Great Ancient

Our political and religious leaders have failed us. Despotism is on the rise. Countries teeter on the brink of war, and others smolder within, threatening nuclear standoffs that rattle a world that seems to be spinning out of control. Self-interest and greed hobble our abilities to stand up against these growing threats. Scribes of the Tribe: Our Greatest Thinkers on Religion and Ethics offers a timely compilation of quotes from Aristotle to Gandhi, interwoven with commentary by the author and a Catholic lay brother. It invites you to contemplate your beliefs, challenge what you’ve been ...

In 55 B.C. Julius Caesar came, saw, conquered and then left. It was not until A.D. 43 that the Emperor Claudius crossed the channel and made Britain the western outpost of the Roman Empire that would span from the Scottish border to Persia. For the next 400 years the island would be transformed. Within that period would see the rise of Londinium, almost immediately burnt to the ground in A.D. 60 by Boudicca; Hadrian's Wall, which was constructed in A.D. 112 to keep the northern tribes at bay, as well as the birth of the Emperor Constantine in third century York.

Two works by the Roman historian, Tacitus. Agricola is a portrait of Julius Agricola, a governor of Roman Britain, and the first surviving account of the geography, climate, and peoples of Britain. The German tribes of Northern Europe are discussed in Germania.

The lives of Hannibal and his Roman enemies are the stuff of legend. But these classic stories contain truths with relevance today: The seeds of our successes lie in our failures, and within our successes are the kernels of our failure. Knowing how to recognize these paradoxes will help us to be more effective at work, at school, at home, and with others. A big new idea book that springs from ancient history, Hannibal and Me explores these exciting ideas by analyzing the experiences of Hannibal and others who made their mark on history.

Marcus Aurelius was an outstanding person and Emperor of Ancient Rome. He was far more concerned with ways of thinking than with warfare. Being a small boy he applied himself to task with education. Marcus preferred others over himself, putting his own welfare aside for the good of other people.

By the second century CE, Londinium was a large Roman city, with tens of thousands of inhabitants using villas, palaces, a forum, temples, and baths. The Roman governor ruled from the city in a basilica that served as the seat of government. What was once a 30 acre outpost now spanned 300 acres and was home to nearly 15,000 people, including Roman soldiers, officials and foreign merchants.

The Roman Empire has been in the spotlight for ages. It has been studied, research, and taught in schools across the world. Inventions, words, vocabulary, and philosophy have been derived from those important transition in human history. The Romans were ruthless in some ways yet civilized in others. They were a peculiar people who did things differently than those they called barbarians. Their warfare, their habits, their vision of the future...these all made their empire what it became. What is that makes us so obsessed with this particular time period?

The 40 days of fasting before Christmas are meant to prepare us for the Feast of the Nativity, but the busyness of the secular celebration can interfere with our best efforts to center our hearts on Christ. Behold a Great Light is a daily devotional, designed to help listeners contemplate the mysteries of the Incarnation, from the beginning of the Nativity fast on November 15, through Christmas and Theophany, ending with the Synaxis of St. John the Baptist on January 7.

Long before historians added "the Great" to his name, Alexander stated, "I would rather live a short life of glory than a long one of obscurity." He certainly lived up to this ambition, conquering most of the known world in just 13 years before his death at age 33. Though undefeated in his lifetime, Alexander died unsatisfied - he always wanted more. His ambitious personality comes as no surprise considering his upbringing: born to powerful parents, he studied under Aristotle and grew up believing himself a descendant of the Greek heroes Achilles and Heracles.

In 1st century B.C. Mesopotamia, the authority of the Parthian Empire has reached the northern side of the River Euphrates. Farther west, the Roman Republic’s influence is continuing to expand into Asia-Minor. For the smaller Kingdoms like Armenia that stand between these towering eagles, it is a constant struggle for the very existence of their countries and cultures... The story continues here in Part 2: Kingdoms and Empires! With Parthia now establishing a stronger foothold in Armenia and while the Kingdom is fracturing from the inside, Prince Tigran is forced back to Parthia, only ...

