What do you think?
Rate this book
Greece
Greece is a companion volume to the paperback edition of Rome, & with it comprises the greater part of Rostovzeff's major work, A History of the Ancient World. From the appearance of prehistoric Aegean settlements, thru the rise of the city states, to the diffusion of Hellenistic culture after the conquests of Alexander, Greek history is recounted & set in the larger perspective of ancient Mediterranean civilization. Told from the point of view of historian, archeologist & connoisseur, Greece isn't only an exact study but also an appreciation of that civilization which "still lives, as the foundation of all the chief manifestations of modern culture."
For this paperback edition, Elias J. Bickerman has completed a new comprehensive bibliography & emended the text & chronology in accordance with contemporary research. The maps have been redrawn to conform with recent scholarship. The 37 plates include photographs of newly discovered material as well as many illustrations retained from the original edition.
For this paperback edition, Elias J. Bickerman has completed a new comprehensive bibliography & emended the text & chronology in accordance with contemporary research. The maps have been redrawn to conform with recent scholarship. The 37 plates include photographs of newly discovered material as well as many illustrations retained from the original edition.
- GenresHistoryAncient History
352 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1925
About the author
Michael Rostovtzeff
69 books18 followersMikhail Ivanovich Rostovtzeff, or Rostovtsev (Russian: Михаи́л Ива́нович Росто́вцев; November 10 [O.S. October 29] 1870 – October 20, 1952) was a Russian historian whose career straddled the 19th and 20th centuries and who produced important works on Ancient Roman and Greek history. He was a member of the Russian Academy of Science.
Rostovtzeff was the son of a Latin teacher. Upon completing his studies at the universities of Kiev and St. Petersburg, Rostovtsev served as an assistant and then as a full Professor of Latin at the University of St. Petersburg 1898–1918. In 1918, following the Russian Revolution, he emigrated first to Sweden, then to England, and finally in 1920 to the United States. There he accepted a chair at the University of Wisconsin–Madison before moving to Yale University in 1925 where he taught until his retirement in 1944. He oversaw all archaeological activities of the latter institution in general and the excavations of Dura-Europos in particular. He is believed to have coined the term "caravan city".
While working in Russia, Rostovtzeff became an authority on the ancient history of South Russia and Ukraine. He summed up his knowledge on the subject in Iranians and Greeks in South Russia (1922) and Skythien und der Bosporus (1925). His most important archaeological findings at Yale were described in Dura-Europos and Its Art (1938).
Glen Bowersock described Rostovtzeff's views as having been largely formed by the age of thirty, developing mainly only in the quality of execution in later life, and making him "the last of the nineteenth-century ancient historians". Rostovtzeff was known as a proud and slightly overpowering man who did not fit in easily. In later life, he suffered from depression.
The Social and Economic History of the Roman Empire:
Rostovtzeff was notable for his theories of the cause of the collapse of the Roman Empire which he expounded in detail in his magisterial The Social and Economic History of the Roman Empire (1926). Scarred by his experience of fleeing from the Russian Revolution, he attributed the collapse of the Roman Empire to an alliance between the rural proletariat and the military in the third century A.D. Despite not being a Marxist himself, Rostovtzeff used terms such as proletariat, bourgeoisie and capitalism freely in his work and the importation of those terms into a description of the ancient world, where they did not necessarily apply, caused criticism.
Rostovtzeff's theory was quickly understood as one based on the author's own experiences and equally quickly rejected by the academic community. Bowersock later described the book as "the marriage of pre-1918 scholarly training and taste with post-1918 personal experience and reflection." At the same time, however, the detailed scholarship involved in the production of the work impressed his contemporaries and he was one of the first to merge archaeological evidence with literary sources.
Rostovtzeff was the son of a Latin teacher. Upon completing his studies at the universities of Kiev and St. Petersburg, Rostovtsev served as an assistant and then as a full Professor of Latin at the University of St. Petersburg 1898–1918. In 1918, following the Russian Revolution, he emigrated first to Sweden, then to England, and finally in 1920 to the United States. There he accepted a chair at the University of Wisconsin–Madison before moving to Yale University in 1925 where he taught until his retirement in 1944. He oversaw all archaeological activities of the latter institution in general and the excavations of Dura-Europos in particular. He is believed to have coined the term "caravan city".
While working in Russia, Rostovtzeff became an authority on the ancient history of South Russia and Ukraine. He summed up his knowledge on the subject in Iranians and Greeks in South Russia (1922) and Skythien und der Bosporus (1925). His most important archaeological findings at Yale were described in Dura-Europos and Its Art (1938).
Glen Bowersock described Rostovtzeff's views as having been largely formed by the age of thirty, developing mainly only in the quality of execution in later life, and making him "the last of the nineteenth-century ancient historians". Rostovtzeff was known as a proud and slightly overpowering man who did not fit in easily. In later life, he suffered from depression.
