Spend a year in the company of the ancient Greeks during a historic
and triumphant Olympic year, and experience the drama and excitement
that swept through the city-states as they put aside their political
differences to prepare for victory in Olympia.
The year is 248 BC, the year of the 133rd Olympic Games. A
diverse cast of characters is heading for Olympia to participate at
the Games, to watch the events, or to make money from the huge crowds.
At this time the Hellenistic world is at its peak, with Greek
settlements spread across the Middle East, Egypt, and Spain. As ever,
the world is politically troubled, with Rome locked in a war with
Carthage, and a major war brewing between Egypt and Syria. However,
ordinary people are still preoccupied with the crops, their everyday
jobs, household affairs - and in some cases, with winning an Olympic
crown.
From the powerful but untrained wrestler who is taken in hand by a
former champion to the chariot team manager who is prepared to win
at all costs, from the diplomat who is using the Games as a cover to
engage in political skulduggery to the Spartan boy who is tragically
injured in a mock battle before he can compete, A Year in in the Life
of Ancient Greece takes us through a remarkable year to reveal a
complex and vivid cast of characters during this fascinating period of
ancient history.
