Subjects:  1. Ancient - General    2. Ancient Archaeology    3. General    4. Hamito-Semitic Languages    5. Literary Collections    6. Literary Criticism    7. Literature - Classics / Criticism    8. Literature: Classics    9. History / Ancient / General    10. Other prose: classical, early & medieval    11. Semitic languages   

Reviews (19)

Amazing and Interesting Book
I have been searching for a book all over the Internet on all Egyptian pharaohs from the beginning to the end.However, it was quite hard until I came to Amazon and found this book.
expensive but good
an excellent book for anyone who is interested in ancient egypt. I have to say I could do without black and white photos because those photos would have been so much more effective in color.

Best "starter" book available
I have a whole library of books on ancient Egypt and the dynasties of pharaohs ruling from 2664 B.C. to 345 B.C. and i consider this book to be the best encompassing book available for people who want to learn about ancient Egypt. This book should be the first you buy and read as a neew scholar to ancient Egyptian history. You will not regret it and it will allow you to decide how to procede with your interest. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Ancient - Egypt    2. Ancient Egypt - History    3. Antiquities    4. Art    5. Egypt    6. History    7. History - General History    8. Pharaohs    9. To 640 A.D    10. African history: BCE to c 500 CE    11. Ancient World   

Reviews (2)

Price is Right
The price of the book was a very good price compared to other places I've looked.

Humanistic Traditions (vol. 4-6)
Fiero has done a wonderful job surveying history, making it enjoyable and interesting to almost any reader.With pictures of artwork and architecture, Fiero's text is enchanced, allowing the reading to gain abroader view into history from the enlightenment to modern times. As withmany history books, the writer's presuppitions are reflected in theirwriting.Fiero follows this trend, allowing her feministic presupptions tointerpret history.While this is not so evident in volumes 4 and 5, involume 6 (a review of modern times), this view is highly stated. Thisseries (including the first 3 volumes) is a wonderful review of history,allowing the reader to see into various cultures throughout history. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 17th century    2. 18th century    3. Art & Art Instruction    4. Arts, Baroque    5. Arts, Modern    6. Folklore & Mythology    7. History - Baroque & Rococo    8. Religion    9. Social Science    10. Sociology    11. Ancient Western philosophy to c 500    12. Cultural studies    13. History of art: BCE to c 500 CE, ancient & classical world    14. Literary studies: classical, early & medieval    15. Non-Classifiable    16. World history: BCE to c 500 CE   

Reviews (3)

Very engaging.
I very much like the way that different civilizations are represented as they developed simultaneously. This is a much more engaging approach to the study of history than the bland, textureless stuff being offered by many standard text books. Oh, and I'm a woman.

Great for Intro to Ancient Hist
I am only writing this as a response to the above review.I hope no one takes the gender remark seriously.The book is simply a collection of primary source readings from Ancient History (Greek and Roman readings comprising the bulk of this).How a book of primary sources can remain gender neutral is beyond me.The book is intended to serve as an introduction to the vast (and not so vast if you're actually doing research in ancient history) amounts of sources.Hence why it only has excerpts from the various readings.The idea is that if a person enjoys reading an excerpt from say Plutarch's Lives, then they will go out and buy it, rather than buying all the possible readings in ancient history individually.One subtle note about the book is that Bailkey's comments preceding each reading often relate them to readings from different eras.This can be very useful in an introductory history class.

