C.'s aim in this short book ‘is to provide a fairly painless and highly stimulating introduction to the complex, diverse, and challenging subject of the history of ancient Greek civilization, without being either simplistic or bland’ (p. 1), and he is impressively successful in fulfilling these goals. It was a pleasure, as a classicist, to read this book, even though its intended audience is not an academic one. Non-professional, interested readers will find this an intelligent, informative and delightful history of the Greek world.

As in C.'s earlier book, Ancient Greece: a History in Eleven Cities (2009), this very short introduction to Greek civilisation is structured around the histories of selected cities. The fact that the ancient Greek world was a city-state culture legitimises this decision and is a brilliant way to present Greek history, especially to a lay audience. The outstanding work of the Copenhagen Polis Centre has clearly been formative for C. and it is indicative of this that the timeline provided at the end of the book only contains two entries for the modern period: the decipherment of Linear B in 1952 and the publication of An Inventory of Archaic and Classical Poleis by M.H. Hansen and T.H. Nielsen in 2004.

To present in a concise and engaging way the history of the Greek world from 1400 b.c.e. to 330 c.e. is by no means an easy task, yet C. carries this through exceptionally well. C. had to make difficult decisions in picking only eleven cities to discuss, and some important ones – Corinth is probably the most obvious example – were left out. C. justifies his choices in the introduction and his emphasis on the interconnectedness of the Greek world allows him to expose much more than the eleven cities that constitute his chapters: Corinth does receive some attention, along with other cities that do not take centre-stage. The book covers an impressive geographical range, from Massalia in the western Mediterranean to Miletus in Asia Minor and Byzantium, thus revealing the plurality of the Greek experience and the fact that cities outside the Aegean circle were an integral part of the Greek world.

The arrangement of the eleven cities allows C. to explore the larger historical narrative of the ancient Greek world. Knossos and Mycenae represent the Bronze Age; Argos the Dark Ages. Miletus, Massalia and Sparta take the reader through the archaic period, presenting the expansion of the Greek world from the western Mediterranean to the coast of Asia Minor, and its interactions, both negative (the Persian Wars) and positive (trade), with other Mediterranean populations. Athens and Syracuse are next and among other issues exemplify the Peloponnesian War, the ideological war between democracy and oligarchy or tyranny, and colonisation. Thebes stands for the so-called fourth-century crisis, but Alexandria follows quickly enough to assure the reader that the concept of the city-state did not disappear but thrived during Alexander's lifetime and the Hellenistic period. The last city examined is Byzantium, followed by an epilogue and an appendix that discusses pan-Hellenic sanctuaries, with particular emphasis on Olympia and Delphi.

The chapter on Byzantium chronologically fits better before the chapter on Alexandria and the Hellenistic world since it ends with Philip's failed attempt to capture Byzantium in 340 b.c.e. Its placement as the last chapter made me expect to read what I actually found in the epilogue: a narrative that bridges the Greek world with the Roman and Byzantine empires, through the foundation of Constantinople.

This is a small quibble, however, because C. presents an exceptional amount of information through his case studies with remarkable clarity. He traces the history of each city from its mythical origins to its decline or destruction and, in this way, he not only presents the historical narrative but also discusses aspects of Greek religion, culture, society and, to a lesser extent, science, philosophy, gender relations and slavery. The emphasis remains primarily on politics and conflict, either within the Greek world or between Greeks and their non-Greek neighbours, especially the Persians and Carthaginians. Thus while the book focusses on the diversity of Greek culture and its interconnectedness, it does so mostly by discussing shifting alliances and wars among city-states. The appendix on pan-Hellenic sanctuaries could have been integrated into the main text, even if these sites were not cities. Such a chapter would highlight the tension between individual polities and the Greek world as a whole and between the diversity and sameness of ‘Greekness’. This is particularly important in a book intended for a general audience; war and conflict were part of daily life in the Greek world, but there were many other things – athletic competitions, common religious practices, etc. – that connected the network of Greek (and non-Greek) cities. These cultural practices could have been presented through a more elaborate discussion of the pan-Hellenic sanctuaries.

C. is to be applauded for his ability to present the complex history of the Greek world in such an accessible and entertaining manner. The prose is rich and the vocabulary at times is better suited for a learned audience, but the book is written with humour and has an oral tone to it that is appealing. The references to modern events and comparisons with modern situations will work well for the targeted readership, as will the titbits of information on the etymology of words. The maps and site-plans are a useful aid as are the glossary and who's who section. Some more illustrations of objects would have been helpful for the general reader. The suggestions for further reading are apt: they include the fundamental works in English on each of the topics.

This is an intelligently and elegantly written book for a non-expert audience. At a time when the efficacy of a classical education is being questioned it is wonderful to see a top scholar in his field write for a popular audience so successfully and explain so clearly why it matters for us to think about both the similarity and alterity of Greek civilisation.