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Definitely enjoyed this book. The author did a good job with examining the history, politics, and culture of ancient Athens. The book also examines Sparta to a lesser degree, as well as the relation between Athens and other city-states. Overall, it can serve as a good starting point for anyone interested in learning about Athens.

"Another innovation of Cleisthenes was ostracism. The ecclesia voted once a year, if there was demand, on the exile for ten years of a leading politician. Citizens could propose anyone they wished. There was no question of punishment for criminality, rather a desire, in Plutarch's phrase, to 'humble and cut back oppressive prestige and power.'"
-Anthony Everitt, "The Rise of Athens"

This was very interesting. I‘ve read much about the Roman Empire and watched a lot of documentaries about the emperors themselves, but never did I come across a study of the life of „normal“ Roman people. This book shows the ordinary life with the help of 24 different persons. Especially the the person last chapter „The parasite returns from dinner“ was new to me. I never knew that there have been spongers who attended dinners to entertain. 🧽🧽🧽

You can recreate the recipes of Ancient Roman bread, as long as you‘re not interrupted by pyroclastic flows from a nearby volcano. 🤣🌋🤣🌋

… cheerful knowledge that the copyright expired centuries ago… 🤣🤣🤣

Next up for reading.

During the Greek economic crisis that started in 2009, someone takes it upon themselves to blackmail rich tax evaders into paying their taxes or face death. Victims are left to be discovered in various archaeological sites, including Kerameikos (pic from Wikipedia). Police chief Kostas Charitos is on the case, but things turn political and popular sentiment is on the vigilante‘s side.
I never quite got into this novel, but it was a quick read.

I read this in anticipation of an upcoming trip to Greece. It‘s a memoir set in Athens around 2004. The author‘s anthropological eye is used wonderfully here to capture her adopted country. I loved learning more about what sets the Greek people apart. It‘s not a frothy read, and focuses frequently on dark things from their history, but I really enjoyed it and felt like I was getting an honest look at the country beyond the tourist borders.

At 15, Bunny is a boy crazy Foreign Service kid spending the summer in Baku; later we see her transformation from an aimless 20-something to a successful PR professional for a family-run oil company. At first it seems that's all there is to it: a girl, a life; by the final scenes, in a near future that is all too plausible, it sinks in that this is a truly devastating novel about climate change. An artfully detailed slow burn, brilliantly done.

I‘m fairly certain that I probably wouldn‘t like/respect Bunny in real life, but in this novel, I did. Following her meandering through her life and her proximity to oil yet not understanding it completely was mesmerizing. This worked for me and liked the quick pace of time.