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Rating: 
Summary: Great content and scope for its purpose!
Review: At first, when I started reading this book, I thought I was going to be disappointed with its non-academic purpose. I've seen many works destined to the general reader which lack depth or are simply too plain on their approach. No footnotes, not even mention to the exact passages of ancient authors; I was prepared not to like it.Mr. Freeman's book surprised me. Most of all, his writing style flows with ease and is extremely enjoyable to read. I finished its almost 500 pages in three days... Unlike many books about ancient Greece, it has a good space for discussion of Roman influence on the Greek world (going further until the end of Antiquity), as well as up-to-date information on the new historiography trends of gender and approach to slavery. It also includes information from recent archaeology discoveries, and the discussions on Greek architecture and art are very interesting. On the whole, despite a couple of almost annoying repetitions of the same examples over the text, this book is a refreshing approach not only for the general reader, but also as a relief from some heavy, opinionated schorlarly texts on the same subject.
Rating: 
Summary: Readable, Intelligent Stroll Through Greek History
Review: Charles Freeman in the Greek Achievement (The Foundations of the Western World) will take the reader through 1,500 years of history that is fascinating, entertaining, and enlightening. The information will prove familiar for those who have studied this period but the author throws in opinions at many points to keep his version fresh. This book, though, is perfect for the beginner. It is more than a survey yet not at all bogged down with scholarly detritus. One of the most pleasant discoveries is that this book is not a form of idol worship posing as history (as the subtitle threatens) but a balanced account with examinations of how past historians have looked into the material and how new research changes the interpretations. An easy and satisfying read.
Rating:
Summary: Readable, Intelligent Stroll Through Greek History
Review: Charles Freeman in the Greek Achievement (The Foundations of the Western World) will take the reader through 1,500 years of history that is fascinating, entertaining, and enlightening. The information will prove familiar for those who have studied this period but the author throws in opinions at many points to keep his version fresh. This book, though, is perfect for the beginner. It is more than a survey yet not at all bogged down with scholarly detritus. One of the most pleasant discoveries is that this book is not a form of idol worship posing as history (as the subtitle threatens) but a balanced account with examinations of how past historians have looked into the material and how new research changes the interpretations. An easy and satisfying read.
Rating:
Summary: Surprisingly Readable
Review: Confession time. I expected this book to really put me to sleep. So why did I buy it? Well.... the recent release of the movie "Troy" peaked my interest in the classical world, so here I am. But surprise, I found myself captivated with this discussion of the Greek world. If you have any interest in the classical world, this would be a great place to start. Now I know a little something about boring history books. I majored in history and even taught it at the high school level for a short time. Trust me, I have shelves full of stinky, boring required reading from my college days and from later attempts to look deaper into specific historical topics. This was a breath of fresh air. If you have ever had to read some of the other required classic reading (IE: Homer, Sophocles, Euripides, etc.) this will serve as an excellent work to enhance what you got out of those folks. And lets be honest, anyone who has actually read all of Euripides has got to admit that having something like this work to gain better understanding is a good thing! Now, lets get it in perspective. This work covers a monumental period of time. If your looking for indepth works on the hellenistic period or any other particular period of Greek/Classical history - this is likely not for you. However, if what your looking for is something to cover all the key waypoints of Greek civilization, this is the place to be.
Rating:
Summary: Surprisingly Readable
Review: Confession time. I expected this book to really put me to sleep. So why did I buy it? Well.... the recent release of the movie "Troy" peaked my interest in the classical world, so here I am. But surprise, I found myself captivated with this discussion of the Greek world. If you have any interest in the classical world, this would be a great place to start. Now I know a little something about boring history books. I majored in history and even taught it at the high school level for a short time. Trust me, I have shelves full of stinky, boring required reading from my college days and from later attempts to look deaper into specific historical topics. This was a breath of fresh air. If you have ever had to read some of the other required classic reading (IE: Homer, Sophocles, Euripides, etc.) this will serve as an excellent work to enhance what you got out of those folks. And lets be honest, anyone who has actually read all of Euripides has got to admit that having something like this work to gain better understanding is a good thing! Now, lets get it in perspective. This work covers a monumental period of time. If your looking for indepth works on the hellenistic period or any other particular period of Greek/Classical history - this is likely not for you. However, if what your looking for is something to cover all the key waypoints of Greek civilization, this is the place to be.
