This article needs additional citations for verification .(January 2019) |
Author | Harry Turtledove |
---|---|
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Series | Hellenic Traders |
Genre | Historical novel |
Publisher | Forge Books (Tor) |
Publication date | 2004 |
Media type | |
Pages | 382 |
ISBN | 0-7653-0038-9 |
OCLC | 55625156 |
813/.54 22 | |
LC Class | PS3570.U758 O95 2004 |
Preceded by | The Sacred Land |
Followed by | Salamis |
Owls to Athens is a historical novel written by H.N. Turteltaub (a pseudonym of Harry Turtledove). It was first published in hardcover by Forge Books in December 2004. [1] The book was reissued under the author's real name as a trade paperback and ebook by Phoenix Pick in March 2015. [1] It is the fourth book of the so-called "Hellenic Traders" series of historical novels.
The book features the continuaing adventures of a pair of Greek traders from Rhodes. Sostratos and Menedemos arrive in Athens in time for the Dionysia. Sostratos spends much of his time visiting with his old teachers. His cousin, Menedemos finds himself having a sexual encounter with an important Athenian woman.
"Taking owls to Athens" was a contemporary Greek saying, roughly the equivalent of the modern "selling snow to eskimos" or "carrying coals to Newcastle". The saying referred to the owl depicted on Athenian silver drachmas, Attica being home to large silver mines.
The setting is Athens in 307 BC, sixteen years after the death of Alexander the Great. [2] As in the other books in the series, persons and places are frequently given their original Greek names (Sokrates, Platon, etc.) rather than the Latin-derived ones common in English.
The Peloponnesian War was an ancient Greek war fought between Athens and Sparta and their respective allies for the hegemony of the Greek world. The war remained undecided for a long time, until the decisive intervention of the Persian Empire in support of Sparta. Led by Lysander, the Spartan fleet, built with Persian subsidies, finally defeated Athens and started a period of Spartan hegemony over Greece.
Theseus was a divine hero and the founder of Athens from Greek mythology. The myths surrounding Theseus, his journeys, exploits, and friends, have provided material for storytelling throughout the ages.
300 is a historically inspired 1998 comic book limited series written and illustrated by Frank Miller with painted colors by Lynn Varley.
Connor Iggulden is a British author who writes historical fiction, most notably the Emperor series and Conqueror series. He also co-authored The Dangerous Book for Boys with his brother Hal. In 2007, Iggulden became the first person to top the UK fiction and nonfiction lists at the same time.
Dyskolos is an Ancient Greek comedy by Menander, the only one of his plays, and of the whole New Comedy, that has survived in nearly complete form. It was first presented at the Lenaian festival in Athens in 316 BC, where it won Menander the first prize.
In Greek mythology, Antiope was an Amazon, daughter of Ares and sister to Melanippe, Hippolyta, Penthesilea and possibly Orithyia, queens of the Amazons. She may have been the wife of Theseus and mother to his son Hippolytus of Athens, but differing sources claim this was Hippolyta.
In Greek mythology, a little owl traditionally represents or accompanies Athena, the virgin goddess of wisdom, or Minerva, her syncretic incarnation in Roman mythology. Because of such association, the bird—often referred to as the "owl of Athena" or the "owl of Minerva"—has been used as a symbol of knowledge, wisdom, perspicacity and erudition throughout the Western world.
The Last of the Wine is Mary Renault's first novel set in ancient Greece, the setting that would become her most important arena. The novel was published in 1956 and is the second of her works to feature male homosexuality as a major theme. It was a bestseller within the gay community. The book is a portrait of Athens at the close of the Golden Age and the end of the Peloponnesian War with Sparta, and includes Socrates as a character.
The tetradrachm was a large silver coin that originated in Ancient Greece. It was nominally equivalent to four drachmae. Over time the tetradrachm effectively became the standard coin of the Antiquity, spreading well beyond the borders of the Greek World. As a result, tetradrachms were minted in vast quantities by various polities in many weight and fineness standards, though the Athens-derived Attic standard of about 17.2 grams was the most common.
