iBooks Ancient History Ebook Best Sellers

Chart of the top 50 most popular and best selling ancient history ebooks at the Apple iBookstore.

The ancient history ebook best seller chart was last updated:

History Ebook Best Sellers

Top Ancient History Ebooks

1

After 1177 B.C. - Eric H. Cline Cover Art

After 1177 B.C.

After 1177 B.C. The Survival of Civilizations by Eric H. Cline

In this gripping sequel to his bestselling 1177 B.C., Eric Cline tells the story of what happened after the Bronze Age collapsed—why some civilizations endured, why some gave way to new ones, and why some disappeared forever “A landmark book: lucid, deep, and insightful. . . . You cannot understand human civilization and self-organization without studying what happened on, before, and after 1177 B.C.”—Nassim Nicholas Taleb, bestselling author of The Black Swan At the end of the acclaimed history 1177 B.C. , many of the Late Bronze Age civilizations of the Aegean and Eastern Mediterranean lay in ruins, undone by invasion, revolt, natural disasters, famine, and the demise of international trade. An interconnected world that had boasted major empires and societies, relative peace, robust commerce, and monumental architecture was lost and the so-called First Dark Age had begun. Now, in After 1177 B.C. , Eric Cline tells the compelling story of what happened next, over four centuries, across the Aegean and Eastern Mediterranean world. It is a story of resilience, transformation, and success, as well as failures, in an age of chaos and reconfiguration. After 1177 B.C. tells how the collapse of powerful Late Bronze Age civilizations created new circumstances to which people and societies had to adapt. Those that failed to adjust disappeared from the world stage, while others transformed themselves, resulting in a new world order that included Phoenicians, Philistines, Israelites, Neo-Hittites, Neo-Assyrians, and Neo-Babylonians. Taking the story up to the resurgence of Greece marked by the first Olympic Games in 776 B.C., the book also describes how world-changing innovations such as the use of iron and the alphabet emerged amid the chaos. Filled with lessons for today's world about why some societies survive massive shocks while others do not, After 1177 B.C. reveals why this period, far from being the First Dark Age, was a new age with new inventions and new opportunities.

2

Killing Jesus - Bill O'Reilly & Martin Dugard Cover Art

Killing Jesus

Killing Jesus A History by Bill O'Reilly & Martin Dugard

Millions of readers have thrilled to bestselling authors Bill O'Reilly and historian Martin Dugard's Killing Kennedy and Killing Lincoln , page-turning works of nonfiction that have changed the way we read history. The basis for the 2015 television film available on streaming. Now the iconic anchor of The O'Reilly Factor details the events leading up to the murder of the most influential man in history: Jesus of Nazareth. Nearly two thousand years after this beloved and controversial young revolutionary was brutally killed by Roman soldiers, more than 2.2 billion human beings attempt to follow his teachings and believe he is God. Killing Jesus will take readers inside Jesus's life, recounting the seismic political and historical events that made his death inevitable - and changed the world forever.

3

Emperor of Rome: Ruling the Ancient Roman World - Mary Beard Cover Art

Emperor of Rome: Ruling the Ancient Roman World

Emperor of Rome: Ruling the Ancient Roman World
by Mary Beard

INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER Best Books of 2023: New Yorker, The Economist, Smithsonian Most Anticipated Books of Fall: Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, TODAY, Literary Hub, and Publishers Weekly "A vivid way to re-examine what we know, and don’t, about life at the top.... Emperor of Rome is a masterly group portrait, an invitation to think skeptically but not contemptuously of a familiar civilization." —Kyle Harper, Wall Street Journal A sweeping account of the social and political world of the Roman emperors by “the world’s most famous classicist” (Guardian). In her international bestseller SPQR, Mary Beard told the thousand-year story of ancient Rome, from its slightly shabby Iron Age origins to its reign as the undisputed hegemon of the Mediterranean. Now, drawing on more than thirty years of teaching and writing about Roman history, Beard turns to the emperors who ruled the Roman Empire, beginning with Julius Caesar (assassinated 44 BCE) and taking us through the nearly three centuries—and some thirty emperors—that separate him from the boy-king Alexander Severus (assassinated 235 CE). Yet Emperor of Rome is not your typical chronological account of Roman rulers, one emperor after another: the mad Caligula, the monster Nero, the philosopher Marcus Aurelius. Instead, Beard asks different, often larger and more probing questions: What power did emperors actually have? Was the Roman palace really so bloodstained? What kind of jokes did Augustus tell? And for that matter, what really happened, for example, between the emperor Hadrian and his beloved Antinous? Effortlessly combining the epic with the quotidian, Beard tracks the emperor down at home, at the races, on his travels, even on his way to heaven. Along the way, Beard explores Roman fictions of imperial power, overturning many of the assumptions that we hold as gospel, not the least of them the perception that emperors one and all were orchestrators of extreme brutality and cruelty. Here Beard introduces us to the emperor’s wives and lovers, rivals and slaves, court jesters and soldiers, and the ordinary people who pressed begging letters into his hand—whose chamber pot disputes were adjudicated by Augustus, and whose budgets were approved by Vespasian, himself the son of a tax collector. With its finely nuanced portrayal of sex, class, and politics, Emperor of Rome goes directly to the heart of Roman fantasies (and our own) about what it was to be Roman at its richest, most luxurious, most extreme, most powerful, and most deadly, offering an account of Roman history as it has never been presented before.

4

The Storm Before the Storm - Mike Duncan Cover Art

The Storm Before the Storm

The Storm Before the Storm The Beginning of the End of the Roman Republic by Mike Duncan

The creator of the award-winning podcast series The History of Rome and Revolutions brings to life the bloody battles, political machinations, and human drama that set the stage for the fall of the Roman Republic. The Roman Republic was one of the most remarkable achievements in the history of civilization. Beginning as a small city-state in central Italy, Rome gradually expanded into a wider world filled with petty tyrants, barbarian chieftains, and despotic kings. Through the centuries, Rome's model of cooperative and participatory government remained remarkably durable and unmatched in the history of the ancient world. In 146 BC, Rome finally emerged as the strongest power in the Mediterranean. But the very success of the Republic proved to be its undoing. The republican system was unable to cope with the vast empire Rome now ruled: rising economic inequality disrupted traditional ways of life, endemic social and ethnic prejudice led to clashes over citizenship and voting rights, and rampant corruption and ruthless ambition sparked violent political clashes that cracked the once indestructible foundations of the Republic. Chronicling the years 146-78 BC, The Storm Before the Storm dives headlong into the first generation to face this treacherous new political environment. Abandoning the ancient principles of their forbearers, men like Marius, Sulla, and the Gracchi brothers set dangerous new precedents that would start the Republic on the road to destruction and provide a stark warning about what can happen to a civilization that has lost its way.

5

The Egyptian Book of the Dead - E. Wallis Budge Cover Art

The Egyptian Book of the Dead

The Egyptian Book of the Dead by E. Wallis Budge

The Egyptian Books of the Dead  is unquestionably one of the most influential books in all of history. Embodying a ritual to be performed for the dead, with detailed instructions for the behavior of the disembodied spirit in the Land of the Gods, it served as the most important repository of religious authority for some three thousand years. Chapters were carved on the pyramids of the ancient 5th Dynasty, texts were written in papyrus, and selections were painted on mummy cases well into the Christian Era. In a certain sense it stood behind all Egyptian civilization.

6

Catastrophe - David Keys Cover Art

Catastrophe

Catastrophe
An Investigation into the Origins of the Modern World by David Keys

It was a catastrophe without precedent in recorded history: for months on end, starting in A.D. 535, a strange, dusky haze robbed much of the earth of normal sunlight. Crops failed in Asia and the Middle East as global weather patterns radically altered. Bubonic plague, exploding out of Africa, wiped out entire populations in Europe. Flood and drought brought ancient cultures to the brink of collapse. In a matter of decades, the old order died and a new world—essentially the modern world as we know it today—began to emerge. In this fascinating, groundbreaking, totally accessible book, archaeological journalist David Keys dramatically reconstructs the global chain of revolutions that began in the catastrophe of A.D. 535, then offers a definitive explanation of how and why this cataclysm occurred on that momentous day centuries ago. The Roman Empire, the greatest power in Europe and the Middle East for centuries, lost half its territory in the century following the catastrophe. During the exact same period, the ancient southern Chinese state, weakened by economic turmoil, succumbed to invaders from the north, and a single unified China was born. Meanwhile, as restless tribes swept down from the central Asian steppes, a new religion known as Islam spread through the Middle East. As Keys demonstrates with compelling originality and authoritative research, these were not isolated upheavals but linked events arising from the same cause and rippling around the world like an enormous tidal wave. Keys's narrative circles the globe as he identifies the eerie fallout from the months of darkness: unprecedented drought in Central America, a strange yellow dust drifting like snow over eastern Asia, prolonged famine, and the hideous pandemic of the bubonic plague. With a superb command of ancient literatures and historical records, Keys makes hitherto unrecognized connections between the "wasteland" that overspread the British countryside and the fall of the great pyramid-building Teotihuacan civilization in Mexico, between a little-known "Jewish empire" in Eastern Europe and the rise of the Japanese nation-state, between storms in France and pestilence in Ireland. In the book's final chapters, Keys delves into the mystery at the heart of this global catastrophe: Why did it happen? The answer, at once surprising and definitive, holds chilling implications for our own precarious geopolitical future. Wide-ranging in its scholarship, written with flair and passion, filled with original insights, Catastrophe is a superb synthesis of history, science, and cultural interpretation.

