Ancient Politics

For the curious minds wanting to uncover the secrets of ancient Greece, for the dreamers wishing to lose themselves in tales of valor, love, and betrayal, and for the scholars desiring a comprehensive yet engaging retelling of the world's most famous myths—this book is your beacon.

In 1992, two Russian moviemakers left a cryptic note for New Mexican writer Stephen Bodio at his local bar. It led him to Brighton Beach in Brooklyn, where he saw a film about the ancient breed of Central Asian sight hounds known as tazis. He would end up chasing these leads to Kazakhstan, where these beautiful dogs may have existed 6,000 years ago.

"Quo Vadis" is a historical novel by Henryk Sienkiewicz. It tells of a love between a young Christian woman and a Roman patrician in Rome, under the rule of emperor Nero, c. AD 64. The main characters is Marcus Vinicius, a military tribune and Roman patrician who recently returned to Rome. On his arrival, he meets and falls in love with Ligia. He seeks the counsel of his uncle Petronius to find a way to possess her.

The advice handed down by Sun Tzu in "The Art of War" is surprisingly practical. Strategic principles such as planning, precise timing, and gaining the advantage are just as important to modern political campaigns as they were 2000 years ago. In "Ancient Wisdom for Modern Campaigns," Caitlin Huxley, a campaign strategist with over 15 years of experience, translates the ancient time-honored wisdom and shares relevant personal stories from the campaign trail, taking candidates through the process of planning, organizing, and winning political campaigns using these proven methods.

This sharp commentary on the rise and current decline of Western Civilization touches on historical moments - including the building of early universities in the Middle Ages and the American Revolution - and figures - including Augustine, Acquinas, Edmund Burke, and Adam Smith - that exemplify the faith-reason synthesis at the heart of Western Civilization, as well as the modern villains that threaten to destroy it.

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.

From the heights of Mt. Olympus to the depths of the Underworld, this book takes you on an unforgettable journey through all the major myths born in ancient Greece and Rome, such as Achilles's involvement in the Trojan War; Pluto's kidnapping of the beautiful Proserpina; and the slaying of Medusa by Perseus, the heroic demi-god. You'll also learn all about the wonders of the world as well as the greatest creatures ever recorded in history.

Rosmersholm is a play surrounding the deep and intense political and cultural change in Norway in the middle of the 1880s, a period during which the traditional ruling class were forced to relinquish their right to impose their ideals on the rest of society. We follow Johannes Rosmer, a pastor who has resigned from his position; Rebecca West, a woman who sees Rosmer's potential and believes she can help him to realize his dream of creating a world of "happy, noble people"; and Headmaster Kroll, Rosmer's former best friend.

When Athenians suffered the shame of having lost a war from their own greed and foolishness, around 404 BCE the public's blame was directed at Socrates, a man whose unique appearance and behavior, as well as his disapproval of the democracy, made him a ready target. Socrates was subsequently put on trial and sentenced to death. However, as René Girard has pointed out, no individual can be held responsible for a communal crisis.

What is virtue? What is moderation? What is justice? What is courage? What is good? What is piety? Socrates thought that understanding the perspectives of others on these six great questions would help him become a more excellent human being.

Born from a strange mixture of divine blood, severed genitals, and seafoam, Aphrodite washed up on the shores of Cyprus long before the emergence of her fellow Olympians. A figure who is as petty as she is relatable, she is not only a key deity of the Greek pantheon, but she is also a central figure in many of the myths we know and love. While it would be impossible to gather all the different stories related to Aphrodite in their entirety in one collection, this audiobook provides a nice, if modest, assortment of narratives that display different facets of this fascinating goddess.

Years ago, archaeologists excavating near Pompeii unearthed a hoard of Roman treasures, among them a bowl depicting a woman with thick, curly hair and sporting an elephant-scalp headdress. For decades, theories circulated about her identity―until, at last, she was ascertained to be Cleopatra Selene, the only surviving daughter of Roman Triumvir Marc Antony and Egyptian Queen Cleopatra VII. Using this discovery as her starting point and creating a narrative from mere fragments in the archaeological record, historian Jane Draycott reconstructs the exceptional life of this woman.

