The Story of Greece and Rome
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The Story of Greece and Rome Audible Audiobook – Unabridged

Tony Spawforth (Author), Steven Crossley (Narrator), Recorded Books (Publisher)
4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 162 ratings
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The magnificent civilization created by the ancient Greeks and Romans is the greatest legacy of the classical world. However, narratives about the "civilized" Greek and Roman empires resisting the barbarians at the gate are far from accurate. Tony Spawforth, an esteemed scholar, author, and media contributor, follows the thread of civilization through more than six millennia of history. His story reveals that Greek and Roman civilization, to varying degrees, was supremely and surprisingly receptive to external influences, particularly from the East.

From the rise of the Mycenaean world of the 16th century BC, Spawforth traces a path through the ancient Aegean to the zenith of the Hellenic state and the rise of the Roman empire, the coming of Christianity, and the consequences of the first caliphate. Deeply informed, provocative, and entirely fresh, this is the first and only accessible work that tells the extraordinary story of the classical world in its entirety.

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  1. Listening Length
    16 hours and 7 minutes
  2. Author
    Tony Spawforth
  3. Narrator
    Steven Crossley
  4. Audible release date
    November 7, 2018
  5. Language
    English
  6. Publisher
    Recorded Books
  7. ASIN
    B07K6SD5TC
  8. Version
    Unabridged
  9. Program Type
    Audiobook
  10. See all details
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Product details

Listening Length 16 hours and 7 minutes
Author Tony Spawforth
Narrator Steven Crossley
Whispersync for Voice Ready
Audible.com Release Date November 07, 2018
Publisher Recorded Books
Program Type Audiobook
Version Unabridged
Language English
ASIN B07K6SD5TC
Best Sellers Rank #121,128 in Audible Books & Originals (See Top 100 in Audible Books & Originals)
#72 in Ancient & Classical Greek History
#83 in Greek History
#128 in Ancient & Classical Roman History

Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
4.4 out of 5
162 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

J Michael Petersen
5.0 out of 5 stars Spanning immense historical periods with graceful flow, straight lines, firm foundation
Reviewed in the United States on February 15, 2023
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Non-professional historians who are immersed in history, as Mr. Spawforth is, as an archaeologist, can condense history into a one volume work that achieves a broad appeal. He is not shy about throwing out contemporary allusions to wiley politicians or TV drama to capture an apt simile. His sure-handed writing style reminds me of John Keay, who wrote excellent one volume histories of India and China . Factual errors are rare. I did notice that in describing water-borne diseases in Roman towns, he mentioned typhus instead of typhoid. The exception proves the general rule of strong factual foundation. I recommend this to readers at all levels.
4 people found this helpful
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scholar
5.0 out of 5 stars Covers a considerable history very well
Reviewed in the United States on December 29, 2020
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It was a pleasure to read this book, which was written well and carefully, but informally, which was entirely appropriate to the content. It insightfully chose a broad focus on the Greek heritage from early roots through Byzantium in a kind of review of general knowledge while updating archeological findings and historians' recent observation on particular eras, architecture, culture, and society. I enjoyed occasional observations from his prior experience and teaching, which enriched the sense of a very scholarly but very casual presentation.
14 people found this helpful
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Alexandrine
4.0 out of 5 stars The author's erudition and passion for the antiquity is impressive
Reviewed in the United States on June 11, 2019
Overall, it was an enjoyable read. I have adored Greek and Roman culture and mythology since I was a little girl. I even preferred reading myths than fairy-tales. Later, I become fascinated by stories of real people that lived in ancient Greece and Rome. So, I was looking forward to reading "The Story of Greece and Rome" by Tony Spawforth.

The author manages to write about history of Greece and Rome juggling many elements, facts, historical figures, cultural influences at the same time. It is impossible not to be impressed by the author's erudition. He writes about so many different aspects of Greek and Roman universe and he does it with such ease! Because of that the story really flows, there is continuity that the most of the books on history sadly lack. The drawback of this attitude is that the author cannot really stop to examine anything in depth. He simply glides through time and places, pointing out interesting facts.

I really think that you need a previous knowledge of Greek and Roman history to enjoy this book, because of few explanations and many references to people and places. If you know a lot about Greek and Roman history, then you will be able to enjoy this book in full.

I enjoyed revisiting the ancient world with the author. Sometimes, I got the impression that "The Story of Greece and Rome" is also a list of author's visit to the most impressive antiquities collections and archaeological sites. He constantly makes references to places, where he has been and people that he knows. It adds a very personal aspect to the book and I found it truly endearing. Maybe the author is boasting a little, but he has reasons to be proud of his erudition, knowledge and passion for the antiquity.

