The Rise of Athens, : The Story of the World’s Greatest Civilisation
Anthony Everitt

The Athenians invented democracy (but for men only) and laid the foundations of western philosophy, the arts of tragedy and comedy and the study of history. They developed architecture and sculpture. How did a tiny community of some 200,000 souls give birth to towering geniuses in these fields of human endeavour, that are still relevant today?

            With Athens itself as his protagonist, Everitt seeks to answer this question. Filled with tales of adventure and astounding reversals of fortune, The Rise of Athens celebrates the city-state that transformed the world – from the democratic revolution of its outset through the political and cultural triumphs of its heyday to its decline into the ancient equivalent of a modern university town.

            Everitt peoples his history with unforgettable portraits of the talented, tricky, ambitious and unscrupulous Athenians who fuelled their city’s rise: among them,  Themistocles who won the sea victory at Salamis over the Persian invader; Pericles who presided over the city’s zenith and Alcibiades the nearly-great man who betrayed Athens.

            A story-teller par excellence, Everitt combines erudite historical analysis with stirring narrative set-pieces that capture the colourful and exciting world of ancient Greece.