The Edinburgh History of the Greeks, 323 to 30bc

This book is about the history of the Greeks in the Hellenistic period, 323-30 BC, which was a dynamic and dramatic time in which the Mediterranean landscape was transformed by war, migration, urbanisation, by new religions and by the creation of new forms of literature. This richness was created by the interaction of cultures and ethnic groups that saw the centre of Greek culture shift eastward. This Hellenistic culture has often been portrayed as a time of the fusion or the isolation of the many cultures that were part of this new world created by Alexander and his army. Manning argues that more accurately this was a world of hybridisation, as seen in institutions of governance, in economic structures, in religion and art, and in many other areas as well. He adopts four main themes throughout the book to illustrate this: continuity, diversity, cultural interaction and ultimately unity. This is an innovative book that re-evaulate the history of the Hellenistic world.