Ancient History Books | Begin Your Journey
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- čas přidán 25. 06. 2024
- Check out my podcast That's Ancient History: / user-591915376
The Classical World: www.bookdepository.com/The-Cla...
Confronting the Classics: www.bookdepository.com/Confron...
SPQR: www.bookdepository.com/SPQR-Ma...
The Spartans: www.bookdepository.com/The-Spa...
A Very Short Introduction to Ancient Greece
Battling The Gods: www.bookdepository.com/Battlin...
Goddesses, Whores, Wives and Slaves: www.bookdepository.com/Goddess...
Courtesans and Fishcakes: www.bookdepository.com/Courtes...
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![Where to start with Ancient Greek literature according to an Ancient Historian [cc]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/0eF1_lppHug/mqdefault.jpg)
![Where to start with Ancient Greek literature according to an Ancient Historian [cc]](/img/tr.png)
Honestly I just love learning more about certain mysterious in this world. Mysterious unknown books. Cities. People. Things like that but I just don’t know much that’s why I’m trying to learn as much as I can
From your 13 minutes video i've actually dived into a deep research that took me hours of pure HAPPINESS ! Thanks a lot. I'll be delighted to join your many devotees 😄
Travelling less through lockdown made me want to get into reading, history is something ive always found interesting. This was a great video after watching a few that seemed to appeal to people who are proper history buffs, this is a more relatable level.
Thankyou!
SPQR has been on my TBR list for ages - you've now convinced me to pick it up super soon. Thank you for this list! So helpful and you've motivated me to get reading historical non-fiction! x
Great selection of books. I especially like the first book which has a gorgeous cover. I love history as well.
Yay, I love this! I'll be teaching Ancient History this year for the first time, so I am going to pick these up to prepare!
Thanks so much for these recommendations your enthusiasm for your subject inspires me to find out more about ancient history. I have just bought SPQR - it is a stunning book.
This is a great video Jean! I've heard a lot about Mary Beard and Fraser loves history, so I may add some of her books to my pile soon. I love the sound of the Whitmarsh book, though. Sounds so intriguing!
"her expertise are on Rome, but I'm pretty sure she just knows everything" - spot on! hahaha!
These are excellent recommendations! Ancient history spans more than just the Classics; however, I myself must admit I’ve not read anything about the ancient east! Sun Tzu may be a fun start
I loved this vídeo! I love ancient history but never was able to find acessible books to begin with.Thank you.
Another very helpful video! I love your videos on ancient history and literature!
Please keep the historical book reviews coming! Great vid.
Such a fantastic video! Will definitely have to check out some of Mary Beard's work, thanks for the recommendations!
Great video. Beginner here. Looking forward to it.
I love this video and I cannot wait to start this reading journey. Thank you!!
+Colleen Palladino Yay :D I hope you enjoy it
Thank you so much for this video! I've been wanting to expand my knowledge on antiquity but I've been battling with knowing what to read. Thank you x
There are 4 books on Ancient Greece that I have read or am currently reading or on my TBR.
1. The Greek Way by Edith Hamilton. Finished this and love it enormously. Les a straightforward history of history, the author takes a look at Greece though people focusing on the 5th and 4th centuries in Athens, however it includes names like Pindar. I feel it it a good book to start with as it is easy to read (the author was a headmistress for 20 years) and covers a fair breadth of subjects with Pindar, Herodotus, Thucydides, Aristophanes, the Greek Tragedians, Plato, Xenophon, all getting a chapter each. The chapter on Thucydides made me reconsider the 20th century Cold War between America & USSR.
2. The Echo of Greece by Edith Hamilton. I’m still reading this and will have to ask Jean for advice on introductory books on Stoicism (when I’m ready). This book is a more conventional history of Greece giving a history of the conception of “freedom” which resulted in Solon’s laws which led to the Athenian Democracy. And sadly shortly as Athenian’s founded democracy and freedom, they lost it. The schools that came after from both Isocrates & Plato were created in part to recapture it. There is also a good section on Aristotle and a separate chapter on Demosthenes, Menander, the Stoics and Plutarch.
