The Ancient Greeks: A Critical History

Rating:
Summary: A Critical Introduction for Serious Students
Review: "A history which does not constantly cause one to reflect on
what he is reading and to be cognizant of the nature and
ambiguities of the evidence is hardly performing the function
that a historical work should," reads the Preface to Fine's 720
page survey of Ancient Greek history. The work does just that,
constantly drawing on the sources, both archaeological and
literary, and emphasizing the difficulty of obtaining "absolute
certainty." This makes for an excellent introduction into the
scholarship of Ancient Greek history from the early Aegean world
through the death of Alexander the Great.

Readers looking for a lighter treatment of the subject, however,
should look elsewhere. Though Fine assumes little knowledge of
the subject, his aim is "not to produce a smoothly flowing
narrative," and he certainly does not. Readers should bring a
serious interest in Greek history with them, because Fine does
not motivate it.

The serious student, though, will find the work rewarding. Those
with a basic knowledge of the ancient world and a hunger to
deepen that knowledge will find all of the major topics of
Ancient Greek history dealt with broadly and competently, and
will be able to move on from Fine's work into works of a less
general orientation. Though the work lacks a bibliography, the
Notes include enough sources to keep a student busy for years.
Anyone seriously interested in Ancient Greek history will find

this book to be an excellent introduction to the subject and its scholarly methods.

Rating:
Summary: Critical Introduction for Serious Students
Review: "A history which does not constantly cause one to reflect on what he is reading and to be cognizant of the nature and ambiguities of the evidence is hardly performing the function that a historical work should," reads the Preface to Fine's 720 page survey of Ancient Greek history. The work does just that, constantly drawing on the historical sources, both archaeological and literary, and emphasizing the difficulty of obtaining "absolute certainty." This makes for an excellent introduction into serious study Ancient Greek history from the early Aegean world through the death of Alexander the Great.

Readers looking for a lighter treatment of the subject, however, should look elsewhere. Though Fine assumes little knowledge of the subject, his aim is "not to produce a smoothly flowing narrative," and he certainly does not. Readers should bring a serious interest in Greek history with them, because Fine does not motivate it.

The serious student, though, will find the work rewarding. Those with a basic knowledge of the ancient world and a hunger to deepen that knowledge will find all of the major topics of Ancient Greek history dealt with broadly and competently, and will be able to move on from Fine's work into works of a more specific orientation. Though the work lacks a bibliography, the Notes include enough sources to keep a student busy for years. Anyone seriously interested in Ancient Greek history will find this book to be an excellent introduction to the subject and its scholarly methods.

Rating:
Summary: a short review of a long book
Review: I agree with David Reisbeck's review, but I want to add a few things. Among historians, Fine is one of the best for several reasons. First, his skepticism and fairness to all the sources stand out: he is not seduced by certain authors or philosophies of history as many are. He acutely perceives the difficulties of historical research. For anyone already interested in the history of Greece, I doubt there could be a better book; if you know a little and want to fill in what you're missing it's a great one too. Plus, it encourages further reading, making you aware of the sources available.

I would give two warnings. First, it's dense. It's serious history, directed towards students rather than casual readers. Second, it's not primarily a history of Greek thought and culture except in their broadest outlines. If you want to study the devleopment of ancient philosophy or of Greek art or religion, you'll have to look elsewhere. But if that's all that you're familiar with (this was my situation), it's an excellent coverage of their background.

The most surprising aspect of the book, for me, was Fine's wisdom about human nature--without being cynical. I usually think in terms of naive vs. cynical, and Fine is neither. Very refreshing.

Finally, I want to mention that the paperback binding of this book is wonderful. Few books have survived the beating my copy took, and still it looks good.

Rating:
Summary: Only for the most serious undergraduates
Review: I'm working toward a summer version of the Intro to Greek History Course so I checked out this book. As a critical history it is excellent but for undergraduates during the summer, heck, anytime where I currently teach, the book would bore them to death. I wish I could use it, I think it is very well written for someone really interested in Greek history and the discipline of ancient history. But in all honesty I don't think it would work well for most undergraduates. At the least it needs more maps and some timelines to help ground students.