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 The Trojan War: A New History 
 Author: Barry Strauss The Trojan War: A New History Simon & Schuster 2006 Format: epub/pdf Size: 3 Mb Language: English The Trojan War is the most famous conflict in history, the subject of Homer's Iliad, one of the cornerstones of Western literature. Although many readers know that this literary masterwork is based on actual events, there is disagreement about how much of Homer's tale is true. Drawing on recent archeological research, historian and classicist Barry Strauss explains what really happened in Troy more than 3,000 years ago. For many years it was thought that Troy was an insignificant place that never had a chance against the Greek warriors who laid siege and overwhelmed the city. In the old view, the conflict was decided by duels between champions on the plain of Troy. Today we know that Troy was indeed a large and prosperous city, just as Homer said. The Trojans themselves were not Greeks but vassals of the powerful Hittite Empire to the east in modern-day Turkey, and they probably spoke a Hittite-related language called Luwian. The Trojan War was most likely the culmination of a long feud over power, wealth, and honor in western Turkey and the offshore islands. The war itself was mainly a low-intensity conflict, a series of raids on neighboring towns and lands. It seems unlikely that there was ever a siege of Troy; rather some sort of trick -- perhaps involving a wooden horse -- allowed the Greeks to take the city. Strauss shows us where Homer nods, and sometimes exaggerates and distorts, as well. He puts the Trojan War into the context of its time, explaining the strategies and tactics that both sides used, and compares the war to contemporary battles elsewhere in the eastern Mediterranean. With his vivid reconstructions of the conflict and his insights into the famous characters and events of Homer's great epic, Strauss masterfully tells the story of the fall of Troy as history without losing the poetry and grandeur that continue to draw readers to this ancient tale.
Royal Annals of Ancient Egypt
 Author: Wilkinson, Toby A. H. Wilkinson Royal Annals of Ancient Egypt Routledge ISBN: 0710306679 2000 Format: PDF Size: 20,7 МБ Language: English Pages: 320 The kings of ancient Egypt's first five dynasties were responsible for the creation of a unique and enduring civilisation, epitomised by its most impressive monuments, the pyramids. Yet what do we know about the reigns of these kings? Excavations have revealed much; but Egyptology has always been blessed with another rich source of information, the written texts and inscriptions composed by the ancient Egyptians themselves. For the history of the first five dynasties, one particular series of inscriptions has always been of prime importance. This is the collection of inscribed, stone fragments known as the royal annals. Now divided between museums in Palermo, Cairo and London, these documents from ancient Egypt have been the focus of countless studies in the century or so since they first came to light. For they seem to record the reigns of Egypt's early kings on a reign-by-reign, year-by-year basis. The information they contain has been translated, interpreted and re-interpreted by generations of Egyptologists, in the hope of achieving a better understanding of the first great period of ancient Egyptian history. And yet amazingly for such crucial documents, no complete edition of all seven surviving fragments has ever been published. Royal Annals fills this gap. The text is accompanied by specially-commissioned, detailed line-drawings of all the fragments.
The Inventions of Leonardo da Vinci
 Author: Charles-Gibbs Smith The Inventions of Leonardo da Vinci Charles Scribner's Sons 1978 Format: PDF Pages: 116 Language: English Size: 71 MB As an inventor Leonardo was an astonishing genius. Although he lived over 450 years ago he foresaw the coming of advanced technology , and filled his notebooks with thousands of drawings for new machines and weapons, many of which anticipate twentieth-century engineering techniques. We see him designing armoured tanks, steam guns, ballistic missiles, flying machines, parachutes, helicopters, underwater diving suits, water turbines, movable cranes, lifting jacks, gearboxes. Each of his inventions is a continuous source of wonder and excitement, displaying both Leonardo's awesome intelligence and an incredible anticipation of the future. An expert commentary by Charles Gibbs-Smith and Gareth Rees, who wrote many of the captions, guides us to a fuller understanding of the design ideas behind the inventions, and the clarity and enthusiasm of their text make this an ideal reference book for the historian of technology or the would-he inventor. Also included in this book are some of Leonardo's beautiful drawings from nature.