Just as readable as The Greek Way, I highly recommend both books for beginners as they give a good overview of why Ancient Greece matters and the people who founded the civilisation we have inherited.
Edith Hamilton was a pioneering classicist for her time. Sadly she didn’t complete her PhD due mostly to the indifference shown towards women at the time. For her to be in a lecture hall she was required to have a curtain between her and the lecturer so she wouldn’t see him. Such discrimination is the main reason she didn’t finish her PhD. This might be why modern classicists are indifferent to her as well, which is another greek tragedy. Late in her life she was made an honour citizen of Athens which she called the proudest moment of her life. She is definitely worth reading.
3. The Greeks by H. D. F. Kitto. I bought this as it seems to be a used as an introductory text for undergraduates. I’ve just started reading it and what I have read has been good. This appears to be a more straightforward history of Ancient Greece from the mythic period to Homer & Hesiod to the more conventional Ancient Greece that we are familiar with.
4. Introducing the Ancient Greeks : From Bronze Age Seafarers to Navigators of the Western Mind by Edith Hall. I bought this because i loved a article that Jean linked to last year (www.theguardian.com/books/2015/jun/20/classics-for-the-people-ancient-greeks). Thanks again Jean!
For Book #5 I’ll using your video to pick a book. Undecided at this stage. I want to get through these four first.
Thank you for a wonderful introductory video, Jean. I was always worried about studying ancient texts, until I studied Tragedy in my last year of Uni and found the Greek and Roman writers marvelous, even the research into their societies. So definitely want to make up for lost classical opportunities.
+The Novel Nomad I know all I want is for people not to be scared of ancient lit and history ^_^
Thank you so much for this video! I will definitly check some of these out
Mary Beard is a badass queen of the world. Also I love those very short introductions. They have been my lifesaver so many times when going into a new subject and trying to get my brain around them.
+books and pieces That should be he official title! 'Badass Queen of the World'! Yeah I read a few in first year and just after getting into uni the first time - so helpful for preparing.
Thank you, I will hopefully be going to Durham or Edinburgh for Classics MA. Really excited about it.
Thank you so much for this video! I added many of these to my to-read list. I always hover around the 'ancient world' section in bookstores but feel too intimidated to try actually pick any book. This should be a great intro to the classic world.
MARY BEARD MARY BEARD MARY BEARD
ahem. I'm done. But she is wonderful.
Thanks for this video, I've always found the greeks and the romans (and the spartans) very interesting but I never really felt the need to read about them. Until I started watching your videos :D
Definitely want to give some of these a try and see how it goes for me ^^
Grat suggestions- looking forward to checking some of these out :)
I'm so glad you made this video as I'm doing A Level Classical Civilisations and I'm thinking about entering an essay writing competition so this is perfect!!!
+reading all the books Oh yay ^_^ good luck!
Thanks for the video! Very interesting
Thank you,you've been very helpful
Loved this video. I studied History at University but very little Ancient History. I'm putting Mary Beard on my list as an author I need to investigate.
Very interesting stuff. I will defiantly check out a few out those books. I dont think its something I would study as such but I like to learn about anything to do with the past. And who knows I might end up getting hooked on ancient history! Great video :)
Thanks to you a read one of Mary Beard book about Pompei and I love it. Thank you :)
That's great glad to hear it ^_^
Well, I guess I will just keep adding books to my to-read list ;) Thank you for such an interesting video!
I'd love to read Battling the Gods! Wonderful video honey xxxx
Thank you, thank you, thank you for this video! Helped me a lot! :)
Loved seeing so many of my favourites on here! I'm going into my third year next year, what advice would you give about approaching and tackling a dissertation? (Mines on Julio claudian women!)
What a useful video! I didn't even know that I wanted to learn about ancient history before watching this. There are so many I want to read!
