Ancient Athens: Five Intriguing Lives: Socrates, Pericles, Aspasia, Peisistratos & Alcibiades

by Sanford Holst

The lives of five fascinating people were woven so deeply into the fabric of ancient Athens that their compelling stories reveal rich details of how its golden age came into being.

Socrates was a stonemason who became a philosopher while having encounters with rich and powerful people in Athens. Pericles was a cautious young man who grew into a strong leader—in a city known for driving out leaders who became too strong. Aspasia was derided as an outsider and sex worker, but became the consummate insider as lover to Pericles and friend of Socrates. Peisistratos made himself tyrant of Athens in its early years, but he also planted seeds that flourished in the city’s Classical age. Alcibiades was mentored by Pericles and Socrates, then contributed some of Athens’ greatest military victories as the city’s golden years declined.

A wealth of well-established evidence shows how their lives were interlaced with those of Aeschylus, Phidias, Herodotus, Euripides, Themistocles and many other remarkable people. Together they raised the Parthenon on the Acropolis, presented plays in the Theatre of Dionysos, argued philosophy in the Agora and won victories at Marathon and Salamis that sheltered this young democracy from the grip of tyranny. It is through their lives that we see Athens emerge from the mists of antiquity to overcome incredible obstacles and become a beacon of light that still shines in our lives today. The beautiful imagery and illustrations in this highly readable book will cause you to fall in love with Athens all over again.

Genres: History, Biography, Nonfiction, Philosophy

272 pages, Paperback

First published October 28, 2016

About the author

Sanford Holst is a historian whose books bring the ancient Mediterranean to life. He wrote Amazon’s #1 book on the Phoenicians, as well as its fresh new second edition. Another of his books explores the influence of Solomon’s Temple on the sudden rise of the Knights Templar. He has presented academic papers at universities around the world, and is a member of the Royal Historical Society in London. He has explored archives and historic sites all across the Mediterranean and benefited from the work of many local experts. His informative websites are read by more than half a million people each year.

Reviews

[Juliew. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Before reading this I hadn't been familiar with three of the personalities in the title and had only recalled Socrates and Pericles but as this was Greek history I thought I would enjoy learning more and this book did not disappoint.I essentially thought the book would just be about each person's life and how they interacted with Greece and it's people and I did not think it was an entire history of Greece itself which turned out to be a nice surprise.Well written,researched and a pleasure to read I couldn't get enough of the sections on Perciles,Aspasia,Aristotle,Themistocles,Herodotus and Euripides.As well as the personalities this book also focuses on Greek government,theatre, art,architecture and general Greek life.I felt the author did a really nice job summarizing so much history into such a small book and looking forward to more from this author.

[Pam Mooney · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very well written and expertly researched. You truly do fall in love with Athens and the illustrations really help to paint the picture. I enjoyed walking down the streets of Athens and getting a feel for the everyday lives of its people over the years. The personalities, values, loves, fears, and motivations, of the citizenry really come through in this telling more than any other accounts I have read. Each individual story is very readable and the obstacles overcome by these individuals and those around them are amazing. I really felt like I was given great insight to their personalities and the influences each had on the building and rebuilding of Athens and each other. I also enjoyed the complete references should I want to read further. A good read.

[The Logophile · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book had a lot of interesting snippets in it, but I struggled to get through it. I felt like I was reading a report by an adolescent in high school writing for a teacher who is already well versed in the subject. I expected a history, but got a Readers Digest (which isn't necessarily a bad thing, I suppose...). I wanted to learn more about Aspasia, but like most women throughout history, I'm guessing not much effort was put into writing about her life. Overall, I'm glad I finished it, but it took a lot of determination.