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The Story of Greece and Rome
- Narrated by: Steven Crossley
- Length: 16 hrs and 7 mins
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Publisher's summary
The magnificent civilization created by the ancient Greeks and Romans is the greatest legacy of the classical world. However, narratives about the "civilized" Greek and Roman empires resisting the barbarians at the gate are far from accurate. Tony Spawforth, an esteemed scholar, author, and media contributor, follows the thread of civilization through more than six millennia of history. His story reveals that Greek and Roman civilization, to varying degrees, was supremely and surprisingly receptive to external influences, particularly from the East.
From the rise of the Mycenaean world of the 16th century BC, Spawforth traces a path through the ancient Aegean to the zenith of the Hellenic state and the rise of the Roman empire, the coming of Christianity, and the consequences of the first caliphate. Deeply informed, provocative, and entirely fresh, this is the first and only accessible work that tells the extraordinary story of the classical world in its entirety.
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Acclaimed British historian Anthony Everitt delivers a compelling account of the former orphan who became Roman emperor in A.D. 117 after the death of his guardian Trajan. Hadrian strengthened Rome by ending territorial expansion and fortifying existing borders. And - except for the uprising he triggered in Judea - his strength-based diplomacy brought peace to the realm after a century of warfare.
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A Biography "too tall for the height of the cella"
- By Darwin8u on 08-23-12
By: Anthony Everitt
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The Spartans
- By: Paul Cartledge
- Narrated by: John Lee
- Length: 8 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
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The Spartans of ancient Greece were a powerful and unique people, radically different from any civilization before or since. A society of warrior-heroes, they were living exemplars of self-sacrifice, community endeavor, and achievement against all odds, qualities that today signify the ultimate in heroism. Scholars even believe that Thomas More had Sparta specifically in mind when he coined the term "Utopia".
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Not a place to go to learn about the Spartans
- By James on 10-22-07
By: Paul Cartledge
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The Vikings
- A History
- By: Robert Ferguson
- Narrated by: Michael Page
- Length: 14 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
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From Robert Ferguson comes a comprehensive and thrilling history, based on the latest scholarship, that offers the definitive portrait of the Vikings.
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Good Historical Overview
- By Elizabeth Ciminelli on 04-25-12
By: Robert Ferguson
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Ur: A Captivating Guide to One of the Most Important Sumerian City-States in Ancient Mesopotamia
- By: Captivating History
- Narrated by: Duke Holm
- Length: 3 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
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This audiobook is about the city which houses the mighty Ziggurat - the Biblical “Ur of the Chaldees” where Abraham was supposedly born. The site near which the earliest human cultures were found. The site which held the most glorious Sumerian Dynasty in ancient history. This is the story of the city that was destined to die and be reborn every millennium or so, a city full of intrigue, magnificence, tragedy, and glory.
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Highly Recommended
- By Wsil Ali on 12-09-18
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When Montezuma Met Cortes
- The True Story of the Meeting That Changed History
- By: Matthew Restall
- Narrated by: Steven Crossley
- Length: 16 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
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In 1519, the Spanish conquistador Hernando Cortés first met Montezuma, the Aztec emperor, at the entrance to the capital city of Tenochtitlan. This introduction - the prelude to the Spanish seizure of Mexico City and to European colonization of the mainland of the Americas - has long been the symbol of Cortés' bold and brilliant military genius. Montezuma, on the other hand, is remembered as a coward who gave away a vast empire and touched off a wave of colonial invasions across the hemisphere. But is this really what happened?
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Flawed, but worth it for those interested.
- By "J" on 02-16-18
By: Matthew Restall
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The Rise and Fall of Alexandria
- Birthplace of the Modern Mind
- By: Justin Pollard, Howard Reid
- Narrated by: Simon Vance
- Length: 11 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
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Founded by Alexander the Great and built by self-styled Greek pharaohs, the city of Alexandria at its height dwarfed both Athens and Rome. It was the marvel of its age, legendary for its vast palaces, safe harbors, and magnificent lighthouse. But it was most famous for the astonishing intellectual efflorescence it fostered and the library it produced. If the European Renaissance was the "rebirth" of Western culture, then Alexandria, Egypt, was its birthplace.
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A good listen
- By Jeffrey on 10-02-08
By: Justin Pollard, and others
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Ancient Greece, Second Edition
- From Prehistoric to Hellenistic Times
- By: Thomas R. Martin
- Narrated by: John Lescault
- Length: 12 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
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In this compact yet comprehensive history of ancient Greece, Thomas R. Martin brings alive Greek civilization from its Stone Age roots to the fourth century BC. Focusing on the development of the Greek city-state and the society, culture, and architecture of Athens in its Golden Age, Martin integrates political, military, social, and cultural history in a book that will appeal to students and general audiences alike. Now in its second edition, this classic work now features updates throughout.
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Just the way I like it!
