Best of
Ancient

2004

The Odyssey: A Dramatic Retelling of Homer's Epic


Simon Armitage - 2004
    One of the most individual voices of his generation, Armitage revitalizes our sense of the Odyssey as oral poetry, as indeed one of the greatest of tall tales.

The Battle of Salamis: The Naval Encounter that Saved Greece—and Western Civilization


Barry S. Strauss - 2004
    Overwhelmingly outnumbered by the enemy, the Greeks triumphed through a combination of strategy and deception. More than two millennia after it occurred, the clash between the Greeks and Persians at Salamis remains one of the most tactically brilliant battles ever fought. The Greek victory changed the course of western history -- halting the advance of the Persian Empire and setting the stage for the Golden Age of Athens. In this dramatic new narrative account, historian and classicist Barry Strauss brings this landmark battle to life. He introduces us to the unforgettable characters whose decisions altered history: Themistocles, Athens' great leader (and admiral of its fleet), who devised the ingenious strategy that effectively destroyed the Persian navy in one day; Xerxes, the Persian king who fought bravely but who ultimately did not understand the sea; Aeschylus, the playwright who served in the battle and later wrote about it; and Artemisia, the only woman commander known from antiquity, who turned defeat into personal triumph. Filled with the sights, sounds, and scent of battle, The Battle of Salamis is a stirring work of history.

Etz Hayim: Torah and Commentary


David L. Lieber - 2004
    This book, a publication of the Conservative movement, was produced through a joint venture of the Rabbinical Assembly, the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism, and The Jewish Publication Society. hardcover edition and is ideal for personal study and travel. It contains all the material in the original, excerpt for the essays. The Bible text, translations, and commentaries as well as the blessings, artwork, maps, glossary and other reference tools for the worshiper and student of Torah reader are included. use.

The Art of the Picts: Sculpture and Metalwork in Early Medieval Scotland


George Henderson - 2004
    Tribal Celtic-speaking warriors and farmers in what is now Scotland, the Picts were one of the major peoples of early medieval Britain, but their culture and their beautiful art have puzzled historians for centuries.George and Isabel Henderson’s acute analysis reveals an art form that both interacted with the currents of “Insular” art and was produced by a sophisticated society capable of sustaining large-scale art programs. The illustrations include specially commissioned drawings that help one understand the mysterious symbols found in the art.

The Age of Pericles


Jeremy McInerney - 2004
    450 to 429 B.C., is a prism through which to view the "Golden Age" of Greece, a brief but remarkable era when Athens experienced a cultural flowering of extraordinary power and importance for Western culture.In the generation that followed Pericles' appearance on the public stage shortly after the Persian wars, Athens rapidly transformed the alliance of Greek states - an alliance first created as a defense against the Persians - into a true Aegean empire, dominated by the Athenians and their mighty navy. But this dramatic increase in military power, cultural influence, and prestige was also accompanied by something unique: the growth of full participatory democracy. But in examining the lives of Athenian men and women, one has to ask what freedom and autonomy really meant to a society that relied on slaves and was ruthless in its treatment of its subjects.These 24 stimulating lectures present a well-rounded portrait of almost every aspect of Athenian life during the Golden Age, including. the different ways Athens and Sparta raised their children; the fate of Athenian girls as mothers and managers of the household; young Pericles' role in bringing Aeschylus's masterpiece, The Persians; why the Spartans rejected the aid of Athens in putting down a slave revolt; and Thucydides' terrifying description of the plague's physical and social impact on Athens - including the death of Pericles - and its possible role in the ultimate defeat of Athens by Sparta.

Dialogues of Plato Containing the Apology of Socrates, Crito, Phaedo and Protagoras


Plato - 2004
    Due to its age, it may contain imperfections such as marks, notations, marginalia and flawed pages. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions that are true to the original work.

