Ancient history Books

Book SynopsisA gorgeous Collector's Edition covering the history of Japan from prehistoric times to the end of the Heian period. Japan has gripped the imagination of readers of their spiritual and delicate myths, ghost stories and folktales for many generations but there is much more to draw our fascination. From the veneration of Mount Fuji to the long periods of isolation from other countries, to the warring kingdoms and the inception of the martial rule of the Shogunates, this history reveals the origins of the civilization that produced some of Japan's most beautiful art and literature and influences on modern Japanese culture. Flame Tree Collector's Editions present the foundations of speculative fiction: authors, myths, tales and history without which the imaginative literature of the twentieth century would not exist, bringing the best, most influential and most fascinating works into a striking and collectable library. Each book features a new Introduction and a Glossary of Terms or lists of Ancient Leaders.

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Book SynopsisTHE ONLY BOOK AVAILABLE on Rome's version of the SAS, SBS, Pathfinders, US GREEN BERETS, SEALS etc.

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Book SynopsisTable of Contents*FrontMatter, pg. i*Indice, pg. v*Editors' Preface, pg. vii*Abbreviazioni, pg. ix*Indice delle tavole, pg. xix*Indice delle figure nel testo, pg. xxiv*Introduzione, pg. 3*I. Catalogo delle fornaci, pg. 9*II. Profilo generale delle officine da vasaio e aspetti tecnici delle fornaci, pg. 41*III. Produzione ceramica, pg. 79*IV. Considerazione finali, pg. 97*Appendici tecniche: Premessa, pg. 105*English abstract, pg. 181*Indice analitico, pg. 185*Indice topografico, pg. 191*Tav. 1-Tav.21, pg. 195*TAV. 22- TAV.42, pg. 216*TAV. 43-Tav. 68, pg. 237

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Book SynopsisThis textbook is endorsed by OCR and supports the specification for A-Level Classical Civilisation (first teaching September 2017). It covers Components 32 and 33 from the ''Beliefs and Ideas'' Component Group:Love and Relationships by Matthew Barr and Alastair ThorleyPolitics of the Late Republic by Lucy CresswellHow was love interpreted and explained by the poets and philosophers of the ancient world? Why was Julius Caesar assassinated? How can we get to the intention behind the rhetoric of ancient sources?This book raises these and other key questions. A-Level students and their teachers will encounter ancient answers to issues ranging from sexuality and the impact of desire to the power of personality in politics. Such important and controversial themes can be examined through the prism of the ancient world.The ideal preparation for the final examinations, all content is presented by experts and experienced teachers in a clear and accessible narrative. Ancient literarTable of ContentsIntroduction How to Use This Book Love and Relationships Politics of the Late Republic Glossary Index

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Book SynopsisOn 11 June 323 BC in Babylon, Alexander the Great breathed his last. He left one of the largest empires the world had seen, stretching from Greece to the Punjab. Alexander the Great's death in Babylon that fateful day in June 323 BC triggered an unprecedented crisis. Within a couple of days, Macedonian blood had stained the walls of the chamber in which he died. Within a couple of weeks, Babylon had witnessed the first siege of the post Alexander age. Within a couple of months, a major revolt had erupted on mainland Greece. Within a couple of years, theatres of conflict had arisen across the length and breadth of what was once Alexander's empire. From a Spartan adventurer attempting to forge his own empire in North Africa, to a vast horde of veteran Greek mercenaries heading home from ancient Afghanistan. From a merciless, punitive campaign against some of the most infamous brigands of the time to a warrior princess raising an army and pressing ahead with her own power play during

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Book SynopsisThe past, present and future of the world''s most popular and beloved pet, from a leading evolutionary biologist and great cat lover.Engaging and wide-ranging The Age of Cats is a readable and informed exploration of the wildcat that lurks within Fluffy' Washington PostWhy don't lions meow? Why does my cat leave a dead mouse at my feet? And why is a pet ocelot a bad idea?Jonathan B. Losos unravels the secrets of the cat using all the tools of modern technology, from GPS tracking (you'll be amazed where they roam) and genomics (what is your so-called Siamese cat, really?) to forensic archaeology. He tells the story of the cat's domestication (if you can call it that) and gives us a cat''s-eye view of the world today. Along the way we also meet their wild cousins, whose behaviours are eerily similar to even the sweetest of house cats.Drawing on his own research and life in his multi-cat household, Losos deciphers complex science and history and explores how selection, both natural and a

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Book Synopsis'Monumental . . . A wonderful book.' Peter Frankopan'Magisterial . . . remarkable.' Guardian'Erudite and highly readable . . . An authoritative guide to the countless ways in which Greek words and ideas have shaped the modern world.' Financial TimesThe Greeks is a story which takes us from the archaeological treasures of the Bronze Age Aegean and myths of gods and heroes, to the politics of the European Union today. It is a story of inventions, such as the alphabet, philosophy and science, but also of reinvention: of cultures which merged and multiplied, and adapted to catastrophic change. It is the epic, revelatory history of the Greek-speaking people and their global impact told as never before.

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Book SynopsisThe Greek Myths contains some of the most thrilling, romantic and unforgettable stories in all human history. From Achilles rampant on the fields of Troy, to the gods at sport on Mount Olympus, from Icarus flying too close to the sun, to the superhuman feats of Heracles, Theseus and the wily Odysseus, these timeless tales exert a fascination and inspiration that have endured for millennia. There are few people as steeped in the Ancient World as Robin and Kathryn Waterfield, and in their hands the heroism, humour, mystery, sensuality and brutality of the Greek Myths are brought brilliantly to life.Trade Review'A magnificent new book which explains and retells some of the most thrilling stories in human history' Lancashire Evening Post. * Lancashire Evening Post *Table of ContentsGenealogies. Introduction. HOPE FOR HUMANKIND: The Population of the Earth. THE ASCENT OF THE OLYMPIAN GODS: In the Beginning. War against the Titans. War against the Giants. Zeus and His Brothers. THE GODS OF OLYMPUS: Zeus the King. Hera. Hestia. Demeter. Aphrodite. Ares. Hephaestus. Athena. Apollo. Artemis. Hermes. Dionysus. THE AGE OF HEROES: The Flood. The Line of Deucalion. The Argonauts and the Golden Fleece. The Calydonian Boar Hunt. Io and the Danaids. Perseus and the Gorgon. Bellerophon. THEBES IN THE AGE OF HEROES: Cadmus, Europa, and the Foundation of Thebes. Oedipus. The Seven against Thebes. MYCENAE IN THE AGE OF HEROES: The Curse of the House of Atreus. Atreus and Thyestes. The End of the Atreid Curse. ATHENS IN THE AGE OF HEROES: The First Athenian Kings. The Labours of Theseus. Theseus and the Minotaur. King Theseus. HERACLES: The Birth of Heracles. The Twelve Labours of Heracles. Heracles the King-Maker. Heracles Becomes a God. THE TROJAN WAR: The Marriage of Peleus and Thetis. The Judgement of Paris. The Abduction of Helen. The Greeks Prepare for War. The Greek Landing. Achilles Withdraws. Agamemnon's Dream. Menelaus and Paris. Diomedes' Day of Glory. Hector Triumphant. Envoys and Spies. The Assault on the Ships. The Deception of Zeus. The Death of Patroclus. The Return of Achilles. The Death of Hector. Two Funerals. The Death of Achilles. The Wooden Horse. The Fall of Troy. ODYSSEUS' RETURN: Trouble on Ithaca. Telemachus' Journey. Odysseus on Scheria. The Cyclops Polyphemus. Aeolus, the Laestrygonians, and Circe. The Underworld. Dangers at Sea. The Cattle of the Sun. Odysseus Reaches Ithaca. At the Swineherd's Hut. In the Palace. Penelope Meets the Beggar. Vengeance. Reunion. THE END OF HOPE: Pandora. Select Bibliography. Index of Names and Places. Index of Subjects.

