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£8.99
Published
2 June 2022
Paperback
978193083242
Ebook
Press Release
Coming soon.
 

Philosophy, art, democracy, language, even computers — our world has been shaped by the products of Greek civilisation. Yet most of us know little about a people and a place that have given us so much. Pericles and the Parthenon may be familiar, but what of Epaminondas, the Theban general who saved the Greek world from Spartan tyranny? Alexander the Great’s fame has rolled down the centuries, but the glorious Hellenistic Age that came after him is largely forgotten. ‘Byzantine’ often conjures a vague notion of decadence and deadly intrigue, yet the 1,000-year empire ruled from Constantinople saved Europe twice from invasion and was, in fact, Greek.

The story of modern Greece, too, is a dramatic tale of triumph and catastrophe, from liberation and expansion through schism and home-grown dictatorship, Nazi occupation and civil war to today’s nation — battered by austerity, a transit camp for the casualties of the Middle East, at the front-line of climate change — yet still proud of its values.

In The Shortest History of Greece, James Heneage charts the odyssey of the Greeks through more than three millennia. As he does so, he uncovers a vital lesson — one that may just help us fix our own democracies.

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Old Street Publishing The Shortest History of Greece

Philosophy, art, democracy, language, even computers — our world has been shaped by the products of Greek civilisation. Yet most of us know little about a people and a place that have given us so much. Pericles and the Parthenon may be familiar, but what of Epaminondas, the Theban general who saved the Greek world from Spartan tyranny? Alexander the Great’s fame has rolled down the centuries, but the glorious Hellenistic Age that came after him is largely forgotten. ‘Byzantine’ often conjures a vague notion of decadence and deadly intrigue, yet the 1,000-year empire ruled from Constantinople saved Europe twice from invasion and was, in fact, Greek.

The story of modern Greece, too, is a dramatic tale of triumph and catastrophe, from liberation and expansion through schism and home-grown dictatorship, Nazi occupation and civil war to today’s nation — battered by austerity, a transit camp for the casualties of the Middle East, at the front-line of climate change — yet still proud of its values.

In The Shortest History of Greece, James Heneage charts the odyssey of the Greeks through more than three millennia. As he does so, he uncovers a vital lesson — one that may just help us fix our own democracies.

—

—

8.99
 
 

From Alpha to Omega, and from Socrates to Syriza, here is all of Greek history, expertly told
—Tom Holland

 
 
  • Beautifully written, full of apposite analogies and taking a long historical perspective… Excellent
    —Paul Cartledge, author of Democracy, A Life
  • The Greeks' extraordinary achievements laid the foundations for the world we experience today… Yet many of us continue to know little about Greek history. Heneage succeeds in rectifying that.
    —Daily Mail, History Book of the Year
  • Never a boring paragraph, let alone a boring page… A model of how to make the broad outlines of history accessible and digestible
    —Bruce Clark, author of Athens: City of Wisdom
 
 
James Heneage

JAMES HENEAGE has been fascinated by history from an early age, in particular the rise and fall of empires. He founded the Ottakar’s chain of bookshops, which grew to 150 branches before being bought by Waterstones. After Ottakar’s, he chaired the Cheltenham Literary Festival before setting up his own festival dedicated to history with author James Holland. The Chalke Valley History Festival is now in its 9th year, drawing audiences of around 30,000 people. He is also the author of four bestselling historical novels set in Byzantium.