Stressing the unity of Greek history and the centrality of Athens, the author covers a rich and diverse range of political, economic, military and cultural issues in the Greek world, from the early history of the Greeks, including early Sparta and the wars with Persia, to the ascendancy of Athens and the Peloponnesian War.

Describes how the lives of ordinary people in the Middle Ages were transformed by a series of crises. This book also shows how cultural assumptions, including a belief in the apocalypse, gave people an ability to face up positively to these problems.

Presents the history of the Roman world from 133 BC to 68 AD. This book explores the decline and fall of the Roman Republic and the establishment of the Pax Romana under the early Principate.