- By TracyB on 07-25-18
By: Thomas R. Martin
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Persians
- The Age of the Great Kings
- By: Lloyd Llewellyn-Jones
- Narrated by: Lloyd Llewellyn-Jones
- Length: 18 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
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The Achaemenid Persian kings ruled over the largest empire of antiquity, stretching from Libya to the steppes of Asia and from Ethiopia to Pakistan. In Persians, historian Lloyd Llewellyn-Jones tells the epic story of this dynasty and the world it ruled. Drawing on Iranian inscriptions, cuneiform tablets, art, and archaeology, he shows how the Achaemenid Persian Empire was the world’s first superpower—one built, despite its imperial ambition, on cooperation and tolerance. This is the definitive history of the Achaemenid dynasty and its legacies in modern-day Iran.
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Good History and Historiography
- By David A on 04-19-22
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The Parthenon Enigma
- By: Joan Breton Connelly
- Narrated by: John Lee
- Length: 12 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
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In this revolutionary book, Joan Breton Connelly challenges our most basic assumptions about the Parthenon and the ancient Athenians. Beginning with the natural environment and its rich mythic associations, she re-creates the development of the Acropolis - the Sacred Rock at the heart of the city-state - from its prehistoric origins to its Periklean glory days as a constellation of temples among which the Parthenon stood supreme.
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dope book, lacked depth but overall worthwhile
- By Nicholas on 06-29-15
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Our contemporary world is inescapably Greek. Whether in a word like "pandemic," a Freudian state of mind like the "Oedipus complex," or a replica of the Parthenon in a Chinese theme park, ancient Greek culture shapes the contours of our lives. Ever since the first Roman imitators, we have been continually falling under the Greeks' spell. But how did ancient Greece spread its influence so far and wide? And how has this influence changed us?
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dull, dull, dull
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dull, dull, dull
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Our capital city has always been a thriving and colorful place, full of diverse and determined individuals developing trade and finance, exchanging gossip and doing business. Abandoned by the Romans, rebuilt by the Saxons, occupied by the Vikings and reconstructed by the Normans, London would become the largest trade and financial center, dominating the world in later centuries. London has always been a brilliant, vibrant, and eclectic place.
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Interesting
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What listeners say about The Story of Greece and Rome
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- KBN
- 10-29-23
Entertaining and educational
I liked the pace, modern comparisons and depth. I recommend if looking for a fun walk though of Greco-Roman history.
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- Mohad Cheridi
- 11-30-18
All is in the title....
A good book...but beware...as it is said in the intro mainly for neophyte..you won't learn anything if you are a bit familiar with the subject...Even so...no regrets
Not one of my favorite narrator but a solid performance...
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3 people found this helpful
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- Adam T Kincaid
- 03-21-23
There are much better books on the subject
The summary pitch for this book described a tale of interweaving cultures and societies that remained influenced by each other and their surrounding neighbors for millenia. From that, you'd think from the title that you'd glean a better understanding of the impact that Ancient Greece had on Rome, which carries on with us into modern times. Sadly, this book is little more than a tired re-summarizing of a well known part of history and offers little new information or revelatory takes or insights into already deeply discussed topics.
There are thousands of books written about these two massively influential cultures. Dr. Spawforth tried to cram their complete, well documented, dozen-century+ histories into just under 400 pages which is simultaneously whirling and exhausting while remaining completely unsatisfying. Instead of well thought out and presented examples of the intent (influence from surrounding neighboring empires and polities) we're instead taken on a strange highlight reel of random well documented trials and tribulations of these two groups that offer little in details or exciting prose. If one is not already familiar with the plotline, you're left scratching your head.
History is the story of PEOPLE. And in this book there are hardly any stories and hardly anything to do with people. Indeed, there is more composition on pottery shards than individuals. This isn't surprising, given Dr. Spatworth's field (archaeology) but it belabors the point - his fascination with historical objects fails to translate into a captivating story worthy of 400 pages. It's as if one were to study my entire life and infer the influences from my travels and experiences, from a broken pottery shard discarded in my wastebin. It's one dimensional and difficult to care about.
My recommendation would be to focus on a few key examples taken throughout the periods and make the point. As one easy example: perhaps draw a line between Socrates to Zeno of Citium, and the founding of stoicism, through it's morphology and evolution into the primary philosophical school of Roman elites. Instead, there is a brief encounter with Socrates and Plato, some vague references to Greek philosophers being in Rome and Roman elites being in Athens, and then.... nothing. What was even the point of mentioning it?
There is no doubt that the author is a well regarded archaeologist and familiar with the societies discussed within, but the book does not contain his enthusiasm for the ancients and is quite a difficult slog. One is also beset on nearly every other page with his vague recollections of sitting in university studies with other boring historians and doctors, which seems pretentious and unrelatable to the masses. You're left wondering, who was this book written for?
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1 person found this helpful
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- Michelle Hyams Best Buddies
- 04-10-23
Tedious and pompous; but not wholly useless
Unsatisfying in the end. The author spends too much time in pompous asides that are about himself. Too much disorganized jumping in time and place that leaves the reader disconnected from the subject matter.
I learned a little, but not enough given the time commitment.
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