivid and exciting as when they were first told three thousand years ago. With just the right levels of complexity, action, and adventure, this volume will satisfy listeners of all ages. The story of ancient Greece is continued in The Tale of Troy.
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The Greek Way
- By: Edith Hamilton
- Narrator: Wanda McCaddon
- Length: 8 hours 27 minutes
- Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
- Publish date: January 01, 2010
- Language: English
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3.91(1910 ratings)
3.91(1910 ratings)Regular Price:Try for $0.0016.95 USDThe aim of this work is not a history of events but an account of the achievement and spirit of Greece. “What the Greeks discovered, how they brought a new world to birth out of the dark confusions of an old world that had crumbled away, isThe aim of this work is not a history of events but an account of the achievement and spirit of Greece.
“What the Greeks discovered, how they brought a new world to birth out of the dark confusions of an old world that had crumbled away, is full of meaning for us today who have seen an old world swept away.”
In The Greek Way, Edith Hamilton shares the fruits of her thorough study of Greek life, literature, philosophy, and art. She interprets their meaning and brings us a realization of the refuge and strength the past can offer us in the troubled present. Hamilton’s book has taken its place among the few interpretative volumes that are permanently rooted and profoundly alive in our literature.
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The Odyssey of Homer
- By: Homer
- Narrator: a full cast
- Length: 7 hours 47 minutes
- Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
- Publish date: January 01, 2006
- Language: English
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3.8(1659 ratings)
3.8(1659 ratings)Regular Price:Try for $0.0016.95 USDWhen this groundbreaking, serialized dramatization premiered on 320 US radio stations, critics were unanimous in their praise, and it won numerous honors, including the George Foster Peabody Award, the Pulitzer Prize of broadcasting. Now twentyWhen this groundbreaking, serialized dramatization premiered on 320 US radio stations, critics were unanimous in their praise, and it won numerous honors, including the George Foster Peabody Award, the Pulitzer Prize of broadcasting. Now twenty years after its first airing, Blackstone Audio is pleased to present this outstanding production.
The 2,600-year-old poem tells of a man, a hero of cunning rather than brawn, who inhabits three worlds: first, the world of his own reality–his wife, his son, his home; secondly, the world of myth in which gods and demigods sport and battle; finally, the world of sorcerers and monsters, of magic and ghosts and unspeakable terrors. The exploration and interweaving of these three worlds contribute significantly to the delight that The Odyssey’s audience has experienced throughout the ages.
Synopsis of Episodes:
The Suitors of PenelopeCommentary by Richard Posner, professor, law and government, University of Chicago
The Voyage of TelemachusCommentary by Charles Bye, visiting professor, University of Athens
Free at LastCommentary by Arthur Adkins and Wendy O’Flaherty, University of Chicago, and Gregory Nagy, Harvard University
The Great WanderingsCommentary by Wendy O’Flaherty, University of Chicago
Monsters of the SeaCommentary by Arthur Adkins, University of Chicago
The Swineherd’s HutCommentary by Arthur Adkins, University of Chicago
A Beggar’s HomecomingCommentary by Eric Hamp, University of Chicago
The Contest of the BowCommentary by Albert Lord, Harvard University
Program host: Edward Asner
Cast:Irene Worth, Shepperd Strudwick, Barry Morse, John Glover, James Deuter, Eloise Kummer, David Mink, Ron Parady, Robert Scogin, Megan McTavish, Tony Mockus, Francis Guinan, Michael Rider, Jordean Culbert, Ward Ohrman
Scholar Advisors:Peter Arnott, Tufts University; Jarl Dyrud, University of Chicago; Peter Green, University of Texas at Austin; Albert B. Lord, Harvard University; James M. Redfield, University of Chicago; and D. Nicholas Rudall, (chair) University of Chicago
Announcer: John Doremus
Made possible in part by grants from TRW and the National Endowment for the Humanities.