Nero's Killing Machine: The True Story of Rome's Remarkable 14th Legion


Stephen Dando-Collins - 2004
    After participating in the a.d. 43 invasion of Britain, the 14th Legion achieved its greatest glory when it put down the famous rebellion of the Britons under Boudicca. Numbering less than 10,000 men, the disciplined Roman killing machine defeated 230,000 rampaging rebels, slaughtering 80,000 with only 400 Roman losses–an accomplishment that led the emperor Nero to honor the legion with the title "Conqueror of Britain." In this gripping book, second in the author’s definitive histories of the legions of ancient Rome, Stephen Dando-Collins brings the 14th Legion to life, offering military history aficionados a unique soldier’s-eye view of their tactics, campaigns, and battles.

Brave Cloelia: Retold from the Account in The History of Early Rome by the Roman Historian Titus Livius


Jane Louise Curry - 2004
    'Brave Cloelia' tells this exciting and true story.

Ancient Greece


Charles Kovacs - 2004
    Through the fearless deeds of Heracles, Theseus and Odysseus to the Golden Age of Athens and the conquests of Alexander the Great, the narrative vividly portrays the journey from the mysteries of antiquity to the birth of modern medicine, science and philosophy.

Natural History


Gaius Pliny - 2004
    Mingling acute observation with often wild speculation, it offers a fascinating view of the world as it was understood in the first century AD, whether describing the danger of diving for sponges, the first water-clock, or the use of asses' milk to remove wrinkles. Pliny himself died while investigating the volcanic eruption that destroyed Pompeii in AD 79, and the natural curiosity that brought about his death is also very much evident in the Natural History - a book that proved highly influential right up until the Renaissance and that his nephew, Pliny the younger, described 'as full of variety as nature itself'.

The McElderry Book of Aesop's Fables


Michael Morpurgo - 2004
    Here are all the classic tales: the greedy dog who loses his bone to his own reflection in the water; the little mouse who pays back the grand lion in a big, big way; and the shepherd's son who thinks it's a good joke to cry "Wolf!" just to see the villagers come running. And, of course, there's that arrogant hare and his racing partner, the slow but steady tortoise. Michael Morpurgo's lively language gives each tale a fresh feel that's perfect for reading aloud and sharing. Emma Chichester Clark's radiant illustrations are bursting with bold colors and cheerful characters. Together they have created a modern classic brimming with fun, which children will enjoy reading and laughing over again and again.

You Wouldn't Want to Be a Pyramid Builder!: A Hazardous Job You'd Rather Not Have


Jacqueline Morley - 2004
    During the wet season you are ordered to help build the pharaoh's tomb. As a pyramid builder you will get an insider's look at what it took to build these massive monuments, such as excavating stone blocks, hauling stones to the site and setting them, masonry work, painting, and sculpting. After reading this book there will be no doubt in your mind that this is definitely a hazardous job you'd rather not have.

Alexandria: City of Memory


Michael Haag - 2004
    Drawing on diaries, letters, and interviews, Michael Haag recovers the lost life of the city, its cosmopolitan inhabitants, and its literary characters.Located on the coast of Africa yet rich in historical associations with Western civilization, Alexandria was home to an exotic variety of people whose cosmopolitan families had long been rooted in the commerce and the culture of the entire Mediterranean world.Alexandria famously excited the imaginations of writers, and Haag folds intimate accounts of E. M. Forster, Greek poet Constantine Cavafy, and Lawrence Durrell into the story of its inhabitants. He recounts the city’s experience of the two world wars and explores the communities that gave Alexandria its unique flavor: the Greek, the Italian, and the Jewish. The book deftly harnesses the sexual and emotional charge of cosmopolitan life in this extraordinary city, and highlights the social and political changes over the decades that finally led to Nasser’s Egypt.