Alexander to Constantine: Archaeology of the Land of the Bible, Volume III
 Author: Eric M. Meyers, Mark A. Chancey Alexander to Constantine: Archaeology of the Land of the Bible, Volume III (The Anchor Yale Bible Reference Library) Yale University Press 2014 Format: PDF Size: 12.1 Mb Language: English This comprehensive and richly illustrated book explores the archaeological record of the land of the Bible from its conquest by Alexander the Great in the fourth century B.C.E. until the reign of the Roman Emperor Constantine in the fourth century C.E. Unique in its focus on the region's archaeology during the crucial Graeco-Roman era, the book offers an excellent overview of a tumultuous period in world history. It also presents new insights into the evolution of Judaism and Christianity, drawing on the most recently uncovered archaeological evidence and ancient literary sources. Eric M. Meyers and Mark A. Chancey describe Hellenism as the main vehicle for the transformation of early Judaism and early Christianity in material culture and sacred traditions. The authors provide detailed discussions of the emergence of the two as sister religions, indistinguishable in many respects for centuries, then discuss how Judaism and Christianity developed in separate ways, especially after the rise of imperial Christianity with Emperor Constantine. A treasury of information coupled with brilliant insights, this book has much to offer scholar, student and general reader alike.
The Roman Revolution of Constantine
 Author: Raymond Van Dam Cambridge 2005 458 Format: pdf Size: 5 mb Language: english The reign of the emperor Constantine (306–337) was as revolutionary for the transformation of Rome’s Mediterranean empire as that of Augustus, the first emperor three centuries earlier. The abandonment of Rome signaled the increasing importance of frontier zones in northern and central Europe and the Middle East. The foundation of Constantinople as a new imperial residence and the rise of Greek as the language of administration previewed the establishment of a separate eastern Roman empire. Constantine’s patronage of Christianity required both a new theology of the Christian Trinity and a new political image of a Christian emperor. Raymond Van Dam explores and interprets each of these events. His book complements accounts of the role of Christianity by highlighting ideological and cultural aspects of the transition to a post-Roman world.
Archaeology, Artifacts and Antiquities of the Ancient Near East
 : Archaeology, Artifacts and Antiquities of the Ancient Near East (Culture and History of the Ancient Near East) Author : Oscar White Muscarella Brill : 2013 ISBN: 9789004236660 Pages: 1088 Format : PDF Size : 21,4 MB Language : English Archaeology, Artifacts and Antiquities of the Ancient Near East" follows the evolution of Oscar White Muscarella s scholarly work and interests and is divided into several categories of interrelated fields. “When asked by Jennifer Pavelko of Brill USA to compile a volume of my past articles, on the model of the two volumes of Irene Winter’s outstanding scholarship published by Brill, I was of course flattered. And then began the difficult task of decision making. Given the limitation of approximately forty articles to be selected by me, I had first to examine my curriculum vita and make a list of which to choose. When I reached fifty articles I was obliged to refocus my mind and eliminate ten of them. This exercise was fortunate, I believe, for it forced me not merely to focus on works that to my mind reflect a diachronic compendium of my decades of writing, but concomitantly, and as objectively as possible, to contemplate the very nature and thrusts of my work as a whole. The scope of my research and writing has widened from the “pure” archaeological work of excavation reports and artifact analyses to include a sharpened interest in the vast number of unexcavated antiquities—and, as I came to realize, of forgeries—as well as associated cultural phenomena that often run contrary to archaeological goals.”
Time Frame BC 400 - AD 200 - Empires Ascendant
 Author: Collective Time Frame BC 400 - AD 200 - Empires Ascendant Time-Life Books 1987 Format: PDF Pages: 184 Language: English Size: 25.1 MB Examines the different cultures that were emerging between 400 BC and AD 200.