The Social and Economic History of the Roman Empire:
Rostovtzeff was notable for his theories of the cause of the collapse of the Roman Empire which he expounded in detail in his magisterial The Social and Economic History of the Roman Empire (1926). Scarred by his experience of fleeing from the Russian Revolution, he attributed the collapse of the Roman Empire to an alliance between the rural proletariat and the military in the third century A.D. Despite not being a Marxist himself, Rostovtzeff used terms such as proletariat, bourgeoisie and capitalism freely in his work and the importation of those terms into a description of the ancient world, where they did not necessarily apply, caused criticism.
Rostovtzeff's theory was quickly understood as one based on the author's own experiences and equally quickly rejected by the academic community. Bowersock later described the book as "the marriage of pre-1918 scholarly training and taste with post-1918 personal experience and reflection." At the same time, however, the detailed scholarship involved in the production of the work impressed his contemporaries and he was one of the first to merge archaeological evidence with literary sources.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
February 20, 2021
To taste the cultural miracle of classical Greece, jump into any of Socrates’ dialogues (as recorded by Plato), or one of the ribald satirical comedies of Aristophanes. There you will discover the sharp wit and logic, the irreverent questioning, the passion to pursue truth and wisdom without restraint that made Greek civilization different from all others.
When and how this miracle occurred is the principal subject of Michael Rostovtzeff’s book. He was a deeply learned scholar, archaeologist, and refugee from the Soviet Union who wrote a set of university lectures published as "A History of the Ancient World". "Greece" is excerpted from that two-volume comprehensive work.
The difference between "Greece" and J. B. Bury’s classic "History of Greece", as well as more recent textbooks, is the focus it sustains throughout on culture and civilization. And rightly so: it is because of these that Greece deserves our attention.
Greek civilization, according to Rostovtzeff, was from its early Aegean phase “more democratic” than Eastern societies. Greek kings were understood to be human rather than divine. Even the family of Greek gods, as set out in the immortal poems of Homer, had human attributes and were close to humanity.
With the boldness of this democratic spirit, the first philosophers began to debate the nature of the world and of man. In doing so, they established the basis not just of philosophy, but of science: “in Greece for the first time humanity treated nature and man as a problem that could be solved by reason.”
We also owe to the Greeks the founding of historical inquiry. The “father of history”, Herodotus, strove to understand events surrounding and during the Persian War, though he was often inaccurate on details; while the “father of critical history”, Thucydides, achieved analytical objectivity and precision in his treatment of the Peloponnesian War.
"Greece" surveys not only philosophy and history, but also drama, poetry, painting, sculpture, and architecture – sometimes too briefly. The book includes many annotated and revealing illustrations, such as 5th Century BC vases that “reflect every phase of Athenian life.”
Rostovtzeff’s narration weaves together political history with economic and cultural development. Early on he presents a brilliant description of the daily life and work of men, women, servants and slaves in the Homeric age. He outlines the early growth of commerce and trade: exports of raw produce transported by primitive navigation.
He then shows how, from the early 6th Century BC, Athens’ great reforming leaders – Solon, Pisistratus, and Cleisthenes – built and improved a system of democratic government that was both representative and participatory, fostering deep pride and patriotism among her citizens.
The intensely patriotic, rivalrous Greek city-states were, however, unable to cohere into a strong national union. By the 5th Century BC this “reduced Greece to a condition of political anarchy, which must infallibly end in her subjection to stronger and more homogeneous governments.” Athens attempted to forestall this by transforming her friendly confederation of city-states into imperial rule over her allies. This set in motion other incidents leading to the tragic Peloponnesian War against Sparta, which proved a disaster for Athens after she overextended her empire into southern Italy.
Despite these setbacks, the Greeks expanded their exports of olive oil, wine and manufactured goods such as pottery throughout and beyond the Mediterranean world. This growth, facilitated by coinage, banking, and slave labor, stimulated innovation in agriculture and industry, although production workshops remained small. Greek wealth grew until the 4th Century, when competition from southern Italy became intense. Economic decline then reinforced the weakness from Greece’s political fragmentation.
Late in the 4th Century, the Macedonian Alexander the Great conquered Greece, Persia, and beyond. Under the successor kings to his brief reign, Greek-speaking merchants renewed the growth of trade to meet the consumption needs of growing urban populations. Their activity reinforced Hellenism, or Greek as the universal culture of the educated, up to and even after the Roman conquest of the region in the 2nd Century BC. Greek cultural influence spread throughout the eastern Mediterranean.
"Greece" exemplifies Rostovtzeff’s aspiration that history “remain a branch of literature” embracing politics, economics, social development, culture, psychology, and “the truthful and artistic delineation of important historical characters….” His pathbreaking work as an economic historian has been criticized for applying class-based analysis to ancient history, and in particular to the decline of imperial Rome. That does not intrude here. Rostovtzeff justifiably highlights the commerce and trade that enabled Greece’s cultural development. He also identifies political and social constraints that limited early capitalism.
Prospective readers of this fine book would do well to obtain an older copy. Recent printings by Oxford University Press have rendered the book’s carefully chosen illustrations indecipherable. An even better solution: find a copy of “A History of the Ancient World” printed in 1938 or earlier, when Oxford took meticulous care of photographic reproduction.
As Rostovtzeff understood, it was a question of civilization.