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Book SynopsisWhen the Romans came north to what is now modern Scotland they encountered the fierce and proud warrior society known as the Picts, who despite their lack of discipline and arms, managed to prevent the undefeated Roman Army from conquering the northern part of Britain, just as they later repulsed the Angles and the Vikings. A New History of the Picts is an accessible true history of the Picts, who are so often misunderstood. New historical analysis, recently discovered evidence and an innovative Scottish perspective will expose long held assumptions about the native people. This controversial text contests that Scottish history has long since been dominated and distorted by misleading perspectives. A New History of the Picts discredits the idea that the Picts were a strange historical anomaly and shows them to be the descendants of the original inhabitants of the land, living in a series of loose tribal confederations gradually brought together by external forces to create one of the earliest states in Europe: a people, who after repulsing all invaders, merged with their cousins, the Scots of Argyll, to create modern Scotland. All of Scotland descends from the fierce Picts.Trade ReviewWritten and arranged in a way that is both accessible and scholarly, this is an excellent addition to the growing body of work on the Picts. THE COURIER A New History is a very valuable contribution to historical debate and cultural understanding. It also serves to bring issues often reserved to specialists to a general readership. DONALD SMITH, SCOTTISH STORYTELLING CENTRE

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Book SynopsisVery Short Introductions: Brilliant, Sharp, Inspiring The tradition of ancient philosophy is a long, rich and varied one. Julia Annas gives a succinct account of ancient Greco-Roman philosophy, emphasizing its freshness and variety of themes, and its approach of lively discussion and argument. Getting away from the presentation of ancient philosophy as a succession of Great Thinkers, the book gives readers a sense of the freshness and liveliness of ancient philosophy, and of its wide variety of themes and styles.This new edition has been fully updated to reflect updates in the field, with new illustrations and up to date further reading to allow further exploration of the field. The text has been expanded and modernized to be more comprehensive and accessible to the general reader, as well as exploring the relation of the tradition of ancient Greco-Roman philosophy to other traditions and to us.ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.Table of Contents1: How to live a happy life 2: Humans and beasts: understanding ourselves 3: Reason, knowledge and scepticism 4: Logic and reality 5: When did it begin? (and what is it anyway?)

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Book SynopsisThis volume offers an eyewitness account of life in the classical world. The author has selected a series of telling extracts from Greek literature to provide a picture of the customs, concerns and underlying values of the ancient Greeks. The Greeks speak for themselves, both in the formal language of public office and in the colloquial speech of the household and the street. Their words reveal activities and opinions which are sometimes remarkably similar to those of the modern day, but which are otherwise so different that they are difficult for us to understand.The extracts have been selected from a variety of sources and record not only the lives of famous Greeks, but - perhaps more importantly - offer an insight into the lives of more ordinary individuals. Poetry, hymns and war-songs are included, as are quotations from official documents, inscriptions, laws, histories, funerary monuments, war-memorials and graffiti. This compilation gives an impression of the public and private facets of Greek life, providing an insight into the mentality of the Greeks.

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Book SynopsisA unique re-interpretation of the city of ancient Rome and its empire, using the tools offered by the latest information technology and graphic design.Trade Review'Packed with stylish graphics, charts and diagrams, providing the reader with a clear and interesting, but also detailed, understanding of how Roman society operated' - Military History Matters'Here’s your chance to see the world of the Roman Empire through the magic of graphic design … A hugely impressive effort and makes fascinating reading' - The ArmourerTable of ContentsIntroduction I. Territories and populations of the empire II. To rule, to worship & provide III. Roman military might Bibliography

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Book SynopsisWith a new introduction, this collection of Slavic tales is based on the oral storytelling traditions of the peoples of Eastern Europe, from the Polish and the Slovaks to the Macedonians, Czechs and Serbians, with roots in pagan folklore and influenced by the Viking traders who settled in Kiev in the early middle ages. Stories abound with mountains, magic palaces and temples and such incredible tales as 'The King of the Toads', 'Vassilissa the Cunning', and 'The Tsar of the Sea' and 'The Feather of Bright Finist the Falcon'. FLAME TREE 451: From mystery to crime, supernatural to horror and myth, fantasy and science fiction, Flame Tree 451 offers a healthy diet of werewolves and mechanical men, blood-lusty vampires, dastardly villains, mad scientists, secret worlds, lost civilizations and escapist fantasies. Discover a storehouse of tales gathered specifically for the reader of the fantastic.

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Book SynopsisHere, David Gwynn reflects on the remarkable legacy of the Roman Republic. The rise and fall of the Republic holds a special place in the history of Western civilization; it has been presented as a model, a source of inspiration, but also a warning. Placing the events in their wider context, he provides a fascinating history of culture and society.Table of ContentsINTRODUCTION; CHRONOLOGY; THE ROMAN CONSTITUTION; FURTHER READING; INDEX

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Book SynopsisThe Gallic War, published on the eve of the civil war which led to the end of the Roman Republic, is an autobiographical account written by one of the most famous figures of European history. This new translation reflects the purity of Caesar's Latin while preserving the pace and flow of his momentous narrative. As well as an introduction and notes, this edition offers maps, a table of dates, and a glossary.Trade ReviewI read Caesar with rather more reverence and respect than one feels in reading human works...the only thing to be said against him is that he speaks too sparingly of himself. * Montaigne *

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Book SynopsisIn ancient times, the Iberian Peninsula (Spain and Portugal) was home to warriors of great renown. Spanish and Celtiberian warriors, both infantry and cavalry, provided the backbone of the Carthaginian armies that terrorized Italy under Hannibal and proved even more ferocious in defence of their homeland against later Roman occupation. The Lusitanian resistance under Viriathus was among the toughest the Romans encountered anywhere. Professor Quesada Sanz details the arms, armour and equipment of the various warriors of the region in fantastic detail, drawing on his intimate knowledge of the latest archaeological and historical research. His clear and informative text is supported throughout by a wealth of photographs, diagrams and exquisite colour artwork by Carlos Fernandez del Castillo. This beautiful book is a rare combination of detailed, comprehensive information and sumptuous visual appeal that will be cherished by anyone with an interest in the warriors and weapons of the ancient world. The Spanish edition won the Hislibris Award for the 'Best Historical Book' for 2010 and is here faithfully translated into English.

