This volume tells the story of the Ancient Greeks within its historical and cultural framework. Their world is presented here in chronological order, from the Bronze Age to the Christian era, a span of some 3500 years. Athens plays a large role, but other Greek cities are given much closer attention than in other standard accounts. Individual chapters look at the Greeks and their gods, and Greek art and architecture. The result is an authoritative study of a culture that made an unparalleled contribution to the rise of Western civilization.