BookRecommended
The Iliad
Homer, translated by Robert Fagles
c. 8th century BC, this translation 1990
A towering poem about rage, grief and mortality, in a translation that reads with real urgency.
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Books
The ancient classics in their best translations, and the modern histories and retellings that bring them to life.
- BookRecommended
The Odyssey
Homer, translated by Emily Wilson
c. 8th century BC, this translation 2017Odysseus’ long voyage home, in a fresh and plain-spoken translation that is a joy to read.
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The Histories
Herodotus, translated by Tom Holland
c. 430 BC, this translation 2013The first great work of history, a sprawling, curious and endlessly entertaining tour of the ancient world.
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Persian Fire
Tom Holland
2005A gripping, thriller-paced history of the Persian Wars that gives the Persians their due.
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Mythos
Stephen Fry
2017A witty, warm and wonderfully accessible retelling of the Greek myths, from Chaos to the Olympians.
Read the review - BookWorth reading
The Peloponnesian War
Donald Kagan
2003A clear, balanced one-volume history of the long war between Athens and Sparta, by one of its foremost modern scholars.
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Alexander of Macedon, 356–323 BC
Peter Green
1991A rigorous, unsentimental biography of Alexander that shows both his brilliance and his brutality.
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The Republic
Plato, translated by Desmond Lee
c. 375 BC, this translation 1955Plato’s great dialogue on justice and the ideal state, in a clear and readable translation.
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The Oresteia
Aeschylus, translated by Ted Hughes
458 BC, this translation 1999The only complete tragic trilogy to survive from ancient Athens, in a raw and powerful version by a great poet.
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6 reviews
Films
From Hollywood epics to Greek-language cinema: what each film gets right, what it gets wrong, and whether it is worth your evening.
- FilmWorth watching
300
Directed by Zack Snyder
2006Visually stunning and enormously entertaining, but best enjoyed as a myth rather than a history lesson.
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Troy
Directed by Wolfgang Petersen
2004A big, handsome retelling of the Trojan War that removes the gods and loses much of Homer’s depth.
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Alexander
Directed by Oliver Stone
2004An ambitious but muddled portrait of Alexander, rescued in part by spectacular battle scenes.
Read the review - FilmWorth watching
Clash of the Titans
Directed by Desmond Davis
1981A charming fantasy version of the Perseus myth, made unforgettable by Ray Harryhausen’s stop-motion monsters.
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Agora
Directed by Alejandro Amenábar
2009A moving, underrated drama about the philosopher Hypatia and the twilight of learning in Roman Alexandria.
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Iphigenia
Directed by Michael Cacoyannis
1977A powerful film of Euripides’ tragedy, shot in the Greek landscape, with a magnificent Irene Papas.
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4 reviews
Documentaries
Television series and online films that explain the ancient world with care.
- DocumentaryRecommended
The Greeks: Crucible of Civilization
PBS, narrated by Liam Neeson
2000A three-part series that traces the rise of Athens from Cleisthenes to Pericles and Socrates, and still the best introduction on screen.
Read the review - DocumentaryRecommended
Meet the Romans with Mary Beard
BBC Two
2012Not about Greece, but a model of sceptical, accessible history from one of the great classicists.
Read the review - DocumentaryWorth watching
Ancient Impossible
History Channel
2014A popular series on ancient engineering that treats Greek ingenuity with more care than its channel’s reputation suggests.
Read the review - DocumentaryRecommended
The Antikythera Mechanism
UCL Antikythera Research Team, free online
2021A short, free video from the researchers who rebuilt the world’s oldest known computer, and it is astonishing.
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“Now that Tyrannio has arranged my books, my house seems to have been given a mind.”
