This historical survey covers the period from 700 BC to AD 550, tracing the development of Greek literature by concentrating on the works of the principal authors of each period--including Homer, Plato, Aristophanes, and Euripides--and illustrating general points with passages from their work in translation. It pays attention to unfamiliar components of Greek life and literature and also considers those elements that have appealed most powerfully to succeeding generations. Although it recognizes that this appeal lies above all in the most creative and inventive period (700-300 BC), the book also gives an account of the following eight hundred years, which saw the impact of earlier inspirations. Poetry, tragedy, comedy, history, science, philosophy, and oratory are all examined through the available literature. The second edition has been revised to take account of recent scholarship, such as the influence of oriental traditions of Greek literature, and includes several new translations and a thoroughly updated bibliography.