+Lisa of Shut Your Typeface! Hahaha yes it is working!
Thank you so much for this video, I really want to learn more about ancient history. I've had my eye on SPQR for a while, Mary Beard is such a boss :)
+Claire Quigley (ClaireQuip Reads) She really is ^_^ glad you enjoyed it!
Hey jean, lovely video as always! did you know that here in italy latin (both translation and literature) is a compulsory subject in any type of high school, and so is greek in the classic high school (they're divided into scientific, classic, linguistic and artistic). so basically our teenage years are spent over dictionaries translating sappho and cicero and so on, which i think is amazing (in a weird masochist way ahaha)
Hi! I'm from Chile and here Classics isn't a career but a little taught in History or Philosophy. So I love your videos because I can know so many things and authors. Greetings.
I am a great fan of HDF Kitto's The Greeks. A classic and still great. It's dated to be sure. But the writing is at once eloquent and poignant but also accessible.
I also highly recommend Sailing the Wine Dark Sea by Thomas Cahill.
Both nice but different introductions.
Thanks for this , helped a lot ! I think I'll go for Mary beards S.P.Q.R 😄 You've gained a new subscriber😃
so helpful!!!! thank you for this :)
great video. I love history but I never considered reading much about it because of the inaccessible nature of many books I discovered. I am very excited to try some of your recommendation
+Journey Through The Pages Aw well I hope this video gave you some fun places to start and you enjoy them ^_^
Some books to approach other civilizations can be:
- The might that was Assyria, by W.S.Saggs
- Carthage, by Serge Lancel
- Celts and celtic civilization, by Henri Hubert
- History of the Etruscans, by Mario Torelli
i am so glad i knew that you did books based on Greeks and Ancient History as the wife wants to name our kid with a Greek name and i just finished a book on Clive Cussler The Tombs and it was based on Attila the Huns the High King.
Hi Jean, I love Ancient History and am always on the hunt for some new books, so thanks so much! I absolutely loved this video and would definitely welcome any more ancient history related ones should you decide to do them :) I purchased 3 of these books as I watched this video! xx
Ah I hope you enjoy them! I'm so glad you enjoyed the video ^_^ this is playlist of all my ancient history videos to date if you're looking for more and I will be adding to it in the future :) czcams.com/play/PL6PB4rVWktX-sHOkwS23z60bt6ovtVZGm.html
Delayed reply, but thank you! I have since watched every one of those videos ;) Thanks!
Brilliant Video! Thanks. I have recently discovered Cicero thanks to Robert Harris
I study American culture 1900-1950, but I took a class a couple years ago on epics that I really enjoyed. I think everything on this list will help fill in a lot of holes for me. I think Mary Beard is especially going to be up my alley!
+All the Shelves Glad you found some recommendations ^_^
I love how much you love my country :)
Congratulations Jean for this video. Ancient history is my favorite subject along with 20th century history. In my opinion another way to introduce people to ancient history is historical fiction. Authors like Robert Graves, Marguerite Yourcenar, Valerio Massimo Manfredi, Gisbert Haefs, Colleen McCullough and Alejandro Nuñez Alonso are my favorites.
Robin Lane Fox, Mary Beard, Paul Cartledge, Tim Midmarsh, Sarah pomeroy, James Davidson. Good list.
Αρειος Πότηρ, χαχαχαχαχα, that was so delightfull for a Greek person to see, also you are so mellifluous, keep it up with your great content .
I kept looking at the Harry Potter book in the background and wondering why this video was oddly mirrored and then realised it's the Greek(?) version.
+Charlottesreadsthings haha yeah it is in ancient greek ^_^
χαχαχαχα Άρειος Ποτήρ!!!!!
It’s so interesting how many languages Harry Potter was printed in. Another example is Welsh (I’m also from Wales) XD
Have you read Appian's _The Civil Wars?_ It looks so interesting, but it could be dry af, so I'm indecisive about adding it to my to-read list...
