From School Library Journal
Grade 5 Up–This fact-filled, accessible revision of the excellent 1995 edition provides new material for researchers and general readers. It offers a comprehensive investigation of ancient Greece, from the dawning of Minoan civilization to the conquest of Rome–2000 years of a remarkable civilization that left an indelible imprint on human history. The original format of this volume has not changed, but many of the alphabetical articles have been updated and rewritten. New and expanded material includes pieces on Aesop, architecture, black peoples, Euripides, Jews, magic, land warfare, the climate and landscape of Greece, and wine. In addition, there are modern transliterations of ancient Greek (e.g., Hephaistos instead of Hephaestus), and a bibliography after each entry. Accurate cross-references, an information-packed time line, and a thorough index add to the volume's usefulness. The black-and-white maps, photographs, and illustrations are all high quality. This is a first-rate purchase for libraries on a topic of endless inquiry and fascination.–Hillary Jan Donitz-Goldstein, formerly at New York Public Library
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
The impact of ancient Greece on Western civilization is, without question, immense. This alphabetically arranged single-volume encyclopedia covers the history and social milieu of Greece from the Minoan civilization of the third millennium B.C.E. to the Roman annexation of mainland Greece in 146 B.C.E. More than 500 articles, running from 100 to 3,000 words, treat politics, social life, warfare, religion, mythology, literature, art, philosophy, science, and daily life, with biographical entries of varying lengths on leaders, thinkers, and artists. Coverage is admittedly weighted to the classical era of the 400s through the 300s B.C.E. Thirty-five articles have been added or edited since the previous edition (1995), with new entries expanding coverage of the Hellenistic era, art and architecture, non-Greek people, technology, and the role of women. In addition, short bibliographies of works for further reading have been appended to each entry, extending the bibliographic content of the encyclopedia as a whole. Spellings of headwords have been adjusted from Latinized forms to reflect transliterations of the ancient Greek, with the Latinized forms retained only when the term in question is much more frequently used in that form. Cross-references are noted in small capitals within entries, with see also references noted in the same form at the end of each entry. For example, the articles on Athens, Sparta, Alexander the Great, Theatre, and the Peloponnesian War are significantly longer than those for Eretria, Peisistratus, or Sestos. The volume opens with a detailed chronology (giving both historical and cultural information) and concludes with a lengthy updated bibliography and detailed, precise index.
Though not compelling reading, this is an excellent information source for libraries serving students at the high-school level and up as well as general readers. It would be especially appropriate in the collections of college and university libraries. Libraries holding the 1995 version may well wish to replace it with the revision. Ann Welton
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
