This remarkable book by Mikhail Leonovich Gasparov (1935–2005), a distinguished scholar and brilliant expert on classical antiquity, is dedicated to the history of ancient Greek civilization. Military art and politics, philosophy and theater, sculpture and poetry, the customs and pursuits of the ancient Hellenes, as well as the Greek gods and heroes—the Hellenic era, in all its diversity, greatly influenced the development of modern European civilization. 'Therefore, to better understand ancient Greek culture means to better understand Shakespeare, Raphael, and Pushkin. And ultimately, ourselves,' the author writes. 'We cannot answer the question: 'Who are we?' without answering the question: 'Where did we come from?''