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Socrates Now
- By: Plato
- Narrator: Yannis Simonides
- Length: 1 hours 16 minutes
- Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
- Publish date: January 01, 2014
- Language: English
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2(2 ratings)
2(2 ratings)Regular Price:Try for $0.009.95 USDTake a seat in the court of ancient Athens as Socrates goes on trial for his life. Hear the philosopher face his accusers with his trademark wit, his cutting logic, and the courage of his ideals. Consider his arguments on virtue, justice, politics,Take a seat in the court of ancient Athens as Socrates goes on trial for his life. Hear the philosopher face his accusers with his trademark wit, his cutting logic, and the courage of his ideals. Consider his arguments on virtue, justice, politics, civic duty, love of life, and hope in death, and make your own judgment.
Think. Question. Change.
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Sparrows in the Wind
- By: Gail Carson Levine
- Narrator: Rachel LeBlang
- Length: 7 hours 53 minutes
- Publisher: Quill Tree Books
- Publish date: October 25, 2022
- Language: English
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3.43(124 ratings)
3.43(124 ratings)Regular Price:Try for $0.0027.99 USDThis latest novel from Newbery Honor author Gail Carson Levine about two princesses battling against their fates in the middle of the Trojan War is a must-read for anyone who loves Greek mythology or the Percy Jackson books! Cassandra, a princess ofThis latest novel from Newbery Honor author Gail Carson Levine about two princesses battling against their fates in the middle of the Trojan War is a must-read for anyone who loves Greek mythology or the Percy Jackson books!
Cassandra, a princess of Troy and follower of Apollo, is delighted when the god himself appears to her. Apollo asks to love her in exchange for giving her future sight, and she agrees–but recoils when he kisses her. Enraged, the god transforms his gift into a curse: Cassandra’s visions will never be believed.
After horrifying images of coming war and death pour into her mind, and with no one to heed her warnings, Cassandra risks her safety again and again to avert the disaster awaiting Troy.
But it will take years–and the friendship of an Amazon warrior princess named Rin–for Cassandra to find hope of success in reversing the course of the war.
With heroines to cheer for and nail-biting adventures, Newbery Honor-winning author Gail Carson Levine once again transports her listeners, this time to ancient Troy, where princesses (even cursed ones) will stop at nothing to shape their fate.
Supplemental enhancement PDF accompanies the audiobook.
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The Nicomachean Ethics
- By: Aristotle
- Narrator: Wanda McCaddon
- Length: 8 hours 45 minutes
- Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
- Publish date: January 01, 2006
- Language: English
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3.98(33116 ratings)
3.98(33116 ratings)Regular Price:Try for $0.0016.95 USDNamed for Aristotle’s son, Nicomachus, who was the first to edit this work, The Nicomachean Ethics plays a prominent role in defining Aristotelian ethics. In the ten books of this work, Aristotle explains the good life for man: the life ofNamed for Aristotle’s son, Nicomachus, who was the first to edit this work, The Nicomachean Ethics plays a prominent role in defining Aristotelian ethics. In the ten books of this work, Aristotle explains the good life for man: the life of happiness.
For Aristotle, happiness exists when the soul is in accordance with virtue. Virtue exists in a deliberate choice of actions that take a middle course between excess and deficiency; this is the famous doctrine of the “golden mean.” Courage, for example, is the mean between cowardice and rashness. Justice is the mean between a man’s getting more or less than his due. The supreme happiness, according to Aristotle, is to be found in a life of philosophical contemplation or, at least, in a virtuous life of political activity and public munificence.
A student of Plato and a teacher of Alexander the Great, Aristotle is one of the towering figures in Western thought.