Such a great video - and very inspiring! :) Perhaps you could also recommend some great documentaries about this time period? :) xx
+Marie Berg Anything presented by Mary Beard, Lloyd Llewelyn Jones (he did one on persia which I'm pretty sure is on youtube haha) and Michael Wood (In the footsteps of Alexander the great is awesome) x
Thank you so much ^^
What I learned from Robin Lane Fox on University Challenge is that even a brilliant, well-respected scholar is not immune to Paxman's death glare after said brilliant scholar misuses the buzzer for the fifth time.
Hi Jean I was wondering if you have any recommendations about history of Alexandria library ? Or just Alexandria history. :)
This is the video I've been waiting for, so glad you made it! :)
I was wondering if there were any books you would recommend that give a broad (doesn't matter if it's a chunker!) "compare & contrast" take on the different city states in ancient greece? Also any recs for books about pre-hellenic greece? I know classical greece is your specialty, but was wondering if during your studies or reading for fun you came across other texts that look in to that time period of greece. Now that I've finished my science degree and have so much more free time for reading, it's time I get back to my second scholastic interest: ancient greece :)
+Eleni Tea Nothing as specific as that, like a comparison of each state (in my reading). The thing is we have almost no texts from anywhere other than Athens so it is hard to compare. Athens also has more distinct architecture. Any book on general Greece should dip in and out of place like sparta and crete. Gortyn in Crete is interesting. This is more of a textbook but might give you more of what you want ^_^ it was what we used in first year of uni: www.amazon.co.uk/Brief-History-Ancient-Greece-Politics/dp/0195372352 it is edited by Pomeroy. Courtesans and fishcakes is pre-hellenistic period or are you referring to the Mycenaeans and Minoans :)? Glad your enjoying getting back into ancient greek history!
I don't mind a textbook like book. I can just take a chapter in every now and then :) I'll see if my library has it, thank you!
Yes, the Myceneans and Minoans, sorry I should've made that clearer >.< I was wanting to learn more about the "really ancient" greek civilisations - sorry for a lack of a better term xD
So would you say that you don't have to have any previous knowledge on Ancient Greece to read these books? I'm really interested in the Godesses, Whores, Wives and Slaves book, but I'm still a bit intimidated.
I absolutely love your videos, thanks for a brilliant one again :)
I'm really interested in ancient history of the UK.......do you have any recommendations?
Damn! You're smart, have an interest in ancient history, pretty, and your accent is adorable, you're pretty much perfect! Great video!
history is my degree and I adore it but never really done much ancient history, the furthest back any of the lecturers specialize in is the Roman Empire! Some of these sound great, I will deffo have to have a look at the Courtesans and Fishcakes one!
Subscribed :)
If i have to recommend ancient history books from a chronological point of view, i would start with these:
- Archaeology and Language: The Puzzle of Indo-European Origins, by Colin Renfrew
- The rise of civilization. From early farmers to urban society in the ancient Near East, by Charles Redman
- The ancient Near East. History, society and economy, by Mario Liverani
- Ancient Egypt. A social history, by Trigger, Kemp, O'Connor and Lloyd
- Ancient Egypt: Anatomy of a Civilisation, by Barry Kemp
- Politics in the Ancient World, by Moses Finley
- The Ancient Economy, by Moses Finley
Thank you i was going to buy ancient greece, but i didn't know what wil be in it so thanks alot
Question. What about history in general for beginners? I was bad at history and wanna start over. Where should I begin?
And this is my last post for today, i promise Jean. Considering roman history I can't avoid mentioning these classic books:
- The decline and fall of the roman empire, by Edward Gibbon
- History of Rome, by Theodor Mommsen
- The world of the Caesars, by Theodor Mommsen
- Economical and social history of the Roman Empire, by M. Rostovtzeff
- The Social History of Rome, by Geza Alfoldy
- The Legacy of Rome: A New Appraisal, by Richard Jenkyns, ed.
