The 1st chapter explains that Athenian democracy was unlike modern democracy for one main reason: modern democracy "willfully ignores popular sources of useful knowledge."
Review of Greek Tragedy, by Nancy Sorkin Rabinowitz.
Some books on this list go into the rationale for linking magic and religion, but for the purposes of this introduction, it's enough to say they weren't completely separate in ancient life. You'll find material on curses, love spells, priestesses rituals, and related topics. What you won't find here is the ancient myths except as they exemplify the use of magic. This covers a large field.
Review of
The Trojan War: A New History, by Barry Strauss, which is like a companion guide to the Iliad of Homer.
A.J. Bollet reports on diseases that have created epidemics among human populations. Plagues and Poxes is a series of essays on individual diseases.
Review of Lionel Casson's Libraries in the Ancient World.
Review of Maria Dzielska's book on the truth behind the legend of the woman described as the body of Aphrodite and the spirit of Plato.
This isn't the place to turn to for a look at economic theory, but for a fast paced history of the world through the lens of money, this is an excellent choice.
In "Greek Fire, Poison Arrows & Scorpion Bombs - Biological and Chemical Warfare in the Ancient World," Adrienne Mayor does a masterful job of showing how everything modern in the areas of terrorism and warfare has ancient antecedents.
Greco-Roman World of the New Testament Era.
Engineering in the Ancient World, by J. G. Landels. Review of Landels' Engineering in the Ancient World.
A novel about Troy, by Adele Geras, for young adults, tells the story about the Trojan War from the perspective of those inside the walls of Troy.
Archaeologist Barry Cunliffe takes anachronistic liberties with his portrayal of ancient travel writer Pyheas the Greek.
How could Oedipus marry his mother? Surely he could see how much older she was than he? And how did she not know he was her son? These are issues Victoria Grossack and Alice Underwood address in this work of historical fiction.
Peter Green's biography of Alexander of Macedon tells a rich, colorful story of the life of Alexander the Great, noting his acts of egomania and growing contempt for mere mortals no less than his military brilliance. If you're looking for a single comprehensive, easy to read, if long, work on Alexander, this should be it.
The Battle of Salamis was fought by Greek city-states against the Persian Empire led by Xerxes. It was a battle of a rich, giant empire against small, impoverished, disjointed, feuding political entities. It looked like a sure bet for the Persians, but, as Barry Strauss shows, it was precisely the strengths of the Persian Empire and its fleet that worked against it in the Battle of Salamis.
Review of Debra Hamel's "Trying Neaira - The True Story of a Courtesan's Scandalous Life in Ancient Greece."
Review of Thomas Cahill's overview of ancient Greece, Sailing the Wine-Dark Sea - Why the Greeks Matter.
The role of women in a homosocial Greek world.
Two heroes emerge from this modern adaptation, by Ted Hughes, of Euripides' drama, Heracles and the best of women, Alcestis, wife of Admetos.
How the Athenians' myth justified differential treatment of men and women.
Madeleine Henry studies the original liberated woman, a fifth century Athenian metic, Aspasia of Miletus.
Ted Hughes easy to read, poetic translation of Aeschylus' trilogy about the curse of the House of Atreus.
Elizabeth Cook's little story (barely over 100 pages for the story itself) gets to the heart of Achilles' participation in the Trojan War.
Peter Green constructs a biography based on the few known facts of Sappho's life.
A vital, classic work on Homer and the Odyssey that should be required reading for anyone studying Homer, plus it's short and easy to read.
