The Classical World in Bite-sized Chunks

by Mark Daniels

Explore the fascinating world of Greek and Roman history in this new entry in the bestselling Bite-Sized Chunks series.


Perhaps more than any other period in history, the era of classical antiquity shaped the Western world as we know it today. From the pioneering schools of Greek philosophy to the far-reaching influence of the Roman Empire , so much of what we consider fundamental to our contemporary civilization can trace its roots back to Mediterranean Europe during this time.


Divided into eight chapters , each covering an aspect of the classical world – the gods, heroes and monsters, rulers and government, war, art, philosophy, literature and science – this is the perfect primer for any reader looking for an introduction to one of the most captivating periods in history .


With dozens of easy-to-digest entries on the most important people, events, art and mythology of the era, accompanied by maps and illustrations, The Classical World in Bite-Sized Chunks gives you everything you need to know about Greek and Roman history in one compelling and compact package .

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Ancient History, Classics, Mythology

224 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 12, 2024

Reviews

[Blaze Currie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked up this book to read while traveling to Greece. Day two in Greece and I’ve finished the book - it’s an easy read. One can finish it on the flight over if desired.

It hits the high points of Greek and Roman history including the gods and myths (probably the highlight for me) as well as major historical battles, art, literature, and inventions. It’s a mile wide and an inch deep, but great if you want to brush up on your history before travel or want a high level overview to determine where to dive in deeper. As the author states, this book is best when accompanied by an in person experience of the ancient.

“So, let your history books gather dust on the shelf.
Instead, cry at the downfall of Oedipus, be astounded by a walk around the Colosseum, and walk up to the takeaway counter in Pompeii just as its citizens did on the day disaster struck. Step into the living, breathing world of the Ancient Greeks and Romans, and you'll realize how our modern lives are simply another chapter in the ongoing narrative that began in the Classical World.”

[Meg :3 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice and concise, a great piece of introductory research if you’re looking to learn about the ancient Rome and Greece. There were a few anecdotes or stories that were repeated two or three times which kind of took from the flow of the chapters, but this didn’t detract from the content itself. They really are ‘bite-sized’, so don’t go into this expecting thorough deep dives into the variety of topics in this book. It’s a great first step, not a dive into the deep end.

[Daniel Kukwa · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's pretty much what it says on the cover, and if you're new to the material, it's easy to read & to pick-and-choose what might hold your interest, but otherwise it's nothing ground-breaking. It also loses marks for not including Plato...total insanity.

[Aldar van der Weck · Rating 4 out of 5]

Leuke verhalen over de grieken en romeinen

[Capricorn691 · Rating 2 out of 5]

I went into this book with quite positive expectations but was thoroughly disappointed.

For a book with only 170 pages, there isn't much room to explore the topics in-depth, and I do get that. That's why I didn't really mind a lot of the missing facts, I just think that some more small "fun facts" would have made the reading experience more fun.

What really bothered me with Daniels' book was the constant repetition of certain stories in different chapters. It's totally understandable that the Trojan War could fit with myths, Greek wars, heroes and heroines, or tragedies, but a simple reference each time would have been enough.

I believe I had to read the entire story of how Paris chose to give Aphrodite the golden apple in exchange for Helen, who was already married to Menelaus, and so on and so forth, SIX TIMES. In full length.
Odysseus's long journey home was also a topic multiple times in this book, and each time, it was explained in its entirety.
This got very tiring very quickly, and by the end, I was simply too annoyed to even enjoy the last chapters. I only finished the book because I was so close to the end, not because I enjoyed the writing.

Otherwise, the writing was fine and I didn't find any major mistakes in the mythological or historical parts, but that sadly didn't make up for the unceasing reiteration of already established stories.

I do believe that it can give a good base of information for people who are just starting to get into Greek and Roman mythology, society, and philosophies, but I honestly think that there are better YouTube videos for this. Read the Wikipedia articles for all I care, but don't spend your time on this.

[Caroline · Rating 4 out of 5]

Deze gids van de klassieke wereld laat je kort en bondig kennismaken met de Griekse en Romeinse tijd.  In 101 stukjes legt Mark Daniels op een toegankelijke manier je de basis uit.  Geen saaie opsomming van feiten en jaartallen, maar praktische toepassingen in onze huidige, moderne wereld. 

Voor studenten die willen weten waarom de saaie lessen geschiedenis zo nuttig zijn
Voor niet-studenten die de geschiedenis graag nog eens herlezen
Voor fans van wist-je-datjes

Het is leuk om te weten dat een heel hoofdstuk handelt over de literatuur van deze periode, met een beschrijving van onder andere Homerus, de Ilias en de Odyssee...

