As the seedbed of our traditions in philosophy, politics and culture, the civilization of Ancient Greece exerts an enduring fascination for the Western mind. In Land of Gods and Mortals, Ben Dupre surveys that civilization through 501 narrative snapshots that together form a finely detailed and richly informative portrait of some 3000 years of Ancient Greek history.
In terms of superstructure, Land of Gods and Mortals is a museum divided into fifteen inner 'rooms', each of which reveals the essential features, as well as the treasures and curiosities, of a major period of Greek history: Mycenaean civilization, the Trojan War, the Rise of Athens, the Greek-Persian Wars and the age of Alexander the Great, for example. At the entrance to each 'room', the author introduces the era in question, and sets the context for the 'exhibits' that lie within. Thereafter the reader is free to explore the many quaint and curious items on display, from the Mask of Agamemnon discovered by Heinrich Schliemann at Mycenae to the unappetising 'black broth' of pig's blood and vinegar that was the staple diet of the Spartans, and from the Sacred Band of Thebes, a military unit reserved for homosexual couples to the short stature and unprepossessing appearance of Alexander the Great.
Fusing rigorous research with diverting and crisply informative writing, Land of Gods and Mortals is an unbuttoned and invigorating work of popular scholarship. Through the twists, forks and ever-changing landscapes of his 3000-year journey, Ben Dupre is a friendly and clear-thinking guide. In Land of Gods and Mortals he has produced the most beguiling of introductions to Ancient Greek history and to the deep roots of Western civilization.
- ISBN10 1848879024
- ISBN13 9781848879027
- Publish Date 1 April 2014 (first published 1 April 2013)
- Publish Status Cancelled
- Publish Country GB
- Imprint Atlantic Books
- Edition Main - Atlantic Edition
- Format Hardcover
- Language English