Creators, Conquerors, and Citizens

We Greeks are one in blood and one in language; we have temples to the gods and religious rites in common, and a common way of life. So the fifth-century historian Herodotus has some Athenians declare, in explanation of why they would never betray their fellow Greeks to the enemy, the barbarian Persians. And he might have added further common features, such as clothing, foodways, and political institutions. But if the Greeks knew that they were kin, why did many of them side with the Persians against fellow Greeks, and why, more generally, is ancient Greek history so often the history of internecine wars and other forms of competition with one another? This is the question acclaimed historian Robin Waterfield sets out to explore in this magisterial history of ancient Greece.

With more information, more engagingly presented, than any similar work, this is the best single-volume account of ancient Greece in more than a generation. Waterfield gives a comprehensive narrative of seven hundred years of history, from the emergence of the Greeks around 750 BCE to the Roman conquest of the last of the Greco-Macedonian kingdoms in 30 BCE. Equal weight is given to all phases of Greek history -- the Archaic, Classical, and Hellenistic periods. But history is not just facts; it is also a matter of how we interpret the evidence. Without compromising the readability of the book, Waterfield incorporates the most recent scholarship by classical historians and archaeologists and asks his readers to think critically about Greek history. A brilliant, up-to-date account of ancient Greece, suitable for history buffs and university students alike, Creators, Conquerors, and Citizens presents a compelling and comprehensive story of this remarkable civilization's disunity, underlying cultural solidarity, and eventual political unification.

"A brilliant, up-to-date account of all of ancient Greek history (the Archaic, Classical, and Hellenistic periods), suitable for history buffs and university students, enlivened by a strong thesis about the disunity of the Greeks, their underlying cultural unity, and their eventual political unification"--

A highly readable and stimulating introduction to a fascinating area of history. Waterfield's accessible but still authoritative tone brings the sights, sounds and citizens vividly to life. This evocative book manages to tread an often fine line between storytelling and scholarly history with a lightness of touch that belies the depth and scope of its approach ... This engaging one-volume history will appeal to a great many readers. -- All About History

The scholarship is thorough, deep, and well-explained... Readers looking for an authoritative account of almost any aspect of ancient Greek history should be thoroughly gratified.--Kirkus

Creators, Conquerors, and Citizens is an ideal seminar on ancient Greek history, in book-form: it's scholarly but never pedantic, and it's all told by a true enthusiast with a gift for clarifying. If Waterfield is correct that every generation needs its own new history of ancient Greece, he's certainly provided a fine example, a book fit to stand alongside Christian Meier's Athens or Josiah Ober's magnificent The Rise and Fall of Classical Greece.--Steve Donoghue, Open Letters Review

Highly readable, with well-produced maps and figures, it can be relied on as a distillation of twentyfirst-century historians' overall view of the subject... We are in sure hands as Waterfield guides us through the major historical milestones... Any of these would warrant a volume in itself, and the fact that Waterfield keeps the whole huge freight train on track, indeed clacking elegantly along, is proof of an experienced engineer.
--Literary Review of Canada

A distinctive and decidedly modern interpretation of Greek history.--MHQ Magazine

Waterfield's searching approach to the nature of Greek identity transforms this otherwise highly traditional, chronological history into something more revelatory... suitably authoritative and measured... wide-ranging, but enlivened by its detail.
--Daisy Dunn, Sunday Times [London]

[Waterfield] sets out to trace seven and a half centuries of Greek history (from roughly the first Olympiad to Rome's annexation of Egypt), recognizing the diversity of the Greek diaspora, while explicating many of the social and cultural practices that lent it a degree of unity, and tracing innovations in areas as diverse as philosophy and siege warfare. It is a mark of his skill that he succeeds so brilliantly... This book provides an invaluable resource for anyone wishing a comprehensive account of Greek history and culture, while reading lists point the way for those who wish to find out more. W.'s masterly review of how tensions between cultural unity and political disunity unfolded over eight hundred years is to be thoroughly recommended.--David Stuttard, Classics for All

Waterfield's account is an engaging, sometimes original chronicle...
Highly recommended.--CHOICE Reviews

As one might expect, the scholarship is impeccable. Waterfield touches on a staggering array of topics, succinctly reviewing the evidence and summarizing the most recent scholarly work. -- Andrew T. Alwine, College of Charleston