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Wings of Olympus
- By: Kallie George
- Narrator: Moira Quirk
- Length: 4 hours 15 minutes
- Publisher: HarperCollins
- Publish date: March 17, 2020
- Language: English
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3.96(154 ratings)
3.96(154 ratings)Regular Price:Try for $0.0018.99 USDTake flight with Pippa and her winged horse in this heartfelt two-book series about a young girl who must win the hardest race in ancient Greece in order to stay with her closest friend. This new series from acclaimed author Kallie George is perfectTake flight with Pippa and her winged horse in this heartfelt two-book series about a young girl who must win the hardest race in ancient Greece in order to stay with her closest friend.
This new series from acclaimed author Kallie George is perfect for horse lovers and fans of Greek myths alike!
High on the slopes of mighty Mount Olympus, among the sun-splashed meadows and sparkling waters, glide the winged horses of the ancient gods. Here up high is normally no place for a lost, parentless girl like Pippa. But once every hundred years, the gods and goddesses descend to the mortal realm to choose jockeys for their winged horse race–and Pippa is one of the lucky children chosen to ride.
With her undersized, impetuous winged steed, Zephyr, by her side, Pippa has to confront the greatest challenge of her life: achieving victory in a race across the sky.
No one expects Pippa and Zephyr to win, or even finish, this death-defying race. A poor orphan who’s spent her life working in stables, Pippa doesn’t seem to belong in the world of the gods. And while she loves Zephyr with all her heart, he’s smaller than the other winged horses racing. But if Pippa and Zephyr don’t find a way to win, the gods will separate them–forever.
To stay with Zephyr, Pippa will have to work harder, train longer, and dare more bravely than her competition. In a race filled with petty, jealous gods and goddesses and a host of ruthless riders, Pippa must prove that love is greater than might.
This stirring adventure series by beloved author Kallie George is perfect for fans of the Percy Jackson books and The War That Saved My Life.
“I can’t wait to see what happens in the next one! If you have younger kids (or are even just a fan of middle grader books yourself) I would absolutely recommend this book.” –A Bibliophiles Book Blog
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The Grand Strategy of Classical Sparta
- By: Paul A. Rahe
- Narrator: Bronson Pinchot
- Length: 14 hours 27 minutes
- Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
- Publish date: January 01, 2015
- Language: English
Regular Price:Try for $0.0022.95 USDMore than 2,500 years ago, a confederation of small Greek city-states defeated the invading armies of Persia, the most powerful empire in the world. In this meticulously researched study, historian Paul Rahe argues that Sparta was responsible forMore than 2,500 years ago, a confederation of small Greek city-states defeated the invading armies of Persia, the most powerful empire in the world. In this meticulously researched study, historian Paul Rahe argues that Sparta was responsible for the initial establishment of the Hellenic defensive coalition and was, in fact, the most essential player in its ultimate victory.
Drawing from an impressive range of ancient sources, including Herodotus and Plutarch, the author veers from the traditional Athenocentric view of the Greco-Persian Wars to examine from a Spartan perspective the grand strategy that halted the Persian juggernaut. Rahe provides a fascinating, detailed picture of life in Sparta circa 480 BC, revealing how the Spartans’ form of government and the regimen to which they subjected themselves instilled within them the pride, confidence, discipline, and discernment necessary to forge an alliance that would stand firm against a great empire, driven by religious fervor, that held sway over two-fifths of the human race.
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Fabulous
- By: Lucy Hughes-Hallett
- Narrator: Lucy Hughes-Hallett
- Length: 5 hours 40 minutes
- Publisher: HarperAudio
- Publish date: January 14, 2020
- Language: English
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3.08(74 ratings)
3.08(74 ratings)Regular Price:Try for $0.0021.99 USDFrom the author of the “sophisticated and erudite” Peculiar Ground (Boston Globe), comes a collection of classic, witty fables, elegantly updated for our modern times. It’s in the nature of myth to be infinitely adaptable. Each ofFrom the author of the “sophisticated and erudite” Peculiar Ground (Boston Globe), comes a collection of classic, witty fables, elegantly updated for our modern times.