Stonehenge is just one of thousands of stone circles erected throughout Britain and Ireland for over three millennia from 3,000 BC on. How did this building tradition survive for so long, over such a large area and with such complexity and uniformity, when the people of the British Isles lived in separate, isolated communities? Graham Phillips argues that these stone circles are evidence of an astonishing system of healthcare and preservation of ancient medical knowledge that held together a society scattered across the British Isles.

Cleopatra: lover, seductress, and Egypt's greatest queen. A woman more myth than history, immortalized in poetry, drama, music, art, and film. She captivated Julius Caesar and Marc Antony, the two greatest Romans of the day, and died in a blaze of glory, with an asp clasped to her breast - or so the legend tells us. But the real-life story of the historical Cleopatra VII is even more compelling. She was the last of seven Cleopatras who ruled Egypt before it was subsumed into the Roman Empire. These extraordinary women keep a close grip on power in the wealthiest country of the ancient world.

"Behold! Human beings living in an underground den. Like ourselves, they see only their own shadows, or the shadows of one another, which the fire throws on the opposite wall of the cave." With that statement, Plato - one of the greatest thinkers in the history of mankind - introduces one of his of most important philosophical constructs: the relationship between truth and the image of truth.

In this audiobook, Maya Bennett shared inspiring stories of titans (Stoicism practitioners) who integrate Stoicism into their decision-making and daily life and are happily reaping the success and happiness that everyone yearns. You can too. It is not about intelligence or smarts. It is about actively following the insights and principles shared in this audiobook. Maya Bennett shared 23 Stoic techniques for building your better and happier life.

Nessun antico sovrano ha ispirato più leggende di Gaio Giulio Cesare. Sotto la sua guida, Roma conquistò territori in tutta l'Europa e nel Mediterraneo, raggiungendo il Mare del Nord e la Gran Bretagna. Il suo acume tattico e la comprensione intuitiva di come lavoravano soldati ed eserciti fece nascere una struttura militare che ha permesso ai generali romani di espandere i confini dell'impero per generazioni future, e la sua visione di un'Europa unita ha ispirato altri leader militari per centinaia di anni.

Governò la Grecia intera e poi estese le sue conquiste all'Asia, creando in poco più di dieci anni un impero sterminato che andava dall'Egitto all'India: Alessandro Magno indubbiamente fu il più grande conquistatore e condottiero dell'antichità. Fu amato come un dio, e come un dio visse, nel convinto rispetto per le culture e gli dèi dei popoli assoggettati, promosse un'immagine di sé che rivaleggiava con quelle mitiche di Achille ed Eracle da lui tanto conosciute e amate. Pronto a gettarsi in prima linea contro nemici, capace di profonda umanità con gli amici, raccolse la sua stessa sfida al costo della vita: andare oltre i limiti e raggiungere l'eterna grandezza.

Few philosophers have so extensively influenced thought and language as Aristotle. His conception of the universe pervades Christian theology. Knowledge of his thought is necessary to understand Bacon, Galileo and the modern scientific view of nature, as well as Dante and many passages from Chaucer, Shakespeare, and Milton. Many phrases such as "liberal education" and "theory" contrasted with "practice" originated with this student of Plato and tutor of Alexander the Great. Writing to inform the beginner and stimulate the expert, eminent scholar A.E. Taylor presents a searching analysis of Aristotle's thought, including classification of the sciences; formal logic; theory of knowledge; matter and form; the four causes; God; physics; biology; sensation; ethics; theory of the state; the fine arts. He also considers Aristotle's provincialism, errors regarding the nervous system and astronomy, and defense of slavery.

In the heart of Indian country in the American west, clandestine criminals were profiting greatly from the sale of sacred Native American artifacts stolen from tribal lands. These artifacts were so ancient they had been used since the migration of the first Americans into North America some 15,000 years ago. In the year 1998, the illegal trafficking of these artifacts peaked in Santa Fe, New Mexico.