Ancient history Books

The classic Bible tale of Joseph and his multi-coloured coat, charmingly retold for the very young. When Joseph's father gives him a brightly decorated coat, his brothers are green with envy. But kindly Joseph forgives their jealousy, in this delightful...

From the creative minds of the scholarly group behind the groundbreaking Jesus Seminar comes this provocative and eye-opening look at the roots of Christianity that offers a thoughtful reconsideration of the first two centuries of the Jesus movement,...

The teachings of Stoic philosophy began and thrived in the Greek and Roman world until the 3rd century AD, and has since experienced multiple revivals right up to the modern day. With wise lessons in key philosophical subjects, from Acceptance and...

'Speak my name so that I may live again' was often written on the walls of Egyptian tombs, imploring visitors to speak the names of the dead and make offerings on their behalf. These acts of continued remembrance sustained the dead in...

A cross-cultural comparison of ancient beliefs about death and the afterlife• Reveals the powerful influence of near-death experiences (NDEs) on the formation of religious beliefs, mystical literature, and ritual practices• Focuses on the afterlife...

Connect with the celestial powers of ancient goddesses• Explores beliefs and myths from Mesopotamia, ancient Egypt, and around the Mediterranean, revealing how ancient goddesses were powerful Queens of the Heavens and Guardians of the Underworld, not...

A full-color exploration of the encoded ceiling at the Temple of Dendera• Draws on more than 5,000 high-resolution photographs taken by the author to reconstruct the complete ceiling of the portico of the Temple of Hathor at Dendera• Reveals in detail...

Examines how the similarities of symbols and wisdom across many cultures point to an ancient civilizing plan and system of ancient instruction • Reveals the shared cosmological knowledge of Dogon and Maori cultures, ancient Egypt, Gobekli Tepe, Vedic...

Pyramid Power, the secret energy harnessed by the ancients, preserves food stuffs, amplifies thought forms, and increases sexual vitality. Here is the latest fabulous and provocative information on pyramids around the world, instructions on building your...

"Philosophy begins in wonder."                                     ...

In this gripping sequel to his bestselling 1177 B.C., Eric Cline tells the story of what happened after the Bronze Age collapsed why some civilisations endured, why some gave way to new ones, and why some disappeared forever.At the end of the acclaimed...

The Classical Athenians were the first to articulate and implement the notion that ordinary citizens of no particular affluence or education could make responsible political decisions. For this reason, reactions to Athenian democracy have long provided a...

A beautifully illustrated exploration of how Latif Al Ani's photographs and contemporary Iraqi artists continue to challenge the colonial appropriation of Iraq's ancient pastBeginning in the early nineteenth century, Mesopotamian and early Islamic ruins...

A definitive new history of the origins, evolution, and scope of the ancient Greek city-stateThe Greek polis, or city-state, was a resilient and adaptable political institution founded on the principles of citizenship, freedom, and equality. Emerging...

A sweeping new account of ancient Greek culture and its remarkable diversity.Covering the whole of the ancient Greek experience from its beginnings late in the third millennium BCE to the Roman conquest in 30 BCE, Out of One, Many is an accessible and...

An illuminating look at the iconography of the early church and its important place in the history of Christian artIn this book, historian Andr Grabar demonstrates how early Christian iconography assimilated contemporary imagery of the time. Grabar looks...

The great expedition to Sicily described in the sixth and seventh books of Thucydides' history can be depicted in a variety of ways. By some, it has been thoughtfully treated as an example of overreaching on the part of the Athenians. By others, it has...

A biography of the remarkable woman whose bestselling Mythology has introduced millions of readers to the classical world.Edith Hamilton (18671963) didn't publish her first book until she was sixty-two. But over the next three decades, this former...

An exploration of myth, legend, and origin stories passed from generation to generation.In the thirteenth century BC, a quarter of a century before the Trojan War, seven Greek warrior heroes went against the Greek city of Thebes to restore one of their...

For over three centuries, the inhabitants of North Britain faced the might of Rome, resulting in some of the most extraordinary archaeology of the ancient world.Drawing on his on his extensive experience, John H. Reid considers many of the controversies...

An accessible introduction to the Bronze Age culture in Asia Minor.Famed for their skill in battle, the Hittites flourished in central Anatolia from the seventeenth to the thirteenth century BC. They were much more than a military power, however - their...

The fascinating story of how the fossils of dinosaurs, mammoths, and other extinct animals influenced some of the most spectacular creatures of classical mythologyGriffins, Centaurs, Cyclopes, and Giants - these fabulous creatures of classical mythology...

An accessible introduction to the Indus, an extraordinary and tantalising 'lost' ancient civilisation.The Indus civilisation flourished for half a millennium from about 2600 to 1900 BC, when it mysteriously declined and vanished from view. It remained...

'Lucid and lyrical...a vivid history of Japan's turbocharged (and painful) modernisation.' - The Daily Telegraph In A History of Modern Japan, cultural historian Christopher Harding delves into the untold stories of...

