Death, Burial and Rebirth in the Religions of Antiquity (Religion in the First Christian Centuries) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Thank you for this easy transaction. I received the book promptly and it was in excellent condition.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Death, Burial and Rebirth in the Religions of Antiquity (Religion in the First Christian Centuries)

Get 10% OFF

Click here for more information about Death, Burial and Rebirth in the Religions of Antiquity (Religion in the First Christian Centuries)

Read More...

Christianity and Roman Society (Key Themes in Ancient History) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Gillian Clark has written an excellent book. It is highly readable and will be of interest to those seeking to get to the bottom of essential religious debates which occurred in the early centuries AD. The book also transports the reaer very much into th epsychology of the period, with its intensive treatment of such difficult phenomena as martyrdom and asceticism.
Clark is an unpretentious prose writer and does her best to simplify advanced discussion with pithiness. This is an effective strategy and enhances the readability of the book. For anyone seriously interested in ingesting alot of importnat material quickly, this is the place to go: a top class ancient historian is the guide and she provides ample referencing to enable further enquiry. Clark, though, is not afraid to write provocatively: her thinly veiled criticism of Ramsay Macmullen at one point is interesting.
If you can't see youorself lasting the course of the epic Chadwick/Frend contributions on the early church, this is a very viable alternative staring place and is more user friendly to boot.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Christianity and Roman Society (Key Themes in Ancient History)

Get 6% OFF

Click here for more information about Christianity and Roman Society (Key Themes in Ancient History)

Read More...

The Hellenistic World from Alexander to the Roman Conquest: A Selection of Ancient Sources in Translation Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)This is a very handy, useful, and well-chosen representative selection of original sources on the Hellenistic World translated into English. The sources effectively illustrate various aspects of political history, the nature and range of institutions, characteristics of society, and facets of the economy in the period from Alexander the Great to the accession of Rome as a Mediterranean power (end of the second century BC.). The book's scope is widespread not only in the subjects chosen and the lengthy era covered, but also in the very inclusive representation of locations: Sources from Greece, the Aegean, Asia Minor, Syria, Egypt, and even Bactria are included in this volume. The extensive array of sources includes literary evidence, inscriptions, and papyri. The book includes well-written and cogent commentaries and bibliography for each source, a general bibliography, maps, tables of rulers, chronological tables, an index to sources, and a general index. There is cross-referencing to specific literature relating both to the texts, and the subjects. The general introduction is helpful and enlightening. I liked this book because it is valuable source both for instructors and students providing comprehensive access to material not readily available to the non-specialist reader.

Click Here to see more reviews about: The Hellenistic World from Alexander to the Roman Conquest: A Selection of Ancient Sources in Translation

Click here for more information about The Hellenistic World from Alexander to the Roman Conquest: A Selection of Ancient Sources in Translation

Read More...

Greek and Roman Technology: A Sourcebook: Annotated Translations of Greek and Latin Texts and Documents (Routledge Sourcebooks for the Ancient World) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)_Greek and Roman Technology: A Sourcebook_ by Humphrey, Oleson and Sherwood is a fascinating and yet accessible examination of ancient technology in all its aspects. The sourcebook format is particularly well suited to such a diverse topic, and brings the reader closer to the Greeks and Romans in letting us read their own writings about technology. The authors have amassed a spectacular collection of passages from ancient authors on all aspects of ancient technology: the rise of technology and civilization (including some mythical sources), sources of energy and basic mechanical devices, agriculture, food processing, mining, metallurgy, construction engineering, hydraulic engineering, household crafts and workshop production (metals, wood, ceramics, textiles, etc.), transport and trade, record-keeping, and military technology. The final chapter on "Attitudes towards labour, innovation, and technology" is particularly interesting in light of modern issues. The passages themselves are well translated into readable English and are prefaced by short yet very informative introductions on the subject at hand. There seem to be no missing categories I could think of. A short introduction explains the approach of the book, the sources, and contains an essay on "society and technology in antiquity." There are several thorough indices, which make it a handy reference book and source for further study. Anyone who is genuinely interested in the ancient world or the history of science and technology should enjoy this book. It is eminently dippable and can easily be read a few pages at a time. It would make a great present for a well read friend.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Greek and Roman Technology: A Sourcebook: Annotated Translations of Greek and Latin Texts and Documents (Routledge Sourcebooks for the Ancient World)

Get 9% OFF

Click here for more information about Greek and Roman Technology: A Sourcebook: Annotated Translations of Greek and Latin Texts and Documents (Routledge Sourcebooks for the Ancient World)

Read More...

