Search results for ""author dr phyllis g jestice""

Ancient Egypt is one of the great wellsprings of human civilization, first developing around the city of Memphis on the Nile River in the fourth millennium BCE. Egyptian life was centred on a complex system of religious rituals, with the pharaoh (king) seen as a living god among the people. Mighty pyramids, tombs and monuments were built to celebrate the pharaohs, many of which can still be seen in all their grandeur today. Arranged by dynastic period, Pharaohs offers a compact history of the reign of these god- kings, from Menes, who united the north and south kingdoms, to the Ptolemaic Queen Cleopatra, who was defeated along with her lover Mark Antony at the Battle of Actium (31 BCE) by imperial Rome. Along the way the reader will learn about the Great Pyramid constructed by Khufu, the last of the Seven Wonders of the ancient world; Queen Hatshepsut, a rare female pharaoh whose name means “foremost of noblewomen” and who launched a massive building programme at Luxor; the young pharaoh Tutankhamun, whose tomb was discovered intact in the Valley of the Kings, complete with the fabulous trappings of his divine status; and Ramesses II (“the Great”), who is thought to have enslaved the Israelites, built the magnificent temple of Abu Simbel, and defeated the Hittites at the Battle of Kadesh (1274 BCE) riding his trade-mark chariot. Carefully researched, superbly entertaining and illustrated throughout with more than 180 photographs and artworks, Pharaohs is an accessible history of the kings who ruled Ancient Egypt for more than 4,000 years.

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From the Highlands of Scotland to the plains of northern India, Castles of the World is a beautiful examination of past worlds viewed through strongholds that continue to enrich the modern landscape. They evoke an imagined age of aristocratic warriors and noble aspirations. Presented in a handy, pocket-sized format, arranged chronologically and illustrated with more than 200 colour photographs, Castles of the World examines more than 150 fortifications from across the world, from Cathar castles and Alpine schlösser to Norman keeps and Samurai strongholds. Discover how the 13th-century Eilean Donan Castle in Scotland was destroyed during the Jacobite rebellion of 1719; learn about Turkey’s Marmaris Castle, built in 1522 by Suleiman the Magnificent to support his attack on neighbouring Rhodes; and explore the Mughal-constructed Red Fort in Delhi, home of Muslim rulers from 1648 until 1803, and today a symbol of Indian nationalism.

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In a world historically dominated by male rulers, the women who have sat on thrones of their own shine out brightly. Some queens and empresses were born to greatness, while others fought their way to power. Queens ranges from the ancient world to the present day, telling the stories of these women who ruled, from murderous former courtesan Wu Zetian in 7th century China to Elizabeth I, the ‘Virgin Queen’ of England. In 6th century Constantinople, Empress Theodora, who had been a street performer before catching the eye of Emperor Justinian, extended rights for women, passing laws that allowed them to divorce and own property and made rape a crime punishable by death. In 12th century Europe, Eleanor of Aquitaine first married the king of France and then the king of England. At the Mughal court in Lahore in the early 17th century, Nur Jahan, wife of the Mughal Emperor Jahangir, was the political powerhouse behind the throne. In more recent history, the book explores the reigns of Catherine the Great, revealing how a minor German aristocrat came to rule and expand the Russian Empire, Queen Victoria, whose family dominated the world in the early 20th centuty, and her more recent descendent, Elizabeth II, the longest-ruling queen in history. Female rulers are often described as ambitious rather than bold, as devious rather than diplomatically astute and as intriguers and meddlers, all characterizations that are destructive to the reality of women’s lives in the world’s monarchies. Even genealogies still often leave out the women of royal families, overlooking their genuine contributions. To some extent, we will never know these great women of history as well as we know their menfolk; the sources simply leave too many gaps. However, we can and will do better in giving the women rulers of history the recognition they deserve Carefully researched, superbly entertaining and illustrated throughout with more than 180 photographs and artworks, Queens highlights the true personalities and real lives of the women who became monarchs and empresses.

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Robust, romantic and imposing, castles capture our imagination when we were children and continue to hold interest throughout our lives. From Europe to Haiti, from India to Japan, Castles of the World explores forts, strongholds, towers and citadels from the ancient world up to the 20th century. Entries range from well-known examples such as Corfe Castle in England, the crusader stronghold of Krak des Chevaliers in Syria and the romantic palace of Neuschwanstein in Bavaria, to lesser-known curiosities such as the Genoese Fortress in the Crimea, Rudkhan Castle in Iran and Morro Castle in Havana. Arranged chronologically, each entry includes a striking colour photograph and expert text briefly telling the story of the castle’s history. Built, rebuilt and expanded many times, castles often don’t just tell us about one period in history, but about many different times. They offer us layers of history – and sometimes mystery, too. With 200 outstanding colour photographs, Castles of the World is a beautiful examination of worlds gone by.

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Fighting Techniques of Naval Warfare describes the fighting techniques of navies throughout the ages, from ancient times to the present day. The book explores the tactics and strategy required to win battles with the technology available, and points out how the development of such weapons changed the face of naval warfare. Divided into five sections, the text first examines the ancient methods of fighting at sea. Fighting Techniques of Naval Warfare describes why some navies and admirals were more effective than others, and why certain tactics were successful or not. Progressing through the ages, each section contains four key battles illustrated with maps to highlight the tactics in vogue at the time, while the accompanying text describes the equipment used by navies of the period. The battles featured include Actium, Sluys, the Armada, Sacheon, Quiberon Bay, Lake Erie, and Jutland. Using specially-commissioned colour and black-and-white artworks to illustrate the battles, equipment and tactics of the era, Fighting Techniques of Naval Warfare shows in detail the methods by which navies gained and lost ascendancy on the oceans.

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