The relative dearth of comparable texts is testimony for the difficulty of this project. Organized into thirty chapters with five interludes, an epilogue, suggestions for further reading, and a date chart, the book presents its material in an essentially chronological fashion. Thus the reader is introduced to Egypt before Greece. Yet, since this is not merely to be a narrative history, Freeman has chosen to group certain materials by topic as well. The book also offers the reader forty plates as well as numerous illustration and maps.
Freeman presents the reader with a text that is for the most part enjoyable and clear.
His decision to dispense with footnotes, while frustrating to the scholar, will probably be appreciated by the novice who just wants a simple, straightforward narrative. His blend of archaeology and philology serves to provide the reader with a holistic view of the ancient world. Indeed, it is in the presentation of these data, the literary and the material, that his book is a success, for he has done this with a mind-boggling historical sweep. The interludes are successful in that they focus the reader's attention on a particular topic of interest that, if presented piecemeal in the main text, might not have received much of the reader's attention. His list of suggested readings is comprehensive and can certainly act as a good hunting ground for anyone just starting off in these fields.