Best of
Ancient

1992

Essays


Plutarch - 1992
    AD 46 -120) used an encyclopedic knowledge of the Roman Empire to produce a compelling and individual voice. In this superb selection from his writings, he offers personal insights into moral subjects that include the virtue of listening, the danger of flattery and the avoidance of anger, alongside more speculative essays on themes as diverse as God's slowness to punish man, the use of reason by supposedly 'irrational' animals and the death of his own daughter. Brilliantly informed, these essays offer a treasure-trove of ancient wisdom, myth and philosophy, and a powerful insight into a deeply intelligent man.

Reading Egyptian Art


Richard H. Wilkinson - 1992
    Without knowledge of the hieroglyphic images incorporated in the art, much remains obscure.

Laughing Lost in the Mountains: Poems of Wang Wei


Wang Wei - 1992
    Fine contemporary translations of one of the great poets of the T'ang dynasty.

The Gospel and the Greeks: Did the New Testament Borrow from Pagan Thought?


Ronald H. Nash - 1992
    He finds the case for dependence in the strong sense tenuous.

The Achaemenid Persian Army


Duncan Head - 1992
    

Atlas Of Medieval Jewish History


Haim Beinart - 1992
    The Atlas includes more than one hundred maps, with accompanying text, that give an in-depth review of Jewish history throughout the world from the 5th to the 17th centuries. It covers milestone events of Jewish history during this period: the dispersion of the Jews in the 4th and 5th centuries up to the Crusades; the Black Death; the expulsion from Spain; the persecutions of 1648 in eastern Europe and the Sabbatean movement. The maps and text illustrate the sequence of persecution, expulsion, migration, and destruction, on the one hand, and a spiritual, religious, and cultural flowering, on the other.,

The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, Volume 2, Part 1


Edward Gibbon - 1992
    395 to a.d. 1185, recounts desperate attempts against barbarians, palace revolutions and assassinations, theological controversy, and lecheries and betrayals, all in a magnificent setting.

Pueblo Indian Folk-Stories


Charles F. Lummis - 1992
    Lummis's profound understanding of Indian and Spanish culture in the American Southwest is reflected in this collection of thirty-two myths centering around the Pueblo of Isleta on the Rio Grande. In adapting these traditional oral tales, Lummis drew on his experience of living at Isleta and his familiarity with the native language. originally published in 1894, Pueblo Indian Folk-Stories is as enchanting as ever. Seven elders seated around a campfire take turns telling about Antelope Boy. the fabled coyote, the man who married the moon, the snake-girls, the sobbing pine, the feathered barbers, the hero twins, the revengeful fawns, and other natural and supernatural entities. Beautifully wrought, these wisdom and initiation stories speak to all who have not lost their sense of wonder.

Sicily: An Informal History


Peter Sammartino - 1992
    Sicily is a microcosm of the whole of Western and Mediterranean history, a place where more than five thousand years of history can be seen in a concentrated and accessible area. All the diverse cultures that eventually came to make up Sicily are here: the early tribes who gave the island its name, the Greeks, Romans, Byzantines, Arabs, Normans, French, Spaniards, and others. Also presented are the many leaders and rulers of Sicily, including Greek tyrants, Roman statesmen, Norman kings with their brilliant courts, the heroes of the many movements for freedom that took place on the island, the leading Sicilian thinkers of the eighteenth century, and such figures as Garibaldi and the Sicilian patriots of the Risorgimento. Additionally, there are vivid descriptions of the island's varied historic sites, such as the prehistoric remains of the Neolithic Age, especially on the outlying islands; the dramatic ruins of the Greek temples and theaters of Agrigento, Segesta, Solinunte, and Syracuse; the early Cathaginian settlement and important archeological site of Motya; the Roman villas and amphitheaters; the Byzantine and Norman palaces and churches of Palermo, Monreale, and Cefalu with their distinct Arabic influence; the Baroque cities of Catania, Noto, and Ragusa; the monuments of Messina; and the breathtaking natural beauty of such sites as Taormina. Retold are the details behind such events as the rise of the Greek cities on the island (Sicily was known in ancient times as "Magna Graecia" - "Greater Greece"), the Roman takeover, the arrival of the Byzantines and Arabs with their unique contributions, and the Norman conquest of the island that actually took place five years before that of England. This volume also gives a vivid presentation of the circumstances that led to the heroic uprising known as the "Sicilian Vespers" and the many subsequent

The Histories: Volume I: Books I-II


Sallust - 1992
    This is the first full-length commentary and English translation of one of his major works, the Histories, covering the years 78-67 BC--one of the most poorly documented periods of the era. The translation is based on a fresh examination of the text and also includes newly-discovered material with a bearing on the interpretation of the text.

Philip II of Macedon: A Life from the Ancient Sources


Alfred S. Bradford - 1992
    Alfred Bradford has collected, translated, and integrated all the significant classical writings about Philip II, the father of Alexander the Great, and he presents them in a readable and lively manner, telling the story of Philip from his precarious childhood, when his life was threatened by his own mother, to his bloody death, when he was murdered by a bodyguard.Philip II, the conqueror of Athens, was the dominant man of his time. A great military tactician and strategist--as evidenced by the analysis of the Battle of Chaeronea provided in this book--Philip built the army that Alexander the Great used to conquer the known world. Knowledge of Philip's life and military achievements is requisite for an understanding of Macedonia and Greece during the Age of Philip. Illustrated with maps by Alfred Bradford and drawings (based on ancient artifacts) by Pamela Bradford, this compelling biography will be of interest to students of ancient history as well as to military historians.

The Birthday Book


Censorinus - 1992
    Laying out everything he knew about birthdays, the book starts simply, but by the conclusion of this brief yet brilliant gem, Censorinus has sketched a glorious vision of a universe ruled by harmony and order, where the microcosm of the child in the womb corresponds to the macrocosm of the planets. Alternately serious and playful, Censorinus touches on music, history, astronomy, astrology, and every aspect of time as it was understood in third-century Rome. He also provides ancient answers to perennial questions: Why does the day begin at midnight? Where did Leap Year come from? Which came first, the chicken or the egg?Embodying the proverbial gift that keeps on giving, The Birthday Book has long been treasured by scientists, poets, and scholars, and Holt Parker’s graceful and lively new translation—accompanied by an illuminating introduction and detailed notes—is itself a present for Latinists, historians of science, and anyone looking for an unusual birthday gift.