The Penguin Historical Atlas of Ancient Rome
 The Penguin Historical Atlas of Ancient Rome / Author: Chris Scarre Penguin Books 1995 Pages: 144 ISBN: 0-670-86464-1 Format: pdf Quality: Good Language: English Size: 17,69 mb The Penguin Historical Atlas of Ancient Rome is an introduction to the Roman Empire based on maps. The Romans themselves made maps of their empire, though little of these have survived apart from the so-called Peutingcr Table (a medieval copy) and fragments such as the marble map of Rome. It is other sources, then, which have been used to compile the present volume, and they arc of broadly two kinds: historical and literary on the one hand (what the Romans said about themselves), and archaeological and architectural on the other.
Western Civilization: A Brief History, Volume I, 7 edition
 Author: Jackson J. Spielvogel Western Civilization: A Brief History, Volume I, 7 edition The Pennsylvania State University 2010 ISBN: 0495571482 Format: PDF Size: 84,5 МБ Language: English Pages: 396 Put the world today into context by learning about the past through this brief, best-selling Western Civilization text that has helped thousands of students succeed in the course. Jack Spielvogel's engaging style of writing weaves the political, economic, social, religious, intellectual, cultural, and military aspects of history into a gripping story that is as memorable as it is instructive. You will also be exposed to primary source documents--actual historical documents that are the foundation for the historical analysis you read in the chapter. These documents include letters, poems, and songs through history--documents that actually enliven the past. Throughout the book there are also helpful tools to help you digest the reading including outlines, focus questions, chronologies, numerous maps and boldface key terms with definitions.
Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind
 Author: Yuval Noah Harari Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind Vintage Digital 2014 Format: epub Size: 13.8 Mb Language: English 100,000 years ago, at least six human species inhabited the earth. Today there is just one. Us. Homo sapiens. How did our species succeed in the battle for dominance? Why did our foraging ancestors come together to create cities and kingdoms? How did we come to believe in gods, nations and human rights; to trust money, books and laws; and to be enslaved by bureaucracy, timetables and consumerism? And what will our world be like in the millennia to come? In Sapiens, Dr Yuval Noah Harari spans the whole of human history, from the very first humans to walk the earth to the radical – and sometimes devastating – breakthroughs of the Cognitive, Agricultural and Scientific Revolutions. Drawing on insights from biology, anthropology, palaeontology and economics, he explores how the currents of history have shaped our human societies, the animals and plants around us, and even our personalities. Have we become happier as history has unfolded? Can we ever free our behaviour from the heritage of our ancestors? And what, if anything, can we do to influence the course of the centuries to come? Bold, wide-ranging and provocative, Sapiens challenges everything we thought we knew about being human: our thoughts, our actions, our power ... and our future.
The Vikings: The Story of a People
 Author: Njord Kane The Vikings: The Story of a People CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform 2014 Format: epub, pdf (conv.) Size: 2.7 Mb, 3 Mb Language: English Definitively tracing the Story of the Vikings from the early Nordic Stone Age civilizations to the Age of Viking Expansion by the Norsemen. A span of some thousands of years are concisely covered in one volume in a thorough study in the evolution the Norse people. A whole new world of understanding about the ancient Vikings has been opened up by new archaeological discoveries and studies. The story of Ragnar Lothbrok is told along with many other famous Vikings such as Rollo and Erik the Red. A ride to the very Halls of Valhalla as seen from an anthropological perspective. Technologies specific to the Norse are looked at and explained. Easy to read and very interesting. Providing first a quick overview then a chapter by chapter journey through major events in Norse history then concluding with a separated portion that highlights major aspects in Norse knowledge and technology. Discussed are possible theories about some aspects in Norse religion that may have some truth behind the Myths, in addition to people that the Vikings had made contact with – lost in time.
Magic and Rationality in Ancient Near Eastern and Graeco-Roman Medicine
 Magic and Rationality in Ancient Near Eastern and Graeco-Roman Medicine Author: M. Stol Brill 2004 Pages: 408 Language: English Format: pdf Size: 26.8 Mb For the first time, medical systems of the Ancient Near East and the Greek and Roman world are studied side by side and compared. Early medicine in Babylonia, Egypt, the Minoan and Mycenean world; later medicine in Hippocrates, Galen, Aelius Aristides, Vindicianus, the Talmud. The focus is the degree of 'rationality' or 'irrationality' in the various ways of medical thought and treatment. Fifteen specialists contributed thoughtful and well-documented chapters on important issues.
