Greek Exceptionalism

I've been spending quite a bit of time reading about ancient Greece lately. Grote, Charles Freeman, even Herodutus. But I believe that the best introduction to any period of western civ., to include ancient Greece, comes from reading Will Durant. For the Greeks you'll want to read Durant's second volume in his Story of Civilization series, The Life of Greece.

A couple of snips from early in the book:

On Greek exceptionalism: Hardly any of these surrounding nations [i.e. Persia, Phonecia, Egypt, Lydia] cared for what to the Greeks was the very essence of life- liberty to be, to think, to speak, and to do. Every one of these peoples except the Phoenicians lived under despots, surrendered their souls to superstition, and had small experience of the stimulus of freedom or the life of reason.

On the coming of Greek civilization: In the end the contact of five cultures- Cretan, Mycenean, Achaean, Dorian, Oriential- brought new youth to a civilization that had begun to die, that had grown coarse on the mainland through war and plunder, and effeminate in Crete through the luxury of genius. The mixture of races and ways took centuries to win even a moderate stability, but it contributed to produce the unparalleled variety, flexibility, and subtlety of Greek thought and life. Instead of thinking of Greek culture as a flame that shone suddenly and miracuously amid a dark sea of barbarism, we must conceive of it as the slow and turbid creation of a people almost too richly endowed in blood and memories, and surrounded, challenged, and instructed by warlike hordes, powerful empires, and ancient civilizations.