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Showing 59 entries for tag: Greek History

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Lewis Helfand , Lalit Kumar Singh

400 BC. The Story of the Ten Thousand

400 is a graphic novel retelling of the March of the Ten Thousand, a historical event which took place at the beginning of the fourth century BCE. Greek mercenaries found themselves stranded in what is now Iraq after the failure of a coup by Cyrus the Younger who was attempting to seize the Persian throne. The event is known to history largely because of the thorough account written by a participant in the events, the philosopher-historian Xenophon. His Anabasis, or journey up country, was writt(...)

literary

YEAR: 2010

COUNTRY: India


Jane Bingham , Robin Lawrie, Anne Millard

Alexander the Great

This title introduces young readers to biography and history, with elements of geography and politics, in a title that also encourages developing literacy through the use of fairly complex vocabulary and delivery in a relatively lengthy volume. The format is birth to death, following the traditions of biography. A map of Alexander's empire opens the work and orientates the reader, and this is followed by ten chapters on Alexander's life, in which text and image are interspersed; most pag(...)

literary

YEAR: 2004

COUNTRY: United Kingdom


Jamila Gavin, David Parkins

Alexander the Great. Man, Myth, or Monster?

Alexander the Great. Man, Myth, or Monster? introduces young readers to ancient history via biography. The birth to death format follows the traditions of biography, while the narrative also moves forward and backwards in parts, with the narrator recalling previous events or anticipating events that will occur later. The story is punctuated by mythic tales which are introduced as if being told to soldiers in the story. These embedded myths are well chosen to reflect what is happening in the main(...)

literary

YEAR: 2011

COUNTRY: United Kingdom


Anna M. Komornicka

Alpha and Omega, or Antiquity Encapsulated [Alfa i Omega, czyli starożytność w miniaturze]

Based on: Katarzyna Marciniak, Elżbieta Olechowska, Joanna Kłos, Michał Kucharski (eds.), Polish Literature for Children & Young Adults Inspired by Classical Antiquity: A Catalogue (accessed: June 11, 2021), Faculty of “Artes Liberales”, Warsaw: University of Warsaw, 2013, 444 pp.This is the last volume in the series The Legacy of Antiquity, where the author explains the classical origin of well-known expressions used by famous Greek and Roman leaders, philosophers etc., such as (...)

literary

YEAR: 1995

COUNTRY: Poland


Cath Senker

Ancient Greeks

Ancient Greeks is an educational, introduction to ancient Greek culture aimed at children aged 7+. This title is one of several titles in the Ladybird Histories series, including Kings and Queens, Tudor and Stuarts, Ancient Egyptians, The Vikings, Romans, and Anglo-Saxons. Each is written in a similarly serious tone. Through the combination of titles, the series presents the Ancient Greeks as an important non-British historical society. Ancient Greeks focuses on the Classical period, w(...)

literary

YEAR: 2015

COUNTRY: United Kingdom


Joe Lillington, Iris Volant

Ancient Warriors

Ancient Warriors is divided as follows: overview of specific armies; short biographies of military leaders; overviews of battles throughout history. The book covers the Bronze Age until the 14th Century CE and features armies such as the Mayans (pp. 12–13), the Romans (pp. 24–28), the Huns (pp. 34–35), the Vikings (pp. 42–43), and the Samurai (pp. 50–51). These armies are arranged chronologically and are described along with their respective military leaders such as(...)

literary

YEAR: 2018

COUNTRY: United Kingdom


Andrew Matthews, Tony Ross

Antony and Cleopatra

The book belongs to the series by Andrew Matthews, where classic plays of William Shakespeare are retold. The story about Antony and Cleopatra is told in a form of recollections of Servius, one of Antony’s loyal soldiers. Servius goes back to recall memories from the day when he was listening to Antony giving a speech over Caesar's body. Shortly afterward, Servius was appointed to be Antony’s Centurion. Since that moment, the soldier’s memories overlap with the events known(...)

literary

YEAR: 2001

COUNTRY: United Kingdom


Shirin Yim Bridges, Albert Nguyen

Artemisia of Caria

This is an illustrated history book for young readers which tells the story of the Persian Wars with focus on the role of Artemisia of Caria and the social history of her life and times. Artemisia opens with sixteen names in a pronunciation guide and an invitation to try saying them aloud, before moving on to an introduction.The introduction begins with an account of the traditional superstition that it is bad luck to have women, or at least upper class women, on board ship, and the general expe(...)