I recommend this book to historians and readers passionate about Greek and Roman history.
14 people found this helpful
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Clifford Brown
3.0 out of 5 stars Interesting, though a bit too pedantic
Reviewed in the United States on April 30, 2023
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I suspect this book is worth reading again, because I had trouble understanding what the point of all these little vignettes was in the beginning. The author clearly knows his stuff, and he has written a very detailed description of a very selected group of details, which impressed him at various stages in his career. It is a highly competent summary of a long historical period, one which continues to influence us to this day — which seems to be his main point. There are many fascinating details included in the book which make me not regret having spent the time to read it. I will let it percolate for a while and will probably try to read it again.
2 people found this helpful
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars good comprehensive overview
Reviewed in the United States on May 30, 2020
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I have read some works on the history of Rome but very little of the history of Greece. I found this book to be an excellent and very readable historical. it does a particularly fine job in characterizing the transitions and interactions among these two foundational cultures.
9 people found this helpful
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William L. Rowe
5.0 out of 5 stars A continueuum from accent Greece to the Middle Ages
Reviewed in the United States on August 12, 2023
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This was read in kindel. The maps could be printed. The author notes his reservations experiences which add context. The main point is western culture is continues. How it happened is explained.
One person found this helpful
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T.R.
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent overview
Reviewed in the United States on February 23, 2020
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Written in an interesting and conversational style that laypersons can easily understand. If you know very little about the time period covered (roughly 8th millennium BCE to the 7th century CE) this is an excellent overview of the major civilizations of the Mediterranean and their intertwined histories.
11 people found this helpful
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Elle
4.0 out of 5 stars Insightful and interesting
Reviewed in the United States on January 2, 2019
The author does a great job of connecting the dots--culturally, militarily, politically--between Greece and Rome. Since Greece came first, a lot of the history recounts how Greece influenced Rome. I was especially happy to read about how Greeks settled Sicily and interacted with the communities in southern Italy and northern Africa. The book was chock full of small items that were completely new to me, and the author was expert at getting to the origins of things I thought I already knew. I only wish he had a better grasp of the use of commas--I lost track of how many times I had to backtrack to the start of a sentence because the lack of a comma caused me to misread. But overall, a fascinating book.
9 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

Carlos Aguiar
5.0 out of 5 stars A good read
Reviewed in Spain on February 16, 2022
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Wonderfully well written, although sometimes difficult for a non-native speaker. References to archaeological objects and the author's experiences help to place the reader in the historical moment, making the reading more vivid. I emphasize the author's modesty in the care he took to point out the contradictory opinions of specialists and the eventual lack of knowledge. The political and socio-economic contextualization of historical events is remarkable.
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MR DAVID R BUNCEL
4.0 out of 5 stars A vision of history.
Reviewed in Australia on December 26, 2020
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Greek history is significant as the basis of western civilization. I have not read the book yet but it looks really instructive.
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Dr. R. H. Webber
5.0 out of 5 stars The best account of the Greeks and Romans
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 11, 2020
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This is a beautifully written book by an authority on the subject that nicely tells the story of the Greeks and Romans and especially how Rome leads on from the former. The Romans tend to dominate most things by taking over everything Greek so this helps to set the balance correctly and show how formative Greek civilisation was.
2 people found this helpful
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Kenneth MacLean
3.0 out of 5 stars Three Stars to a Five Star Book
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 8, 2019
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Having never been taught Greek and Roman history at school the idea of a single volume overview appealed to me and having now read the book I have no doubt that the author is a true expert in the subject.

I can quite appreciate why others have awarded five stars. The reason why I have not followed suit is that throughout the book there are passages which I found very irritating and unnecessary.

An example is where it is related that the Athenians decided to mount a military expedition to Sicily and we are told that the young men felt a longing for foreign sights and travel abroad. We are then informed that similar reasons are given by men and women who enlist today.

The latter information is totally unnecessary and has for me a tone of condescension.

As well as being laced with offerings of this friendly-friendly kind there are also frequent uses of the pronoun 'I', these being used in connection with the author's visits to historical sites and museums. I would have much preferred it if the relevance of these sites and museums had been related without undue reference to the author.

I fully realise that these criticisms are of a personal nature but nevertheless some others may also experience irritation from this type of sugar coated writing style.

Perhaps as an academic the author was trying his best to avoid a dry academic style. If so he did, in fact, succeed splendidly and he had no need to adorn the text in the way to whichI have alluded.
8 people found this helpful
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