This Very Short Introduction on Classics from Oxford University Press does what it set out to do. It introduces the reader to Roman and Greek antiquity. After reading the book I went to the Metropolitan Museum of Art to see if the book has helped me in understanding Classics better. I would say it has. I found myself looking at certain items and sculptures and asking questions that I haven't before. I wondered about the item's purpose and how succeeding generations have viewed it. I realized I could spend a whole day (or more) pondering all the aspects of an item.



One fault I find with the book is that I find it spends too much time on how later generations have viewed Classics and how it has shaped their would and ours. I understand that this a big part of understanding Classics, but I find myself more interested in the time periods of Roman and Greek antiquity. After a while I found myself glossing over the later chapters which dealt with later generations appreciation of Classics.

All in all, if you ever go to a museum or visited an ancient site and wondered how you could better appreciate what you are seeing, I would recommend this book to you.