Review by School Library Journal Review
Gr 5-8-Good overviews of ancient civilizations utilizing an atlas format as a guide for organization. Topical spreads address political, cultural, and historical subjects. In Rome, Corbishley covers its founding to the reign of Diocletian. A chapter on Pompeii and its destruction is included. Information on architecture and typical towns and villas provides a glimpse of Roman life. Major cities of the provinces are also mentioned. Egypt begins with 3100 B.C.E. and ends with the coming of the Romans. Detailed descriptions of the treasures of Tutankhamon and the city of Memphis are particularly interesting. Greece includes a brief history from the Minoan civilization to the Roman conquest. Discussions of Athens, Sparta, Philip of Macedon, and Alexander the Great are also included. The Olympic games, religion, daily life and the role of women, as well as discussions of the Akropolis and the sculptures of the Parthenon, will heighten readers' interest. In all three titles, some information has been updated and new illustrations, including digital maps, added. Color drawings, photographs, and maps elucidate the texts. A table of dates provides a visual correlation of the time periods for historical events, art, architecture, and literature. Insets in the chapters offer additional information, especially historical periods. These books are valuable for research and for a brief overview of the history of these civilizations.-Lana Miles, Duchesne Academy, Houston, TX (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
Fiction: NF Age: 7-8 Color photographs. The author outlines Greek history and culture from 1600 B.C. to 100 B.C. in a series of two-page spreads each covering a distinct topic, allowing the reader to dabble or research specific themes. The overall effect is confusing and disconnected, with excellent information and beautiful photographs lost in the disjointed text. Glossary, index. Horn Rating: Recommended, with minor flaws. Reviewed by: mvk (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
Another entry in the ""Cultural Atlas for Young People"" series, this one cataloguing 1500 years of historical and cultural events. Although Greeks had little notion of historical continuity, Powell attempts to cram in as much information as possible in order to form in readers' minds a sense of Greek history from approximately 1600 B.C. to 100 B.C., the time of the Roman conquest. Striking visual images (pictures, sketches, maps) immerse readers in the ancient past. But even though the author is clearly in command of the facts, his text presents more of a potpourri than a manageable, well-ordered guide (as promised by the use of the word ""atlas"" in the series title). Readers may easily be lost in a sea of encyclopedic data. Ambiguous captions may or may not be substantiated by the main text, and transitional gaps leave much unexplained: e.g., an entry on Socrates is so collapsed as to be fragmented and virtually useless. (This was also a problem in the author's Greece, for Wart's ""Great Civilizations"" series.) However, when there is room for anecdotes (such as how Plataia, a small town, ingeniously held off the Theban and Spartan armies by burrowing underground), the author provides color and intrigue, as well as a taste of how interesting this venture might have been. Most valuable for browsing or reference. Photos and illustrations; table of dates; glossary; further reading; gazeteer; index. Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