7

A History of Ancient Egypt Volume 2 - John Romer Cover Art

A History of Ancient Egypt Volume 2

A History of Ancient Egypt Volume 2 From the Great Pyramid to the Fall of the Middle Kingdom by John Romer

"Another solid work of history from an author and historian who truly grasps the mysteries of ancient Egypt." - Kirkus Reviews Drawing on a lifetime of research, John Romer chronicles the history of Ancient Egypt from the building of the Great Pyramid through the rise and fall of the Middle Kingdom: a peak of Pharaonic culture and the period when writing first flourished. Through extensive research over many decades of work, reveals how the grand narratives of 19th and 20th century Egyptologists have misled us by portraying a culture of cruel monarchs and chronic war. Instead, based in part on discoveries of the past two decades, this extraordinary account shows what we can really learn from the remaining architecture, objects, and writing: a history based on physical reality.

8

The Golden Verses of Pythagoras - Pythagoras Cover Art

The Golden Verses of Pythagoras

The Golden Verses of Pythagoras by Pythagoras

"The Golden Verses of Pythagoras" are a collection of moral exhortations comprising 71 lines written in dactylic hexameter. They present a brief glimpse into the mind and the worldview of Pythagoras and probably formed part of his instructions to his disciples. "The Golden Verses of Pythagoras" embody what we know about his teachings today. Besides exhortations to live a moral, simple and contemplative life, these pithy aphorisms allow a glimpse of a bit of the Pythagorean schools' deeper knowledge.

9

The Essential Greek and Roman Anthology - Virgil Cover Art

The Essential Greek and Roman Anthology

The Essential Greek and Roman Anthology by Virgil

The Essential Greek and Roman Anthology: The Aeneid- Virgil  Meditations- Marcus Aurelius  Of The Nature of Things- Lucretius  Plato's Republic  Alcestis- Euripides  The Electra of Euripides  Hippolytus/The Bacchae- Euripides  The Iphigenia in Tauris- Euripedes  The Trojan women of Euripides  Agamemnon- Aeschylus  The Choephori- Aeschylus  Eumenides- Aeschylus  The Persians- Aeschylus  Prometheus Bound- Aeschylus  The Seven Against Thebes- Aeschylus  The Suppliants- Aeschylus  The Oedipus Trilogy- Sophocles  The Bucolics and Eclogues- Virgil  The Satyricon, Complete- Petronius Arbiter  The Georgics- Virgil  The Metamorphoses of Ovid  The Odyssey- Homer  The Religion of Numa- Jesse Benedict Carter  Hesiod, The Homeric Hymns, and Homerica- Homer and Hesiod  Outlines of Greek and Roman Medicine- James Sands Elliott  A Short History of Greek Philosophy- John Marshall  The Common People of Ancient Rome- Frank Frost Abbott 19 BC

10

Masada - Phil Carradice Cover Art

Masada

Masada
Mass Suicide in the First Jewish-Roman War, C. AD 73 by Phil Carradice

The dramatic history behind one of the great landmarks of ancient Israel.   In the spring of 73 AD, the rock fortress of Masada on the western shore of the Dead Sea was the site of an event that was breathtaking in its courage and self-sacrifice. Here the last of the Jewish Zealots who, for nearly eight years, had waged war against the Roman occupiers of their country made their last stand. The Zealots on Masada had withstood a two-year siege but with Roman victory finally assured, they were faced by two options: capture or death. They chose the latter, and when the Roman legions forced their way into the hill fort the following morning they were met only with utter silence by row upon row of bodies. Rather than fall into enemy hands the 960 men, women, and children who had defended the fortress so heroically had committed suicide.   The story of the siege and eventual capture of Masada is unique, not just in Israeli legend but in the history of the world. It is a story of bravery that even the Roman legionaries, well used to death and brutality, could see and appreciate. It was a massacre but a massacre with a difference: carried out by the victims themselves. This book tells the story, also covering the excavation of the remote hilltop site in the twentieth century.

11

1177 B.C. - Eric H. Cline Cover Art

1177 B.C.

1177 B.C. The Year Civilization Collapsed: Revised and Updated by Eric H. Cline

A bold reassessment of what caused the Late Bronze Age collapse In 1177 B.C., marauding groups known only as the "Sea Peoples" invaded Egypt. The pharaoh's army and navy managed to defeat them, but the victory so weakened Egypt that it soon slid into decline, as did most of the surrounding civilizations. After centuries of brilliance, the civilized world of the Bronze Age came to an abrupt and cataclysmic end. Kingdoms fell like dominoes over the course of just a few decades. No more Minoans or Mycenaeans. No more Trojans, Hittites, or Babylonians. The thriving economy and cultures of the late second millennium B.C., which had stretched from Greece to Egypt and Mesopotamia, suddenly ceased to exist, along with writing systems, technology, and monumental architecture. But the Sea Peoples alone could not have caused such widespread breakdown. How did it happen? In this major new account of the causes of this "First Dark Ages," Eric Cline tells the gripping story of how the end was brought about by multiple interconnected failures, ranging from invasion and revolt to earthquakes, drought, and the cutting of international trade routes. Bringing to life the vibrant multicultural world of these great civilizations, he draws a sweeping panorama of the empires and globalized peoples of the Late Bronze Age and shows that it was their very interdependence that hastened their dramatic collapse and ushered in a dark age that lasted centuries. A compelling combination of narrative and the latest scholarship, 1177 B.C. sheds new light on the complex ties that gave rise to, and ultimately destroyed, the flourishing civilizations of the Late Bronze Age—and that set the stage for the emergence of classical Greece.

12

Fingerprints of the Gods - Graham Hancock Cover Art

Fingerprints of the Gods

Fingerprints of the Gods The Evidence of Earth's Lost Civilization by Graham Hancock

Could the story of mankind be far older than we have previously believed? Using tools as varied as archaeo-astronomy, geology, and computer analysis of ancient myths, Graham Hancock presents a compelling case to suggest that it is. Graham Hancock is featured in Ancient Apocalypse, a Netflix original docuseries. “A fancy piece of historical sleuthing . . . intriguing and entertaining and sturdy enough to give a long pause for thought.”— Kirkus Reviews In Fingerprints of the Gods, Hancock embarks on a worldwide quest to put together all the pieces of the vast and fascinating jigsaw of mankind’s hidden past. In ancient monuments as far apart as Egypt’s Great Sphinx, the strange Andean ruins of Tihuanaco, and Mexico’s awe-inspiring Temples of the Sun and Moon, he reveals not only the clear fingerprints of an as-yet-unidentified civilization of remote antiquity, but also startling evidence of its vast sophistication, technological advancement, and evolved scientific knowledge.   A record-breaking number one bestseller in Britain, Fingerprints of the Gods contains the makings of an intellectual revolution, a dramatic and irreversible change in the way that we understand our past—and so our future.   And Fingerprints of God tells us something more. As we recover the truth about prehistory, and discover the real meaning of ancient myths and monuments, it becomes apparent that a warning has been handed down to us, a warning of terrible cataclysm that afflicts the Earth in great cycles at irregular intervals of time—a cataclysm that may be about to recur.   “Readers will hugely enjoy their quest in these pages of inspired storytelling.”— The Times (UK)

13

Soldier of Rome: The Legionary - James Mace Cover Art

Soldier of Rome: The Legionary

Soldier of Rome: The Legionary by James Mace

In the year 9 A.D. three Roman legions under Quintilius Varus are betrayed by the Germanic war chief, Arminius, and destroyed in the forest known as Teutoburger Wald. Six years later, Rome is ready to unleash her vengeance. Emperor Tiberius sends his adopted son, Germanicus Caesar, across the Rhine with an army of forty-thousand imperial soldiers. They come not on a mission of conquest, but of annihilation. Within the ranks is a young legionary named Artorius, for whom the war offers a chance to avenge his slain brother. Deep within the forests of Germania, Arminius and his allies prepare to face the legions. Defeating the Romans will require all of his cunning, tactical savvy, and plenty of well-placed brute force. The Roman Empire holds its breath as Germanicus and Arminius face each other in the most savage conflict the world has seen in a generation; a conflict that will end in a holocaust of fire and blood.

