The Last of the Wine - Softcover

In the fifth century B.C., Alexias, a young Athenian of good family, reaches manhood during the last phases of the Peloponnesian War. The adult world he enters is one in which the power and influence of his class have been undermined by the forces of war. He finds himself drawn to the controversial teachings of Sokrates, following him even though it at times endangers both his ownn life and his family's place in society. Among the great teacher's followers Alexias meets Lysis, and the two youths become inserarable - together they wrestle in the palaestra, journey to the Olympic Games, and fight in the wars against Sparta. As their relationship develops against the back-ground of famine, siege, and civil conflict, Mary Renault expertly conveys the intricacies of classical Greek culture.