"The period covered in this history is one of fascinating contrasts. It is the age when Attic Greek became the all-but-universal language of literature; when Athens became the intellectual leader of Hellas; when her own or her adopted sons gave to the world ideas whose influence is still active today. But the same age also saw the first full development, then the slow but sure decay of the independent city-state; the creation of a great nation-state by the genius of Philip of Macedon; and the winning of a world empire by his yet greater son. The author has sought to present to his readers a narrative in which both the achievement and the failures of the Greeks are dispassionately recorded." -- Book jacket