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Book SynopsisThe remarkable archaeology of pharaonic Egypt continues to captivate countless people worldwide but evidence for Egypt's prehistoric or Stone Age past has been relatively neglected. This is perhaps understandable, as the archaeology of Stone Age Egypt often seems crude in comparison, and the number of works published on the subject is diminutive compared to those dealing with the revered ancient civilization that emerged in the Nile Valley some five thousand years ago. However, although less spectacular, the numerous remnants of prehistoric life found throughout Egypt represent an important chapter in the story of humanity's distant past. They also cast compelling light on the shadowy Stone Age peoples who lived in the Nile Valley and surrounding deserts, long before the mighty monuments of the pharaohs ever existed. This book examines the fascinating archaeology of stone Age Egypt, from its very beginnings, when early members of the human species arrived in Egypt from sub-Saharan Africa, to its end, when the impressive Naqada Culture emerged, setting in motion the processes that led to the formation of one of the world's greatest ancient civilizations.

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Book SynopsisHuman olfaction the sense of smell enables us to appreciate food and drink, it warns us of dangers and it makes our environments more enjoyable. However, olfaction is one of our least explored sensory systems. Until now.Smells and scents are the colour that enrich our experience of life. Ask anyone to reflect on their sense of smell, and they immediately start talking. First there are discussions about food and wine, but pretty quickly they move on to personal topics: about the smells that evoke memories of childhood, dead relatives, pregnancy, love and sex. When people talk about their sense of smell, they also tell us something about themselves, their feelings, thoughts and relationships. Thus, the sense of smell not only reflects the chemical world outside us, but also bears witness to our inner world, our feelings and thoughts.The Forgotten Sense explores the unknown mind and how it shapes people: Why can smells evoke such strong memories? How much can body odors control who you fall in love with? How sensitive is the human sense of smell? In many ways these questions are on the very forefront of our understanding, but Dr Jonas Olofsson has spent years studying the least understood of our senses. And he has discovered that it is actually possible to improve and refine one's sense of smell, to develop it into a more useful tool to bring a powerful immediacy to your life.

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Book SynopsisRepresentations of civil war in classical and Christian Latin and their reception in French literature reveal the formative influence of the Roman civil wars on the modern imagination. Optimistic solutions defer resolution beyond the end of history. Within history, a decadent empire resolves republican discord at a terrible price.Table of ContentsIntroduction; 1. Figures of discord; 2. Oriental empire: Vergil, Georgics; 3. Empire without end: Vergil, Aeneid and Lucan, De bello civili; 4. The eternal city: Augustine, De civitate Dei; 5. The republic to come: Hugo, Quatrevingt-treize; 6. The empire to come: Houellebecq, Soumission; Bibliography.

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Book SynopsisThis second edition of Alison E. Cooley''s accessible introduction to Pompeii takes into account the major new theories and discoveries that have emerged since the first edition was published 20 years ago. Italy''s third most popular tourist destination, Pompeii attracts millions of visitors each year, and images of the town are familiar all around the world. However, even today our picture of the site is being impacted by new archaeological discoveries. This book focuses particularly on the date of the eruption, the natural environment of Pompeii, the recovery of skeletal remains and plaster casts, and Pompeii in the popular imagination. In addition, three new chapters look at the popularization of Pompeii, archaeological reconstruction of the Roman town, and how we know what we know about the people who lived there. The technological advances of the 20th and 21st centuries have transformed our understanding of the urban environment of Pompeii, raising new questions even as they dig eTrade ReviewCooley’s is the first comprehensive overview of the history of the Pompeii excavations, and the discussion of the casual explorations of the site that seem to have occurred prior to the official beginning in the mid-18th century presents material that few of us have ever examined. -- New England Classical JournalThis book is a thought-provoking addition to the growing number of books on Pompeii and will be of great interest to professionals and amateurs alike, and especially invaluable to historians, who rely in great part upon the archaeological record. -- Bryn Mawr Classical ReviewA valuable and timely consideration of the often overlooked history of the excavations and an examination of the factors that influence modern perceptions of the site. -- The Journal of Roman StudiesA book that provides an important summary of key periods of excavation, and will prove a very useful addition for the teaching of Pompeii in schools and at university. -- The Classical ReviewTable of ContentsAcknowledgements List of Illustrations Introduction 1. The Destruction of Pompeii 2. A Broken Sleep 3. The Re-awakening 4. The Politics of Archaeology 5. The Popularization of Pompeii 6. The People of Pompeii 7. Rebuilding Pompeii Notes Further Reading Glossary Timeline Key figures in the history of Pompeii’s excavation Bibliography Index

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Book Synopsis‘An incisive, inspiring and vitally illuminating account of a city which changed the ancient world and which deserves to be remembered by the modern. A masterful book written by a master historian.’ – Bettany Hughes, bestselling author of Istanbul and Helen of Troy Continuously inhabited for five millennia, and at one point the most powerful city in Ancient Greece, Thebes has been overshadowed by its better-known rivals, Athens and Sparta. According to myth, the city was founded when Kadmos sowed dragon’s teeth into the ground and warriors sprang forth, ready not only to build the fledgling city but to defend it from all-comers. It was Hercules’ birthplace and the home of the Sphinx, whose riddle Oedipus solved, winning the Theban crown and the king’s widow in marriage, little knowing that the widow was his mother, Jocasta. The city’s history is every bit as rich as its mythic origins, from siding with the Persian invaders when their emperor, Xerxes, set out to conquer Aegean Greece, to siding with Sparta – like Thebes an oligarchy – to defeat Pericles’ democratic Athens, to being utterly destroyed on the orders of Alexander the Great. In Thebes: The Forgotten City of Ancient Greece, the acclaimed classical historian Paul Cartledge brings the city vividly to life, and argues that it is central to our understanding of the ancient Greeks’ achievements – whether politically or culturally – and thus to our own culture and civilization.Trade ReviewPaul Cartledge has done it again - he has shone a light on a crucial epicentre of ancient Greek affairs that so often gets overshadowed by the might of Athens. He does it with assured scholarship, a clear and engaging style, and more than a hint of humour. Thebes is lucky to have Cartledge as its champion! -- Michael Scott'The Forgotten City', as Cambridge professor Paul Cartledge calls it in his engaging new history, nonetheless was of enormous political and cultural importance . . . One of the many strengths of Cartledge’s book is the way it illustrates how hearsay, history and myth combined to form the basis of Theban culture . . . Cartledge’s great achievement is to solve the riddle of why Thebes disappeared and put the ancient city back on the map. -- Daisy Dunn * Literary Review *Cartledge, matching his unrivalled command of the complex, fragmentary and often contradictory sources to his talents as a storyteller, traces the arc of the Theban story as well as anyone is likely to do. -- Tom Holland * Spectator *Will delight anyone that is interested in ancient Greece and the Classical world more generally. An outstanding work by a scholar of justifiable world renown. -- Mark Merrony * Antiquus *Paul Cartledge’s gripping new book reconstructs an ancient city that was once the near equal of Athens and Sparta, but left behind no Thucydides to tell its story . . . Cartledge’s Thebes has let me see a familiar subject, ancient Greece, in a fundamentally new way. -- Rana Mitter * History Today *Excellent . . . rich and detailed * London Review of Books *An incisive, inspiring and vitally illuminating account of a city which changed the ancient world and which deserves to be remembered by the modern. A masterful book written by a master historian. -- Bettany Hughes, bestselling author of Istanbul and Helen of Troy.The great value of this book is that is enables us to see the Thebans not through the eyes of their enemies, but as they themselves would have wished to me seen. -- Tom Holland * BBC History 'Books of the year' *Cartledge deserves full credit for his spirited and readable attempt to put Thebes back on the map. -- Peter Thonemann * TLS *Thebes has all but slipped from cultural consciousness. Or so it had. In this new book, Paul Cartledge, the former AG Leventis professor of Greek culture at the University of Cambridge, with his usual charm and erudition, fights to 'rescue it, permanently, from oblivion'. -- Catherine Nixey * BBC History Magazine *

