First published 2017
Anthony Everitt chronicles the extraordinary transformation of a small Greek city-state into history's most influential civilization. His narrative spans from Athens' democratic origins through its cultural and political zenith to its eventual decline into an ancient university town. Everitt builds his account around compelling portraits of the ambitious and cunning leaders who drove Athenian power: Themistocles, the naval genius who orchestrated Greek victory over Persia; Pericles, Athens' greatest statesman; and the duplicitous Alcibiades, who switched sides repeatedly during the Peloponnesian War before meeting his end under a shower of arrows. The author delivers vivid reconstructions of defining battles including Marathon, Thermopylae, and Salamis. He combines rigorous historical analysis with dramatic storytelling to capture the vibrant world of ancient Greece. Everitt demonstrates how Athenian achievements inspired later civilizations from Alexander's empire to Rome to America's founders, showing how this ancient city-state created foundations for our modern world.
Genres: biography, history, military-history, ancient-history
Vibes: atmospheric, dramatic, thought-provoking
Tropes: historical-figures, rise-and-fall
Setting: Athens, Greece, Peloponnese
Period: Ancient, Classical Antiquity, Peloponnesian War
576 pages · Paperback · Random House