The Life of Greece

The Life of Greece – The Story of Civilization Volume 2 – by Will Durant

Wow.  Just wow.  This book gets a five star rating, if anything, for its volume.  I checked this book out from my local library with the intent of finishing it within the two week time frame.  I needed to do a recheck for another two weeks.  I’m only saying this because I would recommend that you take about two months to digest a work such as this.  This thing is a thick, detailed, monster.  But a kind monster.

This book was simply an incredible experience to read.  The author (along with his wife Ariel) started the “Story of Civilization” series in the mid 1930s (this one was written in 1939).  They got up to volume 11, detailing the Napoleonic Empire, before Mr. Durant passed away.  It took him about four or five years to complete each volume.  That in itself is extraordinary.  I don’t think I could have written a book such as this if I would have had 50 years.

We are fortunate to know much about the Greek civilization.  Sadly, much of it has been left to speculation since the origins began several thousand years before Christ.  What we do know, you’ll find in this book.  Will Durant does an exhaustive research on everything related to the Greek Empire.  This book isn’t simply history.  Had it been, that would have been just fine.  He tackles everything, though, in very meticulous detail.  Imagine walking into a high school and reading every text book that every class has to offer – History, Science, Art, Mathematics, even Physical Education, and you’ll have an idea of just how encompassing this piece of work is.  I confess that there were portions of this book that I did not find as captivating as I found others.  When the author was describing, pottery, for example, I kind of just skimmed the pages (yes, that’s “pages”) where he describes in detail every nuance of the particular art.

This sort of thing can also be a drawback since there are so many people and places involved through the history of Greece.  Oh sure, most of us have heard names such as Euripides, Sophocles, Socrates, Homer, and Alexander, but there are a bazillion other characters as well.  Unless you have an uncanny knack for mastering alliteration, it can be quite a chore to digest names such as Achaeus, Acheron, Aeolus, Adrastus, Adonis, Arctonnesus, Aristomenes, and Aristophanes.  Sometimes many of these names are all on the same page.   Keep in mind, I’m only listing some of the “A’s”. 

As the book progresses in time, it became a bit easier to follow.  We have a lot more information handy of events that happened in 300 B.C as opposed to 3000 B.C.  Still, though, this is a book that must be read slowly to get the full effect – preferable with a notepad handy.

It’s really fascinating to see just how advanced the civilization was so many moons ago.  Equally absorbing is the fact that much of our modern day society resembles this era as well.  One can only hope our ending will be happier.  It’s also fascinating to see just how much of what we now know and use today, we can attribute to the Greeks.  Whether Geometry, Drama, Religion, Morals, or Philosophy – so much originated from Ancient Greece.

This book is highly recommended, but it’s definitely not for everyone.  This is an incredible reference, and reads as such as opposed to a more concise history book.  Definitely the text book sort.  Will Durant is also quite easy to follow.  He makes many wonderful observations within the book, and I found myself wishing that I owned the book (as opposed to it being borrowed from the library), so I could get a highlighter and mark it up.

I’ve already procured a few other of his works, and intend one day to read the entire 11 volumes.  Hopefully I’ll live that long.