Chattering Courtesans and Other Sardonic Sketches


Lucian of Samosata - 2004
    “Chattering Courtesans” is a series of short dialogues in which the amusing gossip of “kept women” gives rise to a discussion of more serious subjects such as love, sex, and marriage. Other comic dialogues in this volume show Lucian making fun of fanaticism and mocking pretension, hypocrisy, and the vanity of human wealth and power, while in “Diatribes” he targets a range of subjects, from scandal and money to death, in order to demonstrate the follies of contemporary life. Also included here is Lucian’s most famous work, True Histories, which inspired imaginary voyages, from More’s Utopia to Swift’s Gulliver’s Travels. First time in Penguin Classics Keith Sidwell's new translation captures Lucian's lively informal humor and rich variety of styles Introduction discusses the influence on Lucian of earlier Greek writers and philosophers, as well as Lucian's influence on later European culture Includes preface to each section, suggestions for further reading, explanatory notes, and a glossary of names

Rome at War: Farms, Families, and Death in the Middle Republic


Nathan Rosenstein - 2004
    Nathan Rosenstein challenges this claim, showing how Rome reconciled the needs of war and agriculture throughout the middle republic.The key, Rosenstein argues, lies in recognizing the critical role of family formation. By analyzing models of families' needs for agricultural labor over their life cycles, he shows that families often had a surplus of manpower to meet the demands of military conscription. Did, then, Roman imperialism play any role in the social crisis of the later second century B.C.? Rosenstein argues that Roman warfare had critical demographic consequences that have gone unrecognized by previous historians: heavy military mortality paradoxically helped sustain a dramatic increase in the birthrate, ultimately leading to overpopulation and landlessness.

The Cambridge Companion to the Roman Republic


Harriet I. Flower - 2004
    It also documents the ultimate disintegration of the system under the relentless pressure of internal dissension and the boundless ambition of leading politicians. Distinguished European and American scholars present a variety of current approaches towards understanding the political, military, and social aspects of Roman history, as well as its literary and visual culture.

Selected Writings from Protagoras/Republic/Phaedrus/Gorgias


Plato - 2004
    Each volume in this series has a full Introduction, including biographical details and a further reading list.

Jewels of Light (The Stained Glass of Washington National Cathedral)


Washington National Cathedral - 2004
    The Stained Glass of Washington National Cathedral

Greek Warfare: Myth and Realities


Hans van Wees - 2004
    This book ranges from the concrete details of conducting raids, battles and sieges to more theoretical questions about the causes, costs, and consequences of warfare in archaic and classical Greece. It argues that the Greek sources present a highly selective and idealised picture, too easily accepted by most modern scholars, and that a more critical study of the evidence leads to radically different conclusions about the Greek way of war.

Assyria: Its Princes, Priests and People


A.H. Sayce - 2004
    Due to its age, it may contain imperfections such as marks, notations, marginalia and flawed pages. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions that are true to the original work.

Socrates: Selected Writings from Plato: Charmides/Lysis/Laches/Symposium/Apology/Crito/Phaedo with Aristophanes: The Clouds, Xenophon: Symposium


Plato - 2004
    Contributed three new ideas to the development of philosophy: that goodness consists not in helping friends and harming enemies, but in not harming anybody at all; that goodness and knowledge are one and the same thing; and that for progress to be made in argument, there must be step-by-step agreement between those arguing.

The Cambridge History of Early Christian Literature


Frances M. Young - 2004
    Written mainly in Greek, Latin and Syriac, it emanated from all parts of the early Christian world and helped extend its boundaries. This History offers a systematic account of that literature and its setting. The work of individual writers is considered alongside three general essays that survey the social, cultural and doctrinal context within which Christian literature arose.

The Language of Images in Roman Art


Tonio Hölscher - 2004
    A large role is played here by the reception of earlier images from Greek art. Roman art therefore appears to operate as a semantic system which, from an interdisciplinary perspective, can be compared with the forms of Roman literature as well as the language of images of other cultures.

An Inventory of Archaic and Classical Poleis: An Investigation Conducted by the Copenhagen Polis Centre for the Danish National Research Foundation


Mogens Herman Hansen - 2004
    During this time, the eastern Mediterranean was dominated by Greeks who shared an identity based on language, religion, and traditions; however, the Greek world was divided politically into some 1,500 city states, each consisting of an urban center with its immediate hinterland. This book contains descriptions of 1,035 of these city states, organized region by region.

