Great Ancient

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.

Few images in history have managed to capture and hold the popular imagination quite like that of Hannibal, the fearless North African, perched on a monstrous elephant, leading his mercenaries over the Alps and then, against all odds, descending the ice-covered peaks to challenge Rome in her own backyard for mastery of the ancient world. It was a bold move, and it established Hannibal as one of history's greatest commanders. But this same brilliant tactician is also one of history's most tragic figures; fate condemned him to win his battles but not his war.

Herod is one of the more well-known characters of the Bible, as even those with a limited knowledge of the Bible will recognize the name and maybe have some idea of who Herod was. One of the most popular stories, known even to non-Christians, is Herod's slaying of the Innocents, a gruesome part of the Christmas story.

In November 2017, an international team of more than 30 scientists published the results of their two-year-long Great Pyramid research project in the journal Nature. Using an advanced imaging technique known as muon radiography, three groups working independently from each other discovered a massive, previously unknown space within the Great Pyramid of Giza. Mainstream Egyptologists suggest that the “Big Void” is simply a stress-relieving device for the Grand Gallery. But, as Scott Creighton reveals, ancient Coptic Egyptian texts describe exactly what the Big Void is.

In 323 BCE, Alexander the Great was on top of the world; on June 11, 323 B.C., Alexander the Great, King of Macedon, Hegemon of the League of Corinth, King of Kings, died. The Diadochi: The History of Alexander the Great’s Successors and the Wars That Divided His Empire chronicles how Alexander’s legendary conquests shaped the next several centuries, and how the successor generals carved out various empires. You will learn about the Diadochi like never before.

The Romans were master builders, and much of what they built has stood the test of time. Throughout their vast empire they have left grand structures, from the Forum and Pantheon in Rome to the theatres and hippodromes of North Africa and the triumphal gates in Anatolia and France. Wherever they went, the Romans built imposing structures to show their power and ability, and one of their most impressive constructions was built on the northernmost fringe of the empire.

Over 1,100 years before William the Conqueror became the King of England after the Battle of Hastings, Julius Caesar came, saw, and conquered part of “Britannia”, setting up a Roman province with a puppet king in 54 BCE. In the new province, the Romans eventually constructed a military outpost overlooking a bridge across the River Thames. The new outpost was named Londinium, and it covered just over two dozen acres.

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.

Over the last 2,000 years, ambitious men have dreamed of forging vast empires and attaining eternal glory in battle, but of all the conquerors who took steps toward such dreams, none were ever as successful as antiquity’s first great conqueror. Leaders of the 20th century hoped to rival Napoleon’s accomplishments, while Napoleon aimed to emulate the accomplishments of Julius Caesar. Caesar himself found inspiration in Alexander the Great (356 - 323 BCE), the Macedonian king who managed to stretch an empire from Greece to the Himalayas in Asia by the age of 30.

The prophetic visions of Daniel, both fulfilled and unfulfilled, hold immense value for believers and scholars alike. They offer a rich tapestry of insights into the nature of God, the course of history, and the future of humanity. The fulfilled prophecies validate the reliability of Scripture and the sovereignty of God, while the unfulfilled ones ignite hope, anticipation, and a call to faithfulness. As history continues to unfold, the book of Daniel stands as a timeless testament to the intricate interplay of prophecy, history, and divine providence.

Nefertiti, 1370 BC - 1330 BC, the great queen, is best known to us for her striking beauty. Her famous bust brought her to life ever since its discovery in 1912 by German Archeologist Ludwig Borchardt; her image has been the face of Egypt. Most people know her solely based on the bust, but she is much more than just a pretty face.

The life of Augustus is historically important because his leadership marked out a new era in the story of the Roman world, an era that would see the expansion of the Roman Empire across the Mediterranean and beyond. Tiberius is remembered, if he is remembered at all, for his bad behavior. He spent much of his rule on a Greek island surrounded by every pleasure that his diseased flesh could dream of, abandoning his empire to scandal and intrigue.

Imagine a history so profound, it reshapes everything we thought we knew about the origins of civilization. Great Water reveals a new narrative that turns the spotlight away from ancient Egypt, the Fertile Crescent, and southeast Asia, directing it instead towards the Great Lakes region of North America, where evidence suggests that metal technology first emerged around 10,000 years ago. This story follows an unexpected journey into the heart of prehistoric North America, where ancient copper mines around Lake Superior bear silent witness to a long-lost history of indigenous metal use.

In A.D. 64, on the night of July 19, a fire began beneath the stands of Rome’s great stadium, the Circus Maximus. The fire would spread over the coming days to engulf much of the city of Rome. From this calamity, one of the ancient world’s most devastating events, legends grew: that Nero had been responsible for the fire, and fiddled while Rome burned, and that Nero blamed the Christians of Rome, burning them alive in punishment, making them the first recorded martyrs to the Christian faith at Rome.

As Rome swelled with tradespeople, artisans, slaves, and wealthy merchant families, its politicians struggled to maintain the fundamental democratic properties of the republican government. Rules were bent and broken, politicians and voters were bribed and lied to, and eventually, the power of Rome fell to the one man who could muster the respect and loyalty of the world-famous Roman army. That man was Gaius Julius Caesar.

Torn between love and duty Constantine faces disaster. Juliana, his mistress, has been kidnapped by a raiding party and taken to northern Germania, out of reach of his legions. Ignoring his mother’s demands for him to marry quickly, Constantine assembles a Roman cavalry cohort and heads into the endless forest. Somewhere far ahead is the meeting place of the tribes where Juliana is facing a fight to the death among a people who collect skulls as ornaments and are ruled by a queen with a strong blood lust. Constantine then finds out that his young son has been taken to Rome as a hostage. ...

King Lysimachus: The Life and Legacy of the Ancient Macedonian King Who Succeeded Alexander the Great looks at his tumultuous reign and how he affected the world in the wake of Alexander. You will learn about King Lysimachus like never before.

What does it mean to be great? There have been many that have come through the sands of time proclaiming their own greatness. We see it in the news every day - leaders, heroes, tyrants, and even reality star presidential candidates claim that they are great. But what about Alexander the Great?

Robert Twigger, poet and travel author, was in search of a new way up England when he stumbled across the Great North Line. From Christchurch on the South Coast to Old Sarum to Stonehenge, to Avebury, to Notgrove barrow, to Meon Hill in the midlands, to Thor's Cave, to Arbor Low stone circle, to Mam Tor, to Ilkley in Yorkshire and its three stone circles and the Swastika Stone, to several forts and camps in Northumberland to Lindisfarne (plus about thirty more sites en route). A single dead-straight line following one degree 50 West up Britain.

This guide will guide you to the right knowledge about all the historical details you need to know about Nero, Caligula, Hadrian, Commodus, Constantine the Great, Caracalla, Marcus Aurelius, Julius Caesar, Augustus, and others. Some were pure evil, abusive, and sheer dictators with their own self-interest that was their only focus. Others had the best intentions for the empire. These emperors left their mark on the people, the history of the entire empire, and the cultural influence the Romans had on us.