Dry
An extremely dry textbook filled with insults to the female gender. Not a good book, not even for basic research purposes. You're better off going out and buying the actual translations of the works it makes mention of. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Ancient - General    2. General    3. History    4. History - General History    5. History, Ancient    6. History: World    7. Sources    8. World history    9. World history: BCE to c 500 CE   

Reviews (3)

Magnificent collection of essays and photographs.
This is one of the best books that I've seen on the art, symbolism and life in Ancient Egypt. Set within the reign of Hatshepsut, a royal wife and queen who transformed herself into Pharaoh, it looks at the lives of royal women from the images and personal artifacts that have been left behind.
Catalog of the Exhibit Regarding a most unusual woman
Think of early Egypt and you think of King Tut and Cleopatra. Those two, however, are not the sum total of Egyptian history. This book is basically a catalog of the collection regarding Hatshepsut a most interesting woman. She wasthe daughter of a king, and was married to her half brother. Upon his death the kingship transferred to his son by a secondary wife with Hatshepsut as regent for her nephew. Later she became co-ruler and king in her own right. Got all that?
The Mysteries and Secrets of Ancient Egypt Continue to Emerge
Once again the Metropolitan Museum has enriched the history and art of Egypt books with the publication of this very impressive catalogue that accompaniesthe exhibition 'Hatshepsut : From Queen to Pharaoh'. While many other museum exhibitions have been inundatedwith people attending the King Tut behemoths, this exhibition focuses on Hatshepsut, daughter of King Thutmose I, and wife and half-sister of King Thutmose II, who in the mid-15th century BC gradually acquired kingly status and power for herself.Her reign was twenty years in length as a woman pharaoh.
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Subjects:  1. Ancient - Egypt    2. Archaeology    3. Art & Art Instruction    4. General    5. History    6. History - Ancient & Classical    7. History: World    8. African history: BCE to c 500 CE    9. Ancient Egypt    10. Art / General    11. Biography: historical   

Subjects:  1. Ancient - Rome    2. General    3. History    4. History - General History    5. History: World    6. Republic, 510-30 B.C    7. Rome    8. Ancient Rome    9. European history: BCE to c 500 CE    10. European history: c 500 to c 1500    11. History / General    12. History of art: BCE to c 500 CE, ancient & classical world   

Subjects:  1. Civilization    2. History    3. History - General History    4. History: World    5. World - General    6. Social history   

Reviews (2)

A wonderful book about a wonderful subject
If like me you're interested in ancient wall paintings, this is a book for you. There are not many books about this subject, and I was very happy to find it. My fascination with these paintings is the joy and happiness they portray. The vibrant way people, birds, dolphins and flowers are portrayed by these ancient artists show a enormous love for life itself. That makes these paintings so special for me, much more than just their historical meaning. Now don't expect a very thick book with photographs of many wall paintings in prime condition. That is impossible with this archeological subject. And the male homoeroticism aspect can be found with some imagination, but only if you realy look for it. The book itself is of a very high quality, printed on high gloss thick paper and with excellent photographs.

First hand experience
I was able to work at the excavation in Thera, and this book is really quite helpful in understanding the civilization that lived that lived in Ancient Akrotiri.The book has excellent photographs of the wall-paintings that depict everyday life in Ancient Akrotiri--some paintings that you will probably only see in this book!There is also a wonderful commentary on these wall-paintings by the head of the excavation, C. Doumas, not only explaining what the pictures depict, but also narrating where and how they were found.A good investment, and a wonderful book! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Akroterion (Greece)    2. Akråotåerion    3. Antiquities    4. Excavations (Archaeology)    5. Greece    6. Minoans    7. Mural painting and decoration,    8. Mural painting and decoration, Minoan    9. Pictorial works    10. Thera (Greece)    11. Thera Island    12. Akrotiri   

Reviews (121)

Chariots of The Gods
I remember seeing this movie as a boy and have been trying to track it down ever since. If you believe in something larger than this earth it's a must see. I give full marks to the movie, however the delivery time is ridiculous.I have been waiting over a month now. I have received a request to this review and I have STILL not received either the book or the movie. I remember the movie as I have seen it a number of times so the review is appropriate.