literary

YEAR: 2010

COUNTRY: United States of America


Ubisoft , Ubisoft Montréal

Assassin’s Creed Odyssey

Please note, this entry will contain spoilers for the game.Assassin’s Creed Odyssey is a game set in ancient Greece, during the Peloponnesian War. It is the prequel to the other games in the Assassin’s Creed series. It follows the adventures of the “tainted one”, who is either named Kassandra or Alexios. The player has the choice to play either as Kassandra or as Alexios. For this entry, the protagonist will be referred to Kassandra as she is the “canon” chara(...)

electronic

YEAR: 2018

COUNTRY: United States of America


Simon Spence

Atalanta

Atalanta offers a retelling of the myths of Atalanta the huntress for a young audience. The retelling takes a biographical form, opening with Atalanta's early childhood and ending with her living out "the rest of [her] days." This retelling might be considered a feminist retelling of the myths, as the narrator encourages the reader to approve of Atalanta's skills and independence of mind and to disagree with those who wish to limit her actions because she is female. This has th(...)

literary

YEAR: 2016

COUNTRY: United Kingdom


David Hair, Catherine Mayo

Athena’s Champion (Olympus, 1)

Athena’s Champion begins Hair and Mayo’s Olympus trilogy, which follows the early stages in Odysseus’ story. This novel details his discovery of his true parentage and divine lineage, and awakening to the world of the Gods as Odysseus is selected as Athena’s champion. As her champion, he is required to fight for her on earth alongside – and eventually against – Theseus, another of her celebrated servants. Odysseus begins the story as he attends a coming-of-age(...)

literary

YEAR: 2018

COUNTRY: United Kingdom


Stewart Ross

Athens is Saved!

Athens is Saved! opens with a note To the Reader from the author. The note explains that the story is based on a real event, with some invented parts added to make the story more fun. The author adds his wish that the story will encourage the reader to find out more about ancient Greece and perhaps to run their first marathon.Notes on The Story So Far are divided into three sections: Ancient Greece, The Persians, and Athens. Ancient Greece explains that "Before the time of Jesus Christ"(...)

literary

YEAR: 1997

COUNTRY: United Kingdom


Patrick Branwell Brontë

Branwell's Blackwood's Magazine. The Glass Town Magazine (with contributions from his sister Charlotte Brontë)

The British authors, Charlotte, Emily, and Anne Brontë, whose novels included Jane Eyre (1847), Wuthering Heights (1847), and The Tenant of Wildfell Hall (1848), began their careers by writing elaborate juvenilia alongside their brother, Branwell. Together the sibling Brontë children created an imaginary society in West Africa – The Glass Town Federation, a union of four kingdoms and a federal capital – the Great Glass Town. They wrote extensively about that society, creati(...)

literary

YEAR: 1995

COUNTRY: Canada


Barbara Kramer

Cleopatra

The book is dedicated to children who reached level 3, meaning that they are capable of reading on their own and they can start to expand their vocabulary. The opening chapters introduce Cleopatra and explain where her ancestors came from and what her life in Alexandria looked like. The next chapters move on to Cleopatra's reign and her love for Julius Caesar and Marcus Antonius. The extensive biography of Cleopatra ends with chapters containing information about the Battle of Actium and the(...)

literary

YEAR: 2015

COUNTRY: United States of America


Hugo Pratt

Corto Maltese. The Golden House of Samarkand (Corto Maltese, 7)

The Maltese adventures typically involve a mission to locate an item of some sort within a challenging environment. In this, the seventh instalment in the series, Corto has heard tell of a manuscript by Lord George Byron the poet which Byron's friend, Edward Trelawny, hid on the island of Rhodes. Corto is on Rhodes to retrieve the manuscript. He locates it without too much difficulty and it contains a map to the "Great Gold" - the treasure of Alexander the Great, which is in the Go(...)