14

The Copper Scroll Project - Shelley Neese Cover Art

The Copper Scroll Project

The Copper Scroll Project An Ancient Secret Fuels the Battle for the Temple Mount by Shelley Neese

The history behind the Copper Scroll and the true story of Jim Barfield’s quest for its treasure. Whether the objects are of legend or history, certain ancient mysteries arrest the imaginations of every generation. These antiquities refuse to be forgotten by the human spirit—hidden sufficiently to evade discovery, but historically prominent enough to leave a smattering of clues. Many explorers have fallen prey to fortune’s siren call, spending their lifetimes searching for the artifacts that promise to alter human history. The Copper Scroll Project is a relative newcomer to the modern treasure hunt. Part of the Dead Sea Scrolls collection, the Copper Scroll is unlike any of the leather and papyrus documents, though not simply for its copper plates. The relic reads like a coded map, listing dozens of hiding spots where tithes and vessels thought to be secreted from the Jewish Temple were stored for safekeeping. More than fifty years after archaeologists found this unique artifact in a cave near Qumran, four adventurers have dared to chase after the scroll’s priceless relics. “A unique introduction not only to a famous biblical mystery but to the world of American Christian interest in Israel, which remains opaque or bewildering to many outsiders, and is often caricatured.”—Matti Friedman, author of The Aleppo Codex “Equal parts mystery, treasure hunt and erudite elucidation of biblical history.”—Chanan Tigay, author of The Last Moses   “Neese’s narrative pacing and story-telling is masterful. She gets the political and religious nuances of contemporary Israel.”—Elliot Jager, Jerusalem-based author and former editorial page editor at  The Jerusalem Post

15

Fall of Civilizations - Paul Cooper Cover Art

Fall of Civilizations

Fall of Civilizations Stories of Greatness and Decline by Paul Cooper

"A treasure trove of myths and terror… Atmospheric as hell… Immersive."?The Times Based on the podcast with over one hundred million downloads, Fall of Civilizations brilliantly explores how a range of ancient societies rose to power and sophistication, and how they tipped over into collapse. Across the centuries, we journey from the great empires of Mesopotamia to those of Khmer and Vijayanagara in Asia and Songhai in West Africa; from Byzantium to the Maya, Inca and Aztecs of Central America; from Roman Britain to Rapa Nui. With meticulous research, breathtaking insight and dazzling, empathic storytelling, historian and novelist Paul Cooper evokes the majesty and jeopardy of these ancient civilizations, and asks what it might have felt like for a person alive at the time to witness the end of their world.

16

Delphi Complete Works of Polybius - Polybius Cover Art

Delphi Complete Works of Polybius

Delphi Complete Works of Polybius by Polybius

Polybius was a leading Hellenistic historian, whom many regard as the natural successor to Thucydides. The great theme to his ‘Histories’ was a study of ‘what made Rome great’, exploring the rise of the Republic, the destruction of Carthage and the eventual Roman domination of the Greek world. The Ancient Classics series provides eReaders with the wisdom of the Classical world, with both English translations and the original Greek texts.  This comprehensive eBook presents the complete extant works of Polybius, with beautiful illustrations, informative introductions and the usual Delphi bonus material. (Version 1) * Beautifully illustrated with images relating to Polybius's life and works * Features the complete extant works of Polybius, in both English translation and the original Greek * Includes Evelyn S. Shuckburgh’s celebrated translation * Excellent formatting of the texts * Provides a special dual English and Greek text of the five complete books of ‘The Histories’, allowing readers to compare the sections paragraph by paragraph – ideal for students * Features a bonus biography – discover Polybius's ancient world * Scholarly ordering of texts into chronological order and literary genres Please note: some Kindle software programs cannot display Greek characters correctly; however the characters do display correctly on Kindle devices. Please visit www.delphiclassics.com to browse through our range of exciting titles CONTENTS: The Translations THE HISTORIES The Greek Text CONTENTS OF THE GREEK TEXT The Dual Texts DUAL GREEK AND ENGLISH TEXT The Biography INTRODUCTION TO POLYBIUS by H. J. Edwards Please visit www.delphiclassics.com to browse through our range of exciting titles

17

The Bloodlines of The Elite and The History of The Illuminati - Archangel Metatron Cover Art

The Bloodlines of The Elite and The History of The Illuminati

The Bloodlines of The Elite and The History of The Illuminati by Archangel Metatron

The following is an understandable, detailed, and summarized timeline of events and people which have been proven scientifically, archaeologically, genetically and historically. It is time you all wake up and see the world for what it truly is. Please know this was not written    in order to attack any personal beliefs, but rather to let you know what is really going on. You have been lied to. We, The Anonymous Charity are no writers, merely researchers. You must open your mind and free yourself from the brainwashing control they have put you under, if you are to continue this. You must realize that what you know is simply not true and these broadcasts and the evidence brought forth here will challenge and discredit most, if not everything that you believe. It will hurt your feelings. You will want to be defensive and not try to listen to the content. It will make you angry. You will start to understand and your eyes will begin to open. It will make you act. You will know the truth and you will understand that freedom is only obtained when we speak the truth. Your life is about to change. Welcome to The Collective HQ. Let's begin with the very structure of the group of people we will discuss. The structure beings with DNA. The Blood.

18

The Cleopatras - Lloyd Llewellyn-Jones Cover Art

The Cleopatras

The Cleopatras The Forgotten Queens of Egypt by Lloyd Llewellyn-Jones

The definitive story of the seven Cleopatras, the powerful goddess-queens of ancient Egypt   One of history’s most iconic figures, Cleopatra is rightly remembered as a clever and charismatic ruler. But few today realize that she was the last in a long line of Egyptian queens who bore that name.        In The Cleopatras , historian Lloyd Llewellyn-Jones tells the dramatic story of these seven incomparable women, vividly recapturing the lost world of Hellenistic Egypt and tracing the kingdom’s final centuries before its fall to Rome. The Cleopatras were Greek-speaking descendants of Ptolemy, the general who conquered Egypt alongside Alexander the Great. They were closely related as mothers, daughters, sisters, half-sisters, and nieces. Each wielded absolute power, easily overshadowing their husbands or sons, and all proved to be shrewd and capable leaders. Styling themselves as goddess-queens, the Cleopatras ruled through the canny deployment of arcane rituals, opulent spectacles, and unparalleled wealth. They navigated political turmoil and court intrigues, led armies into battle and commanded fleets of ships, and ruthlessly dispatched their dynastic rivals.         The Cleopatras is a fascinating and richly textured biography of seven extraordinary women, restoring these queens to their deserved place among history’s greatest rulers.    

19

Alexander the Great - Robin Lane Fox Cover Art

Alexander the Great

Alexander the Great by Robin Lane Fox

Tough, resolute, fearless, Alexander was a born warrior and ruler of passionate ambition who understood the intense adventure of conquest and of the unknown. When he died in 323 BC aged thirty-two, his vast empire comprised more than two million square miles, spanning from Greece to India. His achievements were unparalleled - he had excelled as leader to his men, founded eighteen new cities and stamped the face of Greek culture on the ancient East. The myth he created is as potent today as it was in the ancient world. Robin Lane Fox's superb account searches through the mass of conflicting evidence and legend to focus on Alexander as a man of his own time. Combining historical scholarship and acute psychological insight, it brings this colossal figure vividly to life.

20

Soldier of Rome: The Sacrovir Revolt - James Mace Cover Art

Soldier of Rome: The Sacrovir Revolt

Soldier of Rome: The Sacrovir Revolt by James Mace

It has been three years since the wars against Arminius and the Cherusci. Gaius Silius, Legate of the Twentieth Legion, is concerned that the barbarians-though shattered by the war-may be stirring once again. He also seeks to confirm the rumors regarding Arminius' death. What Silius does not realize is that there is a new threat to the Empire, but it does not come from beyond the frontier; it is coming from within, where a disenchanted nobleman looks to sow the seeds of rebellion in Gaul. Legionary Artorius has greatly matured during his five years in the legions. He has become stronger in mind; his body growing even more powerful. Like the rest of the Legion, he is unaware of the shadow growing well within the Empire's borders, where a disaffected nobleman seeks to betray the Emperor Tiberius. A shadow looms; one that looks to envelope the province of Gaul as well as the Rhine legions. The year is A.D. 20.

21

Soldier of Rome: Heir to Rebellion - James Mace Cover Art

Soldier of Rome: Heir to Rebellion

Soldier of Rome: Heir to Rebellion by James Mace

A year has passed since the end of the Gallic rebellion of Sacrovir and Florus. Retribution has been exacted and the province is at peace once more. And yet there are some who escaped Rome's justice. They are led by a man whose heart burns with hate; an heir to rebellion. Knowing that there can be no victory against the legions; his vengeance can only be wrought through terror and murder. The Gallic city of Lugdunum will be the first to taste his wrath.The city of Lugdunum flourishes; the Twentieth Legion's Third Cohort having been stationed within the city since the end of the Sacrovir Revolt. For Centurion Proculus and his legionaries their comfortable assignment will soon come unraveled as a series of grisly murders looks to upset the order of the city. Sergeant Artorius inadvertently finds himself at the center of the search to find these mysterious killers before they undermine the city's faith in the protection of the legions; a search that will lead him on a journey into the darkest corners of what lurks in a broken man's wicked soul.

