M.I. Finley 'The Ancient Greeks'

I should begin this with a warning; any history book from 1963 is bound to have been overtaken by more recent discoveries. In fact, I think that even the first line concerning a southward migration of Greek speaking people around BC1900 is now open to discussion. But even though this book is not filled with the most recent ideas it is still an excellent read. Intelligently and clearly written it covers all aspects of ancient Greek civilization; from history and culture to philosophy, science and technology. Finley is particularly interesting when addressing two of the paradoxes of the Greeks; why despite being extremely advanced in philosophy was Greek science and technology never fully developed; and biggest of all, how could a civilization with a highly developed concept of liberty also support wholesale slavery?

Penguin Books, 204 pages