literary

YEAR: 1974

COUNTRY: France Italy


Imogen Greenberg , Isabel Greenberg

Discover… The Ancient Greeks

Discover...  began in 2016. It is part of a series offering a light-hearted introduction to a range of ancient cultures, including The Roman Empire, The Ancient Aztecs, and The Ancient Egyptians.Discover... The Ancient Greeks opens with the stated intention of exploring who the ancient Greeks really were. The book is divided into 2-page sub-sections, each discussing a different aspect of ancient Greek culture.(...)

literary

YEAR: 2017

COUNTRY: United States of America


Jan Parandowski

From the Ancient World [Z antycznego świata]

Based on: Katarzyna Marciniak, Elżbieta Olechowska, Joanna Kłos, Michał Kucharski (eds.), Polish Literature for Children & Young Adults Inspired by Classical Antiquity: A Catalogue, Faculty of “Artes Liberales”, Warsaw: University of Warsaw, 2013, 444 pp. This is a collection of short, varied essays introducing young readers to the fascinating world of Antiquity. Topics are very diverse, ranging from archaeology, Greek art, culture, architecture, history, and the Roman Empir(...)

literary

YEAR: 1958

COUNTRY: Poland


Baby Professor Series

Greeks and Persians Go to War: War Book Bestsellers: Children’s Ancient History

Greeks and Persians Go to War opens with a conundrum: how did the Greeks win the Persian Wars when Persia was so much bigger and wealthier? The following pages combine text and large images – particularly maps – to explain the answer.Fifty Years of War. The first section explains that Persia was a "huge empire centred on what is now Iran", while the Greeks lived on mainland Greece and in colonies around the Mediterranean. A modern map of Greece and Asia Minor either side of(...)

literary

YEAR: 2017

COUNTRY: United States of America


George O'Connor

Hades: Lord of the Dead (Olympians, 4)

Hades is the fourth instalment in the Olympians series. The graphic novel, told in a style akin to a modern super-hero comic, introduces the Greek Underworld and tells the myth of Persephone. The story opens in darkness, with words announcing that this is what happens when you die. The narrative follows Hermes, who goes on to the banks of the Styx. With the use of a perspective familiar from first-person computer games, the reader can see "their" shadow in the water; their greeny-white(...)

literary

YEAR: 2012

COUNTRY: United States of America


Dominic Brigstocke, Steve Connelly, William Terence Deary, Chloë Thomas

Horrible Histories (Series)

A sketch show based on the books of the same name by Terry Deary, focussing on many aspects of history not just the Classical areas. Each episode includes parodic songs teaching children about aspects of history, with both live-action and animated sections often working in conjecture to form the full picture of the sketch. Each sketch is accompanied by the narrative character Rattus Rattus who is used as an accuracy marker for the jokes within the series. The show takes a non-linear format (...)

audiovisual

YEAR: 2009

COUNTRY: United Kingdom


Martin Brown , William Terence Deary

Horrible Histories. The Groovy Greeks

A humorous overview of the mythology and history of Ancient Greece. After an introduction to Greek "gruesome gods" and "petrifying plays and electrifying epics", Deary zooms in on the "savage Spartans" and the "odd Athenians". He then summarises the Persian and Peloponnesian Wars, before giving an entertaining account of the life and deeds of "Alexander the Great-er". The following chapters describe how Ancient Greeks thought, lived, and died, wi(...)

literary

YEAR: 1995

COUNTRY: United Kingdom


Ian Andrews, Penelope Lively

In Search of a Homeland

This is a retelling of the post-homeric story of the Aeneid and of the origins of Rome.(...)

literary

YEAR: 2001

COUNTRY: United Kingdom


Blair Drawson, Sheldon Oberman

Island of the Minotaur. Greek Myths of Ancient Crete

This is an interesting take on the myth of the Minotaur which places it within a wide context by telling a selection of myths that build up to the Minotaur's demise. This creates a multi-generational story which arcs from the days of Cronos until Phaedra's departure from Crete as the last queen of Knossos. The myths of Medea and Ariadne are told in contrast to each other. The work begins and ends with historicising interpretations of the myths, relating the myths' connections to Mino(...)

literary

YEAR: 2003

COUNTRY: Canada United Kingdom


Halina Rudnicka

King Agis [Król Agis] (Spartan Trilogy [Trylogia spartańska/Trylogia antyczna], 1)