Hi Jean I was wondering if you had any recommendations of fiction books with classical themes (ancient literature or modern)? I'm in my second year of studying classics in sixth form college and I absolutely love it, but I really love my fiction as well. The Secret History is my favourite book of all time, and I've got The Marble Faun on my wishlist after you mentioned it. Are there any others you'd recommend? x
+Daisy Leigh-Phippard I have a playlist called Ancient history which has various videos on classical lit in it so you might find a recommendation there. For books inspired by ancient themes the Canongate myth series is fantastic and retells loads of myths including greek and latin myths by various different authors :).
***** I'll check them out thanks ^_^ x
Can u suggest me that how to increase fast reading 📚 ?
For ancient Greece i would start with these:
- Ancient Greece. Politic, social and cultural history, by S.B.Pomeroy, S.M. Burstein, W.Donlan y J.T.Roberts
- Greece in the making 1200-479 bC, by Robin Osborne
- Classical Greece 500-323 bC, by Robin Osborne
- Economy and Society in Ancient Greece, by Moses Finley
- Alexander the Great: King, Commander and Statesman, by Nicholas Hammond
- The Greek World after Alexander 323-30 bC, by Graham Shipley
- The Legacy of Greece: A New Appraisal, by Moses Finley
And well, what can I say about my favorite ancient civilization by far: Rome. Where the basis of our Western Civilization are: the mix of Greek science, Roman organization and Christianity. The list is long by i would try with these:
- The beginnings of Rome 1000-264 bC, by T. J. Cornell
- The Roman Republic, by Michael Crawford
- War and Imperialism in Republican Rome: 327-70 B.C., by William Harris
- The roman revolution, by Ronald Syme
- The Roman Empire 30 bC - 235 aC , by Joël Le Gall y Marcel Le Glay
- The Age of the Soldier Emperors: Imperial Rome, A.D. 244-284 aC, by George C. Brauer
- The later Roman Empire 284-430 aC, by Averil Cameron
- The awful revolution, by F. W. Walbank
- The Fall of the Roman Empire: a New History of Rome and the Barbarians, by Peter Heather
- The Mediterranean world in late antiquity 395-600, by Averil Cameron
Love this girl man so cool she likes history! 😀👍😀
Have u heard about graham Hancock
His works are kinda of an alternate history,he questions a lot of the facts we believe today
He mentions a lot about ancient history and how there could be more than what we are taught
If u haven't heard of him I highly recommend any book by him:-)
I am from India i am expert ancient history I have deeply study I am very interested in ancient history
Hey Mam I am From India Today I saw First time your video I like your Way Of Presentation ❤️❤️
Mam I want to Know which is best Book For Ancient Medieval Modern world history which includes All Civilisations of world like Mesopotamia Civilisation, Greek, Arabs, Persian, Roman, Chinese, Egyption to the Cold war history in detailed manner kindly suggest me a book on this topic???
They've got all the keys to when and how
Government
The video's title is ancient history, but all the books promoted here are about classical europe, Greece and Rome. The older civilization like Near East and Egypt is absent.
What is your name you are very talented and intelligent
Is that an Edinburgh accent I hear?
I need money.
Right now.
To buy all these books.
I want them all.
The thing is I love history, and I want to be a huge history buff, but I have a criminally short attention span 😪, I'm trying to be better though
you should not start with Thucydides if you are new in ancient history or any history ...unless you are in a university enviroment and you need it
Yas the Minoans!
I used to hate history until I discovered ancient history ;p I'm now in my first year at university studying ancient history haha
Ancient History: the Classical Period. Your title didn't specify. Ancient History encompasses so much more than ancient Greece & Rome.
Is there a general audience book basically covering theism in the ancient world to provide a counterbalance to the Whitmarsh book on atheism?
I see you included the Pomeroy book about women & that's fine. Are there general audience books covering eg. slaves; children; men; tourists & other visitors? Just wondering.
