The rise and fall of classical Greece / Josiah Ober.
2015
DF77 .O24 2015 (Mapit)
Available at General Collection
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Details
Title
The rise and fall of classical Greece / Josiah Ober.
Author
Ober, Josiah.
ISBN
9780691140919 (hardcover)
069114091X (hardcover)
069114091X (hardcover)
Published
Princeton : Princeton University Press, 2015.
Language
English
Description
xxv, 416 pages : illustrations, maps ; 25 cm.
Call Number
DF77 .O24 2015
Dewey Decimal Classification
938
Summary
"Lord Byron described Greece as great, fallen, and immortal, a characterization more apt than he knew. Through most of its long history, Greece was poor. But in the classical era, Greece was densely populated and highly urbanized. Many surprisingly healthy Greeks lived in remarkably big houses and worked for high wages at specialized occupations. Middle-class spending drove sustained economic growth. Classical wealth produced a stunning cultural efflorescence lasting hundreds of years. Why did Greece reach such heights in the classical period--and why only then? And how, after 'the Greek miracle' had endured for centuries, did the Macedonians defeat the Greeks, seemingly bringing an end to their glory? Drawing on a massive body of newly available data and employing novel approaches to evidence, Josiah Ober offers a major new history of classical Greece and an unprecedented account of its rise and fall. Ober argues that Greece's rise was no miracle but rather the result of political breakthroughs and economic development. The extraordinary emergence of citizen-centered city-states transformed Greece into a society that defeated the mighty Persian Empire. Yet Philip and Alexander of Macedon were able to beat the Greeks in the Battle of Chaeronea in 338 BCE, a victory enabled by the Macedonians' appropriation of Greek innovations. After Alexander's death, battle-hardened warlords fought ruthlessly over the remnants of his empire. But Greek cities remained populous and wealthy, their economy and culture surviving to be passed on to the Romans--and to us. A compelling narrative filled with uncanny modern parallels, this is a book for anyone interested in how great civilizations are born and die. This book is based on evidence available on a new interactive website. To learn more, please visit: http://polis.stanford.edu/"-- Provided by publisher.
Bibliography, etc. Note
Includes bibliographical references (pages 367-400) and index.
Series
Princeton history of the ancient world.
Record Appears in
On-Campus Resources > Books
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Table of Contents
The efflorescence of classical Greece
Ants around a pond : an ecology of city-states
Political animals : a theory of decentralized cooperation
Wealthy Hellas : measuring efflorescence
Explaining Hellas' wealth : fair rules and competition
Citizens and specialization before 550 BCE
From tyranny to democracy, 550-465 BCE
Golden age of empire, 478-404 BCE
Disorder and growth, 403-340 BCE
Political fall, 359-334 BCE
Creative destruction and immortality
Appendix I: Regions of the Greek world : population, size, fame
Appendix II: King, City, Elite game / Josiah Ober and Barry Weingast.
Ants around a pond : an ecology of city-states
Political animals : a theory of decentralized cooperation
Wealthy Hellas : measuring efflorescence
Explaining Hellas' wealth : fair rules and competition
Citizens and specialization before 550 BCE
From tyranny to democracy, 550-465 BCE
Golden age of empire, 478-404 BCE
Disorder and growth, 403-340 BCE
Political fall, 359-334 BCE
Creative destruction and immortality
Appendix I: Regions of the Greek world : population, size, fame
Appendix II: King, City, Elite game / Josiah Ober and Barry Weingast.