This book needs to go in the FICTION section.
I bought into this book hook, line and sinker (and the movie) as a child. THen I grew up and learned that everything you read isn't the truth.
Examining Unsolved Mysteries of the Past
+++++
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Subjects:  1. Ancient - General    2. Ancient civilization    3. Archaeology    4. Body, Mind & Spirit    5. Civilization, Ancient    6. Extraterrestrial influences    7. General    8. Life on other planets    9. New Age    10. New Age / Body, Mind & Spirit    11. UFOs & Extraterrestrials    12. Crime & mystery    13. History / General   

Reviews (2)

Excellent.
An enormously engaging and highly explanatory work which details ancient greek religious beliefs and the works of the major playwrights and poets alike. What is of particular interest is how Gods and the stories of Myths of Gods and Godess's helped to explain the surrounding world to the people of the time. What is remarkable is these stories really were the first kind of documented evidence of humanity making sense of it's exsistance, purpose and meaning. A phenomena which has been occuring in revised and multi-cultural forms ever since.
Are the gods still with us?
Seeing the recent movie "Troy" (twice) sparked my reading Homer's "Iliad" and "Odyssey" (Lombardo's translation). But Homer left gaps, assuming his audience was familiar with the mythology. Buxton's book very nicely, comprehensively and entertainingly fills in those gaps. It's fun to read or just peruse by itself, or as a reference.
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Subjects:  1. Ancient - Greece    2. Antiquities & Archaeology    3. Folklore & Mythology - Mythology    4. Greco-Roman Mythology    5. Greek mythology    6. History    7. History: World    8. Mythology, Greek    9. Sociology    10. Ancient Greece    11. Myths & mythology    12. Pre-Christian European & Mediterranean religions   

Reviews (8)

Osman's Dream: The History of the Ottoman Empire
An excellent book. Very readable. A great way to compress six centuries of the great Ottoman Empire in a relatively short space. Finally the truth about Ottomans are emerging from the pens of eminent scholars, instead of garbage spewn by Armenians, Greeks, and some European powers that vied for Ottoman territories and resources for their own colonial purposes. I hate to see armenian-Americans to unfairly degrade a book that is truthful or complimentary to the great Ottoman Empire. Hope these folks grow up soon. I will not stoop to their level and demean the authors that put out lies about the "poor" armenians. Great job Caroline.

Shallow political history
I was quite disappointed by this book - its like a 19th century history with a shallow retelling of the names of Sultans, dates and major battles. I would have expected a greater analysis of the socio-cultural milieu in which the Ottoman empire arose and the institutions it spawned. I kept reading on hoping that this would follow but its really just a chronological listing of sultans, the major battles fought - if you want a political history of the empire, this may work for you. But when, why not just read the Wikipedia entry if you have no interest in the socio-political institutions.
Solid
This is a decent survey of Ottoman history.In many ways, this is traditional history from above, mainly a political history concentrating on the ups and downs of the reigns of the Ottoman Sultans.Finkel does well in constructing the basic narrative, covering centuries of Ottoman history in solid prose.The complicated dynastic politics of several periods are covered well.Finkel makes a less successful attempt to integrate social and economic history.She describes different phases of social and demographic history in the Empire as related to the political history but rarely provides enough detail to be satisfactory.For example, she mentions the declining Muslim population of the 19th century empire but never describes the size of the population or whether this was an absolute or relative decline.In many sections, she devotes more text to architectural history than relevant economic or social history.This book is largely descriptive and useful on that basis. As a basic political history, it will probably be useful for many, but its analytic shortcomings make its utility limited. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Asia - General    2. Asia - History    3. Europe - General    4. History    5. History - General History    6. History: World    7. Middle East - General    8. World History    9. ASIA    10. Asian / Middle Eastern history: c 500 to c 1500    11. Ottoman Empire    12. c 1000 CE to c 1500   

Subjects:  1. Anthropology - General    2. Archaeology / Anthropology    3. Civilization    4. Civilization, Western    5. History    6. History: World    7. Humanism    8. Textbooks    9. World - General    10. Social Science / General   

Features

• Audiobook
• Unabridged

Reviews (1)

