Ancient Greece History

"Apollo's history is a confusing one," said the renowned poet and mythologist Robert Graves. This notion is also illustrated in a quote from the sixth century BCE Homeric Hymn to Apollo, which gives the listener a brief glimpse into the confusion surrounding Apollo's multi-faceted nature.

Hippias of Elis travels throughout the Greek world practicing and teaching the art of making beautiful speeches. On a rare visit to Athens, he meets Socrates, who questions him about the nature of his art. Socrates is especially curious about how Hippias would define beauty. They agree that beauty makes all beautiful things beautiful, but when Socrates presses him to say precisely what he means, Hippias is unable to deliver such a definition.

In 323 BCE, Alexander the Great was on top of the world. Never a man to sit on his hands or rest upon his laurels, Alexander began planning his future campaigns, which may have included attempts to subdue the Arabian Peninsula or make another incursion into India. But fate had other plans for the young Macedonian king. One night, while feasting with his admiral Nearchus, he drank too much and took to bed with a fever.

Magic - as opposed to religion, personal or otherwise - is a notoriously difficult concept to pin down. In ancient Greece, "magic was not distinct from religion, rather an unwelcome, improper expression of it." In other words, it's important not to think of it as a different definition of magic but to instead understand how the ancient Greeks believed certain aspects of magic functioned in their world.

Cómo buscar la paz en la mente, el cuerpo y el espíritu al incorporar la filosofía griega del estoicismo, aún cuando sientas que tu vida está fuera de control. Si estás listo para que la locura termine, no estás solo. De hecho, incluso los antiguos griegos buscaron la manera de implementar la simplicidad de nuevo en sus vidas. Si estás cansado de luchar contra el mundo y estás listo para adoptar los beneficios del estoicismo, has encontrado el audiolibro indicado. Cuando la vida te da caos, transfórmalo a paz con la ayuda del estoicismo.

The Persian Wars is part history, part geography, part anthropology...and completely entertaining. It possesses a charm that is legendary. However, over and above this, Herodotus has succeeded for all time in brilliantly expressing the conflict between the ideal of the free man defending his liberty within a state based on the rule of law, and that of the despot who bases his rule on brute force and whose subjects are considered slaves.

For the curious minds wanting to uncover the secrets of ancient Greece, for the dreamers wishing to lose themselves in tales of valor, love, and betrayal, and for the scholars desiring a comprehensive yet engaging retelling of the world's most famous myths—this book is your beacon.

This guide succeeds in presenting an overall sketch of the creation of the world and the battles that follow, resulting in Zeus taking his place as the supreme god and ruling the earth from Mount Olympus. It covers the creation of man, it seems as a bit of an afterthought for the amusement of the Olympians, and some of the most famous stories that have come down to us via the writings of the great dramatists of the Classical Age.

Asesinatos, incestos, venganzas, héroes, historias de amor y lujuria. La mitología griega es un auténtico crisol de los vicios y las virtudes del ser humano. Los mitos en la antigua Grecia tenían una función social, relataban comportamientos de dioses y héroes y enseñaban a los hombres cómo debían actuar ante determinadas situaciones, como las vidas de los santos en el cristianismo, relataban comportamientos virtuosos y ejemplares, los dioses griegos eran virtuosos, pero no ejemplares.

From about the ninth to fifth centuries BCE, the population of Greece grew unprecedentedly large, expanding from about 800,000 people to as many as 13 million. About a quarter million of these lived in Athens. The average size of urban households during this period grew considerably, a fact that suggests that food was suddenly available in excesses sufficient to keep larger families healthy and alive much more effectively than just a millennium earlier. Bigger families meant bigger armies and larger communities that would eventually grow into the metropolises of Classical Greece.

If you want to discover the captivating history of the Peloponnesian War, then pay attention. The Peloponnesian War enveloped the entire Greek world, from Syracuse on the island of Sicily to the shores of western Turkey. It ravaged the Greek population and produced great hardships, and it led to the eventual downfall of the Athenian Empire and the rise of the Spartan Empire.

In The Republic, Plato tackles the big issues of the state and the individual: how the state should be ruled, and by whom; and the way the individual should lead his life - and why. The lively quality of the dialogue can be clearly appreciated in this new translation by Tom Griffith.

This book contains the daily life, culture, training, battles, history, and kings of the Spartan Empire. From the birth of their city to the end, the Spartans endured a history of violence and war. Similar to their stories, the traditional Spartan warrior also lived the daily life of a soldier. From the moment they were born and if they were allowed to live, they were trained and conditioned to be some of the most efficient and lethal killing machines. Dominating the land through some of the most famous battles of all time, the Spartans were a force to be reckoned with.

Of the surviving work of Cornelius Nepos, Lives of the Eminent Commanders is the only piece that has come down to us intact, and it was actually only one of a much larger set of volumes on foreign and Roman kings, generals, lawyers, orators, poets, historians, and philosophers. What makes the writing of Nepos highly original was his intent to endow his biographies with a moral purpose and to display the strengths and weaknesses of each great man. Modern listeners will enjoy the work of Nepos and gain new insights into classical Greek leaders, among others.

According to the Greeks, there were many gods and goddesses in ancient Greece. These gods had control over many aspects of life on Earth. They were, in many respects, quite human. They could be friendly or nasty, enraged or happy, harsh or loving. They fell in love with one another, fought with one another, and even stole from one another.

The need to eat and drink is a biological necessity for everyone, but along with that, food and drink are often at the very center of social life. This was no different in ancient Greece, but if anything, the social importance placed on food and wine in the Greek world was even more pronounced and had profound consequences for the rest of the world. It was through the ability to create a food surplus that the ancient Greeks were able to establish their poleis and, from these, go on to develop the political and social structures that built the backbone of Western civilization.

Stories from Xenophon is a valuable, firsthand historical account of the Peloponnesian War (431-404 BC), a bitter struggle between Athens and Sparta for the control of Greece. While historians have debated some of its omissions, Stories from Xenophon remains a fascinating document about democracy in crisis, civil war, and the beginning of the decline of one of the world's great cultures.

The Enchiridion or Handbook of Epictetus is a short manual of Stoic ethical advice compiled by Arrian, a 2nd-century disciple of the Greek philosopher Epictetus. Although the content is mostly derived from the Discourses of Epictetus, it is not a summary of the Discourses but rather a compilation of practical precepts. Eschewing metaphysics, Arrian focuses his attention on Epictetus's work applying philosophy to daily life. The book is thus a manual to show the way to achieve mental freedom and happiness in all circumstances.

Symposium by Plato is a philosophical dialogue centered around a banquet in ancient Athens, where several prominent figures, including Socrates, gather to discuss the nature of love.

If you want to discover the captivating history of Spartacus, then pay attention.... Almost 2,100 years ago, a gladiator walked out of the arena. And he never walked back into it. Spartacus, a Thracian whose early life is hidden in the mists of history, is one of the most infamous figures of antiquity. Perhaps the most famous gladiator of all, parts of Spartacus’ story inspired elements of the award-winning film Gladiator (2000).