Based on: Katarzyna Marciniak, Elżbieta Olechowska, Joanna Kłos, Michał Kucharski (eds.), Polish Literature for Children & Young Adults Inspired by Classical Antiquity: A Catalogue (accessed: June 11, 2021), Faculty of “Artes Liberales”, Warsaw: University of Warsaw, 2013, 444 pp., section by Helena Płotek, Joanna Grzeszczuk and Michał Kucharski, pp. 311–323.King Agis is the first book of Halina Rudnicka’a Spartan Trilogy. 3rd century B.C., Sparta. Young Agis succeeds(...)

literary

YEAR: 1963

COUNTRY: Poland


Thetis Authentics Ltd.

Knucklebones and Marbles [Αστράγαλοι και βώλοι (Astragáloi kai vṓloi)]

The Thetis Authentics range of puzzles and games are reproductions of sections of ancient vases, recreated on flat ceramic plaques, and, as in this instance, reproductions of ancient games. The Thetis website describes the puzzles as “archaeologically inspired” and as “museum quality ancient ceramic replicas”. In this instance, the set consists of two sets of play things: a set of six ceramic knuckle-bones decorated with a “K”, and a set of six ceramic spheres(...)

material

YEAR: 2012

COUNTRY: Greece


Marisa De Castro

Let’s Go to Crete! [Πάμε στην Κρήτη; (Páme stīn Krī́tī?)]

Marisa Decastro and Mark Weinstein take young children and their guardians on a sightseeing tour of Crete, which is, as we read in the opening page, Greece’s largest island. Children are encouraged to mark places of interest on a sketch-map of Crete. The exploration of Crete starts with its diverse landscapes. These range from high mountains with gorges to plains with olive groves. Mention is made of the Cretan ibex, the so-called “kri-kri”, an indigenous wild goat. The descrip(...)

literary

YEAR: 2009

COUNTRY: Greece


Joe Infurnari , Boaz Yakin

Marathon

Marathon tells the story of the Battle of Marathon, which was fought in Greece in 490 BCE. The book's focus is placed on the traditions around extraordinary running feats relating to the battle, with the runner, Eucles, acting as protagonist.The book opens in the years before the Battle of Marathon, when Athens was ruled by the tyrant, Hippias, son of Peisistratus. Eucles, at this time, is a child slave. After Eucles being noticed for his speed, Hippias takes him on as his messenger, but war(...)

literary

YEAR: 2012

COUNTRY: United States of America


Ollie Cuthbertson, Gary Smailes

Marathon (EDGE: Battle Books, 4)

This is a choose-your-own-adventure story in which the basic premise is established and the reader then makes choices that determine the development and out-come of the story. In Marathon the reader plays as Miltiades the general. Based on the choices made, the reader will then receive a ranking on their performance as general, poor, ok, good, or great, and the outcome of the battle will be either death, partial victory, or complete victory. The reader will be prompted to consider many aspects o(...)

literary

YEAR: 2011

COUNTRY: United Kingdom


Roy Knipe, Geoffrey Trease

Mission to Marathon

Mission to Marathon immerses the young reader in the tense events of the Battle of Marathon campaign in 490BCE. The story follows a fictional protagonist, Philip, the young son of an Athenian sculptor. When Philip's father hears in the Assembly that the Persians have reached Euboea he anticipates that they will land at Marathon to make their invasion. Philip is tasked with hurrying to the village of Marathon to warn their extended family and urge them to seek safety. Philip's elder broth(...)

literary

YEAR: 1997

COUNTRY: United Kingdom


George O'Connor

Olympians (Series)

Olympians is a series of graphic novels that takes one deity per volume as the focus, retelling numerous myths related to that god.Volume 1. Zeus. King of the Gods. Featuring creation myths and the war between the Titans and Olympians. Narrator unspecified.Volume 2. Athena. Grey-Eyed Goddess. Featuring the myth of Athena's conception and birth; Pallas; the attack of the Giants; Medusa and Perseus; Arachne. Narrated by the Moirae (The Fates). Volume 3. Hera. The Goddess and her Glory. Fe(...)

literary

YEAR: 2010

COUNTRY: United States of America


Albert Barillé

Once Upon a Time... The Discoverers (Series, S01E02) : Archimedes and the Greeks [Il était une fois… les Découvreurs: Archimède et les Grecs]

