Roots of Ancient Greek Civilization


Book Description

Contrary to a prevalent belief of the Western world, that democracy, agriculture, theater and the arts were the attainments of Classical Greek civilization, these were actually a Bronze Age fusion of earlier European concepts and Hellenic ingenuity. This work considers both the multicultural wellspring from which these ideas flowed and their ready assimilation by the Greeks, who embraced these hallmarks of civilization, and refined them to the level of sophistication that defines classical antiquity.







The Story of Greece and Rome


Book Description

The extraordinary story of the intermingled civilizations of ancient Greece and Rome, spanning more than six millennia from the late Bronze Age to the seventh century The magnificent civilization created by the ancient Greeks and Romans is the greatest legacy of the classical world. However, narratives about the "civilized" Greek and Roman empires resisting the barbarians at the gate are far from accurate. Tony Spawforth, an esteemed scholar, author, and media contributor, follows the thread of civilization through more than six millennia of history. His story reveals that Greek and Roman civilization, to varying degrees, was supremely and surprisingly receptive to external influences, particularly from the East. From the rise of the Mycenaean world of the sixteenth century B.C., Spawforth traces a path through the ancient Aegean to the zenith of the Hellenic state and the rise of the Roman empire, the coming of Christianity and the consequences of the first caliphate. Deeply informed, provocative, and entirely fresh, this is the first and only accessible work that tells the extraordinary story of the classical world in its entirety.




Ancient Worlds


Book Description

Across the Middle East, the Mediterranean and the Nile Delta, awe-inspiring, monstrous ruins are scattered across the landscape - vast palaces, temples, fortresses, shattered statues of ancient gods, carvings praising the eternal power of long-forgotten dynasties. These ruins - the remainder of thousands of years of human civilization - are both inspirational in their grandeur, and terrible in that their once teeming centres of population were all ultimately destroyed and abandoned. In this major book, Richard Miles recreates these extraordinary cities, ranging from the Euphrates to the Roman Empire, to understand the roots of human civilization. His challenge is to make us understand that the cities which define culture, religion and economic success and which are humanity's greatest invention, have always had a cruel edge to them, building systems that have provided both amazing opportunities and back-breaking hardship. This exhilarating book is both a pleasure to read and a challenge to us all to think about our past - and about the present.







Ancient Greece


Book Description

A Political, Social, and Cultural History is a comprehensive and balanced history, covering the political, military, social, cultural, and economic history of ancient Greece from the Bronze Age to the Hellenistic Era.




The Mystery of the Danube Civilisation


Book Description

Over the last few decades, archaeologists and cultural scientists have come to a better understanding of the extent of Neolithic civilisation on the Balkan peninsula. This Danube Civilisation, thriving between the 6th and 4th millennia BCE, was using a writing system long before the Mesopotamians and is remarkable for its accomplishments in craftsmanship, art and urban development. In this book, Harald Haarmann provides the first comprehensive insight into this enigmatic Old European culture, which is still largely unknown to the greater public. He describes the trade routes, settlements, mythology and writing system of this people, traces the changes resulting from the arrival of the Indo-Europeans, and shows how this first advanced civilisation in Europe influenced its successors.




Ancient Greek Lists


Book Description

Ancient Greek Lists brings together catalogic texts from a variety of genres, arguing that the list form was the ancient mode of expressing value through text. Ranging from Homer's Catalogue of Ships through Attic comedy and Hellenistic poetry to temple inventories, the book draws connections among texts seldom juxtaposed, examining the ways in which lists can stand in for objects, create value, act as methods of control, and even approximate the infinite. Athena Kirk analyzes how lists come to stand as a genre in their own right, shedding light on both under-studied and well-known sources to engage scholars and students of Classical literature, ancient history, and ancient languages.







Minoans: A Captivating Guide to an Essential Bronze Age Society in Ancient Greece Called the Minoan Civilization


Book Description

If you want to discover the captivating history of the Minoans, then keep reading... The Minoans continue to be an intriguing subject for modern audiences because they are like a puzzle missing half of its pieces. Individuals have a rough idea of what it might look like, but there could be surprises no one even thinks of because all traces of the image are gone. For archaeologists, historians, tourists, scholars, fans of mythology, and students of the ancient world, the Minoans are this broken puzzle. The Minoans were an ancient civilization that built their settlements on islands in the Aegean Sea. They lived almost 5,000 years ago and left behind traces of their lives but not enough for people to create a complete picture. Ever since the early 20th century, the Minoans have been a subject of interest thanks to the discoveries and excavations by Sir Arthur Evans, a British archaeologist who found the first Minoan ruins and named them after the mythological King Minos and his Minotaur. Evans was able to gain almost sole access to the lands of the Cretan government for excavation by paying for it with funds generated by his supporters in 1900. He and his crew unearthed the massive palace complex of Knossos, one of the most famous archaeological excavation sites in history. From the work of Evans and others, the puzzle of the Minoans has slowly gained more pieces. Through the study of material culture, modern audiences now know quite a bit about artistic techniques, favorite subjects, fashion, daily life, gender roles, and who the Minoans traded with. An observer can tell that the Minoans were a seafaring mercantile civilization, that they built magnificent urban centers, and that they had a form of proto-writing. In Minoans: A Captivating Guide to an Essential Bronze Age Society in Ancient Greece Called the Minoan Civilization, you will discover topics such as Where and When Did the Minoans Live? Known History of the Minoans before the Mycenaeans Society, Culture, and Daily Life Trade and Shipbuilding on the Mediterranean Sea Language and Linear A The Potential Predecessors of Greek Religion Art Architecture Theories about the Collapse of Civilization And much, much more! So if you want to learn more about the Minoans, scroll up and click the "add to cart" button!