22

The Complete Works of Flavius Josephus - Flavius Josephus Cover Art

The Complete Works of Flavius Josephus

The Complete Works of Flavius Josephus History of the Jewish War against the Romans, The Antiquities of the Jews, Against Apion, Discourse to the Greeks concerning Hades & Autobiography by Flavius Josephus

This meticulously edited collection has been formatted for your eReader with a functional and detailed table of contents: The War of the Jews The Antiquities of the Jews Against Apion Discourse to the Greeks concerning Hades The Life of Flavius Josephus: Autobiography Titus Flavius Josephus was a first-century Romano-Jewish scholar, historian and hagiographer, who was born in Jerusalem—then part of Roman Judea—to a father of priestly descent and a mother who claimed royal ancestry. He initially fought against the Romans during the First Jewish–Roman War as head of Jewish forces in Galilee, until surrendering in 67 CE to Roman forces led by Vespasian after the six-week siege of Jotapata. After Vespasian became Emperor in 69 CE, he granted Josephus his freedom, at which time Josephus assumed the emperor's family name of Flavius. He fully defected to the Roman side and was granted Roman citizenship. Josephus recorded Jewish history, with special emphasis on the first century CE and the First Jewish–Roman War, including the Siege of Masada. His most important works were The Jewish War (c. 75) and Antiquities of the Jews (c. 94).

23

Papyrus - Irene Vallejo & Charlotte Whittle Cover Art

Papyrus

Papyrus The Invention of Books in the Ancient World by Irene Vallejo & Charlotte Whittle

A rich exploration of the importance of books and libraries in the ancient world that highlights how humanity’s obsession with the printed word has echoed throughout the ages • “Accessible and entertaining.” —The Wall Street Journal Long before books were mass-produced, scrolls hand copied on reeds pulled from the Nile were the treasures of the ancient world. Emperors and Pharaohs were so determined to possess them that they dispatched emissaries to the edges of earth to bring them back. When Mark Antony wanted to impress Cleopatra, he knew that gold and priceless jewels would mean nothing to her. So, what did her give her? Books for her library—two hundred thousand, in fact. The long and eventful history of the written word shows that books have always been and will always be a precious—and precarious—vehicle for civilization.   Papyrus is the story of the book’s journey from oral tradition to scrolls to codices, and how that transition laid the very foundation of Western culture. Award-winning author Irene Vallejo evokes the great mosaic of literature in the ancient world from Greece’s itinerant bards to Rome’s multimillionaire philosophers, from opportunistic forgers to cruel teachers, erudite librarians to defiant women, all the while illuminating how ancient ideas about education, censorship, authority, and identity still resonate today. Crucially, Vallejo also draws connections to our own time, from the library in war-torn Sarajevo to Oxford’s underground labyrinth, underscoring how words have persisted as our most valuable creations.   Through nimble interpretations of the classics, playful and moving anecdotes about her own encounters with the written word, and fascinating stories from history, Vallejo weaves a marvelous tapestry of Western culture’s foundations and identifies the humanist values that helped make us who we are today. At its heart a spirited love letter to language itself, Papyrus takes readers on a journey across the centuries to discover how a simple reed grown along the banks of the Nile would give birth to a rich and cherished culture.

24

A War Like No Other - Victor Davis Hanson Cover Art

A War Like No Other

A War Like No Other How the Athenians and Spartans Fought the Peloponnesian War by Victor Davis Hanson

One of our most provocative military historians, Victor Davis Hanson has given us painstakingly researched and pathbreaking accounts of wars ranging from classical antiquity to the twenty-first century. Now he juxtaposes an ancient conflict with our most urgent modern concerns to create his most engrossing work to date, A War Like No Other. Over the course of a generation, the Hellenic city-states of Athens and Sparta fought a bloody conflict that resulted in the collapse of Athens and the end of its golden age. Thucydides wrote the standard history of the Peloponnesian War, which has given readers throughout the ages a vivid and authoritative narrative. But Hanson offers readers something new: a complete chronological account that reflects the political background of the time, the strategic thinking of the combatants, the misery of battle in multifaceted theaters, and important insight into how these events echo in the present. Hanson compellingly portrays the ways Athens and Sparta fought on land and sea, in city and countryside, and details their employment of the full scope of conventional and nonconventional tactics, from sieges to targeted assassinations, torture, and terrorism. He also assesses the crucial roles played by warriors such as Pericles and Lysander, artists, among them Aristophanes, and thinkers including Sophocles and Plato. Hanson’s perceptive analysis of events and personalities raises many thought-provoking questions: Were Athens and Sparta like America and Russia, two superpowers battling to the death? Is the Peloponnesian War echoed in the endless, frustrating conflicts of Vietnam, Northern Ireland, and the current Middle East? Or was it more like America’s own Civil War, a brutal rift that rent the fabric of a glorious society, or even this century’s “red state—blue state” schism between liberals and conservatives, a cultural war that manifestly controls military policies? Hanson daringly brings the facts to life and unearths the often surprising ways in which the past informs the present. Brilliantly researched, dynamically written, A War Like No Other is like no other history of this important war.

25

Delphi Complete Works of Josephus - Josephus Cover Art

Delphi Complete Works of Josephus

Delphi Complete Works of Josephus by Josephus

Born in Jerusalem, Josephus was a man of high descent, who became learned in Jewish law and Greek literature. After defecting to Rome, he was granted citizenship and became an advisor to the Emperor Titus, serving as translator during the Siege of Jerusalem. Josephus’ works provide valuable insight into first century Judaism and the background of Early Christianity. Delphi’s Ancient Classics series provides eReaders with the wisdom of the Classical world, with both English translations and the original Greek texts. This comprehensive eBook presents Josephus’ complete works, with beautiful illustrations, informative introductions and the usual Delphi bonus material. (Version 1) * Beautifully illustrated with images relating to Josephus’ life and works * Features the complete extant works of Josephus, in both English translation and the original Greek * Concise introductions to the historical books and other works * Includes William Whiston’s celebrated translations * Excellent formatting of the texts * Easily locate the works and sections you want to read with individual contents tables * Provides a special dual English and Greek text, allowing readers to compare the sections paragraph by paragraph – ideal for students * Features a bonus biography – discover Josephus’ ancient world * Scholarly ordering of texts into chronological order and literary genres Please visit www.delphiclassics.com to browse through our range of exciting titles CONTENTS: The Translations WAR OF THE JEWS ANTIQUITIES OF THE JEWS AGAINST APIO LIFE OF FLAVIUS JOSEPHUS DISCOURSE TO THE GREEKS CONCERNING HADES The Greek Texts LIST OF GREEK TEXTS The Dual Texts DUAL GREEK AND ENGLISH TEXTS The Biography JOSEPHUS by Norman Bentwich Please visit www.delphiclassics.com to browse through our range of exciting titles

26

The Twelve Caesars - Matthew Dennison Cover Art

The Twelve Caesars

The Twelve Caesars The Dramatic Lives of the Emperors of Rome by Matthew Dennison

An unforgettable depiction of the Roman empire at the height of its power and reach, and an elegantly sensational retelling of the lives and times of the twelve Caesars One of the them was a military genius, one murdered his mother and fiddled while Rome burned, another earned the nickname "sphincter artist". Six of their number were assassinated, two committed suicide—and five of them were elevated to the status of gods. They have come down to posterity as the "twelve Caesars"—Julius Caesar, Augustus, Tiberius, Caligula, Claudius, Nero, Galba, Otho, Vitellius, Vespasian, Titus, and Domitian. Under their rule, from 49 BC to AD 96, Rome was transformed from a republic to an empire, whose model of regal autocracy would survive in the West for more than a thousand years. Matthew Dennison offers a beautifully crafted sequence of colorful biographies of each emperor, triumphantly evoking the luxury, license, brutality, and sophistication of imperial Rome at its zenith. But as well as vividly recreating the lives, loves, and vices of this motley group of despots, psychopaths and perverts, he paints a portrait of an era of political and social revolution, of the bloody overthrow of a proud, five-hundred-year-old political system and its replacement by a dictatorship which, against all the odds, succeeded more convincingly than oligarchic democracy in governing a vast international landmass.

