Legacies from Ancient Greece
Anita Ganeri
Belitha Press
London
1999
32 pp.
ISBN 1 84138 027 X
£9.99
Keywords History, Games, Philosophy, National cultures, Myths
By any standards and in any context the interdependence of civilizations, whether contemporary, historical or ancient, is a fascinating subject in its own right, as well as a means to a better understanding of our own world. As education shifts from the older pattern where such interdependencies were more obvious, it becomes of even greater importance to highlight cultural borrowings and legacies. Not only do we need to consider the legacies themselves, but also how they came into being, what was their original and contemporary context and so, even more starkly, how they are more than superficially relevant to today.
It is natural enough to start such a series with Greece and China, two of the world’s most ancient civilizations. The original contexts are related in an introduction with their cultural, geographical and archaeological background, a time chart of key dates, and a brief history. There are then two‐page chapters on various topics and their legacies to the rest of the world. These cover ‐ as they must ‐ the obvious topics: for Greece the Olympic Games, philosophy, drama, mythology and the like; for China silk, paper, printing, engineering and others. Each topic occupies the usual double‐page opening with a clear text containing enough detail to present the subject accurately and clearly, all with good colour illustrations. Each volume is completed by a glossary and index.
Text and illustrations combine well in consistently and clearly designed volumes to offer both good introductions and useful reference sources of facts for the target eight‐ to twelve‐year‐old age range. If some of the stories are told often enough elsewhere, they always bear a good re‐telling with illustrations and facts presented in a manner relevant to today’s children.
