Christian Habicht narrates the history of Athens from its subjugation by the Macedonians in 338 to the battle of Actium in 31 B.C., when Octavian's defeat of Mark Anatomy paved the way for Roman dominion over the Hellenistic world. Habicht lucidly chronicles the democracy's setbacks and recoveries over these years as it formed and suffered the consequences of various alliances.

He sketches its continuing leading role in intellectual life and the arts, as Menander and other Athenian playwrights saw their work produced throughout the Greek world, and the city's famous schools of philosophy, now including those of Zeno and Epicurus, remained a stellar attraction for students from around the Mediterranean.