Archimède et les Grecs is the second episode of the series about discoveries entitled Il était une fois… [Once Upon a Time…]. It presents the achievements of ancient Greek thought in terms of science and engineering by introducing Archimedes in an interesting and approachable way. The plot is similar to any other episode in the series: a white-haired, old Maestro narrates histories about important inventions from the past to a group of bored or inattentive childr(...)

audiovisual

YEAR: 1994

COUNTRY: France


Albert Barillé

Once Upon a Time... The Discoverers (Series, S01E03): Heron of Alexandria [Il était une fois… les Découvreurs: Héron d’Alexandrie]

Héron d’Alexandrie is the third episode of the series about discoverers entitled Il était une fois… It presents in a way, suitable for children, the achievements of ancient Alexandrian science, in particular the character of Heron of Alexandria, against a historical and cultural background. The structure corresponds to the template used in all of the episodes in the series: the white-bearded old Maestro narrates tales of important inventions from the past to a group of(...)

audiovisual

YEAR: 1994

COUNTRY: France


Thetis Authentics Ltd.

Ostrakon [Óστρακον (Óstrakon)]

The Thetis Authentics Ostrakon game challenges people to "excavate" a slab of plaster to discover reproductions of pottery fragments (ostracons or "ostraca"). One of the fragments will be an imitation of an ostracon used in a political ostracism – an occasion when adult male Athenians of the classical period would scratch (or get someone else to scratch) onto a sherd of pottery the name of an individual whom they wished to see exiled from the city for a certain limited (...)

electronic

YEAR: 2010

COUNTRY: Greece


Simon Spence

Persephone

The Early Greek Myths series of children’s books presents myths for very young readers. The books tell the myths in simple language. Each double page includes a full-page illustration on the left page and a page of text on the right. Stephen Fry provides a forward to Persephone. He explains that myths tell us the stories of inspirational characters and of the way things came to be. Persephone is "one of the most delightful" myths, relating "how young Persephone got lost and (...)

literary

YEAR: 2018

COUNTRY: Ireland


George O'Connor

Poseidon. Earth Shaker (Olympians, 5)

Poseidon. Earth Shaker has Poseidon himself as its narrator and it tells stories of the god’s offspring and of his contest to be the patron of Athens. As a first generation Olympian, Poseidon was part of the overthrow of Cronos, and the graphic novel opens with the brothers Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades looking down into the great chasm into which Cronos has been hurled. The division of the realms takes place, and "of course" (p. 4), Poseidon receives the seas as his domain. There ar(...)

literary

YEAR: 2013

COUNTRY: United States of America


Mattel, Inc.

Princess of Ancient Greece™ Barbie® Doll

This collector’s edition doll depicts the ‘Princess of Ancient Greece’. Unlike many of the ancient Greece inspired dolls produced by Barbie (including three versions of Athena (here, here and here), two versions of Aphrodite (here and here), Medusa, and Flora/Chloris, all also surveyed on this database), this doll does not depict a mythical character but a representation of a real (royal) woman. The doll is dressed in a tight-fitting coppery pleated dress (identified by the box(...)

material

YEAR: 2003

COUNTRY: United States of America


Peter Bull Art Studio , Sarah Kahn

Spot the Mummy in the Museum

Each volume in the Spot the... series presents children with an environment to explore. Greco-Roman culture forms a prominent part of the environment in this edition, which is set in a museum. Each double-page spread in the books in this series depicts a scene from the specified environment which children search to find the themed object; in this case they search for the mummy in each room of the museum. Each double-page also picks out approximately five objects that are specific to that scene f(...)

literary

YEAR: 2015

COUNTRY: United Kingdom


Witold Makowiecki, Robert Pawlicki

The Adventures of Melikles the Greek [Przygody Meliklesa Greka]

Based on: Katarzyna Marciniak, Elżbieta Olechowska, Joanna Kłos, Michał Kucharski (eds.), Polish Literature for Children & Young Adults Inspired by Classical Antiquity: A Catalogue, Faculty of “Artes Liberales”, Warsaw: University of Warsaw, 2013, 444 pp.The Mediterranean basin during the last years of the reign of the pharaoh Apries (ca 570 BC). Melikles, a 16-year old Greek from Miletus, is kidnapped by Phoenician corsairs and sold as a slave in Carthage. Kallias, a sailor from(...)

