Ancient Politics

In The Birth of Politics, Melissa Lane introduces the listener to the foundations of Western political thought, from the Greeks, who invented democracy, to the Romans, who created a republic and then transformed it into an empire. Tracing the origins of our political concepts from Socrates to Plutarch to Cicero, Lane reminds us that the birth of politics was a story as much of individuals as ideas.

In this succinct portrait of Alexander the Great, distinguished scholar and historian Norman Cantor draws on the major writings of Alexander's contemporaries, as well as the most recent psychological and cultural studies to illuminate this most legendary of men - a great figure in the ancient world whose puzzling personality greatly fueled his military accomplishments.

It may be the most interesting and yet loneliest spot on Earth: a volcanic rock surrounded by a million square miles of ocean, named for the day Dutch explorers discovered it, Easter Sunday, April 5, 1722. Here, people created a complex society, sophisticated astronomy, exquisite wood sculpture, monumental stone architecture, roads, and a puzzling ideographic script. And then they went about sculpting amazing, giant human figures in stone.

Sex. Drugs. Loud music. Wild costumes. Dazzling light shows. These words can all describe a great rock concert or a hot dance club, but they were also part and parcel of the ancient cultural phenomenon known as the "Mystery religions". In this book, author Christopher Knowles shows how the long-dead Mystery religions got a secular reincarnation when a new musical form called rock 'n' roll burst onto the scene.

The story of the worlds best-remembered celebrity couple, set against the political backdrop of their time. Oceans of mythology have grown up around them, all of which Diana Preston explores in her stirring history of the lives and times of a couple whose names more than two millennia later still invoke passion, curiosity, and intrigue.

Noah and the ark makes it on everyone’s list of top-10 favorite Bible stories - right up there with Jonah and the whale, and David and Goliath. No biblical account has raised as many questions and has generated as much controversy as Noah and the ark. The story in the Bible is just the beginning! Was the massive ark seaworthy? Did the Flood cover the whole Earth? Has the ark been found on Mount Ararat? Where can you see the ark today? These questions and more are answered in Noah: The Real Story.

In The Life of Cicero, Plutarch details the priceless contributions Cicero made to Roman society. He translated the works of Greek philosophers into Latin, gained acclaim as an orator and lawyer, and was elected to office. Politics ultimately got the better of him, however, and his life ended in assassination while in exile. Cicero’s ideas live on through his body of work, but to learn about the man himself, Plutarch’s biography is an excellent starting point.

How to Have Willpower brings together two profound ancient meditations on how to overcome pressures that encourage us to act against our own best interests—Plutarch's essay On Dysopia or How to Resist Pressure and Prudentius's poetic allegory Psychomachia or How to Slay Your Demons. Challenging the idea that humans are helpless victims of vice, these works—introduced and presented in vivid, accessible new prose translations by Michael Fontaine—emphasize the power of personal choice and the possibility of personal growth, as they offer insights and practical advice about resisting temptation.

This is an audiobook that will help you become familiar with the gigantic world of Irish folklore, the Celts, and so many mysteries that have often been left out at school, but are, nonetheless, just as fascinating as some of the Greek or Roman cultural anecdotes. Dive into the world of fairies, goddesses, heroes, giants, and Selkies. Learn about the mysteries of the ancient world on the British Isles, as well as on the mainland in the old European nations.

Vows is both a moving memoir of two marriages and a thoughtful meditation on marriage itself. Cheryl Mendelson tackles the sociology of commitment through our most traditional promises and shows why they endure.

A LitRPG of City-Building, Underground Secrets, and System Evolution Bastion rises. But beneath the stone, ancient forces awaken. Greenreach is no more. From the ashes of the Thorn Siege, a new city is born—Bastion. With expanded trade routes, booming markets, and strong walls, prosperity seems assured. Yet danger lurks both above and below. 🏙️ Forge the first true city of the borderlands—manage trade, politics, and public works. 🧠 Investigate ancient Pre-System ruins—a heartbeat of Rift energy thuds beneath the streets. ⚔️ Fight political coups, corruption, and the ...

The book is one of the most influential ethical treatises of all time. Written in 350 BC, it identifies happiness as life's goal. How do we achieve this goal? Not through the satisfactions that come from pleasure, wealth, or fame. According to Aristotle, the true path to happiness lies in contemplation of philosophic truth. This is the only action through which humans can exercise their distinctively unique trait: the ability to reason.

Dragons of Arandor Arandor A world of hostile kingdoms. Ruled by rulers whose power rests on the fearsome dragons that obey them. But their kingdoms face a danger that surpasses anything that has ever threatened their lands before. For rumor has it that the dawn of the White Dragon, the Eater of Worlds, has come to destroy the world. No army is said to be able to counter this threat. No hero with the ability to slay the beast. Only the Order of the Brakan has the knowledge to prevent the end of the world. However, the once feared warrior order has been stripped of its power and is being ...

Alcibiades was brilliant beyond his time and ambitious beyond his own safety. Was he traitor or true patriot? Even his own historian was not sure.

Stoicism gives us the tools we need to be able to endure the worst in life, and the presence to appreciate the best in life. Since ancient times, people have looked to the great stoic philosopher for direction on the way to live a good life, in accordance with reason and virtue. In his new audiobook, Alexander Clavell has compiled a year of wisdom from ancient and modern stoics.

Jim Clary presents a compelling and riveting digest of beliefs, customs, and mystery in Superstitions of the Sea. Clary focuses on the vast array of strange, mythical, and often comical beliefs of mariners from ancient times to the present. Collecting the various topics for years, Clary found that maritime superstition was weaved throughout every fabric of his study. The folklore was so interesting that it often lured him far away from his subject search and held him spellbound for hours at a time.

This is the first thoroughly revised edition of The Rape of the Nile—Fagan’s classic account of the cavalcade of archaeologists, thieves, and sightseers who have flocked to the Nile Valley since ancient times. Featured in this edition are new accounts of stunning recent discoveries, including the Royal Tombs of Tanis, the Valley of Golden Mummies at Bahariya, the Tomb of the Sons of Ramses, and the sunken city of Alexandria (whose lighthouse was one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World).

Constantine the Great is a complex figure surrounded by controversies and contradictions. The sources of history left for us to read are often biased one way or the other as he is the first Christian Roman emperor. His own propaganda paints a bright picture of his actions and his personality, while on the other side, we have his political enemies who paint him in much darker colors. All of the sources available to us either fully support Constantine or are strictly against him.

Hace miles de años, en la Antigüedad, las ayas griegas contaban a los niños historias a las que llamaban mythoi, que no se diferenciaban en esencia de las narraciones que solemos calificar como cuento y que tratan sobre sucesos extraordinarios, ya sean reales o inventados. Los mythoi tenían como protagonistas a seres divinos o semidivinos objeto de culto entre el pueblo griego. También tenían como protagonistas a héroes que podían contar con el favor, o disfavor, de esos dioses. Hoy día esas viejas historias han quedado sepultadas bajo capas de olvido.

This highly regarded volume features a modern translation of all ten books of The Republic. Translated by Raymond Larson. The Republic is an explosion of thought; a ten-book brainstorm of one of the greatest minds of all-time.