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Book SynopsisWhen the Romans came to Britain in AD 43, they brought a new style of domestic life, one that better-off Britons soon copied. This informative guide looks at how villas were built, and at the accommodation and daily life villa residents enjoyed - their living rooms and bedrooms, kitchens and baths, gardens and courtyards, furniture and food, and the servants and slaves who kept the villa running. Illustrated with site photos from Roman villas around Britain, archaeological treasures, and museum reconstructions of villa interiors, this is a fascinating look at life in Roman Britain before the Roman army left in AD 406 and the villa way of life faded into history. Includes a list of places to visit.

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Book SynopsisReveals how the pyramids of Egypt were sophisticated generators of clean energy• Explains how the pyramids harmonized seismic energy, which enabled the harvesting of electricity and the mitigation of earthquakes• Shares recent cutting-edge research on earthquake lights, acoustic frequency measurements and energy concentration within the Great Pyramid, the shafts of the Queen’s Chamber, the scorch marks that support the King’s Chamber explosion hypothesis, and the significance of the large void above the Grand Gallery• Includes technical appendices written by experts and top researchersSharing extensive new evidence and cutting-edge research that the Great Pyramid at Giza was built as an energy-harvesting machine, Christopher Dunn details how the ancient Egyptians generated clean power for their civilization and reveals how the pyramid builders and the great inventor Nikola Tesla drew from the same universal knowledge.

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Book SynopsisTrade Review“Captivating and clearly written book about, among other things, ancient manuscript production with focus on the Chester Beatty and Bodmer Papyri, but also discussing the Nag Hammadi and Medinet Madi codices and a recent find such as Codex Tchacos. With many illustrations and excellent indices.”—Johannes van Oort, Brill journal Vigiliae Christianae“A stimulating introduction to working with early Christian manuscripts.”—Thomas Johann Bauer, Zeitschrift für Antikes Christentum“Nongbri is to be congratulated for his ability to synthensize large amounts of data and present a clear and cogent picture of the issues in manuscript study.”—Sean A. Adams, Journal for the Study of the New Testament“There is much to commend in this wonderful rich and informative book about books. Nongbri’s discussion should be of interest for all scholars of the New Testament writings.”—Paul Foster, Expository TimesFinalist for the 2019 PROSE awards, Theology and Religious Studies categoryWinner of the 2019 Ramirez Family Award for Most Significant Scholarly Book, presented by the Texas Institute of LettersWinner of the 2019 George A. and Jean S. DeLong History Book Prize sponsored by the Society for the History of Authorship, Reading and Publishing (SHARP)Winner of the 2019 Best Book Relating to the New Testament Award, sponsored by the Biblical Archaeology Society“With a skeptical eye, a large amount of original archival research, a comprehensive command of the bibliography, and fine critical judgment, this essential book takes apart most of what has been claimed for generations about early Christian manuscripts. This is the best available broad treatment of its subject and is certain to have a wide audience.”—Roger S. Bagnall, New York University;“Breath-taking. . . . With its spectacular archival research and clear, level-headed thinking, this book is a model of scholarship. As a result of Nongbri’s research, we know both more and less about these important early Christian books.”—AnneMarie Luijendijk, Princeton University“Nongbri offers an engaging account of early Christian manuscripts and their modern discoverers, interpreters, and publicists. His lucid narrative offers useful guidance about what can and cannot be known about these important relics.”—Harold W. Attridge, Yale University“In a study that is erudite, persuasive, and massively documented, Brent Nongbri explodes many of the dominant assumptions of early Christian textual scholars. This is a must read for anyone interested in the ‘archaeology’ of Christian manuscripts.”—Bart D. Ehrman, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

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Book SynopsisTable of ContentsIntroduction 1. The Eunuch History: From Antiquity to the 21st Century 2. Approaching Eunuchs: Attitudes, Studies and Problems 3. Castration 4. The Court Eunuchs of the Later Roman Empire 5. Transformations: Byzantine Court Eunuchs, 7th to 11th Centuries AD 6. Eunuchs and Religion 7. Images and Identities of Eunuchs 8. The Twighlight of the Byzantine Eunuch Conclusion. Appendix. Index.

