The Greeks

A Global History

De: Roderick Beaton

Narrado por: Anna Crowe

A sweeping history of the Greeks, from the Bronze Age to today

More than two thousand years ago, the Greek city-states, led by Athens and Sparta, laid the foundation for much of modern science, the arts, politics, and law. But the influence of the Greeks did not end with the rise and fall of this classical civilization. As historian Roderick Beaton illustrates, over three millennia Greek speakers produced a series of civilizations that were rooted in southeastern Europe but again and again ranged widely across the globe.

In The Greeks, Beaton traces this history from the Bronze Age Mycenaeans who built powerful fortresses at home and strong trade routes abroad, to the dramatic Eurasian conquests of Alexander the Great, to the pious Byzantines who sought to export Christianity worldwide, to today’s Greek diaspora, which flourishes on five continents. The product of decades of research, this is the story of the Greeks and their global impact told as never before. 

Reseñas de la Crítica

“A monumental, sweeping history of the Greeks covering more than three thousand years right up to the present day. Authoritative, compelling, and beautifully written. A wonderful book.”—Peter Frankopan, author of The Silk Roads

“A masterpiece, from a towering expert in all things Greek.”—Gregory Nagy, Harvard University

"Roderick Beaton has given us a wonderful big picture of the Greeks, with a very generous cross-cultural, temporal, and geographical sweep. At the same time, the book’s solid detail and careful distinctions—for example, between the Platonic and the Christian vocabulary for "virtue"—should help in discouraging political exploitation of stilted, anachronistic ideas about Greek civilization.”—Sarah Ruden, translator and author of Paul Among the People

"A remarkable and readable book: this single, masterful volume lays out the entire thirty-five-century history of the Greek-speaking peoples. From Minoan to modern times, their triumphs, their tragedies, and above all their endurance are all here. For anyone who wants to understand Greece today, this is the place to start."—Ian Morris, author of Why the West Rules—For Now

“Over three millennia, the locus of the Greek spirit has shifted perpetually. In antiquity it darted about between the cities, harbors, and mountain valleys of the east Mediterranean, moving eventually through the swathes of North Africa, the Levant and southwest Asia where Alexander and his successors held sway. In modern times, it has flowed between the footloose global diaspora and the two volatile states which embody Greekness. In a tour de force, Roderick Beaton has managed to tie this story together in a single compelling narrative, written with deep affection and hard-earned knowledge of all things Greek.”—Bruce Clark, author of Athens: A History

“Histories of the Greeks have so far been written with a classical or a modern bias, but Roderick Beaton does not play favorites: with the vantage-point of a scholar enjoying a deep knowledge of Byzantium as well as all phases of Greek literature, he weaves together a vivid narrative reaching from the age of heroes and lore down to the present. The Greeks emerge not as a single nation but rather as a series of great civilizations. They were often at odds with each other but, in all phases of their long history, contributed cultural capital to the rest of the world. Beaton’s Greeks are always on the move, self-reflexive, and surprising. Their story has not yet been told in a global fashion, as it is here.”—Anthony Kaldellis, Ohio State University

Narrator’s presentation

One of the best Greek history- ancient history- I’ve listened to in a long time

Comprehensive overview

Really enjoyed this comprehensive history of Greece. The subject matter was compelling with a balanced telling of the long history of Greece. The narrator was terrific.

All encompassing history of the Greeks beautifully read

Ranging from 5000 BCE to 2022 this history demonstrates again and again that is much more important to study the Greeks than Greece - although you will find plenty of both in this masterful work. The wonderful narration keeps this lengthy tome fresh and engaging.

Great to focus on one region and people.

I'm a layman and no scholar, so your perception may vary. I felt this book was one of the best histories I've read because it didn't have any artificial boundaries, i.e the Persian empire or the Crusades. Just because the Persian empire fell didn't mean that Asia didn't have a huge impact on the Aegean afterward. This book keeps the story going forward all the way to the present.

Great narration marred by a few mispronunciations

I tried reading the ebook version of this but couldn't finish. Anna Crowe does a great job narrating this and I cruised through the audiobook. Her pronunciation of Greek terms seemed very good to me, she nailed some hard names. But oddly, she mispronounced some more common words and place names.

The author is fluent in Greek and his knowledge adds a lot to the book. I wish he had been more involved in the audiobook.

Overall, very much worth the listen.

I would be interested to see the same author and narrator do a similar book that focuses on modern Greece.

An Ethnography of the Greeks

In the vein of the sweeping historical narratives like “Sapiens”, Beaton sets out on a journey to describe the Greek people and chart the evolution of a nation and heritage over time.

Genuinely impressive in its breadth, he does fall victim to skimming over some important historical details (mostly around the formation of the modern Greek state). However, this is bound to happen when trying to summarize over 3000 years of recorded history.

This is a valuable contribution and a great launching off point to those seeking to understand a people and a culture that is both ancient and modern, deeply influenced by the many periods they have survived. It is rare to find books that try to bridge the gap between Ancient Greece and the modern iteration of the Greek state, and Beaton keyed in the Greek people and language as the unifying theme between the two. His nuanced understanding of the complexities of the Greek sense of “ethnos” is refreshing.

The performance was good overall. Some complicated modern Greek pronunciations were surprisingly accurate. However common Greek words were pronounced incorrectly, I was surprised when the narrator pronounced “όχι” as “Oshi”.

Enjoyable easy to comprehend history of Greece

I thought the narrator did a terrific job and honestly most books like this put me to sleep rather quickly but this one did not. Kudos to this author and thanks for summarizing centuries clearly.

Superficial and dry

I am in the minority here, but I did not find this title engaging. It reminds of of an old fashioned textbook - lots of dates and names and very little analysis. Not one fact or story caught my interest enough to want to follow up with additional research - very unusual for me. And especially surprising since the history of the Greeks is so full of bigger than life characters and events.

I lived in Greece for some time in my twenties, and have always loved anything that reminds me of how much I was caught up in the stories and places that represent the amazing history of Greece. Nothing in this book brought back any of that enthusiasm.

Part of that may be due to the enormous scope of the book, but many other popular history writers (Jan Morris comes to mind) manage to sweep the reader up in the story without sacrificing the underlying facts.

The narrator was fine. The few mispronunciations were not that distracting to me, but they were obvious. The narration is clear but really does not add anything to the book.

Wonderful narrative of the Greek peoples.

Narrator was good but had quixotic pronunciation at times that was a bit unnerving. But, well done over all.