What it was like to be an Ancient Greek

By: David Long, Stefano Tambellini

Narrated by: Mark Oosterveen

Blue Peter Award winning author David Long takes readers on a captivating exploration into the culture and legacy of ancient Greek civilisation.

Around 3,000 years ago, the ancient Greeks created one of the world’s most advanced civilisations. While most worked as farmers and fishermen to feed their families, others studied hard to become brilliant astronomers, navigators, philosophers, artists and athletes. Then, under the rule of Alexander the Great, their language, art and ideas spread through an enormous empire that stretched from Egypt to India.

From the myths and legends of the gods atop Mount Olympus to the origin of marathon races, find out what life was really like in Ancient Greece in this fascinating new exploration from award-winning writer David Long.

©2025 David Long (P)2025 HarperCollins Publishers

Critic reviews

"An expert in distilling complex stories from the past into an informative and entertaining format for young readers, Long skilfully explains everything about the seven million people who lived in the land they named Hellas in this fact-packed and accessible introduction to a famous ancient civilisation … From the myths and legends of the gods atop Mount Olympus to the origin of marathon races, youngsters will love finding out what life was really like in Ancient Greece." – Burnley Express

"What I especially like about Long’s introductions to these complex histories is that they are information heavy and largely forego unnecessary gimmicks or the bells and whistles that often come with factual books aimed at younger, more reluctant readers. Long allows the subject to stand for itself and trusts the reader to be fascinated by the clear narrative and excellent illustrations provided by Stefano Tambellini." — The Letterpress Project