How to Fit all of Ancient Greece in an Elevator is an exciting journey through space and time, from earliest prehistory to the end of classical antiquity. It all starts when two perfect strangers meet when they are trapped in an elevator. One is an archaeologist, the other not. A simple question—”What do you do?”—becomes the springboard for a dialogue that weaves a fascinating tale.

The non-archaeologist, at first ironic and indifferent, bombards the archaeologist with questions. The archaeologist—patient, erudite, charmingly irreverent and funny—provides the answers. The result is a spectacular, hilariously funny and utterly engrossing account of Ancient Greece from its very beginnings in prehistory to its end.

Dr. Papakostas answers not only the most commonly asked questions about the field of archaeology, but also stops and marvels at both the great and the small moments in Ancient Greek history.

What did a Minoan princess pack for a trip to Egypt? How did a Mycenaean public servant kill time when he was bored? How did a centaur wound his leg? How did a raunchy dance lead to the birth of Democracy? Which foreign slave became a rich banker? Why did the philosopher Heraclitus suggest that Homer should be slapped? Why are the Cyclades called the Cyclades?

Archaeology, and antiquity as a whole, Dr. Papakostas argues, belong to all of us. They are enjoyable, thrilling, horrifying and humorous; they inspire us all and show us what it has always meant to be human. Studying archaeology and the ancient world is a kind of collective psychotherapy through which we learn about ourselves. We are not that different after all, he tells us, whether we lived in ancient Mycenae or reside in contemporary London, and there are many treasures to be unearthed from our shared humanity and connectedness across time. Reconnecting with antiquity is above all else reconnecting with ourselves!