Rating:
Summary: A good book for the beginner
Review: Freemen's The Greek Achievement is a nice survey of the history of the Greek world from the Mycenaean to the Hellenistic periods. Although it concentrates heavily on the Athenian contribution to history, it does not stop with the end of the classical period as if nothing of importance had happened after the end of the Peloponnesian War. From notes by professional reviewers I had understood that Charles Freeman was a British professor, so I found most unusual his use of translations of Greek and Latin texts by other authors, even of quotes of translations quoted by other secondary sources (p. 189). This left me with a feeling that the author's credentials might be a little weak. He definitely offers little that is new with respect to the interpretation of historic events, art, architecture, etc, but he does offer insight into the history of the West's concept of Greek achievement. I had already learned of the painted surfaces and crowded display of statuary that we now see as pristine white marble displayed with great care, individually in our museums world wide. What I hadn't quite understood was the degree to which the character of ancient Greek culture, even of the notion of "Greece" and "Greek," had been filtered through the prism of the 19th Century psyche, particularly those of scholar Robert Wood, art historian Johann Winkelmann, and financier and adventurer Heinrich Schliemann. For anyone wanting to find out about the overall events of the period this is a good place to start. There is an excellent date list with summary of events and artistic examples on pages 445 to 462, which might help the survey student study for exams, and a list of books on various topics (with publication dates from the mid 80's to the mid 90's) with which to follow up on selected subjects. The material is clearly presented and would be fully comprehended by senior high students and even interested junior high students, and would thus make a good addition to a school library.
Rating:
Summary: A good book for the beginner
Review: Freemen's The Greek Achievement is a nice survey of the history of the Greek world from the Mycenaean to the Hellenistic periods. Although it concentrates heavily on the Athenian contribution to history, it does not stop with the end of the classical period as if nothing of importance had happened after the end of the Peloponnesian War. From notes by professional reviewers I had understood that Charles Freeman was a British professor, so I found most unusual his use of translations of Greek and Latin texts by other authors, even of quotes of translations quoted by other secondary sources (p. 189). This left me with a feeling that the author's credentials might be a little weak. He definitely offers little that is new with respect to the interpretation of historic events, art, architecture, etc, but he does offer insight into the history of the West's concept of Greek achievement. I had already learned of the painted surfaces and crowded display of statuary that we now see as pristine white marble displayed with great care, individually in our museums world wide. What I hadn't quite understood was the degree to which the character of ancient Greek culture, even of the notion of "Greece" and "Greek," had been filtered through the prism of the 19th Century psyche, particularly those of scholar Robert Wood, art historian Johann Winkelmann, and financier and adventurer Heinrich Schliemann. For anyone wanting to find out about the overall events of the period this is a good place to start. There is an excellent date list with summary of events and artistic examples on pages 445 to 462, which might help the survey student study for exams, and a list of books on various topics (with publication dates from the mid 80's to the mid 90's) with which to follow up on selected subjects. The material is clearly presented and would be fully comprehended by senior high students and even interested junior high students, and would thus make a good addition to a school library.
Rating:
Summary: Nice General Survey That Lacks Interpretive Insight
Review: I don't know why Amazon didn't include the reviews of the hardcover here so the interested reader should refer to those, too! Freeman gives a very broad overview of the Greek civilization from its beginnings till Roman times. What I like about the book is the way the Greek world is presented. It is sorted following time but for many periods it also contains separate chapters on different topics. For instance, there is a chapter on the development of theater, there is a chapter on science, a chapter of philosophy (which I found somewhat weak). So one gets a good introduction into the events which happened but also into the intellectual and sociological development of the Greek civilization. It is debatable whether certain points have to be made the way Freeman makes them. One of the reviewers of the hardcover said he didn't like what Freeman had to say about the roles of women and slaves. Well, I guess if you're into history you're still a child of your time so you'll follow all the fads and actual movements. I disagree with that reader that Freeman's book suffers from his chapter on the role of women. To summarize, this is a very nice and enjoyable review of Greek history and it will leave you with a lot of knowledge about what happened then and how "Western Civilization" was influenced by it.
Rating:
Summary: my first insight into greek culture and history
Review: I'm 16 and before i read this book i had no knowledge of greek civilization other than the History channel. I really enjoyed this book, despite my ignorance of that time period. It was very educational while providiing interesting facts that made it seem less like a text book. It took me quite a while to finish it, but it was definitly worth it.
Rating: 
Summary: Lost Opportunity
Review: Unfortunately the author has missed a great opportunity to introduce the Glory that was Greece to the general reader. While he does a credible job of delineating the achievements of the ancient Greeks, his decision to dwell on the irrelevant issues of slavery and the treatment of women tarnishes his work. In comparison to less developed cultures both then and now the ancient Greeks were probably much more civilized in their behavior toward slaves and women. The classification of woman into three categories the child bearer, the prostitute and the courtesan or hetaera was particularly civilized and probably did more to channel the Greek male spirit and intellect toward the accomplishments that were the foundations of Western Civilization, the pinnacle of human achievement. If the author was interested in discussing these issues then he could have made a much more interesting case had he discussed how slavery and the role of women enabled the Greek achievement rather to criticize the ancient Greeks for having slaves and for there treatment of women and thereby somehow attempt to diminish their tremendous achievements. The author's transparent attempt to mollify the current and prevailing banal multiculturalism made for a difficult read. If one approaches the book from the point of view that the author is obviously caught up in the current egalitarian fad then one can filter out the bias and truly appreciate the Greek Achievement.
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