With Arrow, Sword, and Spear: A History of Warfare in the Ancient World Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I purchased this book after some deliberation as to the expensive price. On receipt of the book I was looking at a book that was similar in appearance to a medium sized novel. The illustrations in the book are of a poor standard as are the maps. Whilst the book does cover the issues it claims to I must say that I was extremely disappointed with it as a whole. My advice is that "warfare in the classical world" by Warry would be a much better reference source for those with an interest in ancient warfare and armies.

Click Here to see more reviews about: With Arrow, Sword, and Spear: A History of Warfare in the Ancient World

Most studies of ancient warfare focus only on the Greeks and the Romans, but this sweeping study covers the whole of the ancient world from Greece and Rome to the Near East, then eastward to Parthia, India, and China. Bradford transports the reader into the midst of ancient battles behind such great leaders as Thutmose III, Ashurbanipal, Alexander, Hannibal, Caesar, and the First Emperor of China. He details the rise and fall of empires, the role of leadership, and the development of tactics and strategy. One sees the clash of peoples: nomads against agricultural societies, infantry against cavalry, as well as the greatest technological change in history--the combination of the composite bow and the chariot. This readable account analyzes ancient armies in terms of modern military doctrine, allowing the reader to make comparisons between the combatants. Recruitment, for example, varied tremendously with Romans drawing from a limited pool of recruits for service terms of twenty to thirty years and Chinese planners preferring a large pool with short-term service. While various types of governments prepared for and waged war in significantly different ways, Bradford finds that better organization led to success on the battlefield and that, for the most part, societal innovation was more important than technological innovation. The ongoing discussion of the lessons of ancient warfare around the globe will provide valuable insights for interested general readers and military professionals alike.

Click here for more information about With Arrow, Sword, and Spear: A History of Warfare in the Ancient World

Read More...

Ancient Inventions Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)This book is describes ancient inventions and construction projects predating 1492. It is well researched, documented, and illustrated.
There is an assumption with some that earlier humans were rustic simpletons. This book dispels that notion. It describes everything from the mundane (wine, cosmetics), to the grandiose (an early Suez Canal), to the dangerous (trepanning, i.e. drilling holes in one's head as an early form of surgery), to the practical (mills, weapons, paper). One of the strangest discoveries is of a cave that is made to resemble hell.
In addition to the expected inventions from Egypt, Greece, and Rome inventions from all over the world are represented including ones from South America, China, and ancient Scythia the area where modern Ukraine is found. Inventions from that area include the earliest form of shelter (mammoth bone huts), domestication of horses, the earliest melodic musical instruments (flutes), maps, trousers, jewelry, ovens, houses, soap, and saunas (in which hashish was thrown on hot stones).
This is a feel-good book. It documents the creativity and imagination of humans.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Ancient Inventions

Get 32% OFF

Click here for more information about Ancient Inventions

Read More...

Ancient Rome in So Many Words Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)One detriment of pseudo-historical films like "Gladiator" is that the undereducated are encouraged to believe that Romans were "just like us." Francese's well-written study of more than ninety more-or-less important Latin words is a good antidote to such thinking.
In his preface, Francese confesses to making idiosyncratic decisions about which words to include; but he has made his choices thoughtfully and has well fulfilled his goal to use (sometimes secondary meanings of) Latin words to "tell some of the central stories of Roman history and culture." This book can be profitably read by an educated general reader with no knowledge of Latin, but it is a gold mine of quotable material for both teachers of the language and professors of ancient history.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Ancient Rome in So Many Words

The brief word-histories in this book are meant to provide background on some words that everyone learns when they study Latin, as well as some rarer terms that have interesting stories to tell about Roman culture. This book lists a new word or phrase that came into American English every year from 1975 to 1998, with a selection of early additions from 1497 to 1750, and discusses the history behind the adoption of each. Teachers and students of Latin can benefit from the slightly more formal, but still anecdotal, approach taken here to some key words in the Latin lexicon.

Get 16% OFF

Click here for more information about Ancient Rome in So Many Words

Read More...

The Ancient Mediterranean World: From the Stone Age to A.D. 600 Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)This book covers four broad areas of ancient history: non-Greek eastern Mediterranean civilizations, the Greek world, the Roman world, and late antiquity. It's a very ambitious project, especially since this is a slim volume (some 200 odd pages). I found only the Greek and Roman sections to be sufficiently detailed to make it worth reading. The other two sections were way too superficial and brief. I mean, how do you adequately cover the Hittites in two pages or the rise of Islam in a page? Why even mention them at all? That being said, I thought for an introductory work, the Greek and Roman sections were full of interest and engaging analysis. I think the authors were smart to focus on broad themes rather than a blow by blow chronological account. Overall, I would recommend this book, but only for its Greek and Roman histories.

Click Here to see more reviews about: The Ancient Mediterranean World: From the Stone Age to A.D. 600

Get 16% OFF

Click here for more information about The Ancient Mediterranean World: From the Stone Age to A.D. 600

Read More...