This series delves into the rise and fall of the greatest civilizations of the ancient world. Each volume examines not only the history but also the art, culture, and enduring legacy of these societies. It probes why these ancient peoples remain important and relevant in our contemporary world. Prepare for a captivating journey through time, uncovering the wisdom and lessons of the past.
Beginning in the Stone Age and continuing through the collapse of the Roman empire, Peter Bogucki describes the increasing complexity, technological accomplishments, and distinctive practices of the non-literate peoples known as Barbarians.
This engaging history brings together the interwoven stories of the original Goths, who sacked the imperial city of Rome and set in motion the decline and fall of the western Roman empire, and the diverse Gothic legacy, a legacy that continues to shape our modern world.
This is a new history of the Etruscans, a powerful and influential civilization in ancient Italy who are often thought of as mysterious and unknowable. Covering colonialism and conquest, misogyny and mystique, Etruscan history is woven with the very latest archaeological evidence to provide a unique perspective on this enigmatic people.
During the first and second millennia BCE a swathe of nomadic peoples migrated outward from Central Asia into the Eurasian periphery. One group of these people would find themselves encamped in an unpromising, arid region just south of the Caspian Sea. From these modest and uncertain beginnings, they would go on to form one of the most powerful empires in history: the Persian Empire. In this book, Geoffrey and Brenda Parker tell the captivating story of this ancient civilization and its enduring legacy to the world. The authors examine the unique features of Persian life and trace their influence throughout the centuries. They examine the environmental difficulties the early Persians encountered and how, in overcoming them, they were able to develop a unique culture that would culminate in the massive, first empire, the Achaemenid Empire. Extending their influence into the maritime west, they fought the Greeks for mastery of the eastern Mediterranean one of the most significant geopolitical contests of the ancient world. And the authors paint vivid portraits of Persian cities and their spectacular achievements: intricate and far-reaching roadways, an astonishing irrigation system that created desert paradises, and, above all, an extraordinary reflection of the diverse peoples that inhabited them. Informed and original, this is a history of an incomparable culture whose influence can still be seen, millennia later, in modern-day Iran and the wider Middle East
An introduction to the history, art and religion of ancient Egypt.
This book is an introduction to every aspect of a civilization, which combined artistic excellence, technological sophistication and economic vigour with social egalitarianism, political freedom and religious moderation