literary

YEAR: 1947

COUNTRY: Poland


Delphine Dumont

The Battle of Marathon. The Decisive End of the First Greco-Persian War

This short educational book uses a combination of short text sections and inset text boxes to communicate the events and context of the Battle of Marathon to teenagers and young adults. The publisher asserts that this style makes the information easier to absorb and remember, serving as a sort of short course in the subject. The sections included are as follows:The Battle of Marathon: Key Information.Political and Social Context:Expansion of the Persian EmpireThe Ionian RevoltThe Aegean Strategy(...)

literary

YEAR: 2013

COUNTRY: France


Wojciech Grajkowski , Piotr Socha

The Book of Bees [Pszczoły]

Pszczoły is a large format non-fiction illustrated book. Each spread is dedicated to different topic concerning bees: their biology, production of honey, human-bees relations during history, modern beekeeping etc. Among general topics, the reader may find some connected to antiquity, presenting ancient Egypt, Greek mythology, and ancient history (Alexander the Great and Poppaea Sabina, the second wife of the emperor Nero). Also there are two newspaper-like spreads, containing briefly described f(...)

literary

YEAR: 2015

COUNTRY: Poland


Yann Le Bras, Jean Paul Mongin

The Death of Socrates [La mort du divin Socrate]

The Plato and Co. publications explore the lives and works of ancient and modern philosophers in highly illustrated slim volumes. This contribution to the series addresses the trial and subsequent death of Socrates following Plato's account and in doing so presents a number of Socrates' ideas as a narrative of this period of his life. The Death of Socrates opens with an enquiry, apparently from the narrator, to the Delphic Oracle as to who is the wisest man in Greece. The oracle ans(...)

literary

YEAR: 2010

COUNTRY: France


Daniel Minter , Susan Reynolds

The First Marathon. The Legend of Pheidippides

The inner covers of The First Marathon depict a map of Greece and of the Persian Empire up to the Euphrates and down to Sidon. Persian territory is coloured orange, Greek yellow. The opening of the story shows Pheidippides as a child, running. The text explains that "before there were telephones, cars, or computers, there was a boy named Pheidippides." (p. 1). Pheidippides loved to run, even running around his mother as she shopped. As he got older he ran the hills around Athens a(...)

literary

YEAR: 1997

COUNTRY: United States of America


Ursula Dubosarsky

The Golden Day

The Golden Day tells the story of a group of eleven schoolgirls from a private school in Sydney who are shocked when their teacher disappears on a school outing. ‘Today we will visit the gardens and think about death,’ says their teacher, Miss Renshaw, and she takes the girls to the beach, and into a cave, where she disappears. Beginning in 1967 and concluding in 1975, during Australia’s involvement in the Vietnam War, the story includes reflection on the nature of war, persona(...)

literary

YEAR: 2011

COUNTRY: Australia


Justyna Jastrzębska

The Graeco-Persian Wars [Wojny Greków z Persami]

Based on: Katarzyna Marciniak, Elżbieta Olechowska, Joanna Kłos, Michał Kucharski (eds.), Polish Literature for Children & Young Adults Inspired by Classical Antiquity: A Catalogue (accessed: June 11, 2021), Faculty of “Artes Liberales”, Warsaw: University of Warsaw, 2013, 444 pp.The text describes the history of armed conflicts that took place in 499–449 BC. between the Persian Empire and Greece, a country, metaphorically, tiny as the surface of a shield, but capable of ac(...)

literary

YEAR: 1912

COUNTRY: Austro-Hungarian Empire Congress Poland Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria Russian Empire


Patrick Branwell Brontë

The History of the Young Men

This work opens with an extensive Introduction which details the early lives of the Brontë children and the evolution of their creative writing. There is also a section of Notes on the Text, which provides a manuscript history and images of the original. Branwell's introduction provides the history of the acquisition of the toy soldiers who formed the basis of the stories. He adds, "this history is a statement of what Myself, Charlotte Emily and Ann really pretended did happen"(...)

