Ancient Greece—Reading Assignments by Era

    Gods and Myths     Heroes and Monsters     Iliad and Odyssey     Early City-States     Persian War     Athenian Empire     Late Classical     Hellenistic Era



Gods and Myths—Legendary

Gaia and Uranus to Reign of the Olympians


Book Title
Selected Chapters (# chapters)

Core Reading Assignments

Harding - Greek Gods, Heroes, and Men   The Greeks to Eros, the Love-God (20)
Macgregor - The Story of Greece   Wonderland to The Purple Flowers (6)

Supplemental Recommendations

Shaw - Stories of the Ancient Greeks   The Gods of Greece to Sowing Dragon's Teeth (11)
Lang - The Book of Myths   Prometheus and Pandora to Pan (27)
Hawthorne - Tanglewood Tales for Girls and Boys   The Pygmies to The Pomegranate Seeds (4)
Hawthorne - A Wonder Book for Girls and Boys   The Golden Touch (1)

Easy Reading Selections

Haaren - Famous Men of Greece   The Gods of Greece to Cadmus and the Dragon's Teeth (3)
Baldwin - Old Greek Stories   Jupiter and His Company to Cadmus and Europa (9)
Francillon - Gods and Heroes   Saturn to Man Who Never Died (23)
Peabody - Old Greek Folk Stories Told Anew   The Wood-Folk to Apollo's Sister (11)



Heroes and Monsters—Legendary

Exploits of Perseus to Death of Hercules


Book Title
Selected Chapters (# chapters)

Core Reading Assignments

Guerber - The Story of the Greeks   Daedalus and Icarus to The Taking of Thebes (8)
Macgregor - The Story of Greece   Danae and Her Little Son to Acrisius Killed by Perseus (4)

Supplemental Recommendations

Lang - The Book of Myths   The Calydonian Hunt to Midas of the Golden Touch (9)
Harding - Greek Gods, Heroes, and Men   The Labors of Heracles to Quest for the Golden Fleece (4)
Morris - Historical Tales: Greek   Voyage of the Argonauts to even Against Thebes (3)
Church - Stories from the Greek Tragedians   The Love of Alcestis to Antigone (5)
Hawthorne - Tanglewood Tales for Girls and Boys   The Minotaur to The Golden Fleece (2)
Hawthorne - A Wonder Book for Girls and Boys    entire book
Colum - The Golden Fleece and the Heroes Before Achilles    entire book
Kingsley - The Greek Heroes    entire book
Hutchinson - The Golden Porch    entire book

Easy Reading Selections

Haaren - Famous Men of Greece   Perseus to Theseus (4)
Shaw - Stories of the Ancient Greeks   The Race of Atalanta to How Death Was Conquered (13)
Baldwin - Old Greek Stories   The Quest of Medusa's Head to The Cruel Tribute (6)
Peabody - Old Greek Folk Stories Told Anew   Orpheus and Eurydice to Oedipus (6)
Francillon - Gods and Heroes   Orpheus and Eurydice to The Apple of Discord (18)



Iliad and Odyssey—1000 B.C.

Trojan War to Return of Odysseus


Book Title
Selected Chapters (# chapters)

Core Reading Assignments

Lang - The Iliad    entire book
Lang - The Odyssey    entire book
Church - The Iliad for Boys and Girls    entire book
Church - The Odyssey for Boys and Girls    entire book

Supplemental Reccomendations

Guerber - The Story of the Greeks   The Childhood of Paris to The Burning of Troy (6)
Macgregor - The Story of Greece   Achilles and Briseis to The Bow of Odysseus (10)
Harding - Greek Gods, Heroes, and Men   Achilles and the Trojan War to The Wanderings of Odysseus (2)
Shaw - Stories of the Ancient Greeks   The Shepherd Prince of Troy to The Wanderer's Return (8)
Church - Stories from the Greek Tragedians   Iphigenia in Aulis (1)

Easy Reading Selections

Haaren - Famous Men of Greece   Agamemnon to The Adventures of Ulysses (3)
Baldwin - A Story of the Golden Age of Greek Heroes   The Golden Apple to The Long Siege (14)
Baldwin - Thirty More Famous Stories Retold   The Fall of Troy to Penelope's Web (2)
Peabody - Old Greek Folk Stories Told Anew   Stories of the Trojan War to Adventures of Odysseus (3)



Early City-States—800 to 500 B.C.

Rise of Sparta to Reforms of Cleisthenes


Book Title
Selected Chapters (# chapters)

Core Reading Assignments

Guerber - The Story of the Greeks   Heroic Death of Codrus to Hippias Driven out of Athens (21)
Macgregor - The Story of Greece   The Land of Hellas to The Law of Ostracism (14)

Supplemental Reccomendations

Harding - Greek Gods, Heroes, and Men   What Lycurgus Did for Sparta to What Solon Did for Athens (2)
Tappan - The Story of the Greek People   How Early Greeks Lived to The Greek Colonies (6)
Morris - Historical Tales: Greek   Lycurgus and Spartan Laws to The Tyrants of Corinth (6)
Church - Pictures from Greek Life and Story   Statesman and Poet to The Exiles of Phocaea (3)

Easy Reading Selections

Winter - The Aesop for Children    entire book
Haaren - Famous Men of Greece   Lycurgus to Pisistratus (3)
Shaw - Stories of the Ancient Greeks   The Splendid City to Three Architectures (8)
Gould - Tales of the Greeks: The Children's Plutarch   The Hardy Men of Sparta to The Wise Man of Athens (2)
Church - Three Greek Children   The Story of Aristomenes (1)



Persian War—560 to 472 B.C.

