Overview

The dramatic story of the rise and collapse of Europe's first great urban experiment The growth of cities around the world in the last two centuries is the greatest episode in our urban history, but it is not the first. Three thousand years ago most of the Mediterranean basin was a world of villages; a world without money or writing, without temples for the gods or palaces for the mighty. Over the centuries that followed, however, cities appeared in many places around the Inland Sea, built by Greeks and Romans, and also by Etruscans and Phoenicians, Tartessians and Lycians, and many others. Most were tiny by modern standards, but they were the building blocks of all the states and empires of antiquity. The greatest--Athens and Corinth, Syracuse and Marseilles, Alexandria and Ephesus, Persepolis and Carthage, Rome and Byzantium--became the powerhouses of successive ancient societies, not just political centers but also the places where ancient art and literatures were created and accumulated. And then, half way through the first millennium, most withered away, leaving behind ruins that have fascinated so many who came after. Based on the most recent historical and archaeological evidence, The Life and Death of Ancient Cities provides a sweeping narrative of one of the world's first great urban experiments, from Bronze Age origins to the demise of cities in late antiquity. Greg Woolf chronicles the history of the ancient Mediterranean city, against the background of wider patterns of human evolution, and of the unforgiving environment in which they were built. Richly illustrated, the book vividly brings to life the abandoned remains of our ancient urban ancestors and serves as a stark reminder of the fragility of even the mightiest of cities.

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9780199946129

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Reviews

Greg Woolf takes us on a sumptuous, kaleidoscopic journey into the ancient city and well beyond. Urbanism in antiquity could be surprisingly small-scale, unstable and unpredictable, but cities had an outsize impact on politics, empire, and the environment. By tracing their rise and fall as well as the routes between them, Woolf brings rich new perspectives to the history of a Mediterranean much bigger than Greece and Rome. -Josephine Quinn, author of In Search of the Phoenicians Greg Woolf's new book, a lucid and gripping read, is a deep history of ancient cities, from the Sumerians through to the end of the ancient world. Based on a lifetime's work in history and archaeology, Woolf contests the romantic image of the wonders of classical civilization. Cities were usually small, usually part of the workaday world; but, all the same, they were remarkably successful. Woolf shows us how; and he forces us to rethink the way we see the ancient past. Both experts and those who are starting to learn about the ancient world will have to read this book. -Chris Wickham, author of Medieval Europe

A magisterial survey of ancient cities... The Life and Death of Ancient Cities is a big history that leaves aside some of those big comparative questions, preferring to draw out the contingent and the particular in its vivid portraits. Mr. Woolf makes for an authoritative, readable and thought-provoking guide through a few thousand years of our life as urban animals. -- Kyle Harper, The Wall Street Journal Fascinating and challenging... an impressive sweep of a book. -- Charlotte Higgins, The Guardian Greg Woolf reminds us of how vulnerable urban life has often been to plague, invasion and economic collapse. -- The Spectator Greg Woolf is a lively and learned guide to ancient cities... Woolf's book contains many brilliant insights and is a major contribution to the history of the Mediterranean. -- David Abulafia, Literary Review A deeply researched and ambitious natural history of the origins and growth of urbanism. -- Andrew Robinson, Nature An engaging and comprehensive read... Woolf provides an interesting discussion on how humans are suited to city life, and also offers some thought-provoking considerations on the current rate of globalisation that we're experiencing today... This book should appeal to those who want to discover another perspective on the history of the Mediterranean or, indeed, the ancient world. -- All About History This is an important study which should stand alongside the tours de force of Fernand Braudel and David Abulafia. -- Sir Michael Fallon, Classics for All The Life and Death of Ancient Cities joins a shelf full of enlightening new fun reads on understanding our beginnings in the ancient world. -- Robert S. Davis, New York Journal of Books If you have any interest in its subject, you won't regret the investment of time and money. -- John Wilson, The American Conservative We've been waiting for a book like this. It doesn't just review the evidence for cities from Uruk onwards in clear and compelling prose. It also questions whether we have misunderstood the role of the city in human history, presenting an alternative view. A must for all those living in or studying cities. --Chris Gosden, author of Prehistory: A Very Short Introduction This eye-opening book casts a whole new light on humanity's 5,000-year love-hate relationship with the city as Greg Woolf, one of the world's best ancient historians, shows us just how much the forces of evolution have shaped our social behavior. A must-read for everyone interested in the big picture. --Ian Morris, author of War! What Is It Good for? Greg Woolf takes us on a sumptuous, kaleidoscopic journey into the ancient city and well beyond. Urbanism in antiquity could be surprisingly small-scale, unstable and unpredictable, but cities had an outsize impact on politics, empire, and the environment. By tracing their rise and fall as well as the routes between them, Woolf brings rich new perspectives to the history of a Mediterranean much bigger than Greece and Rome. --Josephine Quinn, author of In Search of the Phoenicians Greg Woolf's new book, a lucid and gripping read, is a deep history of ancient cities, from the Sumerians through to the end of the ancient world. Based on a lifetime's work in history and archaeology, Woolf contests the romantic image of the wonders of classical civilization. Cities were usually small, usually part of the workaday world; but, all the same, they were remarkably successful. Woolf shows us how; and he forces us to rethink the way we see the ancient past. Both experts and those who are starting to learn about the ancient world will have to read this book. --Chris Wickham, author of Medieval Europe

We've been waiting for a book like this. It doesn't just review the evidence for cities from Uruk onwards in clear and compelling prose. It also questions whether we have misunderstood the role of the city in human history, presenting an alternative view. A must for all those living in or studying cities. --Chris Gosden, author of Prehistory: A Very Short Introduction This eye-opening book casts a whole new light on humanity's 5,000-year love-hate relationship with the city as Greg Woolf, one of the world's best ancient historians, shows us just how much the forces of evolution have shaped our social behavior. A must-read for everyone interested in the big picture. --Ian Morris, author of War! What Is It Good for?6R Greg Woolf takes us on a sumptuous, kaleidoscopic journey into the ancient city and well beyond. Urbanism in antiquity could be surprisingly small-scale, unstable and unpredictable, but cities had an outsize impact on politics, empire, and the environment. By tracing their rise and fall as well as the routes between them, Woolf brings rich new perspectives to the history of a Mediterranean much bigger than Greece and Rome. --Josephine Quinn, author of In Search of the Phoenicians Greg Woolf's new book, a lucid and gripping read, is a deep history of ancient cities, from the Sumerians through to the end of the ancient world. Based on a lifetime's work in history and archaeology, Woolf contests the romantic image of the wonders of classical civilization. Cities were usually small, usually part of the workaday world; but, all the same, they were remarkably successful. Woolf shows us how; and he forces us to rethink the way we see the ancient past. Both experts and those who are starting to learn about the ancient world will have to read this book. --Chris Wickham, author of Medieval Europe

Author Information

Greg Woolf is the Director of the Institute of Classical Studies, School of Advanced Study, at the University of London and author of Rome: An Empire's Story and Et Tu Bruté The Murder of Caesar and Political Assassination.

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