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Book Synopsis''Magisterial - an outstanding book that shines a bright light one of the most important, interesting and under-studied cities in European history. A masterpiece.'' Peter Frankopan''A wonderful new history of the Mediterranean from the fifth to eighth centuries through a lens focussed on Ravenna, gracefully and clearly written, which reconceptualises what was ''East'' and what was ''West''.'' Caroline Goodson''A masterwork by one of our greatest historians of Byzantium and early Christianity. Judith Herrin tells a story that is at once gripping and authoritative and full of wonderful detail about every element in the life of Ravenna. Impossible to put down.'' David FreedbergIn 402 AD, after invading tribes broke through the Alpine frontiers of Italy and threatened the imperial government in Milan, the young Emperor Honorius made the momentous decision to move his capital to a small, easy defendable city in the Po estuary - Ravenna. From then until 751 AD, Ravenna was first the capital of the Western Roman Empire, then that of the immense kingdom of Theoderic the Goth and finally the centre of Byzantine power in Italy.In this engrossing account Judith Herrin explains how scholars, lawyers, doctors, craftsmen, cosmologists and religious luminaries were drawn to Ravenna where they created a cultural and political capital that dominated northern Italy and the Adriatic. As she traces the lives of Ravenna''s rulers, chroniclers and inhabitants, Herrin shows how the city became the pivot between East and West; and the meeting place of Greek, Latin, Christian and barbarian cultures. The book offers a fresh account of the waning of Rome, the Gothic and Lombard invasions, the rise of Islam and the devastating divisions within Christianity. It argues that the fifth to eighth centuries should not be perceived as a time of decline from antiquity but rather, thanks to Byzantium, as one of great creativity - the period of ''Early Christendom''. These were the formative centuries of Europe.While Ravenna''s palaces have crumbled, its churches have survived. In them, Catholic Romans and Arian Goths competed to produce an unrivalled concentration of spectacular mosaics, many of which still astonish visitors today. Beautifully illustrated with specially commissioned photographs, and drawing on the latest archaeological and documentary discoveries, Ravenna: Capital of Empire, Crucible of Europe brings the early Middle Ages to life through the history of this dazzling city.Trade ReviewHer magni?cent recent book Ravenna: Capital of Empire, Crucible of Europe recaptures the excitement of discovering the history of a city where East Rome and Latin Europe joined for many centuries in ways that defy our neat divisions between ancient and medieval; Romans, Greeks, and barbarians; East and West. -- Peter Brown * New York Review of Books *Herrin's claims for Ravenna are both sweeping and convincing. ... Herrin's book, then, is about a good deal more than its ostensible subject. It aims to answer some fundamental historical questions. How did the Roman empire in western Europe decay and mutate? What were the influences on the civilisation of medieval Christendom, and how did they interfuse? To what extent was Christianity touched by the trace elements of Greek and Roman civilisation? Notoriously problematic though these issues are, they are ones that Herrin has spent a distinguished career studying, and which Ravenna brilliantly serves to elucidate. -- Tom Holland * Financial Times *the book is absolutely gorgeous, with magnificent colour reproductions of Ravenna's churches and mosaics. Relics of an age that seems almost impossibly remote, they are the foundations on which modern Europe stands. -- Dominic Sandbrook * Sunday Times *Beautifully illustrated, impeccably researched and accessibly presented, it traces Ravenna's career as the capital of the Roman empire in the west ... Buildings are also brought to life alongside the people who built and used them. ... It is this linking of tangible remains and historical record that is the book's great strength -- Jonathan Harris * BBC History Magazine *This book is a triumph of accessible, innovative, lively scholarship from one of the very best Byzantine historians we have. It casts an unexpected but deeply illuminating light on how the "European" political and religious mind became what it is. -- Rowan Williams * New Humanist *The northern Italian city of Ravenna, with its wondrous mosaicked churches and gilded mausolea that miraculously survived the aerial bombardments of the second world war, was manifestly also a Byzantine city. Herrin shows how this was so in her scrupulously researched history of the city in its imperial heyday through the period Edward Gibbon chose to call the Dark Ages ... eminently worth reading. The colour plates are so sumptuous that the Ravenna mosaics fairly glow on the page. -- Ian Thomson * Spectator *Judith Herrin's Ravenna ... performs the seemingly impossible task of rescuing its subject from obscurity, charting an improbably journey from marsh-enfolded outpost to imperial capital and cultural dynamo. -- Philip Parker * Literary Review *Herrin tells the changing story of Ravenna as it unfolds from the end of the fourth century to the ninth in a series of short, accessible sections with the aid of luscious illustrations. -- Averil Cameron * History Today *Herrin spent nine years researching her narrative of the three and a half centuries of Ravenna's ascendancy ... By the time we can easily visit Ravenna the city again it should be with the advantage of having read Ravenna the book -- Christopher Howse * Daily Telegraph *lively, startling ... The author evokes lost worlds in surprising anecdotes ... From chariot races to bust-ups between neighbourhood gangs, readers are vividly reminded that for all its grandeur, Ravenna was in its heyday a flawed and hectic place. * Economist *Ravenna shows us an earlier stage in the relationship between Byzantium and the west. It was an impregnable port city, selected as a redoubt during the depredations of Attila the Hun. It was the residence of the western Roman emperors, of the Gothic kings who succeeded them and then of the exarchs, Byzantine officials who preserved this toehold of imperial control into the eighth century. It was also the seat of powerful archbishops, whose rivalry with the Pope in Rome fills pages of local history. Each of these different rulers left their own stamp on the city through their building work and mosaics. Judith Herrin's book provides a rich illustration and analysis of this legacy ... Herrin is equally adept at drawing out the wider, international legacy of Ravenna. An important example of this comes after the city's heyday, when ... Charlemagne, the Frankish emperor, was a visitor to the city, and in Ravenna he saw models of Roman rulership expressed in stone and mosaic. -- Philip Wood * Prospect *Judith Herrin's Ravenna is an erudite but wonderfully readable over-view of the life of a city that is often ignored, forgotten or misplaced. -- Peter Frankopan * Spectator Books of the Year *Herrin is a superb historian who tells us that she's tethered to the tangible evidence of primary sources. Praise the Lord, I thought. Someone's still doing history the right way. -- Brian T. Allen * National Review *A sweeping and engrossing history ... an accessible narrative that brings to life the men and women who created the city during this period and who fashioned its hybrid Christian culture of Latin, Greek and Gothic elements. The narrative is periodically elevated by discussions of the city's most famous attractions and its glorious churches, brilliantly illustrated in the book's 62 color plates. It is also enlivened by recurring digressions on daily life in the city at each phase in its history. -- Anthony Kaldellis * Wall Street Journal *a fascinating dive into Late Roman/Byzantine history, rich with improbable but true stories -- Theodore Brun * Aspects of History Books of the Year 2021 *Judith Herrin, a Professor at King's College London, is already Britain's best-known living Byzantinologist. Learned and witty, her books and articles have brought her subject out of shadow into a daylight where the dealings of emperors, exarchs and bishops become comprehensible, often lively, often concerned with issues acute in our own times ... She is original in wider ways, too: not only in her painstaking reconstruction of social and economic life in Ravenna from often fragmentary documents, but in her broad take on the whole period from about the fourth to the ninth century ... the gorgeous, plentiful illustrations help the reader to grasp the sheer scale of Herrin's triumphant history. This book is a master-work of scholarship and sharp intelligence. -- Neal Ascherson * Red Pepper *a sumptuously produced and beautifully written account of how the city on the Po was the beleaguered last capital of the Roman Empire but managed to grow into the centre of Byzantine power in Italy and the key pivot between East and West at the dawn of the early modern period. This is a fascinating read and a fabulous book, from the gold sheen of its cover to the vibrant colours of the magnificent illustrations. -- Charlie Connolly * New European Books of the Year *Andrew Roberts superb revisionist biography George III ... Incapable of writing a dull sentence, Roberts deploys deep scholarship and impeccable analysis to exonerate the 'Farmer' King of both stupidity and tyranny. -- Saul David * Aspects of History Books of the Year *Andrew Roberts's George III is a wonderful revisionist portrayal of the monarch who presided over the high point of architecture and the loss of America. Obviously meticulously, majestically done - but also a total joy to read. -- Catherine Ostler * Aspects of History Books of the Year *Judith Herrin's Ravenna: Capital of Empire, Crucible of Europe crowns the long career of a deeply learned historian ... a wonderful book, beautifully written and beautifully illustrated. -- Lucky Beckett * The Tablet, Books of the Year *the city was "the melting pot of Europe" ... the hinge between the old Roman empire, the refounded Rome of Byzantium and the second new Rome of Charlemagne, who plundered its monuments for his capital at Aachen. Herrin's book ... is a welcome addition to a golden era of scholarship devoted to late antiquity and the early Middle Ages in Europe -- Martin Ivens * Times Literary Supplement *Judith Herrin's Ravenna aims to set the mosaics, the buildings they ennoble and the urban landscape they inhabit back within a meaningful historical context. It's a worthy project that surprisingly has not really been attempted before ... it takes a scholar of Herrin's brilliance to bring events to life within a meaningful evocation of a time and a place. That skill, and a wonderfully pellucid prose style, ensures that even readers frustrated by the archaic narrative will find a great deal to admire and indeed learn from. -- Michael Kulikowski * Times Literary Supplement *An ambitious, rewarding and detailed history of the city of Ravenna, spanning the period from its designation as imperial capital in the early fifth century to its Carolingian spoliations in the ninth. ... This book is a comprehensive, detailed and glittering history of the city within its Mediterranean context. It will attract the casual reader while also carrying sophisticated new arguments that will appeal to specialists. -- Giulia Bellato * English Historical Review *Judith Herrin tells its fascinating history and presents a parade of forceful and creative characters with great insight and a wonderfully light touch, in a book as beautifully produced as it is profoundly researched. -- R.I. Moore, author of * The War on Heresy *