Het hoofdstuk 'Wetenschap en uitvindingen' vond ik persoonlijk het interessantste.  Van de Griekse democratie en Romeinse wegen en baden weet iedereen plusminus de achtergrond, maar wat met de snackbar? De automatische deuren?  En je dagelijkse wekker?  Al lezende merk je dat we veel meer dan we dachten aan deze bijzondere periode te danken hebben. 

[Thani.Nattan04 · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a soon to be second year classics major and a grown-up Percy Jackson kid, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It is a quick and easy read, and while it may not offer in-depth explanations, it does exactly what the title suggests. It makes the vast and dense classical world digestible. Many times, people dive head first into the ancient world and find themselves choking, but the author has brilliantly managed to cut the classics into "bite-sized chunks." I think this book is a brilliant introduction to the classical world , perfectly informative for aspiring classicists with a writing style that percy jackson fans will love.

[Armin Boushy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was very on the shelf between rating this 4 starts or 3 stars. It was a very enjoyable read and a nice reminder of some classic myths and history. My one critique is how repetitive it was. Various amounts of information was repeated countless times throughout the book and at some times felt very unnecessary to once again be retold. This alone makes me lean more towards 3 starts rather than 4. However, i would like to again state it was quite enjoyable and a nice refresher and I am definitely interested in reading more of this authors work especially his book purely on mythology

[Margot Derycke · Rating 3 out of 5]

Samen met mijn kinderen blader ik door hun schoolschriften. Ik zie heldhaftige tekeningen over de 12 werken van Herakles en aan tafel vertellen ze verder over de Trojaanse prins Paris. Hoera en help! Ze weten meer over de Grieken en Romeinen dan ik. Ik moest me dus even bijlezen, met dit boekje lukt dat in sneltempo. Ik schrijf Rome op mijn reislijstje, de Metamorfosen van Ovidius op mijn leeslijstje. Gisteren reed een stoere man in een jeep het theater op. Op de jeep staat in grote letters het woord 'Rubicon'. Ik wist meteen dat er met die gast geen weg terug is.

[Prcs Rambharose · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a Fantastic read..l wanted to refresh my memory about the classical
world and Greek Mythology .lt also lncludes how they lived. And all the inventions. Some that have remained
till this day.And the Roman Architecture
ie The Forum, Parthenon, the ruins of Pompei. l definitely would not have wanted to live ln those times...So bloodthirsty and Gory!!
l might read World Mythology ln bite size
chunks as well.

[Henk · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ik heb de Nederlandse versie 'De klassieke wereld voor beginners' gelezen, maar die kan Goodreads niet vinden. Handig als je al je kennis van de Griekse en Romeinse wereld weer even wilt ophalen. Maar soms wel erg beknopt (bijv. bij de filosofen worden wel kort Socrates en Aristoteles behandeld, maar wordt Plato slechts genoemd) en iets meer overzichtsschema's en duidelijker foto's was ook wel prettig geweest. Maar toch met interesse doorgelezen.

[Saana · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book does not go into depth about the subjects it handles. But it is a nice dip into the ancient world. If you've studied ancient rome or greece you might not learn a lot. It is nicely written though. A good place to start your ancient studies.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

5/5 - Does exactly what it says it will do: gives you a brief overview of every main subject pertaining to the ancient Greek and Roman life. A great jumping off point for anyone wanting an introduction to these two civilizations.

[Chantal Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Does what it says on the tin. Nice read.
It would have been nice to vary the way that some stories are told when they show up in different sections of the book.

[Brooklea Graham · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really easy to read and understand!

[emmi · Rating 3 out of 5]

felt slow at some points but i feel that with most nonfiction. overall though this serves as a great “gateway drug” for learning about ancient greek and roman civilization

[Iga · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5/5

[Lilli · Rating 4 out of 5]

easy to read, entertaining, interessant, hab viel gelernt,

[Abel Shaw · Rating 4 out of 5]

Filled with facts from Medusa and the greek gods to the first ever joke book! Highly recommended for people who love to read about things long past.

[Mackenzie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was TEA. Mythology is usually super complicated but this made it super simple and easy and just gave me a better understanding of how rich the roman and greek history is!!

[Mike Morrow · Rating 4 out of 5]

The title says it all - an easy to read, informative and interesting introduction to the classical world. Recommended, but it's not for the serious scholar.

[ayeshaxbooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed reading this a very short but insightful historical journey that can push your interest further into classical western history

[Hannah Miller · Rating 4 out of 5]

yep, I definitely want to study this in college

[Maddie Vannoy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Solid book. However, I already knew most of this information from both my literature and Latin classes over the years, so this was pretty much a refresh. 3 Stars.

[Lena Rukola · Rating 3 out of 5]

takie spoko

[Alex · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bit more intellectual honensty when mentioning the Elgin Marbles would've been appreciated. Other than that, a good introduction to the classics.

[John Paschall · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short, succinct, informative. Amazing how much about these societies still impacts today’s culture. Makes me want to learn more.