Over the Wine Dark Sea is a historical novel by H.N. Turteltaub, first published in hardcover by Forge Books in November 2001, and in paperback by Tor Books in November 2002. The book was reissued under the author's real name as a trade paperback and ebook by Phoenix Pick in November 2013. It is the first book of the so-called "Hellenic Traders" series of historical novels.
Hellenic Traders refers to a series of historical fiction books published by TOR and written by H.N. Turteltaub.
In ancient Greece the chief magistrate in various Greek city states was called eponymous archon. "Archon" means "ruler" or "lord", frequently used as the title of a specific public office, while "eponymous" means that he gave his name to the year in which he held office, much like the Roman dating by consular years.
The Athenian Murders is an historical mystery novel written by Spanish author José Carlos Somoza. Originally published in Spain under the title La caverna de las ideas in 2000, it was translated into English in 2002 by Sonia Soto. The Athenian Murders is Somoza's first novel to be published in English. It won the 2002 Gold Dagger Award.
Pisistratus was a politician in ancient Athens, ruling as tyrant in the late 560s, the early 550s and from 546 BC until his death. His unification of Attica, the triangular peninsula of Greece containing Athens, along with economic and cultural improvements laid the groundwork for the later pre-eminence of Athens in ancient Greece. His legacy lies primarily in his institution of the Panathenaic Games, historically assigned the date of 566 BC, and the consequent first attempt at producing a definitive version of the Homeric epics. Pisistratus' championing of the lower class of Athens is an early example of populism. While in power, he did not hesitate to confront the aristocracy and greatly reduce their privileges, confiscating their lands and giving them to the poor. Pisistratus funded many religious and artistic programs, in order to improve the economy and spread the wealth more equally among the Athenian people.
The Gryphon's Skull is a historical fiction novel written by H.N. Turteltaub. It was first published in hardcover by Tor Books in December 2002, and in paperback by the same publisher in December 2003. The book was reissued under the author's real name as an ebook by Phoenix Pick in March 2014, and as a trade paperback by the same publisher in April of the same year. It is the second book in the Hellenic Traders series.
The Sacred Land is a historical novel written by H.N. Turteltaub. It was first published in hardcover by Forge Books in December 2003, and in paperback by Tor Books in March 2005. The book was reissued under the author's real name as a trade paperback and ebook by Phoenix Pick in December 2014. It is the third book in the Hellenic Traders series.
In ancient Greece, the drachma was an ancient currency unit issued by many city-states during a period of ten centuries, from the Archaic period throughout the Classical period, the Hellenistic period up to the Roman period. The ancient drachma originated in the Greece around the 6th century BC. The coin, usually made of silver or sometimes gold had its origins in a bartering system that referred to a drachma as a handful of wooden spits or arrows. The drachma was unique to each city state that minted them, and were sometimes circulated all over the Mediterranean. The coinage of Athens was considered to be the strongest and became the most popular.
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Salamis is a historical novel written by Harry Turtledove), It was first published in trade paperback and ebook by Arc Manor under its Caezik SF & Fantasy imprint in November 2020. It is the fifth book of the "Hellenic Traders" series of historical novels, previous volumes of which were originally issued under Turtledove's pseudonym H. N. Turteltaub.
Wappenmünzen are the earliest attested form of Athenian coinage, minted in Ancient Athens under the Peisistratids during the late 6th century BCE. The term refers to an array of silver and electrum coinage minted prior to the use of the Owl of Athena, an emblematic design used on all later Athenian coinage. Initially interpreted by numismatists as the heraldic devices of Athenian noble families, the varied designs of the wappenmünzen are now generally thought to represent individual mint magistrates, in line with contemporary practices in East Greek coinage. In contrast to later Athenian silver coins, the wappenmünzen were minted from imported silver, predating the Classical expansion of the Laurion Mines.