A History of Greece

To the Death of Alexander the Great

By: John Bagnell Bury

Narrated by: Charlton Griffin

At the time of his death in 1927, John Bagnell Bury was easily the most honored English historian of his era. The plaudits for his intellectual ability were well deserved. Bury, an esteemed Cambridge scholar, wrote what is considered the finest one-volume history of ancient Greece in the English language. His beautifully crafted survey of Greek civilization begins with the description of Bronze Age settlements which appeared on the Greek mainland and on the island of Crete. The story takes us on a strange and exciting series of adventures which result in the development of independent city-states constantly embroiled in division and war. As this millennial-long arc of history moved across the face of Greek society, the searing changes that occurred in various regions were profound and world changing. Militant Sparta and democratic Athens developed opposing civil societies, while despotic Persia awaited her opportunity to strike. In the end, it was both the warring Greeks and Persian Empire that succumbed to the Macedonian phalanx of Alexander the Great, ending a thousand years of independence for Greek city states. But in that space of time allotted them, these Greeks bequeathed to the world the most sublime philosophy, poetry, art, and architecture humanity has ever seen. Ancient Greece taught the world not what to think, but HOW to think.

Listeners are encouraged to refer to the accompanying PDF file of maps and chronological tables. This recording utilizes ancient Greek pronunciation where presumably known (e.g., Alcibiades); in questionable cases, modern Greek (e.g., Delphi); and in cases where it is commonly understood primarily by English speakers (e.g., Thucydides).

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

Public Domain (P)2023 Audio Connoisseur

An excellent overview of Greek History

This book is an exceptional review of Greek history from its earliest beginnings and foundations to the development of the city states and subsequent Greek colonization of the Mediterranean. The narrative then focuses on the city states that emerge with exceptional power and influence over the rest of the Mediterranean and their subsequent Intra-Greek conflict and conflicts with external nations (e.g. Persia).

The work builds on archaeological findings as well as literature (Homer), but mainly focuses on the military and political history of Greece as opposed to the significant literary and philosophical history, which it does include, but is not the focus.

This was an exceptional listening experience with multiple notes taken as jumping off points to dive in to areas of more interest, and gives a good framework to reference going forward.