Body, Dress, and Identity in Ancient Greece
 Author: Mireille M. Lee Body, Dress, and Identity in Ancient Greece Cambridge University Press 2015 Format: PDF Size: 11.9 Mb Language: English This is the first general monograph on ancient Greek dress in English to be published in more than a century. By applying modern dress theory to the ancient evidence, this book reconstructs the social meanings attached to the dressed body in ancient Greece. Whereas many scholars have focused on individual aspects of ancient Greek dress, from the perspectives of literary, visual, and archaeological sources, this volume synthesizes the diverse evidence and offers fresh insights into this essential aspect of ancient society.
Architecture of the Sacred: Space, Ritual, and Experience from Classical Greece to Byzantium
 Author: Bonna D. Wescoat, Robert G. Ousterhout Architecture of the Sacred: Space, Ritual, and Experience from Classical Greece to Byzantium Cambridge University Press 2012 Format: PDF Size: 16 Mb Language: English In this book, a distinguished team of authors explores the way space, place, architecture, and ritual interact to construct sacred experience in the historical cultures of the eastern Mediterranean. Essays address fundamental issues and features that enable buildings to perform as spiritually transformative spaces in ancient Greek, Roman, Jewish, early Christian, and Byzantine civilizations. Collectively they demonstrate the multiple ways in which works of architecture and their settings were active agents in the ritual process. Architecture did not merely host events; rather, it magnified and elevated them, interacting with rituals facilitating the construction of ceremony. This book examines comparatively the ways in which ideas and situations generated by the interaction of place, built environment, ritual action, and memory contributed to the cultural formulation of the sacred experience in different religious faiths.
Time Frame AD 600-800 - The March of Islam
 Author: Collective Time Frame AD 600-800 - The March of Islam Time-Life Books 1988 Format: PDF Pages: 182 Language: English Size: 28.8 MB Looks at the seventh and eighth centuries in Arabia, Byzantium, Europe, China and Japan, and discusses the role religion played in each culture.
Encyclopedia of the Roman Empire
 Encyclopedia of the Roman Empire Author: M.Bunson Facts On File, Inc. N.Y. 2002 Pages: 652 ISBN: 0-8160-4562-3 Format: PDF Quality: Good Language: English Size: 19 mb The introduction of this encyclopedia states that it "covers the most important personalities, terms and sites that played a part in Roman evolution from the period of Julius Caesar and the Gallic Wars (59-51 B.C.) to the fall of the Empire in the West (476 A.D.)." Bunson, who recently wrote The Vampire Encyclopedia and is called "a longtime student of the Roman empire," has written an excellent ready-reference source for the period. The encyclopedia features just over 1,900 entries ranging from a few words ("Sororia-- The name for Juno as the goddess of puberty") to approximately 4,000. The longest entries, Christianity and Rome, are five pages. Based on a sampling, the Board estimates that close to 60 percent of the entries are biographical. All entries do an adequate job of defining the subject matter and placing it within the proper context of Roman history, although anyone interested in doing further research will be disappointed by the lack of bibliographies at the end of entries. The 56-entry unannotated bibliography at the conclusion of the work consists entirely of secondary sources and is paltry, considering how much has been written on the topic-- even taking into account that the volume was written for those with a casual, rather than scholarly, interest in the subject. The reader will be introduced to the most important primary-source material (i.e., writings of Josephus, Suetonius, Tacitus, and others) only by reading the entries on those writers. The encyclopedia does not disappoint in its generally excellent coverage of the Roman Empire. There are several entries that the general reader may be hard pressed to find in other reference works. Assassins, for example, lists all emperors who were killed along with who most likely performed the deeds; Coinage includes a list of the main coins used in the empire; and Festivals of the Roman Year provides a month-by-month listing. Although there are such general topical articles as Art and Architecture, Marriage and Divorce, and Social Classes, it is odd there are no entries for women or education, despite the fact works specifically on those topics are cited in the bibliography.
