Ancient English History

One of the most profound studies of warfare ever written, The Seven Military Classics of Ancient China presents us with an Eastern tradition of strategic thought that emphasizes outwitting one's opponent through speed, stealth, flexibility, and a minimum of force - an approach very different from that stressed in the West, where the advantages of brute strength have overshadowed more subtle methods.

From the Koran to Shakespeare, this city with three names - Byzantium, Constantinople, Istanbul - resonates as an idea and a place, real and imagined. Standing as the gateway between East and West, North and South, it has been the capital city of the Roman, Byzantine, and Ottoman Empires. For much of its history it was the very center of the world, known simply as "The City", but, as Bettany Hughes reveals, Istanbul is not just a city but a global story.

A born teacher and lecturer, Professor Timothy B. Shutt examines the history and culture of ancient Sparta, a society renowned for military excellence and adherence to the values of courage, discipline, duty, and the overcoming of fear. Vastly outnumbered at the Battle of Thermopylae, the Spartan "300" held off an overwhelming Persian force before finally succumbing - but not without inflicting massive casualties and inspiring the rest of the Greeks with the notion that they could persevere.

Historians and inquisitive laymen alike love to ponder the dramatic what-ifs of history. In these never-before-published essays, some of the keenest minds of our time ask the big, tantalizing questions: Where might we be if history had not unfolded the way it did? Why, how, and when was our fortune made real. The answers are surprising, sometimes frightening, and always entertaining.

Although all the titles of the Nag Hammadi library are not known, many people have heard about its most famous components: The Gospel of Thomas - at one time it was discussed whether it should be included in the New Testament - and The Gospel of Philip, which tried to revive the debate around the identity of Mary Magdalene: "Why do you love her more than all of us?" asks a disconcerted Peter to Jesus. Finally, the Nag Hammadi texts have led many scholars to reconsider the rigid canons imposed by the early Church, and the readers to find a more intimate religion that turned upside down many postulates of Christian orthodoxy.

Some people's lives are entirely their own creations. James Rebanks' isn't. He's the first son of a shepherd who was the first son of a shepherd himself; his family have lived and worked in the Lake District of Northern England for generations, further back than recorded history. It's a part of the world known mainly for its romantic descriptions by Wordsworth and the much-loved illustrated children's books of Beatrix Potter. But James' world is quite different. His way of life is ordered by the seasons and the work they demand.

The ancient Near East is known as the "cradle of civilization" - and for good reason. Mesopotamia, Syria, and Anatolia were home to an extraordinarily rich and successful culture. Indeed, it was a time and place of earth-shaking changes for humankind: the beginnings of writing and law, kingship and bureaucracy, diplomacy and state-sponsored warfare, mathematics and literature. This Very Short Introduction audiobook offers a fascinating account of this momentous time in human history.

India is a land of mystery, richness, and deep spiritual discovery. Every facet of this ancient land seems scented with the famous spices that lured European traders to its shores more than five centuries ago. Here, Muslims, Hindus, Christians, Sikhs, and Buddhists live shoulder to shoulder in a crowded world of multiple gods and juxtaposed pilgrimage routes, each one perfectly peaceful in their own beliefs and traditions.

The ancient Greeks gave us so much that we still use today; mythological stories we continue to study in schools and colleges and the Olympics are just a few. While Greece is just a small European country today, it covered parts of today’s North Africa and Iran - and had a society much like ours. Greeks enjoyed great food, music, and reading. Society was governed a lot like modern times, and its people were farmers, politicians, artists, and inventors! Prepare to be amazed about how this ancient society looks so much like our own - and why.

In The Geography of Genius, acclaimed travel writer Weiner sets out to examine the connection between our surroundings and our most innovative ideas. He explores the history of places, like Vienna of 1900, Renaissance Florence, ancient Athens, Song Dynasty Hangzhou, and Silicon Valley, to show how certain urban settings are conducive to ingenuity.

“Education is the art of making men ethical”—Georg F. W. Hegel, Philosophy of Right Both reason and unreason exist in this world. The sublime and the ridiculous are inseparable. The enigmatic force called “daemonism” by Goethe can erupt and overturn all our calculations. Mikhail Lifshitz argued that the dualistic worldview of ancient and primitive mythologies splendidly reflects this realistic picture of the universe. We associate myth with wild and entirely improbable stories, but a kernel of universal truth resides within them. That truth can serve as our guide toward becoming ...

Aliens in Our History? In the Middle Ages, almost all strange manifestations were associated with God and supernatural beings. Everything people couldn’t explain was deified. As society improved and new technologies emerged, critical thinking gradually began to develop and in the early modern period of the seventeenth century. people began to look at science and the stars as a source with answers to unanswered questions... My interest in the UFO and Alien phenomenon started when I was a little boy. One day I was walking with my brother and suddenly we saw a big orange triangular-shaped ...

A city on the brink of disaster. A slave girl with a deadly secret.Disguised as a young man, Ariella escapes life as a Jewish slave in Rome, only to be sold into a traveling gladiator troupe. Waiting for her moment to gain fame and then freedom, she keeps her identity secret. But when she arrives to fight in Pompeii, a Roman politician-turned-winemaker shows too much curiosity, and Ariella must harden her heart against Cato’s interest. And then there’s Jeremiah, the aged barracks slave who whispers of a new sect of Jews called Christians, who offer a different way of life. All the while...

Despite the turmoil of Arab nationalism and fundamentalism, Middle Eastern wars, and oil crises, the history of the Arab world has been little known and poorly understood in the West. One reason may be that, for more than half a century, there has been no up-to-date single volume work that chronicles the story of Arab civilization - until now.

Listeners can discover all the foul facts about the Groovy Greeks, including why girls ran about naked pretending to be bears, who had the world's first flushing toilet and why dedicated doctors tasted their patients' ear wax!

Ancient Egypt wasn't all pyramids, sphinxes and gold sarcophagi. For your average Egyptian, life was tough, and work was hard, conducted under the burning gaze of the sun god Ra.

No other monument in the world evokes mystery like the Great Sphinx of Giza. It has survived the harsh climate of Egypt for thousands of years and will remain long after our own civilization is gone. According to orthodox Egyptology, the Sphinx was built around 2500 BCE as a memorial to the pharaoh Khafre. Yet this “fact” has scant to no supportive evidence. When was the Sphinx really built and, most importantly, why?

This captivating history bundle includes The Roman Republic, The Roman Empire, and The Byzantine Empire.

Whether it’s Julius Caesar, Buffalo Bill or Henry VIII, the lives of history’s greatest heroes have long dominated the history books, and bored generations of high school students in the process. But what about the side characters waiting in the wings of humanity’s defining moments? Who will tell the tale of the pirates who kidnapped Caesar? Of Bill’s horse who thrilled Queen Victoria. Or of Henry’s toilet attendants, who may have caused a wife or two to lose their heads? Adrian Bliss won’t rest until these forgotten heroes are as well-known as their glory hogging contemporaries.

Unearth the secrets waiting to be found with every flip of an ancient coin with the enthralling eBook, "Treasures of the Past." Explore a vibrant and captivating journey through the realm of numismatics spread across ages and empires, unmasking the rich stories and history etched in the delicate metal. Submerge yourself in the riveting world of ancient coins. Each chapter unlocks new insights, from understanding the basic anatomy of ancient coins and deciphering the cryptic symbols and language shaped into their form, to initiating a thrilling dive into coins from Greek antiquity, the Roman...