It's All Greek to Me: From Homer to the Hippocratic Oath, How Ancient Greece Has Shaped Our World

“It’s All Greek to Me is so readable, with a directness and clarity that’s enormously engaging. . . . What an excellent book.” — Phillip Pullman

An informative, smart, and very amusing narrative about the enormous influence Greeks and Greek culture have had on the rest of the world, from art to architecture to literature to politics to love.

Why is ancient Greece important? Because, quite simply, if we want to understand the modern Western world, we need to look back to the Greeks. Consider the way we think about ethics, about the nature of beauty and truth, about our place in the universe, about our mortality. All this we have learned from the ancient Greeks. They molded the basic disciplines and genres in which we still organize thought, from poetry to drama, from medicine to philosophy, from history to ethnography.

Packed with useful facts, including a timeline, a "mythology for dummies," a who's who, a guide to Homer's epics, and a handy map for those struggling to know their Lemnos from their Lesbos, It's All Greek to Me is an entertaining and insightful tour through the world of the ancient Greeks. Why are some laws Draconian? What is an Achilles' heel? Why were the Spartans spartan? Charlotte Higgins provides these answers and more, arming average readers with the knowledge they need to understand the Greeks and their tremendous contributions to our lives. This book aims to unlock the richness of a fascinating culture and place it where it should be—in the mainstream of life.

“Higgins takes on classical Greek, covering politics, barbarians, love, epic and ethics, all done with panache and sly wit.” - Scotland on Sunday

“Higgins’s sparky style makes her subject matter so palatable that… her readers may not feel the need to seek out the classics because she has distilled them all too well.” - Time Out London

“Charlotte Higgins does a great job in conveying the heart of Greek culture to a general audience. Perfect for the stocking.” - Mary Beard, History Today

“A completely excellent guide to Greek poetry, drama, philosophy, history and culture. Philip Pullman has said that he would put it into every school and every teacher-training course and I’d echo that. . . . Highly entertaining as well as informative.” - A.N. Wilson, Evening Standard

“Higgins delivers digestible précis and peppy plot summaries. . . . A love letter to ancient Greece.” - The Telegraph

“A highly entertaining bluffer’s guide to Greek culture, philosophy, and politics.” - Sunday Times (London)

“It’s All Greek to Me is so readable, with a directness and clarity that’s enormously engaging. Every generation needs to rediscover the Greeks: and Charlotte Higgins has provided this one with a wonderful map of the territory and all kinds of help on the way. . . . What an excellent book.” - Phillip Pullman

“With a marvellous display of knowledgeable enthusiasm and a keen talent for compression, (Higgins) shows just precisely why the Greeks matter.” - The Guardian