An engaging, entertaining, and memorable reading of the classic work
Ably translated and expertly narrated by Stanley Lombardo, Iliad is a flawlessly recorded, complete and unabridged audio presentation of the timeless and classical Greek tale of the Trojan War ascribed to the blind poet Homer. Enhanced with an introduction read by Susan Sarandon, this audio book edition of the Iliad fully captures the epic nature of this story of an ancient tragedy. A "must" for school and community library audiobook collections, this Parmenides Audio 12 CD, 15 hour edition of the Iliad is enthusiastically recommended for all listeners searching for an engaging, entertaining, and memorable reading of the classic work. Also very highly recommended as translated by Stanley Lombardo and featuring equally insightful synopses from Susan Sarandon, is Homer's Odyssey (1930972067, $42.00, 10 CD, 12.5 hours, unabridged, Parmenides Audio).
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Subjects:  1. Abridged Audio - Fiction/Suspense Thriller    2. Ancient - Greece    3. Ancient, Classical & Medieval    4. History    5. History: World    6. Unabridged Audio - Drama/Poetry    7. Ancient Greece    8. History / Ancient / Greece    9. Works by individual poets: classical, early & medieval   

Reviews (42)

Unlike anything ever recorded
I had studied Greek history for quite some time before I finally did myself the greatest favor thus far in my life and purchased Thucydides' account of the Peloponnesian War for my collection.At the time I had already read Herodotus at least 3 or 4 times in full, along with all sorts of other Greek texts available.I was in love with Herodotus, enjoying with skepticism his regaling of myths as fact, particularly the presense of oracles and their relation to the events he described, which still fascinates me in spite of the doubt I feel towards divine intervention.At that point I had known of Thucydides at some time, but it was not until I had exhausted almost every available source of Spartan knowledge did I at last turn to him.
Great book, cruddy translation.
Thucydides is a top-notch ancient historian, although he can be a bit dry at times. In fact, this may be part of what makes him such a great historian; he says in the beginning that he's concerned only with the facts and pretty much sticks to that for the whole history. Whatever the case, it's important for a translation of his history to not end up sounding too dry and provide the reader with some geographical and historical background.
A non-scholarly review.
I really have the feeling that I am not knowledgable enough about the period in question in the Thucydides to provide any kind of reasonable context for the work. Instead, this review will focus on some reading tips and reactions aimed at the more generalist reader who may be attempting to get through the text.
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Subjects:  1. Ancient - General    2. Ancient - Greece    3. Classics    4. Fiction    5. Greece    6. History    7. History - General History    8. History: World    9. Peloponnesian War, 431-404 B.C    10. Ancient Greece    11. European history: BCE to c 500 CE    12. History / Military / General   

Reviews (10)

Absolutley brilliant!
This book is a very well illustrated study on the armour, weaponry, tactics and soldiers of both the Greeks and the Romans. This is a great book for someone starting off in this subject and yet it is thorough enough to be used and referenced by proper scholars as well. I think this book is a must-have for anyone interested in classical warfare but I have noticed that on the American site this book is listed as out of print. Therefore I highly reccomend that anyone who wishes to purchase this book for a decent price (since I have noticed that the used books available on here go up to $80!!) go to the UK Amazon site (www.amazon.co.uk) where this is still in print and is around 19pounds and shipping to the states is very reasonable. Enjoy!!

The Best Modern Source on the Market
Connolly's Greece and Rome at war is the best one-volume work on warfare in the classical age.The book begins with a detailed account of the Second Persian invasion of Greece.It goes on to describe in the most scrupulous fashion the appearance, arms, armor, tactics, organization, and leadership structure of the Greek armies.
This is a Great book
I really enjoy reading this book. It has great information about the various military structures of the greek and roman armys. The book goes in detail about how they fought, what armor they wore, how the marched, even what kind of food they ate. But this is only about half the book. The other parts of the book talk about differnt wars, battles, and campaigns. One of my favorite part of this book is about how the romans gradualy took over italy. I thought this was very intersting. I am a big military history fan so I already knew some things about Marius, Ceaser, and the Punic wars, but never had I come upon a detailed acount of how the romans really came to power in italy. It was also intersting to read about the early italian military systems.
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Subjects:  1. Ancient - General    2. Greece    3. History    4. History - Military / War    5. Military    6. Military - General    7. Military History - Ancient    8. Military art and science    9. Rome    10. Weapons, Ancient    11. Ancient Greece    12. Ancient Rome    13. European history: BCE to c 500 CE    14. History / General    15. Warfare & Defence   

