In his introduction, Stelios Lydakis notes, It would be impossible for an art historian to study the works of antiquity without extensive reference to their influence on the art of the centuries that followed. Lydakis provides a complete history of ancient Greek painting from the earliest examples in Crete, Thera, and Mycenae to those of the classical and Roman epochs. Through a multitude of examples, he shows how these ancient works shaped modern ones. The literary references he considers include the works of Lucian, Philostratos, Pausanias, and Pliny the Elder. The works of art reproduced include wall paintings from the Palace of Knossos, Thera, Pompeii, Herculaneum, and Oplontis; vases from the Mycenaean through the Classical periods; reliefs from the Parthenon; and mosaics from Pompeii and Delos. The book also features paintings made in later centuries by such artists as Mantegna, Titian, Dürer, Raphael, Rembrandt, and Rubens that were inspired by antique models.

In French Odysseys, Olga Augustinos offers a comprehensive treatment of French travel literature about Greece - from the mid-16th-century arrival of the first French travellers to the outbreak of the Greek Revolution in 1821. The result not only provides a composite portrait of Greece over two and a half centuries but also offers a revealing look at the evolving values and perceptual framework of the travellers themselves.