When and how this miracle occurred is the principal subject of Michael Rostovtzeff’s book. He was a deeply learned scholar, archaeologist, and refugee from the Soviet Union who wrote a set of university lectures published as "A History of the Ancient World". "Greece" is excerpted from that two-volume comprehensive work.
The difference between "Greece" and J. B. Bury’s classic "History of Greece", as well as more recent textbooks, is the focus it sustains throughout on culture and civilization. And rightly so: it is because of these that Greece deserves our attention.
Greek civilization, according to Rostovtzeff, was from its early Aegean phase “more democratic” than Eastern societies. Greek kings were understood to be human rather than divine. Even the family of Greek gods, as set out in the immortal poems of Homer, had human attributes and were close to humanity.
With the boldness of this democratic spirit, the first philosophers began to debate the nature of the world and of man. In doing so, they established the basis not just of philosophy, but of science: “in Greece for the first time humanity treated nature and man as a problem that could be solved by reason.”
We also owe to the Greeks the founding of historical inquiry. The “father of history”, Herodotus, strove to understand events surrounding and during the Persian War, though he was often inaccurate on details; while the “father of critical history”, Thucydides, achieved analytical objectivity and precision in his treatment of the Peloponnesian War.
"Greece" surveys not only philosophy and history, but also drama, poetry, painting, sculpture, and architecture – sometimes too briefly. The book includes many annotated and revealing illustrations, such as 5th Century BC vases that “reflect every phase of Athenian life.”
Rostovtzeff’s narration weaves together political history with economic and cultural development. Early on he presents a brilliant description of the daily life and work of men, women, servants and slaves in the Homeric age. He outlines the early growth of commerce and trade: exports of raw produce transported by primitive navigation.
He then shows how, from the early 6th Century BC, Athens’ great reforming leaders – Solon, Pisistratus, and Cleisthenes – built and improved a system of democratic government that was both representative and participatory, fostering deep pride and patriotism among her citizens.
The intensely patriotic, rivalrous Greek city-states were, however, unable to cohere into a strong national union. By the 5th Century BC this “reduced Greece to a condition of political anarchy, which must infallibly end in her subjection to stronger and more homogeneous governments.” Athens attempted to forestall this by transforming her friendly confederation of city-states into imperial rule over her allies. This set in motion other incidents leading to the tragic Peloponnesian War against Sparta, which proved a disaster for Athens after she overextended her empire into southern Italy.
Despite these setbacks, the Greeks expanded their exports of olive oil, wine and manufactured goods such as pottery throughout and beyond the Mediterranean world. This growth, facilitated by coinage, banking, and slave labor, stimulated innovation in agriculture and industry, although production workshops remained small. Greek wealth grew until the 4th Century, when competition from southern Italy became intense. Economic decline then reinforced the weakness from Greece’s political fragmentation.
Late in the 4th Century, the Macedonian Alexander the Great conquered Greece, Persia, and beyond. Under the successor kings to his brief reign, Greek-speaking merchants renewed the growth of trade to meet the consumption needs of growing urban populations. Their activity reinforced Hellenism, or Greek as the universal culture of the educated, up to and even after the Roman conquest of the region in the 2nd Century BC. Greek cultural influence spread throughout the eastern Mediterranean.
"Greece" exemplifies Rostovtzeff’s aspiration that history “remain a branch of literature” embracing politics, economics, social development, culture, psychology, and “the truthful and artistic delineation of important historical characters….” His pathbreaking work as an economic historian has been criticized for applying class-based analysis to ancient history, and in particular to the decline of imperial Rome. That does not intrude here. Rostovtzeff justifiably highlights the commerce and trade that enabled Greece’s cultural development. He also identifies political and social constraints that limited early capitalism.
Prospective readers of this fine book would do well to obtain an older copy. Recent printings by Oxford University Press have rendered the book’s carefully chosen illustrations indecipherable. An even better solution: find a copy of “A History of the Ancient World” printed in 1938 or earlier, when Oxford took meticulous care of photographic reproduction.
As Rostovtzeff understood, it was a question of civilization.
April 10, 2013
This is a popularized version of the Greece section of a larger, two volume work, A History of the Ancient World, by Mikhail Ivanovich Rostovtzeff (Михаи́л Ива́нович Росто́вцев). Though dated (1925), it serves as a good general survey of ancient Greek history.
December 23, 2022
Very good primer and summary of the Hellinistic Age. The lives and contributions of individual Greeks could barely be studied in an entire lifetime, much less in one book, but in under 300 pages, this book gave me enough of a blanket overview to help lay the groundwork for further study. This book consists of lectures that were taught in the 1920s and 1930s to sophomore students at Yale as an introduction to Greek achievement and society.
There’s a very helpful index in the back of the book to reference any range of topics.
It’s worth reading again for me and worth checking out if you’re getting started with the topic of how Greece molded modern society.
There’s a very helpful index in the back of the book to reference any range of topics.
It’s worth reading again for me and worth checking out if you’re getting started with the topic of how Greece molded modern society.
June 3, 2017
Useful as a general overview of and brief introduction to the life of the Greeks. Some of the topics seemed a bit too glossed over, but such is the nature of general surveys.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews