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Thebes
- The Forgotten City of Ancient Greece
- Narrated by: David Timson
- Length: 11 hrs and 27 mins
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Publisher's summary
The riveting, definitive account of the ancient Greek city of Thebes, by the acclaimed author of The Spartans.
Among the extensive writing available about the history of ancient Greece, there is precious little about the city-state of Thebes. At one point the most powerful city in ancient Greece, Thebes has been long overshadowed by its better-known rivals, Athens and Sparta. In Thebes: The Forgotten City of Ancient Greece, acclaimed classicist and historian Paul Cartledge brings the city vividly to life and argues that it is central to our understanding of the ancient Greeks' achievements - whether politically or culturally - and thus to the wider politico-cultural traditions of western Europe, the Americas, and indeed the world.
From its role as an ancient political power, to its destruction at the hands of Alexander the Great as punishment for a failed revolt, to its eventual restoration by Alexander's successor, Cartledge deftly chronicles the rise and fall of the ancient city. He recounts the history with deep clarity and mastery for the subject and makes clear both the differences and the interconnections between the Thebes of myth and the Thebes of history. Written in clear prose and illustrated with images, Thebes is a gripping listen for students of ancient history and those looking to experience the real city behind the myths of Cadmus, Hercules, and Oedipus.
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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 that marked its beginning through the city's political and cultural golden age to its decline into the ancient equivalent of a modern-day university town. Anthony Everitt constructs his history with unforgettable portraits of the talented, tricky, ambitious, and unscrupulous Athenians who fueled the city's rise.
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Good but not great. With some disturbing opinions.
- By Anthony on 06-25-19
By: Anthony Everitt
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Prehistory
- Making of the Human Mind
- By: Colin Renfrew
- Narrated by: Robert Ian MacKenzie
- Length: 9 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
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A giant of archaeology, Colin Renfrew has immeasurably improved our understanding of human history. In this passionately argued work, he offers a concise summary of prehistory - human existence that predates the development of written records - while challenging the very definition of prehistory itself.
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not for the intellectually challenged
- By Anthony on 07-14-10
By: Colin Renfrew
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In the Name of Rome
- The Men Who Won the Roman Empire
- By: Adrian Goldsworthy
- Narrated by: Derek Perkins
- Length: 17 hrs and 47 mins
- Unabridged
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Adrian Goldsworthy has received wide acclaim for his exceptional writing on the Roman Empire - including high praise from the acclaimed military historian and author John Keegan - and here he offers a new perspective on the empire by focusing on its greatest generals, including Scipio Africanus, Marius, Pompey, Caesar, and Titus.
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This pie was all crust, no filling
- By JLB on 04-11-17
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The Classical World
- An Epic History from Homer to Hadrian
- By: Robin Lane Fox
- Narrated by: Derek Perkins
- Length: 23 hrs and 48 mins
- Unabridged
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The classical civilizations of Greece and Rome once dominated the world, and they continue to fascinate and inspire us. Classical art and architecture, drama and epic, philosophy and politics - these are the foundations of Western civilization. In The Classical World, eminent classicist Robin Lane Fox brilliantly chronicles this vast sweep of history from Homer to the reign of Augustus.
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Great Listening Experience
- By TDR85 on 04-15-23
By: Robin Lane Fox
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Ancient Greece, Second Edition
- From Prehistoric to Hellenistic Times
- By: Thomas R. Martin
- Narrated by: John Lescault
- Length: 12 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
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In this compact yet comprehensive history of ancient Greece, Thomas R. Martin brings alive Greek civilization from its Stone Age roots to the fourth century BC. Focusing on the development of the Greek city-state and the society, culture, and architecture of Athens in its Golden Age, Martin integrates political, military, social, and cultural history in a book that will appeal to students and general audiences alike. Now in its second edition, this classic work now features updates throughout.
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Just the way I like it!
- By TracyB on 07-25-18
By: Thomas R. Martin
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Alexander the Great
- The Hunt for a New Past
- By: Paul Cartledge
- Narrated by: John Lee
- Length: 9 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
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Paul Cartledge, one of the world's foremost scholars of ancient Greece, illuminates the brief but iconic life of Alexander (356-323 B.C.), king of Macedon, conqueror of the Persian Empire, and founder of a new world order. Alexander's legacy has had a major impact on military tacticians, scholars, statesmen, adventurers, authors, and filmmakers.
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NOT a Chronology of Alexander’s Life
- By Blane Richoux on 12-30-20
By: Paul Cartledge
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The Trojan War
- A New History
- By: Barry Strauss
- Narrated by: Jonathan Yen
- Length: 8 hrs and 37 mins
- Unabridged
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The Trojan War is the most famous conflict in history, the subject of Homer's Iliad, one of the cornerstones of Western literature. Although many listeners know that this literary masterwork is based on actual events, there is disagreement about how much of Homer's tale is true. Drawing on recent archaeological research, historian and classicist Barry Strauss explains what really happened in Troy more than 3,000 years ago. For many years it was thought that Troy was an insignificant place that never had a chance against the Greek warriors who laid siege and overwhelmed the city.
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Good summary of a great myth and its realities.
- By Kenneth M. Northrup on 07-09-20
By: Barry Strauss
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Greece Against Rome
- The Fall of the Hellenistic Kingdoms 250-31 BC
- By: Philip Matyszak
- Narrated by: Gareth Richards
- Length: 8 hrs and 25 mins
- Unabridged
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Towards the middle of the third century BC, the Hellenistic kingdoms were near their peak. In terms of population, economy, and military power, each was vastly superior to Rome, not to mention in fields such as medicine, architecture, science, philosophy, and literature. But over the next two and a half centuries, Rome would eventually conquer these kingdoms while adopting so much of Hellenistic culture that the resultant hybrid is known as "Graeco-Roman." In Greece Against Rome, Philip Matyszak relates this epic tale from the Hellenistic perspective.
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Really enjoyed the book and snark
- By Chris Smith on 05-27-23
By: Philip Matyszak
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Greek Mythology Explained
- A Deeper Look at Classical Greek Lore and Myth
- By: Marios Christou, David Ramenah
- Narrated by: Derek Perkins
- Length: 10 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
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A fascinating take on classical Greek stories: Discover six classic Greek myths in this exciting retelling that paints both famous and lesser known characters in a whole new light. Follow the likes of Odysseus, Lamia, Bellerophon, Icarus, Medusa, and Artemis as their fates are revealed through bloody trials, gut-wrenching betrayals, sinister motives, and broken hearts.
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Adults only
- By Morgen La on 01-21-22
By: Marios Christou, and others
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Forgotten Peoples of the Ancient World
- By: Philip Matyszak
- Narrated by: Michael Page
- Length: 8 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
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This thorough guide explores those civilizations that have faded from the pages of our textbooks but played a significant role in the development of modern society. Forgotten Peoples of the Ancient World covers the Hyksos to the Hephthalites and everyone in between, providing a unique overview of humanity's history from approximately 3000 BCE-550 CE. Each entry exposes a diverse culture, highlighting their important contributions.
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Gripping and seamless
- By Mike Heim on 05-13-21
By: Philip Matyszak
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Thermopylae
- By: Paul Cartledge
- Narrated by: John Lee
- Length: 6 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
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In 480 B.C., a huge Persian army, led by the inimitable King Xerxes, entered the mountain pass of Thermopylae to march on Greece, intending to conquer the land with little difficulty. But the Greeks, led by King Leonidas and a small army of Spartans, took the battle to the Persians at Thermopylae and halted their advance: almost. It is one of history's most acclaimed battles, one of civilization's greatest last stands.
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Requires full attention
- By Euryleia on 01-18-08
By: Paul Cartledge
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The Rise and Fall of Alexandria
- Birthplace of the Modern Mind
- By: Justin Pollard, Howard Reid
- Narrated by: Simon Vance
- Length: 11 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
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Founded by Alexander the Great and built by self-styled Greek pharaohs, the city of Alexandria at its height dwarfed both Athens and Rome. It was the marvel of its age, legendary for its vast palaces, safe harbors, and magnificent lighthouse. But it was most famous for the astonishing intellectual efflorescence it fostered and the library it produced. If the European Renaissance was the "rebirth" of Western culture, then Alexandria, Egypt, was its birthplace.
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A good listen
- By Jeffrey on 10-02-08
By: Justin Pollard, and others
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Sparta
- Fall of a Warrior Nation
- By: Philip Matyszak
- Narrated by: Mike Cooper
- Length: 6 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
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The Spartans of ancient Greece are typically portrayed as macho heroes: noble, laconic, totally fearless. But life was not as simple as this image suggests. In truth, ancient Sparta was a city of contrasts. We might admire their physical toughness, but Spartans also systematically abused their children. They gave rights to female citizens that were unmatched in Europe until the modern era, meanwhile subjecting their conquered subject peoples to a murderous reign of terror.
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Learn the rest of the story B4 idolizing Sparta
- By tetrahymena on 04-03-24
By: Philip Matyszak
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Brainstorm
- Detective Stories from the World of Neurology
- By: Suzanne O'Sullivan
- Narrated by: Christine Williams
- Length: 8 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
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Brainstorm follows the stories of people whose medical diagnoses are so strange even their doctor struggles to know how to solve them. A man who sees cartoon characters running across the room; a girl whose world suddenly seems completely distorted, as though she were Alice in Wonderland; another who transforms into a ragdoll whenever she even thinks about moving. The brain is the most complex structure in the universe. Neurologists must puzzle out life-changing diagnoses from the tiniest of clues, the ultimate medical detective work.
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Not As Compelling...
- By Douglas on 11-08-18
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Babylon
- Mesopotamia and the Birth of Civilization
- By: Paul Kriwaczek
- Narrated by: Derek Perkins
- Length: 12 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
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Civilization was born 8,000 years ago, between the floodplains of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, when migrants from the surrounding mountains and deserts began to create increasingly sophisticated urban societies. In the cities that they built, half of human history took place. In Babylon, Paul Kriwaczek tells the story of Mesopotamia from the earliest settlements seven thousand years ago to the eclipse of Babylon in the sixth century BCE. Bringing the people of this land to life in vibrant detail, the author chronicles the rise and fall of power during this period.
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Solid overview 3000 years of history
- By Alsor2000 on 07-19-20
By: Paul Kriwaczek
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The End of Empire
- Attila the Hun & the Fall of Rome
- By: Christopher Kelly
- Narrated by: Michael Page
- Length: 9 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
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History remembers Attila, the leader of the Huns, as the Romans perceived him: a savage barbarian brutally inflicting terror on whoever crossed his path. Following Attila and the Huns from the steppes of Kazakhstan to the court of Constantinople, Christopher Kelly portrays Attila in a compelling new light, uncovering an unlikely marriage proposal, a long-standing relationship with a treacherous Roman general, and a thwarted assassination plot.
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LISTEN TO THE SAMPLE
- By Chelsea on 03-23-21
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The Hundred Years War
- The English in France 1337-1453
- By: Desmond Seward
- Narrated by: Nigel Patterson
- Length: 8 hrs and 25 mins
- Unabridged
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From 1337 to 1453 England repeatedly invaded France on the pretext that her kings had a right to the French throne. Though it was a small, poor country, England for most of those "100 years" won the battles, sacked the towns and castles, and dominated the war. Desmond Seward's critically acclaimed account of the Hundred Years War brings to life all of the intrigue, beauty, and royal to-the-death-fighting of that legendary century-long conflict.
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Superb narrator and fascintating history
- By Julie Seavello on 05-30-21
By: Desmond Seward
What listeners say about Thebes
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- DaneDeer
- 11-06-20
Why is this author considered an expert scholar of Ancient Greece?
This is the second Paul Cartledge book I’ve read and as the saying goes: Fool me twice, shame on me.
My criticism is purely along academic and somewhat esoteric philosophical lines, though. The man can write very well. His clear prose flows smoothly and effectively enough to be entertaining. But he’s always in the way of his own narrative —he can’t resist adding his own witty(ish) subjective commentaries into what is largely a re-telling of ancient sources. Some might say this livens the material. I think it’s an irritating distraction, not least because his affected and often borderline offensive air of English bigotry. He calls all Persian attributes “oriental” for example, and does so with a relish that seems woefully out of place and willfully racist in a distinctly English way.
But even more problematic are his errors. He makes a lot of them. Perhaps worst here in his broad overview of the Persian wars. He makes mistakes no one should make and he does so at the cost of extremely important historical context (i.e. Athens refusing the generous Persian offers of monies and territories in exchange for free passage across their territory and then their tremendous sacrifice of leaving their polis to the mercy of Persian invasion. It was this astonishing act of Greek solidarity that set the tone both for the ultimate Greek victory but also for everything that came after. He doesn’t even mention it in passing)
The other annoying omission is his bizarrely subjective take on Thermopylae —which he has apparently and sadly written a whole book about... just one example of his failure would be a grossly negligent choice to ignore the fact that Sparta knew they were sending a suicide squad. Leonidas was only there to slow the Persians down and give the allies time to muster, further south. That this author does not acknowledge this is beneath contempt.
How do men like this get published and hold high positions in our academic institutions? It galls me.
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19 people found this helpful
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- Brian B. Goad
- 04-04-22
lovely book on forgotten Thebes!
loved it and very happy with narration, I recommend to those Greek history lovers. You will not regret it!
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- Epaminondas
- 06-17-21
Good work, but has a lot of holes
I enjoyed the reading and gleaned a lot of information I had missed in my study of Thebes. However, skipping the Theban hegemony almost completely was incredibly disappointing.
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1 person found this helpful
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- BPW
- 03-24-21
Possible error
I believe there is one possible error, which I noticed. Cassander is the son of Antipater, not Antigonus Monopthalmus. Demetrius Poliorcetes is the son of Antigonus Monopthalmus, whose son was Antigonus Gonatas, who bequeathed the family name to the Antigonid successor kingdom.
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- Amazon Customer
- 12-21-22
Snobbish ending
I found the majority of the book enjoyable and informative, and the narration is great. But the way the author chose to address modern adaptations of Ancient Greek plays was bizarre and pedantic. He seems to be irritated by historically inaccurate takes on the stories, or modernizations. The criticism always falls flat and comes across as complaining, not adding anything worthwhile to the book. I’m mystified as to why this was even included, since it casts the author as a mediocre art critic and has no real bearing on the rest of the book. A very disappointing ending.
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- Bob Swain
- 01-15-21
terrific study of a city list in time
I never knew all this and it turned out to be a remarkable study not only of Thebes but of classical Greece. I half-knew a lot of this stuff but he tied it all together.
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2 people found this helpful
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- Paul
- 04-30-22
Not an Easy Listen
I can’t put my finger on it, but I felt at times like this narrator might as well have been speaking a different language. Good narrations just seem to ‘download’ the information in the text automatically to my brain, whereas with this release, I kept having to remind myself to pay attention. Little things like a pause between ‘athenian’ and ‘domination’ would get my brain focused on the first word, like broad aspects of athenian culture, geography, etc., and then I would have to reroute my thoughts toward ‘domination’, and then that small slice of time playing catch-up would result in losing whatever information came next. It would just be easier to string ‘athenian domination’ together. This is just one example, but similar things kept happening to the point where I realized that I’d just have to read this text the old fashioned way.
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- Amazon Customer
- 11-05-21
Really wish we could reply to reviews
I really hate how Amazon doesn't let us reply or comment on reviews here.
This is in response to the top review of this page which is woefully ignorant of many of the terms it employs, particularly the phrase 'historical context.'
Athens did not refuse any 'generous Persian offers of money or territory.' This is post-war Athenian propaganda. A big part of the point of the Persian Invasions of Greece was to explicitly punish Athens for the Ionian Revolt and the burning of Sardis. Why would you bribe a power you hated with more power? Weird right? Well, that's probably why it never happened which is precisely why Cartledge never mentions it. Why would a great scholar pay lip service to something that didn't happen?
Just because Athens would go on to claim credit for saving Greece doesn't mean we should believe them. Persia wouldn't attempt to bribe Athens until much later, decades after the invasions. By that point, Athens appeared a defeated power and Sparta was the one the Persians were viewing as a thorn in their side. Reestablishing the fallen Athenian Empire seemed like a good idea at the time, but not during the invasions.