Rise of the Persia to Aftermath of Persian War


Book Title
Selected Chapters (# chapters)

Core Reading Assignments

Guerber - The Story of the Greeks   The Great King to Death of Pausanias (16)
Macgregor - The Story of Greece   The Bridge of Boats to Battle of Plataea (18)

Supplemental Recommendations

Weston - Plutarch's Lives W. H. Weston   Aristides to Themistocles (2)
Harding - Greek Gods, Heroes, and Men   How Athenians Fought Persians to Aristides the Just (6)
Tappan - The Story of the Greek People   The Persian Expeditions to The Persian Invasion (cont.) (3)
Morris - Historical Tales: Greek   The Fortune of Croesus to Plataea's Famous Day (9)
Church - Pictures from Greek Life and Story   The Battle-field of Freedom to Traitor or Patriot (6)
Church - Helmet and Spear   The Men of Marathon to Battles on Plain and Shore (5)
Church - The Story of the Persian War    entire book
Church - Stories of the East From Herodotus    entire book
Abbott - Cyrus the Great    entire book
Abbott - Darius the Great    entire book
Abbott - Xerxes    entire book

Easy Reading Selections

Haaren - Famous Men of Greece   Miltiades the Hero of Marathon to Aristides (4)
Shaw - Stories of the Ancient Greeks   The Battle of Marathon to The Richest King (6)
Cowles - Our Little Spartan Cousin of Long Ago    entire book
Gould - Tales of the Greeks: The Children's Plutarch   The Savior of Athens to The Just Man (2)



Athenian Empire—478 to 404 B.C.

Formation of Delian League to Fall of Athens


Book Title
Selected Chapters (# chapters)

Core Reading Assignments

Guerber - The Story of the Greeks   Cimon Improves Athens to Death of Alcibiades (12)
Macgregor - The Story of Greece   Delian League to Walls of Athens Destroyed (26)

Supplemental Recommendations

Harding - Greek Gods, Heroes, and Men   Aristides the Just to Socrates, the Philosopher (4)
Tappan - The Story of the Greek People   After the Persian War to Fall of Athens (5)
Morris - Historical Tales: Greek   Four Famous Men of Athens to Socrates and Alcibiades (7)
Church - Pictures from Greek Life and Story   In the Theatre at Athens to The Lion's Cub (11)
Church - Stories from the Greek Comedians    entire book
Church - Stories from the Greek Tragedians    entire book
Church - Nicias and the Sicilian Expedition    entire book

Easy Reading Selections

Haaren - Famous Men of Greece   Cimon to Socrates (5)
Shaw - Stories of the Ancient Greeks   Glorious Days to A Wasted Life (3)
Cowles - Our Little Athenian Cousin of Long Ago    entire book
Church - Three Greek Children    entire book
Gould - Tales of the Greeks: The Children's Plutarch   The Admiral of the Fleet to Three Powers (5)



Late Classical—404 to 338 B.C.

Thirty Tyrants in Athens to Battle of Chaeronea


Book Title
Selected Chapters (# chapters)

Core Reading Assignments *

Guerber - The Story of the Greeks   Overthrow of Thirty Tyrants to Philip Masters Greece (23)
Macgregor - The Story of Greece   March of the Ten Thousand to The Sacred War (12)

Supplemental Recommendations

Weston - Plutarch's Lives W. H. Weston   Pelopidas to Philopoemen (4)
Tappan - The Story of the Greek People   When Sparta Ruled to Philip of Macedonia (3)
Morris - Historical Tales: Greek   Retreat of the Ten Thousand to The Sacred War (5)
Church - Pictures from Greek Life and Story   The Wisest of Men to The One Hero of Thebes (4)
Church - Helmet and Spear   The Lord of Syracuse to The Fight on the River (5)
Kaufman - Our Young Folks' Plutarch   Artaxerxes to Timoleon (6)
Younghusband - The Retreat of the Ten Thousand    entire book
Church - Callias—The Fall of Athens    entire book

Easy Reading Selections

Haaren - Famous Men of Greece   Xenophon to Epaminondas and Pelopidas (2)
Shaw - Stories of the Ancient Greeks   Retreat of the Ten Thousand to The Wise Man Who Lisped (8)
Gould - Tales of the Greeks: The Children's Plutarch   In Old Persia to The Man Who Saved Sicily (6)
Lemon - Stories from Greek History    entire book



Hellenistic Era—336 to 146 B.C.

Reign of Alexander to Rome Destroys Corinth


Book Title
Selected Chapters (# chapters)

Core Reading Assignments

Guerber - The Story of the Greeks   Birth of Alexander to Greece a Roman Province (25)
Macgregor - The Story of Greece   Alexander and Bucephalus to Demosthenes in the Temple (13)

Supplemental Recommendations

Morris - Historical Tales: Greek   Alexander and Darius to The Literary Glory of Greece (7)
Church - Helmet and Spear   The Irresistible Phalanx to The Army of the Hundred Provinces (2)
Kaufman - Our Young Folks' Plutarch   Demosthenes to Philopoemen (9)
Abbott - Alexander the Great    entire book
Abbott - Pyrrhus    entire book
Church - The Hammer    entire book
Church - A Young Macedonian    entire book

Easy Reading Selections

Haaren - Famous Men of Greece   Alexander the Great to The Fall of Greece (7)
Shaw - Stories of the Ancient Greeks   Alexander the Great to How Death Was Conquered (5)
Gould - Tales of the Greeks: The Children's Plutarch   The Orator to The Last of the Greeks (7)