Why read The Cambridge Companion to Ancient Athens?

Book cover of The Cambridge Companion to Ancient Athens

Book description

Named for a goddess, epicenter of the first democracy, birthplace of tragic and comic theatre, locus of the major philosophical schools, artistically in the vanguard for centuries, ancient Athens looms large in contemporary study of the ancient world. This Companion is a comprehensive introduction the city, its topography and monuments,…

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Why read it?

1 author picked The Cambridge Companion to Ancient Athens as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

Paul Cartledge

Author

I love Cambridge (University Press) Companions—over 900 have been published so far, including many in my own field of ancient Greek history.

There is even a Cambridge Companion to the Age of Pericles. But that’s not the one I’ve chosen here, partly because Pericles has—rightly—had his fair share of attention and praise in my other choices, but mainly because the city of Athens, especially during Pericles’ lifetime, was one of the great cities of the world in any age.

The volume co-edited by Professors Neils and Rogers has many virtues and strengths, but what I love about it…

From Paul's list on Paul Cartledge's favorite books on ancient Athens in the time of Pericles.