literary

YEAR: 2010

COUNTRY: Australia


Gillian Cross, Neil Packer

The Iliad

Gillian Cross' The Iliad opens with events prior to the Trojan War, starting with the three goddesses arguing over the apple. The text then moves on to a retelling of Homer's Iliad itself, before concluding with an "Afterwards" chapter relating Achilles' death, the quarrel over his armour, the wooden horse, Cassandra's insight (Virgil, Aeneid, 2.246), the fall of Troy, Diomedes' and Odysseus' post-Troy journeys, and Agamemnon's murder (see esp. Aeschylus, Ag(...)

literary

YEAR: 2015

COUNTRY: United Kingdom


Jim Whiting

The Life and Times of Herodotus

Ch. 1. A Historic First, and the First History opens with an image of the Battle of Salamis accompanying a novelistic account of the Athenian army rushing to return to Athens following, as the reader discovers, the Battle of Marathon. Without knowing it, the Athenians are "competing in history's first marathon" (p. 9). The Persians left once they saw the Athenians at their city. "Centuries later, a legend would arise" about a messenger running from the battlefie(...)

literary

YEAR: 2006

COUNTRY: United States of America


Margaret McAlister

The Lion Classic Aesop's Fables

Fables attributed to Aesop were collated in antiquity by Demetrius of Phaleron, c. 300BCE (Diogenes Laertius, 5.80), and passed on through various retellings in antiquity and the medieval, early modern, and modern periods. In this collection of retellings by Margaret McAllister, it is explicitly stated in the inside cover that the stories "provide a cautionary moral to help young listeners grow clever and wise." This emphasis on morality and personal development is in-keeping with the (...)

literary

COUNTRY: United Kingdom


Mary Renault

The Lion in the Gateway. The Heroic Battles of the Greeks and Persians at Marathon, Salamis, and Thermopylae

Ch. I. The Arrow of Ormuz. The Lion opens with a description of the mountainous Greek landscape. We hear of boys guarding flocks from wolves and the presence of many more dangers from pirates and raiders. Many Greeks seek land through colonisation, with many going east to settle Ionia. The ancient Greek disposition is described – an independent spirit that rejects kings in favour of oligarchies and democracies, inquiring minds which ask questions and seek answers about all manner of things(...)

literary

YEAR: 1964

COUNTRY: United Kingdom


Gillian Cross, Neil Packer

The Odyssey

Gillian Cross' Odyssey is an abridged retelling of Homer's Odyssey, set in Greek antiquity. It is a retelling of ancient myth with an emphasis on striking visualisation. Chapter headings:The WarTravelling into DisasterThe Giant in the CaveAeolus and CirceGhosts and MonstersStranded on Calypso's IslandNausicaaOdysseus the BeggarA Husband for PenelopeHomer's Odyssey is retold, rearranged into more chronological order. The introduction explains the Trojan War briefly by way of (...)

literary

YEAR: 2012

COUNTRY: United Kingdom


Evi Pini, Elisa Vavouri

The Trojan War. The Beginning of History [Τρωικός Πόλεμος. Η αρχή της ιστορίας (Trōikós Pólemos. Ī archī́ tīs istorías)]

Evi Pini explains how the Trojan War started. The text is in the form of a fairy tale, as implied by the standard phrase “once upon a time” (my translation) at the very beginning. The book begins with Eris and ends with Iphigeneia’s last-minute rescue from being sacrificed to Artemis. Neither fighting nor bloodshed is presented. Instead, we have an account of human and divine passions and emotions, as well as a description of logistical preparations for going to war.&nbs(...)

literary

YEAR: 2012

COUNTRY: Greece


Antonis Antoniadis

The Wolf of Sparta [Ο λύκος της Σπάρτης (O lýkos tīs Spártīs)]

The novel is set during the Greek-Persian wars, from the battle of Thermopylae to the Battle of Plataea as seen by the only survivor of the 300 Spartan warriors of King Leonidas I, who set out to guard the Helladic world against the Persians. Aristodemos – a descendant of the royal line of the Herakleides – and his companion Eurytos lose their sight upon being sprayed in their faces with viper poison on the battlefield. They are sent to consult Aesculapius’ priests in the milit(...)

