It is packed with detail; names, places, battles, ideas. I found that at times I had to limit my reading to ensure that I made sense of the plethora of information being related. It was all too easy to go on reading too long, and suddenly find I wasn’t sure how I’d got to my current place.
I have read a few books about Greece, and many about Rome, and it does seem to cover most bases. The author is very clear when he is giving an opinion, based on the known facts. I didn’t agree with them all, but enjoyed the challenge! Apart from absorbing the huge amount of detail, it is written in a very readable style, in fairly short, clearly delineated chapters. Crucially for me, it made me think.
However, I do have one or two caveats. Firstly, I never could work out why the author spent a long time recounting one event, then covered several others (to me, equally important) in one paragraph. Secondly, his clear preference for Greece meant that, for me, some Greek topics were overlong, and, conversely, some Roman ones given short shrift. Finally, I’m not sure that the idea of having the whole work hang around Hadrian worked.
Nevertheless, this is a good one volume introduction to the ancient world. If you are already an enthusiast, then this might not add very much (although some of the author’s views might make you think). If you’re looking for an introduction, this is a good one – with the proviso that you need to work at it!
This is a review of the Penguin 2006 paperback edition