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Book SynopsisPlutarch traces the fortunes of Athens through nine lives - from Theseus, its founder, to Lysander, its Spartan conqueror - in this seminal workWhat makes a leader? For Plutarch the answer lay not in great victories, but in moral strengths. In these nine biographies, taken from his Parallel Lives, Plutarch illustrates the rise and fall of Athens through nine lives, from the legendary days of Theseus, the city''s founder, through Solon, Themistocles, Aristides, Cimon, Pericles, Nicias and Alcibiades, to the razing of its walls by Lysander. Plutarch ultimately held the weaknesses of its leaders responsible for the city''s fall. His work is invaluable for its imaginative reconstruction of the past, and profound insights into human life and achievement. This edition of Ian Scott-Kilvert''s seminal translation, fully revised with a new introduction and notes by John Marincola, now also contains Plutarch''s attack on the first historian, ''On the Malice of Herodotus'

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Book SynopsisA fascinating tour of cities that have been lost to history, from the Neolithic period up to the late Roman Empire, that offers a fresh new perspective on the roots of urban life. The ruins of ancient Athens, Luxor and Rome are familiar cornerstones of world history, visited by travellers from across the globe. But what about the cities that have dropped off the map that have been submerged under water, or swallowed up by the sands of time? Where are they, and what can they tell us about our past? In this compendium of forgotten cities, Philip Matyszak explores the trials, tribulations and triumphs they faced, revealing how people have embarked on the shared endeavour of living together since we first settled down 12,000 years ago. Illustrated throughout with important artefacts, ruins and maps, Lost Cities of the Ancient World brings to life the sites and settlements across Europe, the Middle East and beyond that time forgot, from the sunken city of Ropotamo in the Black Sea Table of ContentsIntroduction: Ghosts of the Past The Oldest Cities 1. Çatalhöyük 2. Skara Brae 3. Akkad 4. Pavlopetri 5. Zoar 6. Hattusa 7. Mardaman 8. Thebes 9. Phaistos From Troy to Rome 10. Troy 11. Thonis 12. Mycenae 13. Seleucia-on-the-Tigris 14. Sybaris 15. Plataea 16. Taxila 17. Tigranocerta 18. Persepolis 19. Numantia Across the Roman Empire 20. Glanum 21. Falerii Novi 22. Cyrene 23. Tipasa 24. Baiae 25. Volubilis 26. Stabiae 27. Maiden Castle 28. Timgad 29. Antinopolis The Empire’s Edge and Beyond 30. Palmyra 31. Waldgirmes 32. Sarmizegetusa Regia 33. Gerasa 34. Venta Silurum 35. Dura-Europos 36. Beta Samati 37. Derinkuyu Epilogue

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Book SynopsisA unique combination of travel guide and popular history that takes the reader on a vivid journey to the Rome of the Caesars.Trade Review'An excellent introduction to Roman life' - Times Literary Supplement'The ultimate in-joke book for classicist travellers' - Sunday Times'Brings the ancient city back to life' - Mail on Sunday'Altogether rather a magical book' - Minerva'A skilful combination of light-hearted fun and impressive research, you’ll find yourself entertained and educated at the same time' - Family Tree'Great to dip in and out' - Of Beauty and Nothingness'Ingenious … good fun!' - This EnglandTable of Contents1. Getting There: Puteoli, Hitting the Road • 2. The Environs of Rome:Villas, Aqueducts, Necropolises, The Pomerium, Walls and Gates • 3. Settling In – Where to Stay: The Seven Hills, Types of Accommodation, Sanitary Facilities, Medical Emergencies, What to Wear, Food) • 4. Out and About: Dining Out, Meeting People, Roman Names, The Social Order, Slaves, Family • 5. Shopping: Where to Shop, Changing Money, What to Buy, Aediles • 6. Law and Order: Praetorians, Urban Cohorts, Vigiles, Law Courts, Prison, Punishment • 7. Entertainment: Colosseum, Circus Maximus, Theatre, Brothels • 8. Religion: Temples to Visit, Religious Festivals • 9. Must-See Sites: The Forum of the Romans, The Arch of Titus, The Imperial Forums, The Forum of Augustus, Later Forums, Triumphal Columns, The Tomb of St Peter, The Baths • 10. Roman Walks: The Palatine, Along the Tiber, The Campus Martius