It’s in the nature of myth to be infinitely adaptable.
Each of these startlingly original stories is set in modern Britain. Their characters include a people-trafficking gang-master and a prostitute, a migrant worker and a cocksure estate agent, an elderly musician doubly befuddled by dementia and the death of his wife, a pest-controller suspected of paedophilia and a librarian so well-behaved that her parents wonder anxiously whether she’ll ever find love.
They’re ordinary people, preoccupied, as we all are now, by the deficiencies of the health service, by criminal gangs and homelessness, by the pitfalls of dating in the age of #metoo. All of their stories, though, are inspired by ones drawn from Graeco-Roman myth, from the Bible or from folk-lore.
The ancients invented myths to express what they didn’t understand. These witty fables, elegantly written and full of sharp-eyed observation of modern life, are also visionary explorations of potent mysteries and strange passions, charged with the hallucinatory beauty and horror of their originals.
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Lysistrata
- By: Aristophanes
- Narrator: Marnye Young
- Length: 1 hours 52 minutes
- Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
- Publish date: January 01, 2018
- Language: English
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3.85(35418 ratings)
3.85(35418 ratings)Regular Price:Try for $0.0014.95 USDThe Peloponnesian War drags on and on with no end in sight, and the tough-minded Lysistrata has had enough. Men!–always making stupid decisions that affect everyone. Women’s opinions are never listened to. Taking matters into her ownThe Peloponnesian War drags on and on with no end in sight, and the tough-minded Lysistrata has had enough. Men!–always making stupid decisions that affect everyone. Women’s opinions are never listened to.
Taking matters into her own hands, Lysistrata convenes a meeting of women from warring city-states across Greece and calls for a sex strike. It’s a hard sell, but in the end it is agreed: they will withhold sex until the war is brought to hasty a close.
Playing their part too, the old women of Athens seize control of the Acropolis–and with it, the treasury–holing up behind it’s barred gates and choking off the silver that funds the interminable war.
It’s a waiting game, and a difficult one–some of the women are already becoming desperate for sex and deserting the cause. But Lysistrata is determined to stay the course and soon restores discipline. The men can’t hold out forever … can they?
First staged in 411 BCE, Lysistrata is the bawdy, comic account of one woman’s singular mission to end the Peloponnesian War using the only means that seems available to her in a male-dominated world.
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The Dialogues of Plato
- By: Plato
- Narrator: Pat Bottino
- Length: 5 hours 44 minutes
- Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
- Publish date: January 01, 2010
- Language: English
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4.15(617 ratings)
4.15(617 ratings)Regular Price:Try for $0.0013.95 USDThe Dialogues of Plato, written between 427 and 347 BC, rank among the most important and influential works in Western thought. Most famous are the first four, in which Plato casts his teacher Socrates as the central disputant in colloquies thatThe Dialogues of Plato, written between 427 and 347 BC, rank among the most important and influential works in Western thought. Most famous are the first four, in which Plato casts his teacher Socrates as the central disputant in colloquies that brilliantly probe a vast spectrum of philosophical ideas and issues, among them art, beauty, virtue, and the nature of love. Socrates’ ancient words are still true, and the ideas found in Plato’s Dialogues still form the foundation of a thinking person’s education. When Socrates is accused by his enemies of crimes against the state, among them “impiety” and “corruption of the young,” his trial and death become the dramatic final setting for his message.