27

The History of Jerusalem - Alan J Potter Cover Art

The History of Jerusalem

The History of Jerusalem Its Origins to the Early Middle Ages by Alan J Potter

Fascinating revelations of the parts played by David, Solomon, Judas Maccabee, Pompey, Cleopatra, Justinian, and others in the making of the city. Jerusalem is one of the oldest cities in the world, with evidence of an original settlement dating back more than 4,000 years. Vitally important was the supply of water provided by the Gihon Spring, in a land that normally experienced rainfall only from November to March. Since then this Middle Eastern city has been attacked and devastated on numerous occasions. Former rulers include King David, who established the City of David, and his son Solomon, who expanded Jerusalem and built the first Great Temple on Mount Moriah. Destruction 2,600 years ago saw most of the inhabitants exiled to Babylon, but as the Jewish diaspora returned, the Temple and city were rebuilt. Wars between the Ptolemaic and Seleucid successors of Alexander the Great seemed endless, but the resistance of the Maccabee brothers eventually led to the glorious reign of the Hasmonean kings. Roman interference and the enforcement of the despotic Herod the Great as king led inevitably to the catastrophic Jewish/Roman wars, and Jerusalem was once again destroyed. Christianity eventually facilitated a reinvigorated Byzantine Jerusalem, which became one of the world’s most beautiful cities. The bubonic plague was survived, but a new low saw the Persians sack the city before Heraclius triumphantly returned Christ’s True Cross to Jerusalem. The History of Jerusalem: Its Origins to the Early Middle Ages is the first of its kind to examine in detail the rich history of Jerusalem during antiquity up to the year 630 CE. This in-depth account goes further than other volumes in terms of the breadth and scale of events covered, and offers an unbiased but critical appraisal of the colorful history of Jerusalem and the surrounding areas.

28

The Book of the Cave of Treasures - E. A. Wallis Budge Cover Art

The Book of the Cave of Treasures

The Book of the Cave of Treasures by E. A. Wallis Budge

THE present volume contains a complete translation of the Syriac text of the compendious history of the world from the Creation to the Crucifixion of our Lord, which is commonly known as "Me`ârath Gazzê," or the "Cave of Treasures." In the Syriac title the composition of the work is attributed to Ap[h]rêm Suryâyâ, i.e. Ephrem Syrus, or Ephraim the Syrian, who was born at Nisibis (?) soon after A.D. 306 and died in 373, but it is now generally believed that the form in which we now have it is not older than the VIth century. An edition of the Syriac text, and an Arabic version of it, together with a German translation, were published by Bezold (Die Schatzhöhle, Munich, 1883-86), but this work is scarce and is little known in England. The German translation was made from an eclectic text constructed from at least three manuscripts, which varied in age and accuracy and general literary value. The translation given in the following pages has been made from the best, in my opinion, of all the known manuscripts, namely British Museum MS. Add. 25875. (See Wright, Catalogue, vol. iii, page 1064.) This MS. contains twelve complete works, all of which were written, in a fine Nestorian hand, by the priest Homô, the son of the priest Daniel, a native of Al-Kôsh, a very ancient town which lies about 20 miles north of Môsul (Nineveh), in the year of the Greeks 2020, i.e. A.D. 1709. It was written at the expense of the priest Joseph, the son of Hormizd, a native of Hordaphne, in the district of ´Amediâ, for the church of the Blessed Virgin Mary in that place. When I read through the manuscrin 1885, whilst preparing my edition of the "Book of the Bee," I was convinced that Homô, the scribe, was a very learned man, and the marginal notes which he added to his copy showed that he was at once a capable and an understanding editor of Syriac texts. When the printed edition of the Syriac text of the "Cave of Treasures" appeared in 1886, I was surprised to find that Homô's text had not been made the foundation of the work. Whilst I was in Al-Kôsh in 1890-91 collecting manuscripts for the British Museum, I found there some of Homô's descendants, and of these one or two were professional scribes. They possessed a few ancient Syriac manuscripts, and from one of them I had copies made of the "Cave of Treasures" and the "Book of the Bee." On my return to England I collated the copy of the former work with the British Museum Codex, and found that the text only varied in a few minor points. There are a few mistakes in the British Museum MS., and in one or two places a few words are omitted, but as a whole it contains the text of the "Cave of Treasures" in as perfect form as ever we are likely to get it; and therefore I have made the translation printed herein from it.

29

Delphi Complete Works of Aulus Gellius - 'The Attic Nights' (Illustrated) - Aulus Gellius Cover Art

Delphi Complete Works of Aulus Gellius - 'The Attic Nights' (Illustrated)

Delphi Complete Works of Aulus Gellius - 'The Attic Nights' (Illustrated) by Aulus Gellius

Composed during the nights of an Attic winter, the sole surviving work of Aulus Gellius, the second century Latin author and grammarian, is an intriguing compendium of notes covering philosophy, history, biography and questions of grammar. ‘Attic Nights’ offers a valuable insight into the works of lost authors and the manners and occupations of Roman society. Delphi’s Ancient Classics series provides eReaders with the wisdom of the Classical world, with both English translations and the original Latin texts.  This comprehensive eBook presents Aulus Gellius’ complete extant works, with relevant illustrations, informative introductions and the usual Delphi bonus material. (Version 1) * Beautifully illustrated with images relating to Aulus Gellius’ life and works * Features the complete extant works of Aulus Gellius, in both English translation and the original Latin * Concise introductions to the ‘Attic Nights’ * Includes John C. Rolfe’s translation previously appearing in the Loeb Classical Library edition of Aulus * Excellent formatting of the texts * Easily locate the sections you want to read with individual contents tables * Provides a special dual English and Latin text, allowing readers to compare the sections paragraph by paragraph – ideal for students * Features a bonus biography – discover Aulus Gellius’ ancient world * Scholarly ordering of texts into chronological order and literary genres Please visit www.delphiclassics.com to explore our range of Ancient Classics titles or buy the entire series as a Super Set CONTENTS: The Translation THE ATTIC NIGHTS The Latin Text CONTENTS OF THE LATIN TEXT The Dual Text DUAL LATIN AND ENGLISH TEXT The Biography LIFE OF AULUS GELLIUS by G. H. Nall Please visit www.delphiclassics.com to browse through our range of exciting titles

30

Alexander the Great - Arrian Cover Art

Alexander the Great

Alexander the Great by Arrian

One of the original translation from Greek about the life and conquests of Alexander the Great

31

La guerra de los judíos. Libros I-III - Flavio Josefo Cover Art

La guerra de los judíos. Libros I-III

La guerra de los judíos. Libros I-III by Flavio Josefo

La Guerra de los judíos, a pesar de algunos planteamientos tendenciosos, está repleta de información útil sobre el pueblo hebreo y el Imperio Romano, y no ha cesado de interesar a los estudiosos de la antigüedad. Josefo (c. 37-38-Roma, 101), historiador judío fariseo, nació unos treinta y cinco años antes de que los romanos destruyeran Jerusalén: en el año 66 estalló la Gran Revuelta Judía, y Josefo fue nombrado comandante en jefe de Galilea. Fue hecho prisionero, pero Vespasiano (a quien el primero pronosticó, con acierto, que él y su hijo Tito llegarían a emperadores) lo liberó, a raíz de lo cual devino Flavio Josefo. Al lado del Estado Mayor romano, pudo observar el resto de una guerra cuya enorme importancia entendió de inmediato. A su término (70), viajó a Roma, donde permanecería desde el 71 hasta su muerte. Fue manumitido y percibió la ciudadanía romana y una pensión anual que le permitió consagrarse a componer la historia de la guerra judía y otras obras relacionadas. La guerra de los judíos fue escrita en arameo (lengua materna del autor) y reeditada en griego en Roma: la primera versión se dirigía sobre todo a los judíos de Oriente; la segunda –escrita con colaboradores–, a los otros judíos de lengua griega, en especial a los de Alejandría. Dividida en siete libros, abarca desde el año 167 a.C. hasta el 74 d.C. En su libro I relata el intento de helenizar Palestina del rey sirio-griego Antíoco IV Epifanes y la subsiguiente revuelta de los Macabeos, así como la historia de los reyes de esta dinastía hasta la designación de Herodes el Grande como rey de Israel. El libro II se inicia en el 4 a.C., con la muerte de Herodes, y concluye en el 66 d.C.: reinado de Arquelao, conversión de Judea en provincia romana, sucesivos prefectores-procuradores. El libro III, que completa este volumen, incluye la primavera y el otoño del 67, cuando Nerón envía al general Vespasiano a apaciguar la provincia. Sin duda, Flavio Josefo tenía en esta obra un propósito apologético: ensalzar el poderío de los romanos y de la nueva dinastía de los Flavios, la que fundaron sus protectores Vespasiano y Tito, y en efecto el imperio se muestra como un engranaje casi perfecto y ambos emperadores como dechados de virtudes. Al mismo tiempo desea poner de manifiesto la heroicidad del pueblo judío. Pero a pesar de esta doble inclinación, y al margen del pensamiento teleológico del autor, que cree que la divinidad rige la historia, la Historia está repleta de información útil y no ha cesado de interesar a los estudiosos de la antigüedad.