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Book SynopsisPyrrhus was one of the most tireless and famous warriors of the Hellenistic Age that followed the dispersal of Alexander the Great''s brief empire. After inheriting the throne as a boy, and a period of exile, he began a career of alliances and expansion, in particular against the region's rising power: Rome. Gathering both Greek and Italian allies into a very large army (which included war-elephants), he crossed to Italy in 280 BC, but lost most of his force in a series of costly victories at Heraclea and Asculum, as well as a storm at sea. After a campaign in Sicily against the Carthaginians, he was defeated by the Romans at Beneventum and was forced to withdraw. Undeterred, he fought wars in Macedonia and Greece, the last of which cost him his life. Fully illustrated with detailed colour plates, this is the story of one of the most renowned warrior-kings of the post-Alexandrian age, whose costly encounters with Republican Rome have become a byword for victory won at unsustainable cosTrade ReviewThis is a very interesting and absorbing look at the later 'Successor' wars of the Helienistic world. -- Chris May * Battlefield *Table of ContentsIntroduction: the peoples of Epirus, and their confederation before the accession of Pyrrhus as King of the Molossians . * Chronology of the reign of Pyrrhus, 307-272 BC . * The appearance of Pyrrhus. * Pyrrhus as general: his books on the art of war; his coucillors. * The Army of Pyrrhus: Guard Cavalry, Line Cavalry, Macedonian Phalanx, Epirote Phalanx, Mercenary Phalanx, Elephants, and Slingers. * Pyrrhus's Allies: the Tarantines, Lucanians, Bruttians and Samnites. * Plate Commentaries

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Book SynopsisIn the year AD 9, three Roman legions were crushed by the German warlord Arminius in the Battle of the Teutoburg Forest. This event is well-known, but there was another uprising that Rome faced shortly before, which lasted from AD 6 to 9, and was just as intense. This rebellion occurred in the western Balkans (an area roughly corresponding to modern Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Slovenia, Montenegro and parts of Serbia and Albania) and it tested the Roman Empire to its limits. For three years, fifteen legions fought in the narrow valleys and forest-covered crags of the Dinaric Mountains in a ruthless war of attrition against an equally ruthless and determined foe, and yet this conflict is largely unknown today. The Great Illyrian Revolt is believed to be the first book ever devoted to this forgotten war of the Roman Empire. Within its pages, we examine the history and culture of the mysterious Illyrian people, the story of how Rome became involved in this volatile region, and what the Roman army had to face during those harrowing three years in the Balkans.

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Book SynopsisThe third century AD was one of unprecedented crisis and chaos for the Roman Empire. Nightmares both internal and external threatened to spell the end of Rome's thousand-year history. Diocletian was born either a slave or a freedman, and he grew up to become the saviour of Rome in her hour of crisis, a powerful military and political leader who transformed the Roman Empire from a hotbed of unceasing strife and turmoil into a renewed, restored, revivified and stable polity. His more than twenty years of power were marked by the ill-fated Great Persecution of the Christians, an undertaking that would prove to be one of the less successful initiatives of his reign, even as in its own way it helped to pave the way for the coming of an equally famous, successful emperor in the person of Constantine the Great. The present study seeks to provide an introduction to the life and times of Diocletian for the general reader, offering a balanced portrait of an immensely talented man in a time of trial and tumult, an accomplished emperor who knew when it was time to retire to his gardens.

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Book SynopsisExplore the fascinating world of Greek and Roman history in this new entry in the bestselling Bite-Sized Chunks series.Perhaps more than any other period in history, the era of classical antiquity shaped the Western world as we know it today. From the pioneering schools of Greek philosophy to the far-reaching influence of the Roman Empire, so much of what we consider fundamental to our contemporary civilization can trace its roots back to Mediterranean Europe during this time.Divided into eight chapters, each covering an aspect of the classical world - the gods, heroes and monsters, rulers and government, war, art, philosophy, literature and science - this is the perfect primer for any reader looking for an introduction to one of the most captivating periods in history.With dozens of easy-to-digest entries on the most important people, events, art and mythology of the era, accom

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Book SynopsisFew classical stories are as romantic as that of Jason and the Golden Fleece. The stirring tale of an adventurer who was also a disenfranchised king's son and daring sea-captain has resonated through the ages, rumbling and echoing like the clashing rocks which almost pulverised the doughty Argo to splinters. The themes of the legend are perennial, and endlessly engaging. For even while it tells of a quest to the ends of the earth, of the villainous usurper King Pelias, of dragons' teeth, of the doom of Hylas (beloved friend to Heracles), ravished to his end by nymphs who greatly desired him for his beauty, and of Jason's lust for the witch Medea (betrayed so that he might wed another), it speaks to us of more: of sex and gender; of identity and race; and, of colonisation and conquest. From Pindar to J W Waterhouse, from Max Beckmann to Ray Harryhausen and from Mary Renault to Ian Seraillier, the epic poem of "Apollonius of Rhodes" has inspired later interpretations as rich, salty and diverse as the source text itself. Helen Lovatt here unravels, like untangled sea-kelp, the diverse strands of the narrative and its numerous and fascinating afterlives. Her book will prove endlessly entertaining to those who love classical literature and myth.Trade ReviewThis book, the outgrowth of a college course, is an ambitious project, meticulously researched and rich in detail, a tour de force that brings to bear well over the 57 literary works, children’s books, comics and films. * The Classical Review *In Search of the Argonauts draws a vivid treasure map to follow the Argonaut story wherever it lands – from ancient epics to modern children’s books to contemporary film and television. On this journey, Lovatt uncovers rich veins of meaning about heroism, masculinity, and leadership stowed within the various adaptations of the Argonaut tradition. -- Monica S. Cyrino, Professor of Classics, University of New Mexico USAThis is a wide-ranging study of many different versions of the Argonautic myth from antiquity to the present and in a broad range of media: poetry, novels, paintings, films. Lovatt skillfully shows how various retellings of the story bring out important issues, especially those concerned with gender and ethnicity, and shows the myth’s centrality in many stages of western culture. -- William Thalmann, Professor Emeritus of Classics and Comparative Literature, University of Southern California, USATable of ContentsList of Illustrations Versions, Texts and Abbreviations Acknowledgements Chapter 1: Back-stories and Beginnings Chapter 2: Femininity and Sexuality Chapter 3: Masculinity and Leadership Chapter 4: Entertainment and the Marvellous Chapter 5: Ethnicity and Otherness Chapter 6: Heroism and Betrayal Chapter 7: Quest and Fleece Chapter 8: Findings and Endings Notes Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisA scientific exploration of the advanced ancient civilization known as Doggerland or Fairland that disappeared 5,000 years ago. New marine archaeological evidence has revealed the remains of a large land mass to the north of Britain that hosted an advanced civilization 1,000 years before the recognized “first” civilizations of ancient Egypt, Mesopotamia, or India. Remembered in Celtic legends as Tu-lay, and referred to by geologists as Doggerland or Fairland, this civilization began at least as early as 4000 BC but was ultimately destroyed by rising sea levels, huge tsunamis, and a terrible viral epidemic released from melting permafrost during a cataclysmic period of global warming. Exploring the latest archaeological findings and recent scientific analysis of Doggerland’s underwater remains, Graham Phillips shows that this ancient culture had sophisticated technology and advanced medical knowledge. He looks at evidence detected with remote sensing and seismic profiling of many artificial structures, complex settlements, gigantic earthworks, epic monoliths, and huge stone circles dated to more than 5,500 years ago, preserved beneath the ground and on the ocean floor. He examines evidence of Doggerland’s high-temperature technology, showing how its people were able to melt solid rock to create vitrified structures far stronger than concrete, a technique that modern science cannot replicate. He looks at the small part of the Fairland land mass that still exists: Fair Isle, a tiny island some 45 miles north of the Orkney Islands of Scotland. Phillips shows how, when Fairland sank beneath the waves around 3100 BC, its last survivors traveled by boat to settle in the British Isles, where they established the megalithic culture that built Stonehenge. Revealing the vast archaeological evidence in support of the existence of Doggerland, as well as its threads of influence in early cultures around the world, Phillips also shows how the fate of this sophisticated ancient culture is a warning from history: the cataclysmic events that happened to the first civilizations could happen again as the world heats up.Trade Review“Graham Phillips has made a powerful case for advanced prediluvian “Phillips’s thorough investigations of this fascinating topic reveal not only a prehistoric lost world that is today rewriting history but also the genesis point of the stone circle culture whose greatest achievement was Stonehenge. An important addition to the bookshelf of anyone into the mysteries of the megaliths.” * Andrew Collins, author of The First Female Pharaoh and Göbekli Tepe and coauthor of Denisovan O *“Graham Phillips has made a powerful case for advanced prediluvian civilization in Europe. In fact, the sunken kingdom of Doggerland, only recently discovered at the bottom of the North Sea, resembles in many ways the lost world called Atlantis by Plato. Phillips does a great job of showing the connections between the mythic megalithic culture we have dreamed about for many centuries and one we had long forgotten but which may be the true homeland of the British people. A wonderful and intriguing read.” * J. Douglas Kenyon, author of Ghosts of Atlantis: How the Echoes of Lost Civilizations Influence Our *“Graham Phillips’s well-researched, well-written book neatly places a number of missing pieces in the puzzle of the Orkney megalithic tradition and the broader ancient region of Doggerland. He presents these in context with a range of informative viewpoints on prediluvian cultures including Atlantis, Mu, and Lemuria.” * Laird Scranton, author of The Mystery of Skara Brae, Sacred Symbols of the Dogon, and Point of Origi *Table of ContentsAcknowledgmentsGlobal Warning1 A Forgotten CivilizationPeople of the North Sea2 First Cities and the Legend of AtlantisPossible Locations and Catastrophes3 Lost ContinentsDebunking the Theories of Mu and Lemuria4 The Great FloodStories from Ancient Civilizations5 Melting Ice, Climate Change, and Pandemics Their Impacts on Urbian Populations around the World6 The Mysteries of the Megalithic Culture Postulating Its Origins7 Stone Circles, Earthworks, and Standing StonesCharacteristics of the Monuments of the British Isles8 Megalithic CivilizationOrcadian Innovation9 Geomancers and HealersPurpose of the Monuments10 FairlandEvidence of Civilization and MigrationNotes Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisEusebius''s account is the only surviving historical record of the Church during its crucial first 300 years. Bishop Eusebius, a learned scholar who lived most of his life in Caesarea in Palestine, broke new ground in writing the History and provided a model for all later ecclesiastical historians. In tracing the history of the Church from the time of Christ to the Great Persecution at the beginning of the fourth century, and ending with the conversion of the Emperor Constantine, his aim was to show the purity and continuity of the doctrinal tradition of Christianity and its struggle against persecutors and heretics.

