Classical Civilization

Gr 6–9—These serviceable texts, decorated with archival illustrations of classical scenes and architecture, are a little dry and a little strange. They rely heavily on sources written by one or two scholars, and the bibliographies list few primary sources, although Greece includes brief passages from Thucydides and Herodotus. Nardo quotes historians at length, but the copious bracketed clarifications can be distracting, and there is an inconsistent use of ancient place names and their modern equivalents. One strength of the titles is the pertinent, interesting, and illustrated sidebars. The majority of the illustrations in these books is taken from earlier texts-an interesting choice, given the large amount of fine art available from each period. Some reproductions and a few photographs of ancient sites as they now appear are included. Margins are generous but not overly so; the book design is simple and readable, with texts placed on a background imitating aged paper. Each volume contains at least a couple of statements that could at best be described as disputable. Rome is called "the first urban civilization"; "Greek thinkers were the first people to fashion a systematic… approach to science"; democracy "is today the most prevalent and desirable form of government in the world"; and "theater was invented by the ancient Greeks." These, combined with a subtle but noticeable preoccupation with the Christian religion (in Rome, there is an emphasis on the legacy of Rome, including Christianity as "the principal religion of the late Roman world," and in a chapter about town life in Medieval Europe a section titled "Men and Women" begins with the unsupported statement, "Both men and women attended these churches with equal faith in and love for God"), erode the credibility of the texts.—Paula Willey, Baltimore County Public Library, Towson, MD