Pt. 1, Prehistory. Cnossos ; Mycenae -- Pt. 2, Early history (to 500 BCE) : Dark Age and Archaic. Argos ; Miletus ; Massalia ; Sparta -- Pt. 3, Classical (500-330 BCE). Athens, Syracuse, Thebes -- Pt. 4, Hellenistic. Alexandria -- Pt. 5, Retrospect and prospect. Byzantion ; Epilogue.
Summary:
Paul Cartledge uses the history of eleven major Greek cities to illuminate the most important and informative themes in Ancient Greek history, from the first documented use of the Greek language around 1400 BCE, through the glories of the Classical and Hellenistic periods, to the foundation of the Byzantine empire in around CE 330.