This superbly illustrated book is divided into three main sections. The first, Greece , runs from the eighth to the fourth centuries BC, a period unparalleled in history for its brilliance in literature, philosophy, and the visual arts. The second, Greece and Rome , deals with the Hellenization of the Middle East by the monarchies established in the area conquered by Alexander the Great, the growth of Rome, and the impact of the two cultures on one another. The third, Rome , covers the foundation of the Roman Empire by Augustus and its consolidation in the first two centuries AD. An envoi discusses some aspects of the later Empire and its influence on western civilization, not least through the adoption of Christianity.