Why did Greece reach heights in the classical period—and why only then? And how, after "the Greek miracle" had endured for centuries, did the Macedonians bring an end to that glory? Drawing on a massive body of newly available data and employing novel approaches to evidence, Josiah Ober, University of Stanford Professor of Political Science and Classics, offers a major new history of classical Greece and an unprecedented account of its rise and fall (The Rise and Fall of Classical Greece, Princeton University Press, Μay 2015). 

Ober argues – in a compelling narrative filled with uncanny modern parallels – that Greece’s rise was no miracle but rather the result of political breakthroughs and economic development. 

It documents and explains the remarkable Greek blossoming of ca. 800-300 BCE, the Macedonian conquest of the late fourth century, and the persistence of economic flourishing into the Hellenistic era. Josiah Ober is also the author of "Democracy and Knowledge: Innovation and Learning in Classical Athens" (2008). His work in progress includes a general theory of democracy, a study of rational cooperation and useful knowledge in Greek political thought. 

Recent Reviews: Times Higher Education; The Spectator; New York Times; Huffington Post; Wall Street Journal; Washington Post
Josiah Ober articles: Ancient Glory Explained & An Engine for Progress