The Celtic World
 Author: Miranda Green (Editor) The Celtic World Routledge 1995 Format: PDF Size: 25.5 Mb Language: English The Celtic World is a detailed and comprehensive study of the Celts from the first evidence of them in the archaeological and historical record to the early post-Roman period. The strength of this volume lies in its breadth - it looks at archaeology, language, literature, towns, warfare, rural life, art, religion and myth, trade and industry, political organisations, society and technology. The Celtic World draws together material from all over pagan Celtic Europe and includes contributions from British, European and American scholars. Much of the material is new research which is previously unpublished. The book addresses some important issues - Who were the ancient Celts? Can we speak of them as the first Europeans? In what form does the Celtic identity exist today and how does this relate to the ancient Celts? For anyone interested in the Celts, and for students and academics alike, The Celtic World will be a valuable resource and a fascinating read.
The Age of the Vikings
 Author: Anders Winroth The Age of the Vikings Princeton University Press 2014 Format: epub/pdf Size: 10 Mb Language: English The Vikings maintain their grip on our imagination, but their image is too often distorted by medieval and modern myth. It is true that they pillaged, looted, and enslaved. But they also settled peacefully and developed a vast trading network. They traveled far from their homelands in swift and sturdy ships, not only to raid, but also to explore. Despite their fearsome reputation, the Vikings didn't wear horned helmets, and even the infamous berserkers were far from invincible. By dismantling the myths, The Age of the Vikings allows the full story of this period in medieval history to be told. By exploring every major facet of this exciting age, Anders Winroth captures the innovation and pure daring of the Vikings without glossing over their destructive heritage. He not only explains the Viking attacks, but also looks at Viking endeavors in commerce, politics, discovery, and colonization, and reveals how Viking arts, literature, and religious thought evolved in ways unequaled in the rest of Europe. He shows how the Vikings seized on the boundless opportunities made possible by the invention of the longship, using it to venture to Europe for plunder, to open new trade routes, and to settle in lands as distant as Russia, Greenland, and the Byzantine Empire. Challenging the image of the Vikings that comes so easily to mind, Winroth argues that Viking chieftains were no more violent than men like Charlemagne, who committed atrocities on a far greater scale than the northern raiders. Drawing on a wealth of written, visual, and archaeological evidence, The Age of the Vikings sheds new light on the complex society and culture of these legendary seafarers.
The Bioarchaeology of Individuals
 Author: Ann L. W. Stodder (Editor), Ann M. Palkovich (Editor) The Bioarchaeology of Individuals (Bioarchaeological Interpretations of the Human Past: Local, Regional, and Global) University Press of Florida 2012 Format: True PDF Size: 36.3 Mb Language: English "Harnessing the concept of 'the power of one,' this book guides the reader into the past using carefully woven biographies rich in detail and scope."--Anne L. Grauer, Loyola University, Chicago "The populational approach to bioarchaeology tends to be monochrome in its efforts to answer broader research-oriented questions. This volume splashes the past with color through a select group of individuals who actually experienced it."--Margaret A. Judd, University of Pittsburgh From Bronze Age Thailand to Viking Iceland, from an Egyptian oasis to a family farm in Canada, The Bioarchaeology of Individuals invites readers to unearth the daily lives of people throughout history. Covering a span of more than four thousand years of human history and focusing on individuals who lived between 3200 BC and the nineteenth century, the essays in this book examine the lives of nomads, warriors, artisans, farmers, and healers. The contributors employ a wide range of tools, including traditional macroscopic skeletal analysis, bone chemistry, ancient DNA, grave contexts, and local legends, sagas, and other historical information. The collection as a whole presents a series of osteobiographies--profiles of the lives of specific individuals whose remains were excavated from archaeological sites. The result offers a more "personal" approach to mortuary archaeology; this is a book about people--not just bones.
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World History
