Greece Against Rome, Philip Matyszak
Greece Against Rome, Philip Matyszak
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Greece Against Rome
The Fall of the Hellenistic Kingdoms 250–31 BC

Author: Philip Matyszak

Narrator: Gareth Richards

Unabridged: 8 hr 25 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Tantor Media

Published: 10/22/2022

Synopsis

The acclaimed ancient world historian examines the centuries-long decline of Greek powers in the face of the growing Roman threat.

Towards the middle of the third century BC, the Hellenistic kingdoms were near their peak. In terms of population, economy, and military power, each was vastly superior to Rome, not to mention in fields such as medicine, architecture, science, philosophy, and literature. But over the next two and a half centuries, Rome would eventually conquer these kingdoms while adopting so much of Hellenistic culture that the resultant hybrid is known as "Graeco-Roman."

In Greece Against Rome, Philip Matyszak relates this epic tale from the Hellenistic perspective. At first, the Romans appear to be little more than another small state in the barbarian west as the Hellenistic powers are consumed by war amongst themselves. It is a time of assassinations, double crosses, dynastic incest, and warfare. By the time they turn their attention to Rome, it is already too late.

About Philip Matyszak

Philip Matyszak holds a doctorate in ancient history from St John's College, Oxford University, and has been studying, teaching and writing on the subject for over twenty years. He specializes in the history of Classical Greece and of the Late Republic and Early Imperial periods of Rome. Matyszak has personal military experience both as a conscript in Rhodesia and with the Territorial Army in Britain. These days he splits his time between writing in his home in Canada's Monashee Mountains and providing e-learning courses for Cambridge University's Institute of Continuing Education.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Mairy on July 07, 2020

This book was great brush-up on Greek History and a good reminder how smart and humble the Greek civilization was/is. Even though I read about Greek History before, this book was able to still introduce me to important Greek actors of that fascinating yet so intricate and rich historic period. Pick t......more

Goodreads review by Mary on July 17, 2021

The subtitle is more accurate than the title. Greece was a backwater at this time, ruled by Macedon, suffering serious depopulation owing at all the Greeks who left it to form the city-based forces of the Hellenistic kings. Hellenization was, in fact, a term that was used in the era, though it never......more

Goodreads review by Ryan on March 22, 2022

If your looking for in depth analysis about particular events you will have to look elsewhere but this was a good overview of the relationships between Rome, Greece, and Egypt during the hellenistic period for the beginner historian. There was some repeat information but all in all the information w......more

Goodreads review by Linniegayl on March 18, 2024

I've read a number of negative reviews of this book by people complaining they expected it to be about Greece, and were dismayed to discover it wasn't about the Classic Age in Athens, but was instead about the Hellenistic Kingdoms! Clearly, reading the full title of the book is critical. While the t......more

Goodreads review by Lynnie on May 01, 2025

A good summary of a complicated and harried part of history. However, it is a summary, so those who are less familiar with key military players in the conflicts and/or who are looking for a deep dive that walks the reader through the nuances of political circumstances (both apply to me), you may be......more

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