Most of central Greece (what we now see as modern Greece) refused Persia's offers to surrender, at least until the Persians were at their doorstep. That's why Leonidas marched to Thermopylae with thousands of men behind him. Cartledge doesn't have a subjective take on Thermopylae, rather the public at large does. We remember Leonidas and his 300 fighting a hopeless last stand. We forget this was the end of a military disaster. Leonidas did not march to Thermopylae to die, and it is grossly incorrect to claim the Spartan contingent was a 'suicide squad.' The Greeks planned to win at Thermopylae and they had a solid plan; stall the Persian Army's southern advance until the fighting season ended. They assumed, probably correctly, that if they did this Xerxes would be forced to leave Greece. It took years to mount the invasion. He likely wouldn't ever muster the massive resources to make another attempt.
Just because the Spartans decided decades later that Thermopylae was a great victory doesn't mean we should believe them. Thermoplyae was a disaster for the Greeks. Leonidas was a brave man. So were the Spartans and Thespians who stayed to die with him. Their rear guard action let the main Greek army escape and fight another day. But Spartan and her allies abandoned mainland Greece to its fate after this defeat. They preferred to hide behind the Isthmus of Corinth and reattempt the Thermopylae strategy there. Athens would have to blackmail the Greek allies by threatening to surrender to Persia and take it's navy to Xerxes side to force them to come out and fight. This would be the second time Athens did that. The first was when it threatened to surrender to Persia to get the Greeks to fight in northern Greece to begin with.
These matters of context are a big part of why this book and more like it are needed. Our view of Classical Greece is dominated by the Athenians and the Spartans. It's not surprising. Most of the sources that survived to our age were written by exiled and expatriated Athenians who disliked the Democracy and viewed Sparta as an enlightened aristocracy. Both cities, for reasons that are still very obscure, viewed Thebes as a 'bad egg.' And it's Thebes this book is about. Thebes who, along with many Boetian city-states, sided with Persia. Thebes who opposed the rise of Athens and vied to rival Corinth and Sparta. Thebes, who despite defeating Spartan on the cusp of the Hellenic Age, has largely been forgotten in time alongside many other Greek cities who were not prolific writers like Athens.
Cartlidge is very much something of a living relic. He has an old sort of sensibility and it comes through here. It's charming at times, a bit vividly out of time and place in others. The narrator seems to specifically want that to shine through, so take it for what it's worth. Cartledge's efforts are worth something. Herakles, Plutarch, Hesiod, Oedipus. I'll bet you know those names, but did you know that Thebes looms large in their stories and lives? Historians and archaeologists have fought a long and uphill battle to peel away thousands of years of cultural memory and a spotty historical record to look beyond Sparta and Athens. The cultural memory of those two great cities gets so many basic elements of the past wrong. That's precisely why this is a pleasant book. If it has any weakness, it's that it's not long enough, it ends too soon and barely discusses Thebes' apogee in the wake of their defeat of the Spartans, and often struggles to work around the holes in our knowledge of Thebes, holes Cartlidge doesn't come out and admit to his small discredit. Particularly, much of Thebes' early history is hard to see. How it became the black sheep of the central Greek powers, even more so. This reputation seems to have been in place very early, before the Classical age. Those weakness admitted, we're not exactly spoiled for choice on this topic. Cartlidge does his best though with what he has, and it makes this book a good overview. I would say it is written to a degree on the assumption that the audience already has a base of knowledge in the Classical era, but it shouldn't be a problem as long as you don't assume you know more than you really do.
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15 people found this helpful
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- J. B. Taylor
- 08-11-21
Fascinating and well written
The story of ancient Thebes is presented in a well- researched and well- written presentation such that a clear and easily understood rendition. Highly recommended.
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- Anonymous User
- 10-29-22
very informative
I got a lot more information out of this book then I origami thought I would I learned a lot about things I knew nothing about. that's why I enjoy reading books like this it took me longer than I wanted to finish but I read over it a few times but it shows times never change man will always be locked in the same issues with war and peace.
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