Ancient History Lives

The Assyrian Empire was a Mesopotamian kingdom and empire of the ancient Middle East that existed as a state from perhaps as early as the 25th century BC until it fell apart between 612 BC and 609 BC - spanning the periods of the Bronze Age to the late Iron Age. Babylonia was an area in central-southern Mesopotamia (present-day Iraq and Syria). It was only a small provincial town during the Akkadian Empire (2335–2154 BC) yet it greatly expanded during Hammurabi's reign in the 18th century BC.

According to tradition, the Roman Republic came into being in 509 BC, following the overthrow of the monarchy, and it ended in 27 BC, when Augustus became the first emperor. During this period of nearly 500 years, Rome grew from a relatively small Italian city to a superpower that dominated the entire Mediterranean world, but the Roman Republic was characterized by an interminable internal power struggle between the aristocratic and populist factions (the Optimates and Populares) for control of the state and the distribution of its wealth.

Claudius is particularly remembered for the conquest of Britain, as Roman power there had weakened since Julius Caesar had invaded nearly a century before. Beyond this, he established Roman colonies on the frontiers of the empire, annexed several territories in North Africa (including Thrace and Mauritania), and made Judea a province. Claudius’s rule stands out in other aspects as well. He paid great attention to Rome’s judicial system and religious policy, and the Empire’s infrastructure was improved during his reign.

Leading Athens for upwards of 40 years between the Second Persian War and the Peloponnesian War, Pericles has become an idealized figure over the last millennia, but he was a polarizing figure among his contemporaries. According to some, he was an honest and upstanding politician, while for others he was the lowest kind of demagogue. They thought he was a political opportunist whose ability to wriggle free of criticism was best summed up by the typically pithy comment of his rival Thucydides.

Defined by borders both physical and conceptual, the Roman city stood apart as a concentration of life and activity that was legally, economically, and ritually divided from its rural surroundings. Death was a key area of control, and tombs were relegated outside city walls from the Republican period through Late Antiquity. Given this separation, an unexpected phenomenon marked the Augustan and early Imperial periods: Roman cities developed suburbs, built-up areas beyond their boundaries, where the living and the dead came together in densely urban environments.

Pelopidas started out a hero to the people, being born under a noble family and making a name for himself as an athlete. But as Plutarch describes in Pelopidas’ chapter of Parallel Lives, there was a lot more to this man than could be seen. Being very generous with his wealth to the less fortunate of the town, Pelopidas also went on to lead the army. By the end of his life, his patriotism did not go unnoticed - and was ultimately what led to his untimely demise.

The Romans hated Pompey’s greedy father, Strabo, with a vengeance. Yet when Pompey rose in prominence, Plutarch notes that he developed the opposite character, and the Romans loved him for it. Pompey had many great accomplishments in his military and political life, but his legacy lies in forming the First Triumvirate with Crassus and Caesar. When the alliance eventually dissolved, and Pompey fled from Caesar to his death, the Roman world would never be the same.

Marcus Tullius Cicero (106-43 BC) was one of the most famous Romans in his day, and posterity has been even kinder to him. Cicero was a legend in his own time for his oratory abilities, which he used to persuade fellow senators and denounce enemies like Catiline and Mark Antony, but he was also one of Rome's most prodigious writers and political philosophers. Alongside Pericles, Cicero was one of antiquity's greatest politicians, and he has remained one of the most influential statesmen in history.

Become familiar with the time of the Romans. Learn about their slaves, their freemen, their sex slaves, their sex lives, their prostitutes, their habits and professions, and more. This guide will put special emphasis on the rebellion of Spartacus, the taboos in Roman culture, and the religious cults with their idols.

From our democratic way of government to timeless elements of architectural design, the civilization of the ancient Greeks has influenced virtually every civilization on earth, past and present. The influence of the Greek culture, whether it be in philosophy or the tradition of the Olympic games, is buried so deeply in modern life that we're often unaware of it. This full cast audio production takes the listener back to the origins of Ancient Greece in its Golden Age to revisit elements of daily life and milestones of achievement. In this informative and entertaining journey, the listener will discover how that ancient culture reaches through time to touch our modern world.

In Book V of Lives of the Eminent Philosophers, Diogenes Laërtius discusses the Peripatetics like Aristotle, Theophrastus, Strato of Lampsacus, Lyco of Troas, Demetrius of Phalerum, and Heraclides Ponticus.

Possibly the most important man of antiquity, and even all of history, was Julius Caesar. Alexander Hamilton, the famous American patriot, once remarked that "the greatest man who ever lived was Julius Caesar." Such a tribute, coming from one of the Founding Fathers of the quintessential modern democracy in reference to a man who destroyed the Roman Republic, is testament to the enduring mark that Caesar left upon the world.

Jesus of Nazareth is one of the most well-known yet least understood individuals in modern history. Over the ages, the historical accounts from the Gospels have been heavily questioned and critiqued to the point where some scholars believe that there never was a historical figure of Jesus. The readings of Edgar Cayce and Douglas Cottrell tell a different story, however; the story of a man who was born to fulfill a prophecy and change the world with compassion. Follow this compelling story that chronicles the life of a man born in secret in the Essene community and trained in the esoteric ...

Nero. The very name seems to embody the character of a tyrant. The years of his reign come down to us with tales full of self-serving totalitarianism. Wasn’t he the one that fiddled while Rome burned after all? Wasn’t this the mad monarch who wished to embark upon a building project, so he set the old buildings that were in his way on fire? But besides this power-mad tyranny, what do we know about Nero? Surely even the most despotic dictator has a good side?

The life story of Ramesses II is voluminously recorded and illustrated through documents and inscriptions, and it is even represented physically through his funerary goods and the well-preserved mummified remains of the man himself. But despite the resources available with which to reason about who Ramesses II was and what his impact might have been, there is also a necessary disconnection between him and those who chronicled his story.

Lives of the Eminent Philosophers, Book VIII deals with the Pythagoreans, including Pythagoras, Empedocles, Epicharmus of Kos, Archytas, and Alcmaeon of Croton.

The Babylonians were one of the earliest of history's great ancient civilizations, and the most famous Babylonian of them all was Hammurabi, who came to the throne as the first king of the Babylonian empire around the beginning of the 18th century BC. Hammurabi had a long and fruitful reign that saw him consolidate most of Mesopotamia under his control, but he's best known today for Hammurabi's Code, one of the earliest known code of laws in human history. Inscribed on stone tablets, Hammurabi's Code was found over 3,500 years later, in the early 20th century.

The mere mention of his name, Tutankhamun, brings to mind visions of gold and splendor and thoughts of a majestic kingdom, but the reality of this young king is something quite different. His fame has less to do with his position in history and nearly everything to do with the discovery of his tomb by Howard Carter in 1922. There are many questions and mysteries still surrounding this famous king of Egypt. Who was Tutankhamun?

Jack Dawe is an unconventional street cop. His ability to not act or look like a "Copper" enabled him to infiltrate the drug networks of the UK. This no-holds-barred, explosive, and, at times, humorous account of undercover policing takes the listener through a journey of crime, violence, and deception. This memoir is a true story of poacher turned game keeper. A veteran of 30 years’ service as a soldier and police officer, Jack reveals how he grew from a young thief into a soldier in search of danger and adventure across the world.

One of the first independent female rulers of an ancient kingdom, Cleopatra was a gifted diplomat, efficient administrator, and accomplished linguist who ruled her kingdom with more courage than the majority of her male predecessors. Cleopatra’s death ended an era, but her life promised the dawn of a new age, one where women might dare to rule the world.