Reviews (23)

Zheng He: A Potential Promoter of "Third World" Unity
Louise Levathes' popular history WHEN CHINA RULED THE SEAS is an excellent book, whose star is naturally Zheng He.Although she avoids Gavin Menzies' fantastic theory that he reached the Americas, she demonstrates very well the greatness of hisaccomplishments as admiral of the Ming fleet, despite the fact that he had grown up with a handicap which fortunately few suffer from today: at a very early age he had been castrated.Zheng He seems to symbolize in his person and his achievements the potential for "Third World" unity.He was both a Chinese and a Muslim; and his voyages brought China, Southeast Asia, India, Arabia and Africa together in a vast network of trade, on the eve of European "discovery" of this world.One can only speculate about how strong an alliance against European colonialism could have been forged had the Yong Le Emperor (Zhu Di) not been foolish enough to squander his resources on a senseless war in Vietnam and a lavish new capital in Beijing, thus bringing all his projects, including Zheng He's missions, into disrepute with the Confucian scholar-bureacrats.Levathes' book compares favorably with Edward Dreyer's more recent and stolidly dull academic biography of Zheng He.

Interesting, informative, and factual
Unlike the book "1421," Levathes's book sticks with the known facts and provides more details about the Treasure Fleet and Ming China. Levathes did a lot of research and makes a compelling presentation, ending the book with an extensive notes and bibliography section. The text is interspersed with illustrations and photos. It's too bad this book is so hard to find in bookstores and libraries. Get it from Amazon and then donate it to your library (if you can give it up)!

A Solid Narrative
The author is this book has written and informed and straghtforward narrative about the 15th century and earlier Chinese treasure fleets.Her narrative is based primarily upon Chinese sources.Unlike Menzies (1421: The Year China Discovered America)the author does not make use of European maps of the 15th century and later which Menzies thinks gives accurate and detailed information of Chinese voyages to the Americas and the two poles which pre-date Columbus and other European explorers.In this book, claims for Chinese "discoveries" and trade are limited to Southeast Asia, East Africa, and possibly Australia. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 1371-1435    2. Asia - China    3. Biography    4. China    5. China - History    6. Commerce    7. Explorers    8. General    9. History    10. History - General History    11. History: World    12. Military - Naval    13. To 1500    14. Zheng, He,    15. Asian / Middle Eastern history: c 500 to c 1500    16. Cultural studies    17. History / China    18. History, World | Asian    19. Zheng, He    20. c 1000 CE to c 1500   

Editorial Review

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Reviews (23)

For Miss Rogers who loved her Latin so much A note on the style of the work
Miss Rogers was a Latin teacher in Troy, New York for many years. She loved Latin and had a pleasant and loving attitude to her students. It was from her that I first heard, "Omnia Gallia in tres partes divisa est" She made us memorize certain passages in her beloved language.
The Greatest General - in his own words
This used to be the manual for every young noble going to war as an officer. Today it is a historical document showing the roman republic in war, and in particular a portrait of how the great Ceasar would like his friends, enemies and history to see him. This book has shaped the thinking of allmost every military commander for 2000 years, and it would be a shame not to read the words penned by the dictator himself.