32

The Seleukid Empire of Antiochus III, 223–187 BC - John D. Grainger Cover Art

The Seleukid Empire of Antiochus III, 223–187 BC

The Seleukid Empire of Antiochus III, 223–187 BC by John D. Grainger

Brings to life “a major figure in the Hellenistic World . . . in his own right, rather than as just another stepping stone during Rome’s rise” (HistoryOfWar.org). The second volume in John Grainger’s history of the Seleukid Empire is devoted to the reign of Antiochus III. Too often remembered only as the man who lost to the Romans at Magnesia, Antiochus is here revealed as one of the most powerful and capable rulers of the age. Having emerged from civil war in 223 as the sole survivor of the Seleukid dynasty, he shouldered the burdens of a weakened and divided realm. Though defeated by Egypt in the Fourth Syrian War, he gradually restored full control over the empire. His great Eastern campaign took Macedonian arms back to India for the first time since Alexander’s day and, returning west, he went on to conquer Thrace and finally wrest Syria from Ptolemaic control.  Then came intervention in Greece and the clash with Rome leading to the defeat at Magnesia and the restrictive Peace of Apamea. Despite this, Antiochus remained ambitious, campaigning in the East again; when he died in 187 BC the empire was still one of the most powerful states in the world.   “We are, Grainger says, so ‘ hypnotised’  by the rise of Rome that we ignore the Seleukid and Ptolemaic interlude. His clear and fascinating account breaks this spell.”—Minerva Magazine

33

The History of Ancient Greece - John Bagnell Bury Cover Art

The History of Ancient Greece

The History of Ancient Greece From Its Beginnings Until the Death of Alexandre the Great (3rd millennium B.C. - 323 B.C.) by John Bagnell Bury

J. B. Bury's History of Ancient Greece has been one of the most influential authorities on the Ancient Greece for over one century. This book presents the complete political history of Ancient Greece from its earliest beginnings in 3rd millennium B.C. all the way until the death of Alexander the Great. Contents: Greece and the Aegean The Beginnings of Greece and the Heroic Age The Expansion of Greece Growth of Sparta - Fall of the Aristocracies The Union of Attica and the Foundation of the Athenian Democracy Growth of Athens in the Sixth Century The Advance of Persia to the Aegean The Perils of Greece - the Persian and Punic Invasions The Foundation of the Athenian Empire The Athenian Empire Under the Guidance of Pericles The Decline and Downfall of the Athenian Empire The Spartan Supremacy and the Persian War The Revival of Athens and Her Second League The Hegemony of Thebes The Syracusan Empire and the Struggle With Carthage The Rise of Macedonia The Conquest of Persia The Conquest of the Far East

34

Warfare and Agriculture in Classical Greece, Revised edition - Victor Davis Hanson Cover Art

Warfare and Agriculture in Classical Greece, Revised edition

Warfare and Agriculture in Classical Greece, Revised edition by Victor Davis Hanson

The ancient Greeks were for the most part a rural, not an urban, society. And for much of the Classical period, war was more common than peace. Almost all accounts of ancient history assume that farming and fighting were critical events in the lives of the citizenry. Yet never before have we had a comprehensive modern study of the relationship between agriculture and warfare in the Greek world. In this completely revised edition of Warfare and Agriculture in Classical Greece , Victor Davis Hanson provides a systematic review of Greek agriculture and warfare and describes the relationship between these two important aspects of life in ancient communities. With careful attention to agronomic as well as military details, this well-written, thoroughly researched study reveals the remarkable resilience of those farmland communities. In the past, scholars have assumed that the agricultural infrastructure of ancient society was often ruined by attack, as, for example, Athens was relegated to poverty in the aftermath of the Persian and later Peloponnesian invasions. Hanson's study shows, however, that in reality attacks on agriculture rarely resulted in famines or permanent agrarian depression. Trees and vines are hard to destroy, and grainfields are only briefly vulnerable to torching. In addition, ancient armies were rather inefficient systematic ravagers and instead used other tactics, such as occupying their enemies' farms to incite infantry battle. Warfare and Agriculture in Classical Greece suggests that for all ancient societies, rural depression and desolation came about from more subtle phenomena—taxes, changes in political and social structure, and new cultural values—rather than from destructive warfare.

35

Un año en la antigua Roma - Néstor F. Marqués Cover Art

Un año en la antigua Roma

Un año en la antigua Roma La vida cotidiana de los romanos a través de su calendario by Néstor F. Marqués

Antigua Roma al Día S P Q R Aunque a veces no nos demos cuenta, somos herederos directos de Roma, de su cultura y de su forma de concebir aspectos tan determinantes como las leyes, la estructura social o el mismo paso del tiempo. Este último nos servirá de guía para adentrarnos en el mundo romano de modo distinto, a través de su calendario, con sus meses, semanas, días, horas y los principales hitos que marcaban el día a día de quienes lo utilizaron para regir sus vidas antes que nosotros.  Vive ahora de primera mano lo que pudo ser un año cualquiera  en la antigua Roma, del 1 de enero al 31 de diciembre, en un viaje a través de su cultura y su historia - la grande y la pequeña - en el que asistirás a sus fiestas, sus ceremonias civiles y religiosas, sus ocupaciones cotidianas. Desde el emperador al esclavo, del mercader al senador, del soldado al labrador, todos ellos tienen su hueco en esta obra, que se extiende por los más de mil doscientos años de historia de esta extraordinaria civilización en la que se hunden nuestras raíces. 

36

Sex and Erotism in Ancient Egypt - Benjamín Collado Hinarejos Cover Art

Sex and Erotism in Ancient Egypt

Sex and Erotism in Ancient Egypt by Benjamín Collado Hinarejos

There are many questions related to sexuality that all of us lovers of ancient Egypt have asked at some point: was the image of depravity that the Romans spread, especially referring to Queen Cleopatra, true? How did they deal with homosexuality? What were their favorite positions in bed? Did they practice bestiality, necrophilia, incest, pedophilia, and other rumored deviancies?      The truth is that by studying this aspect of Egyptian life we find truly amazing items, like a pornographic papyrus that scandalized the very Champollion himself, a pharaoh who slips through the night in the bed of one of his generals, a goddess who sleeps with her dead husband, a god who praises the buttocks of another while trying to sodomize him, or a festival in which women copulate with a ram in-front of a crowd. This work pinpoints these issues and many others, including the use of aphrodisiacs and contraceptives, love spells, erotic poetry or the attitude towards adultery, in an entertaining and concise but rigorous way, and accompanied by more than 30 images that will help us understand this important facet of life and social relations of the ancient Egyptians.

37

The Age of Sargon II - A short history of Assyria from 722-705 B.C. - Albert Olmstead Cover Art

The Age of Sargon II - A short history of Assyria from 722-705 B.C.

The Age of Sargon II - A short history of Assyria from 722-705 B.C. by Albert Olmstead

Sargon the Younger, the man who formed the central object of one of the most brilliant periods of ancient Oriental history, might well boast himself a self-made man, for in spite of his boasts of the three hundred and fifty kings who ruled Assyria before him, and of his mention of the kings his fathers, it is certain that he was not of the blood royal. What his real ancestry was we do not know. He himself keeps a discreet silence on the subject. His son, Sennacherib, secured a splendid ancestry, for he claimed descent from the old mythical heroes, Gilgamish, Eabani, Humbaba, and the like. This was evidently felt to be going too far, for Esarhaddon already as crown prince gives the more modest genealogy which became standard. According to this, Sargon was a scion of the old half mythical house of Bel ibni, son of Adasi.  As we do not know his family, so we do not know his real name. On his accession he assumed that of Sharrukin, better known to us, from its Biblical form, as Sargon. The reason for this is clear. Two thousand years before there had ruled in Agade a mighty monarch, Shargani by name, whose power and wealth were still evidenced by the inscriptions in the temples he had erected. Originally the name seems to have meant "A god has established him as king". A later age had forgotten this meaning, and it had, by a process of folk etymology, come to mean "The established king". It was in this latter sense that the usurper assumed it, and by the plays upon it in his own records showed to the world his well-established rule.  Shargani thus became a sort of patron saint to his name-sake. He did not, it is true, claim descent from him. But we do see a sort of a Sargon renaissance, a renewed interest in everything touching the older monarch. For instance, there had come down a great astronomical treatise, the "Illumination of Bel", which was ascribed to Shargani. This was introduced into Assyria and frequently copied in this and succeeding reigns. To the same influence must no doubt be ascribed the well-known archaism in art and in religion, the care for Babylonia, perhaps even the foundation of a new Dur Sharrukin in imitation of the earlier one which had borne Shargani's name.  Perhaps the most artistic and interesting result was the production of the Sargon legends, which, in all probability, had long floated about in popular story and were now retouched for the glory of the usurper king. Of this literature, two specimens have come down to us. One is an omen tablet which reports the deeds done by Sargon or his son Naram Sin under such and such a sign of the heavens, how three years were spent in the land of the setting sun, how the sea of the setting sun was crossed and his image erected, how Kastubilla of Kagala was defeated and the land of Surri, and how a great city was built in his honor...

