"Written by four leading authorities on the classical world, here is a new history of ancient Greece that dynamically presents a generation of new scholarship on the birthplace of Western civilization." "Ranging from Greece's first beginnings in the Bronze Age through the tumultuous Hellenistic era that followed the death of Alexander the Great, this volume offers a truly wide-ranging portrait, blending the traditional political and military approach with explorations of social and cultural history. Throughout the book, the authors trace the gradual evolution of Greek culture, revealing how the early Greeks borrowed from their neighbors but eventually developed a distinctive culture of their own, marked by astonishing creativity, versatility, and resilience."--Jacket.