''Irresistibly fascinating'' MARIE CLAIRE GREECE''Essential'' VICTORIA HISLOP''Brilliantly conceived'' PAUL CARTLEDGEAn enormous bestseller in Greece, this is a bold, witty retelling of the story of Ancient Greece by a rising star in archaeologyTwo strangers meet in a trapped elevator. One is an archaeologist, the other isn-t. A simple question, -What do you do?-, becomes the springboard for a dialogue that weaves a fascinating tale.Archaeologist Theodore Papakostas takes the reader on a spectacularly iconoclastic and hugely engrossing journey through ancient Greece, from its beginnings in prehistory to its end. Marvelling at the exalted moments in history as well as the more mundane, Papakostas introduces the reader to countless fascinating stories about the cradle of western civilisation - many of which upend received wisdom about the empire as well as about archaeology itself. Along the way, he settles questions such as: What did a Minoan princess pack for a trip to Egypt? How did a