into the mind of a genius of antiquity
This is a remarkable document.It is at once a manual on military strategy, on effective management of his troops, and on the psychology of the enemy.But it is also a history, with smatterings of anthropology, sometimes our only source on a vanished pre-Roman way of life in what became France.Finally, and most difficult to grasp, there is a political subtext, in which Caesar is communicating with both allies and rivals in Rome, advancing his career while advising future leaders on proper conduct.Why did he mention certain things?What did he omit?What political image (or self-consciously enduring myth) was he creating for himself?There are few antique documents as fascinating and to boot it is a literary masterpiece of clear exposition and rapidly moving narrative.Once you read it - and it must be read carefully and with references to other sources - you will have no doubt that Caesar was one of the greatest leaders of all time:afterall, his name is the basis for Tzar as well as Kaiser!
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Subjects:  1. 58 B.C.-511 A.D    2. Ancient - Rome    3. Gaul    4. History    5. History - General History    6. History: World    7. Rome    8. Ancient Rome    9. BCE to c 500 CE    10. European history: BCE to c 500 CE    11. History / Military / General    12. Other prose: classical, early & medieval    13. Warfare & Defence   

Reviews (2)

A lot of good stuff but ...
It is impossible to write a fully satisfactory intellectual history of a period, though there a number of ways to try.One can be encyclopedic.Lay it all out.Who were the major thinkers of the time period?What were they influential for?Why do we remember them today?What were the major ideas and schools?How did they change?
Crisis of Narrative
This book is a part of the Yale Intellectual History of the West series, edited by J. W. Burrow, William Bouwsma, and Frank M. Turner. I bought this book in search of a contemporary synthesis for the period in question: 1848-1914. I wanted to learn more about the influence of such individuals as Darwin, Freud, Nietzsche, and Marx.
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Subjects:  1. 19th century    2. 20th century    3. Civilization    4. Europe    5. Europe - General    6. History    7. History & Surveys - Modern    8. History - General History    9. History: World    10. Intellectual History    11. Intellectual life    12. Philosophy, Modern    13. Western Europe - General    14. European history (ie other than Britain & Ireland)    15. History / Europe / General    16. History of ideas, intellectual history    17. c 1800 to c 1900    18. c 1900 - c 1914   

Reviews (4)

A Revolutionary Theological Treatise
There has been no book written in the last 1900 years that better explains the human condition and the Christian response to it.Niebuhr draws from an extensive understanding of political science, psychology, history, and religion to explain the origin and nature of sin.He elaborates on the abortive efforts of the ego to overreach the human condition through partial and disingenuous strategies.Hereflects on why collectives, lacking the constraints of individual conscience, so dramatically exceed the sinfulness of the individuals that constitute them.
Absorbing and Rewarding
In the Nature and Destiny of Man, Reinhold Niebuhr, the influential "Christian realist" theologian, deals with big issues: the nature of man, history, and the end of the history.He offers deep - I would say profound -support for his views, but not proof.He offers one interpretation of the meaning of life's mysteries but not the only possible interpretation. Best 20th Century Theological Work
This work is known to be a classic, and in my opinion, it is the best written last century.I even enjoyed R. Niebuhr better than Tillich and Barth.His erudition and conclusions are powerful and engaging. I recommend reading this for those familiar with political thought and philosophy of the modern era.By no means is this work parochial, it scope makes it a enthralling read even for those who find themselves outside to sprectrum of Christian belief. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Christianity    2. Christianity - Theology - Anthropology    3. Civilization    4. Man (Christian theology)    5. Man (Theology)    6. Religion    7. Religion - Socialissues    8. Sociology of Religion    9. Theological anthropology    10. Christian theology   

Reviews (1)

Decent book but needs more pictures
I had this as my main text for a class at Foothill college and it was a relatively easy read if you use the glossary. Their could have been more pictures of the items discussed and I would recommend to any teacher thinking of using this book to gather some more higher quality pictures of the items discussed for the student to look at. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Anthropology - General    2. Archaeology    3. Archaeology / Anthropology    4. Social Science    5. Sociology    6. Biology, Life Sciences    7. Social Science / Archaeology