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Book SynopsisArrian's account of Alexander's life and campaigns, published as the Anabasis and its companion piece the Indica, is our prime source for the history of Alexander, told with great narrative skill. This edition features a new translation of both texts, introduction, notes, guide to military systems and terminology, maps and a full index.Trade ReviewMartin Hammond's new translation of the Anabasis and Indica of Arrian is another triumph for Oxford University Press' World's Classics ... it forms a perfect, handy paperback of the works that tell the modern world more about Alexander than any other source material ... It's an exceedingly well-done volume. * Open Letters Monthly *Hammond has done Arrian - as he did Thucydides in the same series in 2009 - proud a truly serviceable classroom edition at a very reasonable price. * Paul Cartledge, The Journal of Classics Teaching *Table of ContentsIntroduction ; Select Bibliography ; Chronology ; THE ANABASIS ; THE INDICA ; Appendix I: The Macedonian army: structures and terminology ; Appendix II: The Macedonian and Persian courts and Imperial administration ; Appendix III: Finance and linear measures ; Explanatory Notes ; Notes on the Greek text ; Index ; Maps

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Book SynopsisThe Ancient Egyptians used a hieroglyphic writing system that still resonates today for its graphic representation of things, people, pharaohs and concepts. These hieroglyphics were discovered by adventurers and archeologists in temples, tombs and on papyrus documents, telling of the everyday life, religion and history of this 5,000-year-old civilization. Some of the symbols were simple but represented something with a wider significance, such as the eye of Horus; other logographs might represent an animal, such as a snake, elephant or lion; while others, such as the Ba symbol of a bird with a human head, represented the human soul with the ability to travel to the afterlife using wings. The language grew and over time came to represent every facet of Ancient Egyptian life. This book allows the reader to piece together and read the symbols, to understand their meanings and use, and examines what they have taught the world about this most influential of early civilizations. In Ancient Egyptian Hieroglyphs Illustrated, we learn more of the story of this rich ancient language and its development over thousands of years, and the story of their decipherment after the discovery of the Rosetta Stone. The book explores the key logograms for popular concepts such as ‘sun’, ‘house’ and ‘mountain’, as well as more complex ideas such as Ajet, or ‘sun rising over mountains’; marvel at Tutankhamun’s full name as marked on his tomb, which is portrayed using a reed, a wave of water, a falcon, an ankh symbol, and a series of staffs; learn about the two outstretched arms of the Ka symbol, which represents the mortal life and soul of a person. Each of the graphically illustrated entries is accompanied by a description of the written form and an explanation of its meaning. Presented in a high-quality Chinese-bound format with accompanying illustrations, Ancient Egyptian Hieroglyphs Illustrated provides a compact, easy-to-understand introduction to the writing system of Ancient Egypt.Table of ContentsSelected Contents: History of Language Scribe and Society Hieroglyphic alphabet Sign of the Times Reading the SymbolsLife and Land Sistrum, Bee Lotus, Tree of LifeReligion and Ritual Shen Ring, Menat, Winged Solar Disk, Djed ColumnPharaohs and Power Uraeus, Hedjet Crown, Crook & Flail, ObeliskRoyal Cartouches Khufu, Tuthmose I, Hatsepshut, Tutankhamun, Alexander, CleopatraGods and Myths Eye of Horus, Eye of Ra, Osiris, Ankh, Tyet, ShuAfterlife Seba, Ba, Duat, Ka, Mummy, IbKey Discoveries Narmer Palette, Abydos Kings List, Book of the DeadSelected Letters A – Vulture, B – Foot, D – Hand, F – Horned Viper, H – Twisted Flax, M – Owl, N – Ripple, T – Loaf of Bread, Z or S – Door bolt

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