38

The Battle of Dyrrhachium, 48 BC - Gareth C. Sampson Cover Art

The Battle of Dyrrhachium, 48 BC

The Battle of Dyrrhachium, 48 BC Caesar, Pompey, and the Early Campaigns of the Third Roman Civil War by Gareth C. Sampson

An in-depth study of the rivalry between two of Rome’s greatest military commanders—and the battle where they met in combat. In 49 BC the Roman Republic collapsed once more into civil war, with opposing sides led by Pompey the Great and Julius Caesar. These former allies had built their own factions within the Roman oligarchy and now refused to compromise. Yet their violent struggle for control of the Republic lasted eighteen months before these two men met in combat at The Battle of Dyrrhachium. Gareth Sampson outlines the strategic background of the battle, describing the early campaigns of the civil war. The battle itself is analyzed in depth, shedding light on the strengths and weakness of both armies and their commanders. Sampson also looks at the tactics used at various phases of the battle, which culminated in victory for Pompey. He then examines the battle’s aftermath, with Caesar defeated and Pompey in the ascendancy.

39

The Story of the Saracens - Arthur Gilman Cover Art

The Story of the Saracens

The Story of the Saracens by Arthur Gilman

*Includes Table of Contents The Story of the Saracens  is a comprehensive, 41 chapter history of the Saracens, from the 7th century to the rise of the Mongols.

40

Ancient Persia and the Book of Esther - Lloyd Llewellyn-Jones Cover Art

Ancient Persia and the Book of Esther

Ancient Persia and the Book of Esther Achaemenid Court Culture in the Hebrew Bible by Lloyd Llewellyn-Jones

Esther is the most visual book of the Hebrew Bible and largely crafted in the Fourth Century BCE by an author who was clearly au fait with the rarefied world of the Achaemenid court. It therefore provides an unusual melange of information which can enlighten scholars of Ancient Iranian Studies whilst offering Biblical scholars access into the Persian world from which the text emerged. In this book, Lloyd Llewellyn-Jones unlocks the text of Esther by reading it against the rich iconographic world of ancient Persia and of the Near East. Ancient Persia and the Book of Esther is a cultural and iconographic exploration of an important, but often undervalued, biblical book, and Llewellyn-Jones presents the book of Esther as a rich source for the study of life and thought in the Persian Empire. The author reveals answers to important questions, such as the role of the King's courtiers in influencing policy, the way concubines at court were recruited, the structure of the harem in shifting the power of royal women, the function of feasting and drinking in the articulation of courtly power, and the meaning of gift-giving and patronage at the Achaemenid court.

41

SPQR: A History of Ancient Rome - Mary Beard Cover Art

SPQR: A History of Ancient Rome

SPQR: A History of Ancient Rome by Mary Beard

New York Times Bestseller A New York Times Notable Book Named one of the Best Books of the Year by the Wall Street Journal, the Economist, Foreign Affairs, and Kirkus Reviews Finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award (Nonfiction) Shortlisted for the Cundill Prize in Historical Literature Finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize (History) A San Francisco Chronicle Holiday Gift Guide Selection A New York Times Book Review Editors’ Choice Selection A sweeping, "magisterial" history of the Roman Empire from one of our foremost classicists shows why Rome remains "relevant to people many centuries later" (Atlantic). In SPQR, an instant classic, Mary Beard narrates the history of Rome "with passion and without technical jargon" and demonstrates how "a slightly shabby Iron Age village" rose to become the "undisputed hegemon of the Mediterranean" (Wall Street Journal). Hailed by critics as animating "the grand sweep and the intimate details that bring the distant past vividly to life" (Economist) in a way that makes "your hair stand on end" (Christian Science Monitor) and spanning nearly a thousand years of history, this "highly informative, highly readable" (Dallas Morning News) work examines not just how we think of ancient Rome but challenges the comfortable historical perspectives that have existed for centuries. With its nuanced attention to class, democratic struggles, and the lives of entire groups of people omitted from the historical narrative for centuries, SPQR will to shape our view of Roman history for decades to come.

42

Twelve Caesars - Mary Beard Cover Art

Twelve Caesars

Twelve Caesars Images of Power from the Ancient World to the Modern by Mary Beard

From the bestselling author of SPQR: A History of Ancient Rome , the fascinating story of how images of Roman autocrats have influenced art, culture, and the representation of power for more than 2,000 years What does the face of power look like? Who gets commemorated in art and why? And how do we react to statues of politicians we deplore? In this book—against a background of today’s “sculpture wars”—Mary Beard tells the story of how for more than two millennia portraits of the rich, powerful, and famous in the western world have been shaped by the image of Roman emperors, especially the “Twelve Caesars,” from the ruthless Julius Caesar to the fly-torturing Domitian. Twelve Caesars asks why these murderous autocrats have loomed so large in art from antiquity and the Renaissance to today, when hapless leaders are still caricatured as Neros fiddling while Rome burns. Beginning with the importance of imperial portraits in Roman politics, this richly illustrated book offers a tour through 2,000 years of art and cultural history, presenting a fresh look at works by artists from Memling and Mantegna to the nineteenth-century American sculptor Edmonia Lewis, as well as by generations of weavers, cabinetmakers, silversmiths, printers, and ceramicists. Rather than a story of a simple repetition of stable, blandly conservative images of imperial men and women, Twelve Caesars is an unexpected tale of changing identities, clueless or deliberate misidentifications, fakes, and often ambivalent representations of authority. From Beard’s reconstruction of Titian’s extraordinary lost Room of the Emperors to her reinterpretation of Henry VIII’s famous Caesarian tapestries, Twelve Caesars includes fascinating detective work and offers a gripping story of some of the most challenging and disturbing portraits of power ever created. Published in association with the Center for Advanced Study in the Visual Arts, National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC

43

Nero - Anthony Everitt & Roddy Ashworth Cover Art

Nero

Nero Matricide, Music, and Murder in Imperial Rome by Anthony Everitt & Roddy Ashworth

A striking, nuanced biography of Nero—the controversial populist ruler and last of the Caesars—and a vivid portrait of ancient Rome “Exciting and provocative . . . Nero is a pleasure to read.”—Barry Strauss, author of The War That Made the Roman Empire: Antony, Cleopatra, and Octavian at Actium The Roman emperor Nero’s name has long been a byword for cruelty, decadence, and despotism. As the stories go, he set fire to Rome and thrummed his lyre as it burned. He then cleared the charred ruins and built a vast palace. He committed incest with his mother, who had schemed and killed to place him on the throne, and later murdered her. But these stories, left behind by contemporary historians who hated him, are hardly the full picture, and in this nuanced biography, celebrated historian Anthony Everitt and investigative journalist Roddy Ashworth reveal the contradictions inherent in Nero and offer a reappraisal of his life. Contrary to popular memory, the empire was well managed during his reign. He presided over diplomatic triumphs, and his legions overcame the fiery British queen Boudica who led one of the greatest revolts Rome had ever had to face. He loved art, culture, and music, and he won the loyalty of the lower classes with fantastic spectacles. He did not set fire to Rome. In Nero , ancient Rome comes to life: the fire-prone streets, the deadly political intrigues, and the ongoing architectural projects. In this teeming, politically unstable world, Nero was vulnerable to fierce reproach from the nobility and relatives who would gladly usurp him, and he was often too ready to murder rivals. He had a vision for Rome, but, racked by insecurity, he perhaps lacked the stomach to govern it. This is the bloodstained story of one of Rome’s most notorious emperors: but in Everitt and Ashworth’s hands, Nero’s life is also a complicated, cautionary tale about the mettle required to rule.

44

Soldier of Rome: Crisis on the Danube - James Mace Cover Art

Soldier of Rome: Crisis on the Danube

Soldier of Rome: Crisis on the Danube by James Mace

Since the reign of Emperor Tiberius, an uneasy peace has existed along the Danube frontier between the various Sarmatian tribal kingdoms to the north and the Roman Empire to the south. Now, a new threat has emerged in Dacia, as the aged King Duras seeks to unite his people; a feat not witnessed since the legendary King Burebista more than a century before. With great audacity, Duras sends his heir, Prince Decebalus—whose name means strength of ten men—into Roman Moesia. Pursuing more than glory and spoils, Duras hopes to win back some of the disputed territories south of the Danube and halt the increasing encroachment of the Roman Empire. Early Dacian victories, coupled with the death of the imperial governor, find Rome engaged in an unexpected war it was ill-prepared for. Unlike most 'barbarian' peoples the Empire has faced over the centuries, the Dacians are better equipped, organised, and like the Romans, possess a professional army. With great duress, Emperor Domitian orders vast numbers of reinforcements to the Danube. Thousands of miles away, across the seas in Britannia, Gaius Artorius Armiger's tenure as prefect of the legendary cavalry regiment, Indus' Horse, is coming to an end. Now in his early forties, with his children coming of age, Gaius is eager to relinquish command and either take up a civilian posting or, perhaps, retire to his family's manor in Londinium. His hopes are dashed following a despatch from the emperor, extending his command, while ordering Indus' Horse to make for Moesia with all possible speed. Thousands of imperial soldiers from across the Empire converge along the Danube with Indus' Horse but one element of the British contingent. Gaius bids an emotional farewell to his wife and children before taking to his horse, in what he hopes will be his final campaign as a soldier of Rome.