literary

YEAR: 2009

COUNTRY: Greece


Piotr Fąfrowicz, Zofia Stanecka

Troy. A Story of the City's Fall [Troja. Historia upadku miasta]

The story is a brief description of the Trojan War written for children aged 6–7 who are learning how to read. The classical story begins and ends with a pacifist message saying that every war, even if it generates stories about heroic deeds, is a dreadful event that causes tears and leaves towns in ruins.(...)

literary

YEAR: 2017

COUNTRY: Poland


Henryk Jerzy Chmielewski

Tytus, Romek and A’Tomek. Book 6: Tytus Becomes an Olympic Athlete [Tytus, Romek i A’Tomek. Księga VI: Tytus olimpijczykiem]

Based on: Katarzyna Marciniak, Elżbieta Olechowska, Joanna Kłos, Michał Kucharski (eds.), Polish Literature for Children & Young Adults Inspired by Classical Antiquity: A Catalogue, Faculty of “Artes Liberales”, Warsaw: University of Warsaw, 2013, 444 pp.Romek and A’Tomek prepare their friend Tytus, an anthropomorphic chimpanzee, for the Olympic Games in Kogutkowo Górne [Upper Cockerel Town]. Besides feedinghim a special diet, they use an extraordinary, multi-discipl(...)

literary

YEAR: 1971

COUNTRY: Poland


Anthony ("Tony") Robinson, Del Thorpe

Weird World of Wonders: Greeks

This work is a humorous introduction to the history and culture of ancient Greece. There is significant focus on classical Greece, although there is also some material on the career of Alexander the Great, followed by brief sections on the Hellenistic world and the coming of Rome. In keeping with book's title and the rest of the series of which it is a part, the representation of ancient culture focuses on things that appear eccentric, funny, cruel, or disgusting by modern Western standards.(...)

literary

YEAR: 2012

COUNTRY: United Kingdom


Małgorzata Karkowska , Monika Warneńska

We’ll Meet on Atlantis [Spotkamy się na Atlantydzie]

Based on: Katarzyna Marciniak, Elżbieta Olechowska, Joanna Kłos, Michał Kucharski (eds.), Polish Literature for Children & Young Adults Inspired by Classical Antiquity: A Catalogue (accessed: June 11, 2021), Faculty of “Artes Liberales”, Warsaw: University of Warsaw, 2013, 444 pp., section by Helena Płotek, pp. 406–407.The story begins when the young protagonist Alekos Dragumis is travelling to Greece by train. He is the son of a deceased Greek father and a Polish moth(...)

literary

YEAR: 1988

COUNTRY: Poland


Kelsey Oseid

What We See in the Stars: An Illustrated Tour of the Night Sky

What We See in the Stars is an informative work which uses attractive illustrations and clear language to communicate about the science of space, the history of space science (including ancient science), and the mythology connected to that science. The work is explicit at the start about its mission to teach science and mythology. It begins by explaining that knowledge of the stars was initially important for agriculture and navigation, and that modern star-gazing is a way to connect with "(...)

literary

YEAR: 2017

COUNTRY: United Kingdom United States of America


Andrew Thomson, Kathryn Waterfield , Robin Waterfield

Who Was Alexander the Great?

Introduction: Who Was Alexander the Great? begins the work with a novelistic retelling of Alexander's taming of Bucephalus, written in the present tense. King Philip says that Alexander needs a kingdom bigger than Macedon and Alexander goes on to conquer the known world in just 13 years, "No wonder he becomes known as Alexander the Great!" (p. 6). The Son of his Father. A map of Greece and Macedon can be seen at the beginning of chapter 1. It is explained that Alexander was bo(...)

literary

YEAR: 2016

COUNTRY: United States of America


Margaux Carpentier, Isabel Otter

Wonders of the World. An Interactive Tour of Marvels and Monuments

Wonders of the World is a highly illustrated and well-designed lift-the-flap publication. The book is divided into two main parts. The first presents the seven wonders of the ancient world, the second the wonders of what is referred to as the "modern world", although some of these entries were also built in antiquity. A double-page at the end presents seven natural wonders. Each wonder has a page of its own with one or two flaps and information distributed across an average of fiv(...)

literary

YEAR: 2018

COUNTRY: United Kingdom