Free Ancient Greece History Books PDF – Greek Civilization

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History of Greece, Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Abbott, Evelyn

Putnam’s Sons 1888-1901

Part I: From the Earliest Times to the Ionian Revolt
Part II: From the Ionian Revolt to the Thirty Years’ Peace 500-445 BC
Part III: From the Thirty Years’ Peace to the Fall of the Thirty at Athens, 445-403 BC.

Pericles and the Golden Age of Athens

Abbott, Evelyn

Putnam’s Sons 1891

“This sketch of the age of Pericles consists of two parts: in the first and larger part I have endeavoured to trace the growth of the Athenian empire and the causes which alienated Athens and Sparta; in the second I have given a brief account of the government, the art and literature, the society and manners of the Periclean Athens.” -Author’s Preface.

Hellenic Civilization

Botsford, G.W. and Sihler, E. G., ed.

Columbia University 1915

“The aim of the series of which this volume forms a part [Records of Civilization: Sources and Studies] is two-fold. In the first place, its intention is to make accessible those sources of the history of Europe and of the near East which are of prime importance for the understanding of Western civilization. In the second place, both by the treatment of these texts and by special studies it covers the work of modern scholars in these fields. It is, therefore, a guide both to the original documents and to recent criticism.” -Preface.

From Homer to Theocritus: A Manual of Greek Literature

Capps, Edward

Scribner’s Sons 1901

“This volume aims to present a concise but complete survey of the Greek literature of the classical period, extended so as to include the two branches of poetry, the New Comedy and the Idyll.” Author’s Preface.

Day in Old Athens: A Picture of Athenian Life

Davis, William S.

Allyn and Bacon 1914

“This little book tries to describe what an intelligent person would see and hear in ancient Athens, if by some legerdemain he were translated to the fourth century B.C. and conducted about the city under competent guidance. The year 360 B.C. has been selected for the hypothetical time of this visit, not because of any special virtue in that date, but because Athens was then architecturally almost perfect, her civic and her social life seemed at their best, the democratic constitution held its vigor, and there were few outward signs of the general decadence which was to set in after the triumph of Macedon.” – Author’s Preface.

The Greek View of Life

Dickinson, G. Lowes

Chautauqua 1909

Intended as a general introduction to Greek literature and thought.

Contents: Greek view of religion – Greek view of the state – Greek view of the individual – Greek view of art.

A Handbook of Greek Religion

Fairbanks, Arthur

American Book 1910

In this volume, “religious antiquities, forms of revelation, and worship and belief are discussed in Part I from the standpoint of their religious significance…. Readers who are more interested in the content than in the form of Greek religion may pass from the Introduction directly to Parts II and III. Greek mythology finds no place in the discussion.” – Author’s Preface.

Greek Imperialism

Ferguson, William S.

Houghton Mifflin 1913

“The book contains seven lectures. “In the first of them the main lines of imperial development in Greece are sketched. In the others I have tried to characterize, having regard rather to clearness than to novelty or completeness, the chief imperial growths which arose in Greece during the transformance of city-states from ultimate to constituent political units.” -Author’s Preface.

The Greek Theater and its Drama

Flickinger, Roy C.

University of Chicago 1918

Contents: The origin of tragedy – The origin of Comedy – The Greek theater – The influence of religious origin – the influence of Choral origin – the influence of actors – the influence of festival arrangements – the influence of physical conditions – the influence of national customs and ideas – the influence of theatrical machinery and dramatic conventions – Theatrical records.

A Source Book of Greek History

Fling, Fred M.

Heath 1907

“It was my aim to make a collection of sources that would reflect the life and thought of the Greek people, and to some degree, the evolution of that life and thought. The Greeks are distinguished for their work in literature, art and philosophy”. -Author’s Preface.

Contents: Primitive Greek society – Colonization – Unification of Greek life – The rise of Sparta and Athens – War with the Persians and with the Carthaginians – The supremacy of Athens – The Peloponnesian wars – Socrates and his teaching – The Spartan supremacy – The Theban Supremacy – Macedonia conquers the Greek states – The conquests of Alexander – The Achaean League.

A Handbook of Greek Archaeology

Fowler, Harold N. et al.

American Book 1909

Contents: Study and progress of archaeology in modern times – Pre-Hellenic Greece – Architecture – Sculpture – Terracottas – Metal work (bronzes, silverware, jewelry) – Coins – Engraved gems – Vases – Painting and mosaic.

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Greek Athletic Sports and Festivals

Gardiner, E. Norman

MacMillan 1910

The first part is a continuous history of Greek athletics. The second part consists of chapters, each complete in itself, dealing with details of Greek athletics. Some chapter titles: The Stadium, The Foot-Race, Throwing the Diskos, Wrestling, Boxing. 190 illustrations. History of Greek culture.

The Legacy of Greece

Livingstone, R.W., ed.

Clarendon 1921

Collected essays on Religion, Philosophy, Mathematics & Astronomy, Natural Science, Biology, Medicine, Literature, History, Political Thought, Art and Architecture.

The Pageant of Greece

Livingstone, Richard W., ed.

Clarendon 1923

“This book is intended for those who know no Greek, but wish to form some idea of its great writers and of what they wrote. It is meant for the ordinary educated reader, as well as for pupils at universities … It consists of selections from the greatest Greek writers, with such a sketch of their lives and works as may give an idea of what they were and did…. I have tried to piece the passages together in a continuous whole, and further, to trace the growth of Greek literature, and indicate the historical background in which it is set. [Readers] will follow in outline the most important part of that vast intellectual development which started with Homer and outlasted the Roman empire.” – Editor’s Preface.

The Glory that was Greece: A Survey of Hellenic Culture and Civilization

Stobart, J.C.

Lippincott 1915

Contents: Introduction: Hellenism: The land and its people – Aegean civilisation – The heroic age – The ages of trasition – The grand century – The fourth century – The Macedonian world – Epilogue.

Readings in Greek History, from Homer to the Battle of Chaeronea: A Collection of Extracts from the Sources

Thallon, Ida C.

Ginn 1914

Contents: The heroic age – The expansion of Greece – Religious leagues and festivals – Early tyranny – Early history of the Peloponnesus – Athens through the sixth century – The advance of Persia to the Aegean – Wars against Persia and Carthage – From the Persian to the Peloponnesian War – The Peloponnesian War – Athens after the Sicilian disaster – Spartan and Theban supremacies – The revival of Athens – The rise of Macedon.

Life in the Homeric Age

Thomas D. Seymour

MacMillan 1907

This book is based upon the author’s study of Homeric poems.

Contents: Cosmography and geography – The Homeric state – Women and the family, education and recreation – Dress and decoration – House and furniture – Homeric food – Homeric property – Slavery and servitude – Trade and the crafts – Sea life and ships – Agriculture, plants, and trees – Animals, fishes, birds, and insects – Olympus and the gods – Hades and his realm – Temples, worship, and divination – The Troad – Homeric war – Homeric arms.

History of Greek Philosophy, from the Earliest Period to the Time of Socrates, Vol 1

Volume 2

Zeller, Eduard

Longmans, Green 1881

Ancient Greece textbooks pdf.

The Greek Commonwealth: Politics & Economics in Fifth-Century Athens

Zimmern, Alfred E.

Clarendon 1922

Contents: Part I: Geography – Part II: Politics: The development of citizenship – The ideal of citizenship – Part III: Economics: The growing city – City economics – Imperial economics – Conclusion.