A History of Greece, 403-336 BC

In November 1992, the publishing house of E. J. Brill in Leiden invited Professor Buckler to write the first modern and comprehensive history of Greece in the fourth century BC. Although surprisingly ignored until about 1980, this period has since received a great deal of scholarly attention. Even so, much more remains to be treated. The book is intended to be the standard work on the subject as well as a guide to avenues of future research. 

The format of the book includes a discussion of ancient sources and the establishment of the sequence of events and their significance. The narrative then leads to larger questions of major trends in the fourth century. Among them, the subject of imperialism will be examined to explain the constant warfare of the period. Related is a fresh treatment of the "Common Peace," with which the Greeks tried to end these exhausting wars by establishing a general peace among them all. Another important aspect is the Greek experimentation with federalism in order to unite many parts of Greece in political organizations larger than the polls. In short, this was a time of experiments in many areas. Only by such a study as this can one understand the significance of Greek successes and failures and the legacy of the period to later antiquity.