Everyday Life in Ancient Greece

Children's Literature

So many things we take for granted today have their roots in ancient Greece, whose scientific, artistic and philosophical culture left a lasting imprint on cultures that have followed. This book reminds us of the many Greek influences on our lives today. It starts by describing life before the Greek civilization developed. It continues by examining colonies, society, farming and country life, war, religion, festivals and feast days, sports, theater, trade, the Agora, art, architecture, health and medicine, education and learning, food and cooking, home life, children, clothing and makeup. Readers learn both the depth and the frivolity of Greek thinking. For instance Pythagoras left a lasting imprint on our thinking through his attempts to explain the order of the universe using patterns of numbers. Yet not all his thinking was so timeless—his follower would not eat beans because they thought those contained the souls of the dead. The book paints a fascinating picture of everyday life in ancient Greece. Each page is enriched with many illustrations. Acetate overlays show inside and outside views of a home, the Parthenon, and a theater. Perhaps the most interesting is the inside view of a Greek Trireme with a picture of men jammed together on three levels manning three banks of oars. It clearly illustrates what a difficult life that must have been. This book in the "Uncovering History" series has an index but lacks a bibliography. 2004 (orig. 2001), Smart Apple Media, Ages 9 to Adult.
— Janet Crane Barley

Library Journal

Gr 4-5-Topics in these books include clothing, society, religion, games, and the household. On each spread, the facts are presented in an introductory paragraph with shorter paragraphs and captions providing additional details. Each volume has two or three cellophane overlays that are of little value. There is not enough information in either title for a report, and what is there is so general that at times the books appear to contradict themselves. There are also some inaccuracies, e.g., Senker cites the height of the Greek civilization as being 2000 years ago, when it was closer to 3000 years ago. Stick with the many superior titles on these topics.-Lynda S. Poling, Long Beach Public Library, CA Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.