45

The Complete Dead Sea Scrolls in English (7th Edition) - Dr Geza Vermes Cover Art

The Complete Dead Sea Scrolls in English (7th Edition)

The Complete Dead Sea Scrolls in English (7th Edition) by Dr Geza Vermes

'Probably the most important archaeological find in history ... Vermes' translations are a standard in the field' Los Angeles Times The discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls in the Judaean desert between 1947 and 1956 was one of the greatest finds of all time. These extraordinary manuscripts appear to have been hidden in the caves at Qumran by the Essenes, a Jewish sect in existence before and during the time of Jesus. Written in Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek, the scrolls have transformed our understanding of the Hebrew Bible, early Judaism and the origins of Christianity. This acclaimed translation by Geza Vermes has established itself as the classic version of these texts. Translated and edited with an Introduction and Notes by Geza Vermes

46

The Immortality Key - Brian C. Muraresku Cover Art

The Immortality Key

The Immortality Key The Secret History of the Religion with No Name by Brian C. Muraresku

THE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER As seen on The Joe Rogan Experience! A groundbreaking dive into the role psychedelics have played in the origins of Western civilization, and the real-life quest for the Holy Grail that could shake the Church to its foundations. The most influential religious historian of the 20th century, Huston Smith, once referred to it as the "best-kept secret" in history. Did the Ancient Greeks use drugs to find God? And did the earliest Christians inherit the same, secret tradition? A profound knowledge of visionary plants, herbs and fungi passed from one generation to the next, ever since the Stone Age? There is zero archaeological evidence for the original Eucharist – the sacred wine said to guarantee life after death for those who drink the blood of Jesus. The Holy Grail and its miraculous contents have never been found. In the absence of any hard data, whatever happened at the Last Supper remains an article of faith for today’s 2.5 billion Christians. In an unprecedented search for answers, The Immortality Key examines the archaic roots of the ritual that is performed every Sunday for nearly one third of the planet. Religion and science converge to paint a radical picture of Christianity’s founding event. And after centuries of debate, to solve history’s greatest puzzle. Before the birth of Jesus, the Ancient Greeks found salvation in their own sacraments. Sacred beverages were routinely consumed as part of the so-called Ancient Mysteries – elaborate rites that led initiates to the brink of death. The best and brightest from Athens and Rome flocked to the spiritual capital of Eleusis, where a holy beer unleashed heavenly visions for two thousand years. Others drank the holy wine of Dionysus to become one with the god. In the 1970s, renegade scholars claimed this beer and wine – the original sacraments of Western civilization – were spiked with mind-altering drugs. In recent years, vindication for the disgraced theory has been quietly mounting in the laboratory. The constantly advancing fields of archaeobotany and archaeochemistry have hinted at the enduring use of hallucinogenic drinks in antiquity. And with a single dose of psilocybin, the psychopharmacologists at Johns Hopkins and NYU are now turning self-proclaimed atheists into instant believers. But the smoking gun remains elusive. If these sacraments survived for thousands of years in our remote prehistory, from the Stone Age to the Ancient Greeks, did they also survive into the age of Jesus? Was the Eucharist of the earliest Christians, in fact, a psychedelic Eucharist? With an unquenchable thirst for evidence, Muraresku takes the reader on his twelve-year global hunt for proof. He tours the ruins of Greece with its government archaeologists. He gains access to the hidden collections of the Louvre to show the continuity from pagan to Christian wine. He unravels the Ancient Greek of the New Testament with the world’s most controversial priest. He spelunks into the catacombs under the streets of Rome to decipher the lost symbols of Christianity’s oldest monuments. He breaches the secret archives of the Vatican to unearth manuscripts never before translated into English. And with leads from the archaeological chemists at UPenn and MIT, he unveils the first scientific data for the ritual use of psychedelic drugs in classical antiquity. The Immortality Key reconstructs the suppressed history of women consecrating a forbidden, drugged Eucharist that was later banned by the Church Fathers. Women who were then targeted as witches during the Inquisition, when Europe’s sacred pharmacology largely disappeared. If the scientists of today have resurrected this technology, then Christianity is in crisis. Unless it returns to its roots. Featuring a Foreword by Graham Hancock, the NYT bestselling author of America Before.

47

The Ghosts of Cannae - Robert L. O'Connell Cover Art

The Ghosts of Cannae

The Ghosts of Cannae Hannibal and the Darkest Hour of the Roman Republic by Robert L. O'Connell

NATIONAL BESTSELLER For millennia, Carthage’s triumph over Rome at Cannae in 216 B.C. has inspired reverence and awe. No general since has matched Hannibal’s most unexpected, innovative, and brutal military victory. Now Robert L. O’Connell, one of the most admired names in military history, tells the whole story of Cannae for the first time, giving us a stirring account of this apocalyptic battle, its causes and consequences. O’Connell brilliantly conveys how Rome amassed a giant army to punish Carthage’s masterful commander, how Hannibal outwitted enemies that outnumbered him, and how this disastrous pivot point in Rome’s history ultimately led to the republic’s resurgence and the creation of its empire. Piecing together decayed shreds of ancient reportage, the author paints powerful portraits of the leading players, from Hannibal—resolutely sane and uncannily strategic—to Scipio Africanus, the self-promoting Roman military tribune. Finally, O’Connell reveals how Cannae’s legend has inspired and haunted military leaders ever since, and the lessons it teaches for our own wars.

48

Babylon - Paul Kriwaczek Cover Art

Babylon

Babylon Mesopotamia and the Birth of Civilization by Paul Kriwaczek

Civilization was born eight thousand years ago, between the floodplains of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, when migrants from the surrounding mountains and deserts began to create increasingly sophisticated urban societies. In the cities that they built, half of human history took place. In Babylon, Paul Kriwaczek tells the story of Mesopotamia from the earliest settlements seven thousand years ago to the eclipse of Babylon in the sixth century BCE. Bringing the people of this land to life in vibrant detail, the author chronicles the rise and fall of power during this period and explores the political and social systems, as well as the technical and cultural innovations, which made this land extraordinary. At the heart of this book is the story of Babylon, which rose to prominence under the Amorite king Hammurabi from about 1800 BCE. Even as Babylon's fortunes waxed and waned, it never lost its allure as the ancient world's greatest city. Engaging and compelling, Babylon reveals the splendor of the ancient world that laid the foundation for civilization itself.

49

Rome and Persia - Adrian Goldsworthy Cover Art

Rome and Persia

Rome and Persia The Seven Hundred Year Rivalry by Adrian Goldsworthy

A “magnificent” ( Spectator ) history of the epic rivalry between the ancient world’s two great superpowers  The Roman empire was like no other. Stretching from the north of Britain to the Sahara, and from the Atlantic coast to the Euphrates, it imposed peace and prosperity on an unprecedented scale.  Its only true rival lay in the east, where the Parthian and then Persian empires ruled over great cities and the trade routes to mysterious lands beyond. This was the region Alexander the Great had swept through, creating a dream of glory and conquest that tantalized Greeks and Romans alike. Tracing seven centuries of conflict between Rome and Persia, historian Adrian Goldsworthy shows how these two great powers evolved together. Despite their endless clashes, trade between the empires enriched them both, and a mutual respect prevented both Rome and Persia from permanently destroying the other.  Epic in scope, Rome and Persia completely reshapes our understanding of one of the greatest rivalries of world history. 

50

The Closing of the Western Mind - Charles Freeman Cover Art

The Closing of the Western Mind

The Closing of the Western Mind The Rise of Faith and the Fall of Reason by Charles Freeman

A radical and powerful reappraisal of the impact of Constantine’s adoption of Christianity on the later Roman world, and on the subsequent development both of Christianity and of Western civilization. When the Emperor Contstantine converted to Christianity in 368 AD, he changed the course of European history in ways that continue to have repercussions to the present day. Adopting those aspects of the religion that suited his purposes, he turned Rome on a course from the relatively open, tolerant and pluralistic civilization of the Hellenistic world, towards a culture that was based on the rule of fixed authority, whether that of the Bible, or the writings of Ptolemy in astronomy and of Galen and Hippocrates in medicine. Only a thousand years later, with the advent of the Renaissance and the emergence of modern science, did Europe begin to free itself from the effects of Constantine's decision, yet the effects of his establishment of Christianity as a state religion remain with us, in many respects, today. Brilliantly wide-ranging and ambitious, this is a major work of history.