An Exploration of Imhotep-Architect of the Step Pyramid at Saqqara, High Priest of Ra, and Royal Astronomer-as Well as His Influence as the True Father of African Civilization.In this groundbreaking book, Egyptologist Robert Bauval and astrophysicist...

Nubia, the often overlooked southern neighbour of Egypt, has been home to groups of vibrant and adaptive peoples for millennia. This book explores the Nubians' religious, social, economic and cultural histories, from their nomadic origins during...

The ultimate visual guide to Samurai history and culture! The Samurai are continuously celebrated as the greatest warriors the world has ever seen. They ruled Japan for centuries, finally uniting the nation after a prolonged period of brutal war and...

This fascinating book tells the story of the people of Japan, from ancient teenage priest-queens to teeming hordes of salarymen, a nation that once sought to conquer China, yet also shut itself away for two centuries in self-imposed seclusion...

This is ancient Greece - but not as we know it. Few people today appreciate that Greek civilisation was spread across the Middle East, and that there were Greek cities in the foothills of the Himalayas. This book tells the story of the Greeks outside...

Cyrus the Great was one of the most influential figures in history an enlightened ruler and brilliant general who created the Persian Empire, the largest empire known to man to that time. This concise and telling biography is the first for Cyrus and is...

Includes an introduction, maps, and selections from Herodotus' The Histories, Thucydides' History of the Peloponnesian War, Xenophon's The Hellenica, Aristotle's The Constitution of Athens, The Parian Marble,...

A beautiful and engaging rendering of the Egyptian Book of the Dead.The Egyptian Book of the Dead is one of the oldest and greatest classics of Western spirituality. Until now, the available translations have treated these writings as historical...

Bestselling author Erich von Dniken shares the story of a 16-year-old grave-diver who discovered a mysterious labyrinth of the old kings under one of the pyramids of Saqqara.In this book, Erich von Dniken shares the story of his friend Adel H., an...

Meet the Greek gods as you have never seen them--in LEGO form! Enjoy these fascinating myths, reimagined through elaborate scenes and colorful LEGO bricks in one thousand color photographs! This book shares a unique retelling of some of the most widely...

We recognize the names: Achilles, Odysseus, Zeus, and Apollo. We're taught that The Iliad is a foundational text of civilization. But who has really read the text? Until now, The Iliad was hijacked by academics and used to bludgeon schoolchildren as a...

This new edition of Anthology of Classical Myth offers selections from key Near Eastern texts-the Babylonian Epic of Gilgamesh, Epic of Creation (Enuma Elish), and Atrahasis; the Hittite Song of Emergence; and the flood story from the book of...

Who founded China? Are Chinese people religious? What is Chinese culture and how has it changed over time? The accessible and fun Understanding China Through Comics series answers those questions and more. For all ages, Foundations of Chinese...

In this collection British and Argentinian historians analyze the Asiatic, Germanic, peasant, slave, feudal, and tributary modes of production by exploring historical processes and diverse problems of Marxist theory. The studies treat an array of...

Rituals, prayers, and songs to bring the wisdom of the gods and goddesses of ancient Egypt to life.Based on Ellen Cannon Reed's twenty-five years of work with deities of ancient Egypt, this book brings an ancient tradition to modern pagan practice. With...

Learn the myths and legends behind this beloved goddess plus practices and suggestions for making Hekate part of your spiritual path. Courtney Weber (author of Brigid and The Morrigan) offers an informed, accessible journey through the lore and history...

Acclaimed poet and translator Dan Beachy-Quick offers this newest addition to the Seedbank series: a warm, vivid rendering of the earliest Greek intellects, inviting us to reconsider writing, and thinking, as a way of living meaningfully in the world."We...

Now in its 30th printing, this classic presents historical, archaeological, and anthropological evidence to support the theory that ancient Egypt was a black civilization.

Jean-Pierre Vernant and Pierre Vidal-Naquet are leaders in a contemporary French classical scholarship that has produced a a stunning reconfiguration of Greek thought and literature. In this work, published here as a single volume, the authors present a...

John Anthony West's revolutionary reinterpretation of the civilization of Egypt challenges all that has been accepted as dogma concerning Ancient Egypt. In this pioneering study West documents that: Hieroglyphs carry hermetic messages that convey the...

The history of Tokyo is as eventful as it is long. A concise yet detailed overview of this fascinating, centuries-old city, Tokyo: A Biography is a perfect companion volume for history buffs or Tokyo-bound travelers looking to learn more about their...

This is the first systematic attempt to compare Herodotus and Thucydides as contemporaries, that is, as pre- Socratic thinkers who employed rather similar concepts and intellectual tools and who worked within the same theoretical framework or space. The...

Interpreting the monuments of Athens in light of literature, R. E. Wycherley brings before us the city the ancients knew. Philosophers, statesmen, travelers, dramatists, poets, private citizens--the words of all these suggest how the city looked at...

A bold new interpretation of Augustine's virtue of hope and its place in political lifeWhen it comes to politics, Augustine of Hippo is renowned as one of history's great pessimists, with his sights set firmly on the heavenly city rather than the public...