This book tells the story of Europe. It spans from antiquity to the present, covering more than three thousand years of history. It has been a long time since a German historian has dared to undertake such a comprehensive overview. Michael Salewski's extensive work is an ideal introduction for any historically interested reader. Where does Europe come from? How did it become what it is today? Which figures and events, forces and ideas have shaped it? At the threshold of the new millennium, Michael Salewski attempts what no German historian has done in a long time: a history of our continent from its early days and the Greco-Roman antiquity to our present. His history is both a political narrative and a storytelling. Salewski truly narrates: from the Persian Wars, to Athens and Sparta, to Julius Caesar and Augustus, his narrative unfolds.