These first four of Plato’s dialogues are offered unabridged, as translated by the distinguished classical scholar Benjamin Jowett:
1. Euthyphro 2. Apology 3. Crito 4. Phaedo
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The History of the Peloponnesian War
- By: Thucydides
- Narrator: Pat Bottino
- Length: 22 hours 6 minutes
- Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
- Publish date: January 01, 2006
- Language: English
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3.92(30928 ratings)
3.92(30928 ratings)Regular Price:Try for $0.0031.95 USDThucydides’ classic chronicle of the war between Athens and Sparta from 431 to 404 BCE persists as one of the most brilliant histories of all time. As one who actually participated in the conflict, Thucydides recognized the effect it wouldThucydides’ classic chronicle of the war between Athens and Sparta from 431 to 404 BCE persists as one of the most brilliant histories of all time. As one who actually participated in the conflict, Thucydides recognized the effect it would have on the history of Greece above all other wars. With a passion for accuracy and a contempt for myth and romance, he compiled an exhaustively factual record of the disaster that eventually ended the Athenian empire.
Conflicts between Athens and Sparta over shipping, trade, and colonial expansion came to a head in 431 BCE, when the entire Greek world was plunged into twenty-seven years of war. This watershed event concerns not only military prowess but also perennial conflicts between might and right, imperial powers and subject peoples. Extraordinary writing, scrupulous methods, and keen political insight make this account a joy to read.
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The Persian Expedition
- By: Xenophon
- Narrator: Pat Bottino
- Length: 10 hours 5 minutes
- Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
- Publish date: January 01, 2008
- Language: English
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4.1(5227 ratings)
4.1(5227 ratings)Regular Price:Try for $0.0019.95 USDXenophon, after being exiled from Athens, spent the last years of his life hunting, writing, and recalling in his books the great days of the Persian expedition. This record of one of the most famous marches in history contains an account of theXenophon, after being exiled from Athens, spent the last years of his life hunting, writing, and recalling in his books the great days of the Persian expedition. This record of one of the most famous marches in history contains an account of the day-to-day life of ordinary men and soldiers. It demonstrates how Greek theories of government and morality worked out in practice—for with his admiration for the great, Xenophon had a rare ability to understand and describe the outlook of lesser men. His own fortunes, too, are intensely moving. Cool, calculating, brilliant, and intensely pious, he is one of the most fascinating characters of history, and his account of his own doings is so far from being self-conscious that he seems to be one of the very few Greeks whose ways and manners have been accurately documented.
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Antigone Rising
- By: Helen Morales
- Narrator: Gabra Zackman
- Length: 4 hours 7 minutes
- Publisher: Hachette Audio
- Publish date: April 14, 2020
- Language: English
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4.02(1021 ratings)
4.02(1021 ratings)Regular Price:Try for $0.0025.98 USDA witty, inspiring reckoning with the ancient Greek and Roman myths and their legacy, from what they can illuminate about #MeToo to the radical imagery of Beyonce.The picture of classical antiquity most of us learned in school is framed in certainA witty, inspiring reckoning with the ancient Greek and Roman myths and their legacy, from what they can illuminate about #MeToo to the radical imagery of Beyonce.... Read moreThe picture of classical antiquity most of us learned in school is framed in certain ways — glossing over misogyny while omitting the seeds of feminist resistance. Many of today’s harmful practices, like school dress codes, exploitation of the environment, and rape culture, have their roots in the ancient world.But in Antigone Rising, classicist Helen Morales reminds us that the myths have subversive power because they are told — and read — in different ways. Through these stories, whether it’s Antigone’s courageous stand against tyranny or the indestructible Caeneus, who inspires trans and gender queer people today, Morales uncovers hidden truths about solidarity, empowerment, and catharsis.Antigone Rising offers a fresh understanding of the stories we take for granted, showing how we can reclaim them to challenge the status quo, spark resistance, and rail against unjust regimes.
Cliff Weitzman
Cliff Weitzman is a dyslexia advocate and the CEO and founder of Speechify, the #1 text-to-speech app in the world, totaling over 100,000 5-star reviews and ranking first place in the App Store for the News & Magazines category. In 2017, Weitzman was named to the Forbes 30 under 30 list for his work making the internet more accessible to people with learning disabilities. Cliff Weitzman has been featured in EdSurge, Inc., PC Mag, Entrepreneur, Mashable, among other leading outlets.
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