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A History of the Classical Greek World: 478 - 323 BC, 2nd Edition

P. J. Rhodes
February 2010, ©2010, Wiley-Blackwell
A History of the Classical Greek World: 478 - 323 BC, 2nd Edition (EHEP002110) cover image

Thoroughly updated and revised, the second edition of this successful and widely praised textbook offers an account of the ‘classical’ period of Greek history, from the aftermath of the Persian Wars in 478 BC to the death of Alexander the Great in 323 BC.
  • Two important new chapters have been added, covering life and culture in the classical Greek world
  • Features new pedagogical tools, including textboxes, and a comprehensive chronological table of the West, mainland Greece, and the Aegean
  • Enlarged and additional maps and illustrative material
  • Covers the history of an important period, including: the flourishing of democracy in Athens; the Peloponnesian war, and the conquests of Alexander the Great
  • Focuses on the evidence for the period, and how the evidence is to be interpreted
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Table of Contents
Contents.

List of Illustrations.

List of Figures.

List of Maps.

Preface.

Note on References.

Chronological Table.

1. Introduction.

2. The Formation of the Delian League.

3. The Peloponnese in the Early Fifth Century.

4. Athens After the Persian Wars.

5. The Athenian Empire in the Mid Fifth Century.

6. Periclean Athens.

7. The Greeks in the West: The Rise of Syracuse.

8. The Peloponnesian War: Origins.

9. The Peloponnesian War: Resources and Strategies.

10. The Peloponnesian War: 431–421.

11. The Athens of Cleon.

12. The Peloponnesian War: 421–413.

13. The Peloponnesian War: 413–404.

14. Athens in the Late Fifth Century.

15. The Athenian Empire: Retrospect.

16. Life in the Classical Greek World.

17. Culture in the Classical Greek World.

18. Introduction to the Fourth Century: The Common Peace.

19. Sparta’s Imperialism and Collapse.

Appendix: Persia and its Rebels.

20. The Second Athenian League.

21. Thebes and Northern Greece.

22. Athens After the Peloponnesian War.

23. The Western Greeks from Dionysius I to Timoleon.

24. Philip II of Macedon.

Appendix: Persia and the Greeks in the Reign of Artaxerxes III.

25. Demosthenic Athens.

Appendix: Sparta.

26. Alexander the Great: Sources and Outline.

27. Alexander the Great: Topics.

28. Epilogue.

Glossary.

Bibliography.

Index.

Excerpts
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Author Information
P. J. Rhodes is Honorary Professor of Ancient History at the University of Durham. He is the author of many books on Greek history, including The Athenian Boule (1972), A Commentary on the Aristotelian Athenaion Politeia (1981), Aristotle: The Athenian Constitution (1984), The Decrees of the Greek States (with D. M. Lewis, 1997) and Greek Historical Inscriptions, 404–323 BC (with R. Osborne, 2003). Most recently he has written the Introduction and Notes for Thucydides: The Peloponnesian War (translated by M. Hammond, 2009).
New To This Edition
This 2nd edition has been brought up to date, and has been augmented by two new chapters, key source texts displayed in boxes, a chronological table, a glossary, an updated bibliography and list of further readings, and many additional illustrations.
Hallmark Features
  • Thoroughly updated and revised edition of this highly successful and widely praised text
  • Two important new chapters have been added, covering life and culture in the classical Greek world
  • Features new pedagogical tools, including textboxes, and a comprehensive chronological table of the West, mainland Greece, and the Aegean
  • Enlarged and additional maps and illustrative material
  • Covers the history of an important period, including the flourishing of democracy in Athens, the Peloponnesian war, and the conquests of Alexander the Great
  • Focuses on the evidence for the period, and how the evidence is to be interpreted
Reviews
“A leading authority on Athens, Rhodes has written a superb narrative of Classical Greece for upper-level undergraduates: lucid, concise, and balanced.  Welcome additions to the second edition are chapters on life and culture, and brief selections from contemporary sources.”
Kenneth G. Holum, University of Maryland

“Rhodes provides an excellent introduction to the history of the Greek world in the fifth and fourth centuries BC. Of particular importance is the clarity of the narrative and the consistent citation of the primary source material.”
Hugh Elton, Trent University

 “P.J. Rhodes’ second edition of A History of the Classical World 478-323 BC is superior to its nearest competitors for the university and non-specialist audience, and noticeably improved from the first edition, e.g., smoother transitions into new topics; the addition of two new chapters on culture and society; the reader-friendly use of shaded boxed inserts of primary sources; more illustrations, maps, figures, and a new glossary.  This book will set the standard for introductions to the history of Classical Greece.”
Glenn R. Bugh, Virginia Tech

Available Versions

A History of the Classical Greek World: 478 - 323 BC, 2nd Edition
by P. J. Rhodes
ISBN 978-1-4051-9286-6
February 2010, ©2010, Wiley-Blackwell
Paperback, 488 pages
US $54.95 Add to Cart
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E-book
A History of the Classical Greek World: 478 - 323 BC, 2nd Edition
by P. J. Rhodes
ISBN 978-1-4443-2619-2
June 2011, Wiley-Blackwell
Wiley E-Text, 488 pages
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