Daily Life of the Ancient Greeks

Garland does an outstanding job of presenting a readable, easily understandable overview of daily life and culture among the ancient Greeks. His book destroys a number of myths about ancient Greece, and avoids the trap of becoming too closely engaged with the subject. He remains objective throughout, presenting neither positive nor negative spin on Greek lifestyle, and avoiding political bias. Garland clearly has no axe to grind. Furthermore, he presents the material in a way that modern readers can understand; he places the subject matter in the context of the times, but does not assume detailed knowledge of Greek culture or history by the reader. His writing is a bit dry at times, but that's unavoidable when presenting detailed descriptions of lifestyle and culture. I do wish the publisher would release another print run at a more reasonable price. $55 is unreasonable for any book. I suggest buying it used. In spite of the high price, I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in the way the ancient Greeks thought and acted. It has definitely improved my understanding of Greek history.