The history of the ancient Greeks is, on a global scale, one of the most impressive stories of achievement creation. A small people, inhabiting a poor country and fragmented into hundreds of warring city-states, managed to create one of the most remarkable civilizations in the world. Comprehensive and balanced, the 'Concise History of Ancient Greece: Politics, Society, and Culture' is a new shorter version of the highly successful book by the authors 'Ancient Greece: Political, Social, and Cultural History' (OUP, 1998). Four leading experts of the classical world narrate vividly and informatively the history of Greece and its culture in all its complexity and variety, covering the entire period from the Bronze Age to the Hellenistic Period and incorporating into the narrative the latest findings of archaeology, comparative anthropology, and the history of societies. They show how the early Greeks utilized borrowings from their neighbors to eventually develop their own distinctive culture, which stood out for its astonishing creativity, adaptability, and flexibility. The authors proceed to trace the complex and remarkable evolution of ancient Greek civilization up to its eventual dissolution and its blending with various other cultures. Using material evidence from archaeology, written evidence from literary texts and inscriptions, and anthropological models based on comparative studies, this comprehensive volume offers a presentation of the Greek world that is thorough and serious, yet accessible and enjoyable to students and all kinds of readers who have little or no knowledge of Greece. [Excerpt from the text on the back cover of the edition]