Step into the lost world of ancient Britain, where fierce warriors painted themselves blue and wise Druids practiced mysterious magic. This audiobook uncovers the untold story of the Britons—an ancient people often overshadowed by Roman invaders and Anglo-Saxon conquerors. Yet, their legacy, filled with culture, strength, and resilience, is the true foundation of modern Britain.

This 14th-century Italian poet was a model for many who followed him. His passionate sonnets to Laura became the epitome for love poetry. Over some 40 years he wrote 366 sonnets to Laura, whom he probably never even spoke to, and they remain immediate and affecting even now. Called "Rime Sparse (Scattered Rhymes)", they influenced Chaucer and many others.

Our understanding of the Persian Empire has traditionally come from the histories of Greek writers such as Herodotus—and as such, over many centuries, our perspective has been skewed by ancient political and cultural agendas. Professor Llewellyn-Jones, however, calls upon original Achaemenid sources, including inscriptions, art and recent archaeological discoveries in Iran, to create an authentic 'Persian Version' of this remarkable first great empire of antiquity—the Age of the Great Kings.

The Spartans. The famous warrior society of ancient Greece. Renowned for their ferocity in battle, rigid self-discipline, and their legendary wit and terseness. These rugged, crimson-clad soldiers knew a lifestyle that few of us today could imagine or endure. Both Spartan men and woman, from the day they were born, to their often early deaths, constantly trained their bodies and minds to be as hard and immovable as stone.

The fall of Rome 390 BC and Rome sends envoys to the city of Clusium as they are beseiged by 30,000 Gallic invaders. As the Gauls fall to the trickery of the Romans they declare war on the city and smash the Roman army at the battle of the river Allia, Rome's greatest ever defeat. The gates of Rome stand open as the Senate barricade themselves onto the Capitol Hill and the Gauls take the city. Marcus is called upon by the Senate to build an army to defeat the Barbarians and return Rome to its own people as the invaders burn and loot the once great city. Marcus must, first, retake the city, ...

"Love Story of Alexander and Roxanna, A Love Woven in the Tapestries of Time is a stirring historical novel that transports readers into the heart of a love story as epic as the conquests it is entwined with. Set against the grand backdrop of Alexander the Great's expansive empire, this tale delves deep into the emotional landscape of two iconic figures brought together by destiny and divided by war. In this richly detailed narrative, we explore the life of Roxanna, a spirited Bactrian princess whose world collides with that of Alexander, the legendary Macedonian king. Their story unfolds ...

In 323 BCE, Alexander the Great was on top of the world. Never a man to sit on his hands or rest upon his laurels, Alexander began planning his future campaigns, which may have included attempts to subdue the Arabian Peninsula or make another incursion into India. But fate had other plans for the young Macedonian king. One night, while feasting with his admiral Nearchus, he drank too much and took to bed with a fever.

While he was one of the most influential men in the ancient world, research on Cyrus the Great is simultaneously fascinating and frustrating. Of course, this reality has deepened the mystique that surrounds Cyrus even to this day, and it has elevated his status from conqueror and king to enlightened humanist monarch and ideal ruler. Whatever the underlying issues, the incredible achievements of Cyrus distinguish him as one of the greatest kings in history, and his life, conquests, reforms, and rule continue to be of great interest over 2,500 years later.

Yorkshire, it has been said, is 'a continent unto itself'. It is southern Britain in microcosm, where mountain, plain, coast, downs, fen and heath lie side by side. Richard Morris weaves history, travelogue and ecology to explore this landscape in legend, literature and popular regard. Morris considers different ways to come to Yorkshire - in a poem, through an image, on holiday.

Studies have shown that developing an “atomic habit”—just doing a few minutes a day of whatever skill or habit you want to take on—can be more than enough to engrain it into our lives. Therefore, we have transformed timeless, legendary stories into 10-minute bite-size chunks long enough to entertain, enthrall, and even educate the listener but short enough to be enjoyed quickly at bedtime or any other point in our busy modern days.