Beyond the Acropolis
A Rural Greek Past
Tjeerd H. van Andel and Curtis N. Runnels
July 1987
236 Pages
Paperback ISBN: 9780804726214
Ebook ISBN: 9780804766777
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Beneath the cultural peaks of Ancient Greece lay the basic agricultural economy that made civilization possible. This book studies Greek country life from its earliest beginnings to the recent past, revealing a sequence of geological, geographical, cultural, and economic images spanning some 50,000 years of human settlement and land use.
"It is a rare and happy situation when a 'useful' book is also a pleasure to read. Such is the case with this book . . . which should be required reading for every person with a serious interest in any period of Greek history. . . . The presentation of the story is engaging, leavened throughout with wit and common sense. . . . The gracefully written text is accompanied by numerous maps and superb illustrations." —American Historical Review
"This charming and humane book deserves the attention of all those interested in archaeology in the widest sense of the word and of those keen to understand man's relationship to the natural landscape." —The Times Literary Supplement
"The text is well written and clear, the authors say it was fun to write, and with a mixture of well-designed maps and sketches of modern life and landscape, it is attractively produced and a good read."—Antiquity
"Beyond the Acropolis sets a new standard in the genre of popularizations of Mediterranean archaeological research."—Modern Greek Studies Yearbook
"This charming and humane book deserves the attention of all those interested in archaeology in the widest sense of the word and of those keen to understand man's relationship to the natural landscape." —The Times Literary Supplement
"The text is well written and clear, the authors say it was fun to write, and with a mixture of well-designed maps and sketches of modern life and landscape, it is attractively produced and a good read."—Antiquity
"Beyond the Acropolis sets a new standard in the genre of popularizations of Mediterranean archaeological research."—Modern Greek Studies Yearbook
Tjeerd H. van Andel is Wayne Loel Professor of Earth Sciences Emeritus at Stanford University. Curtis N. Runnels is Associate Professor of Archaeology at Boston University.