+TimeAndChance I have found on youtube and in real life that lots of people don't know exactly what I am referring to when I say classics/classical studies/the classical period therefore I chose to use ancient history because they are ancient civilisations and it is much clearer and accessible for the majority of people, which is what I try to be, not exclusive. I apologise for not including a book on every single ancient civilisation. My Ancient history degree focuses on Mediterranean civilisations and I therefore don't have a lot of books on other civilisations that I can recommend comfortably to everyone. But to be fair these are the ones we have the most textual evidence for.
In regard to your other comment about books not only women, that is virtually all of the other ones. The study of antiquity has for many years focused on men and it is therefore necessary still to look for more focused studies on women to actually learn about them.
Whitmarsh's book also discusses religion to demonstrate the contrast, and some ancient atheists did believe in gods just not the regular gods, but where still considered atheists.
I'd use 'Beginner Books on the History of Ancient Greece & Rome', or words to this effect, but this is only my view, & for clarity not use the word classical (thanks to you). I'm certainly not a pro or advanced amateur of the era.
I can certainly see why you limited yourself to mntning ancient G&R books; otherwise the range of books would've been too wide.
And I see: more focussed studies on women are needed. Very fair.
arios potir hahaha sounds so funny in ancient greek
A fellow scotslady, ello
I've been meaning to read Robin Lane Fox but I know him more as an Alexander scholar. From what I've heard of the Tim Whitmarsh book it defines "atheism" extremely broadly. Is the title a misnomer? My suggestion for anyone interested in learning about the Roman Republic is Peter Brunt's "Social Conflicts in the Roman Republic" (1971). It's sophisticated and scholarly yet also concise.
My favorite Classical historian is certainly G.E.M. De Ste Croix although his work is generally not for people interested in only dipping their toes into the waters. He has written shorter essays on historical questions that are absolutely fascinating. A personal favorite: "Why Were The Early Christians Persecuted"? This certainly is an essay relevant to ancient definitions of the term"atheism." - Also, could we add the ancient biographer Plutarch into the conversation?
+Xenu Yes he defines it broadly, more like the ancients did though, he is trying to cover anything that the mainstream religious institutions would have seen as atheistic or problematic. Like Epicureanism.
I haven't, I haven't read much about the Roman Republic specifically but thank you for the recommendation. I also agree De Set Croix is great.
I was trying only to discuss modern scholars in this video :).
Why does Ancient history refer to Greece and Rome? Aren't there more ancient civilizations? Or is that just what Greece/Rome are classified by scholars? THE Ancient society.
Thanks for the recs!
+naomireads Of course ancient times covers more than Greece and Rome but these are the two civilisations we actually have text from (other than Egypt). Studying Greece and Rome also cover more than just those small geographical areas because both civilisations in turn had power and control over much larger areas of the known world and went to war with cultures like those in Persia who we don't really have text from. Greece, or Macedon, also moved into Egypt during its height. Otherwise you're really getting into archaeology because of the lack of text where as the study of history rather than the general term 'history' usually requires texts e.g. pre texts it is pre-history.
Do you like Tom Holland?
Rubicon and Persian Fire were great. I have Dynasty on my side table but haven't had the chance to read it yet.
Is The Spartans just the written version of 300?
Just kidding I'm an idiot.
this is not Ancient History its all about greece and rome
Confronting the classics was a major let down and I will not be reading anything by Mary Beard again. It is not a good introduction to ancient history. It is a collection of reviews, most of which are negative opinions, about a select few topics. I am a prolific reader and have very seldom picked up a book and thought "I can not wait to put this down." The book was more about modern writers and where they went wrong than about what we do know about ancient history. Horrible headaches, dry British language, and disappointment where all I found in this book.
Glory for Rome.
that is a strange cyrilic alphabet, that kinda looks like greek but not .
Are you talking about the Harry Potter book? It's Ancient Greek aha.
The thing is I love history, and I want to be a huge history buff, but I have a criminally short attention span 😪, I'm trying to be better though