The story of the ancient Greeks is one of the most improbable success stories in world history. A small people inhabiting a country poor in resources and divided into hundreds of quarreling states created one of the most remarkable civilizations of antiquity. Comprehensive and balanced, A Brief History of Ancient Greece: Politics, Society, and Culture, Second Edition, is a shorter version of the authors' highly successfulAncient Greece: A Political, Social, and Cultural History, Second Edition (OUP, 2007). Four leading authorities on the classical world offer a lively and up-to-date account of Greek civilization and history in all its complexity and variety, covering the entire period from the Bronze Age through the Hellenistic Era, and integrating the most recent research in archaeology, comparative anthropology, and social history. Using physical evidence from archaeology, the written testimony of literary texts and inscriptions, and anthropological models based on comparative studies, this compact volume provides an account of the Greek world that is thoughtful and sophisticated yet accessible to students and general readers with little or no knowledge of Greece.A Brief History of Ancient Greece, Second Edition, is concise enough to be used alongside other books in courses in Greek Civilization, Greek and Roman Civilization, Ancient Greece, or Western Civilization. It is enhanced bytext boxes featuring excerpts from ancient documents, an extensive glossary, and a timeline and general introduction that provide a bird's-eye view of Greek history.New to the Second Edition* New sections on childhood and on marriage and burial rituals* An expanded treatment of religion* A revised art program that includes a new 8-page full-color photo insert, 125 black-and-white photographs and illustrations, and 17 new and improved custom-drawn maps* Key terms--in boldface type when they first appear in the text and listed at the end of each chapter* Selective, up-to-date recommendations for further reading* A companion website featuring student self-quizzes, discussion questions, flashcards of key terms, chapter summaries, a pronunciation guide, links to useful websites, and PowerPoint lecture outlines