Sorcerer's Stone: A Beginner's Guide to Alchemy


Dennis William Hauck - 2004
    Rowling's "Harry Potter series will learn basic alchemical techniques and how to use them to begin the Great Work in earnest. Complete with alchemical engravings from the Middle Ages as well as useful charts and diagrams, this is an illuminating handbook that will teach aspiring alchemists such fascinating facts as: - Alchemy is a means of personal transformation that enables you to meet your highest potential as a human being.- Alchemy can protect and rejuvenate physical health, and has been used in healing brain and spinal cord injuries.- "The Emerald Tablet"--the basic document of alchemy--contains a secret formula of transformation brought from Egypt over 12,000 years ago.- Quantum reality and the "observer effect" reflect alchemy's power to change all matter.- Bizarre drawings and symbolic writings of the alchemists refer to specific operations that work on all levels of body, mind, and spirit.- Includes a glossary and useful resource guide for websites and books.

Ovid's Metamorphoses


Elaine Fantham - 2004
    Each volume sets the work in its literary and historical context, and aims to offer a balanced and engaging assessment of its content, artistry, and purpose. A brief survey of the influence of the work upon subsequent generations is included to demonstrate its enduring relevance and power. All quotations from the original are translated into English.Ovid's Metamorphoses have been seen as both the culmination of and a revolution in the classical epic tradition, transferring narrative interest from war to love and fantasy. This introduction considers how Ovid found and shaped his narrative from the creation of the world to his own sophisticated times, illustrating the cruelty of jealous gods, the pathos of human love, and the imaginative fantasy of flight, monsters, magic, and illusion. Elaine Fantham introduces the reader not only to this marvelous and complex narrative poem, but to the Greek and Roman traditions behind Ovid's tales of transformation and a selection of the images and texts that it inspired.

Panorama of the Classical World


Nigel Spivey - 2004
    "Panorama of the Classical World is a thorough-and thoroughly accessible--synthesis of the Greek, Roman, and Etruscan worlds, spanning the period from Late Geometric Greece (ca. 700 B.C) to the rule of Constantine (early 4th century A.D.). In ten thematically oriented chapters, the authors incorporate the most important developments in recent scholarship, including ideas of gender, erotics, war and pacifism, imperialism and dissent, political propaganda, economy, cultural identity, racism, hygiene and diet, and the public and private uses of space. The many illustrations, selected for their geographical and chronological diversity, range from the iconic to those never before published. The book also highlights the modern relevance of classical antiquity, from its influence on contemporary politics to the representation of the female body in Western art. The final chapter chronicles, and beautifully illustrates, the posthumous history of classical civilization, and the reference section includes biographies, an introduction to classical mythology, a glossary of technical terms and vase shapes, timeline, map, bibliography, and index.

The Onomasticon


Eusebius - 2004
    A.D. 260-339), is one of the most useful works extant from antiquity, Eusebius listed every place mentioned in the Bible and located each one in the lands he knew. These sites became the goals of Christian pilgrims for centuries to come. The translation of Eusebius' Onomasticon, prepared for the first time in English by G.S.P. Freeman-Grenville, follows the edition of Erich Klos-termann and includes also the Latin rendering of the Onomasticon, made by Jerome sixty years later.

The Female in Aristotle's Biology: Reason or Rationalization


Robert Mayhew - 2004
    Among many claims, Aristotle is said to have declared that females contribute nothing substantial to generation; that they have fewer teeth than males; that they are less spirited than males; and that woman are analogous to eunuchs. In The Female in Aristotle's Biology, Robert Mayhew aims not to defend Aristotle's ideas about females but to defend Aristotle against the common charge that his writings on female species were motivated by ideological bias.Mayhew points out that the tools of modern science and scientific experimentation were not available to the Greeks during Aristotle's time and that, consequently, Aristotle had relied not only on empirical observations when writing about living organisms but also on a fair amount of speculation. Further, he argues that Aristotle's remarks about females in his biological writings did not tend to promote the inferior status of ancient Greek women.Written with passion and precision, The Female in Aristotle's Biology will be of enormous value to students of philosophy, the history of science, and classical literature.