Best of
Ancient-History

1990

The Complete Valley of the Kings: Tombs and Treasures of Ancient Egypt's Royal Burial Site


Nicholas Reeves - 1990
    Famous as the burial place of the great New Kingdom pharaohs - such as Tutankhamun, Ramesses the Great and Tuthmosis IV - this valley contains some 80 tombs which were dug at the climax of Egyptian power more than 3000 years ago. The account includes full descriptions of over 80 tombs, complete with factfiles, lists of contents and computer-generated perspective cutaway views. It describes the burials and mummies of famous pharaohs, from Tutankhamun and gives a blow-by-blow account of the rediscovery of the tombs, from Greek and Roman times to Howard Carter and the present day. It details the latest research by the international teams in the valley, including the discovery of the tomb for the sons of Ramesses the Great. The planning and ritual purpose of the tombs is also described, from the royal workforce to the scenes from the mysterious afterlife books adorning the tomb wall. A full reference section, including a guide to visiting the valley, is also given.

Genesis Revisited


Zecharia Sitchin - 1990
    . . or Knowledge of the Ancients? Space travel . . . Genetic engineering . . . Computer science . . . Astounding achievements as new as tomorrow. But stunning recent evidence proves that as these ultramodern advances were known to our forfathers millions of yrsterdays ago . . . as early as 3,000 years before the birth of Christ!In this remarkable companion volume to his landmark EARTH CHRONICLES series, author Zecharia Sitchin reexamines the teachings of the ancients in the light of mankind's latest scientific discoveries -- and uncovers breathtaking, never-before-revealed facts that challenge long-held, conventional beliefs about our planet and our species.

The Complete Tutankhamun: The King, the Tomb, the Royal Treasure


Nicholas Reeves - 1990
    It remains the greatest tombfind ever made. Here is the fullest account yet published of this fabulous archaeological discovery. Contents include:--the story of Howard Carter and Lord Carnarvon's long quest for the tomb in the Valley of the Kings--double-page features on each stage of the discovery, each chamber of the tomb, and all the main treasures--extracts from Carter's notes and diaries and first-time publication of many of his drawings and reconstructions--tables on everything from the ornaments on the royal mummy to Tutankhamun's wine list--a full reference section"Bound to hook you on the 'boy-king' and his rich tomb all over again." -KMT"The most satisfying work to date." -American Journal of ArchaeologyA renowned Egyptologist and one of the world's leading experts on the period, Nicholas Reeves was for several years a Curator in the Departament of Egyptian Antiquities at the British Museum. His books include Valley of the Kings: The Decline of a Royal Necropolis and - with Richard H. Wilkinson - The Complete Valley of the Kings: Tombs and Treasures of Egypt's Greatest Pharaohs (Thames & Hudson).

Hekate Soteira: A Study of Hekate's Roles in the Chaldean Oracles and Related Literature


Sarah Iles Johnston - 1990
    But from the Hellenistic age onwards, some Greek and Roman philosophers and magicians portrayed her quite differently, allotting to her such duties as ensouling the cosmos and the individual men within it, forming the connective boundary between the divine and human worlds, and facilitating such communication between man and god as could lead eventually to the individual soul's release. She was celestial and potentially beneficent, rather than chthonic and threatening.

Chronicle of the World


Derrik Mercer - 1990
    Imagine it accompanied by a stunning cavalcade of vibrant full-color illustrations, photographs, and maps that bring the past vividly to life. That history is here, in one easy-to-access volume that shows you the events and people that have shaped the world as we know it. 2,750 illustrations and photographs. (Prentice Hall)

Ancient Egypt


George Hart - 1990
    From the splendor of the pharaoh's court to the everyday life of ordinary people, the great civilization of the Nile valley is revealed in page after page of dramatic photos of the objects they left behind: human and animal mummies, reed brushes, children's pull-toys, and more. "Stunning."--School Library Journal.

Alexander to Actium: The Historical Evolution of the Hellenistic Age


Peter Green - 1990
    C. to Octavian's final defeat of Antony and Cleopatra at the Battle of Actium, has offered a rich and variegated field of exploration for historians, philosophers, economists, and literary critics. Yet few scholars have attempted the daunting task of seeing the period whole, of refracting its achievements and reception through the lens of a single critical mind. Alexander to Actium was conceived and written to fill that gap.In this monumental work, Peter Green—noted scholar, writer, and critic—breaks with the traditional practice of dividing the Hellenistic world into discrete, repetitious studies of Seleucids, Ptolemies, Antigonids, and Attalids. He instead treats these successor kingdoms as a single, evolving, interrelated continuum. The result clarifies the political picture as never before. With the help of over 200 illustrations, Green surveys every significant aspect of Hellenistic cultural development, from mathematics to medicine, from philosophy to religion, from literature to the visual arts.Green offers a particularly trenchant analysis of what has been seen as the conscious dissemination in the East of Hellenistic culture, and finds it largely a myth fueled by Victorian scholars seeking justification for a no longer morally respectable imperialism. His work leaves us with a final impression of the Hellenistic Age as a world with haunting and disturbing resemblances to our own. This lively, personal survey of a period as colorful as it is complex will fascinate the general reader no less than students and scholars.

Antigonos the One-Eyed and the Creation of the Hellenistic State


Richard A. Billows - 1990
    Billows provides the first detailed study of this great general and administrator, establishing him as a key contributor to the Hellenistic monarchy and state. After a successful career under Philip and Alexander, Antigonos rose to power over the Asian portion of Alexander's conquests. Embittered by the persistent hostility of those who controlled the European and Egyptian parts of the empire, he tried to eliminate these opponents, an ambition which led to his final defeat in 301. In a corrective to the standard explanations of his aims, Billows shows that Antigonos was scarcely influenced by Alexander, seeking to rule West Asia and the Aegean, rather than the whole of Alexander's Empire.

Mik's Mammoth


Roy Gerrard - 1990
    Left behind when the other cave dwellers move on, a small caveman rescues a mammoth and learns new skills that help him become the leader of his tribe.

The Early History of God: Yahweh and the Other Deities in Ancient Israel


Mark S. Smith - 1990
    Miller In this remarkable, acclaimed history of the development of monotheism, Mark S. Smith explains how Israel's religion evolved from a cult of Yahweh as a primary deity among many to a fully defined monotheistic faith with Yahweh as sole god. Repudiating the traditional view that Israel was fundamentally different in culture and religion from its Canaanite neighbors, this provocative book argues that Israelite religion developed, at least in part, from the religion of Canaan. Drawing on epigraphic and archaeological sources, Smith cogently demonstrates that Israelite religion was not an outright rejection of foreign, pagan gods but, rather, was the result of the progressive establishment of a distinctly separate Israelite identity. This thoroughly revised second edition ofThe Early History of God includes a substantial new preface by the author and a foreword by Patrick D. Miller.

Reading the Past: Ancient Writing from Cuneiform to the Alphabet


J.T. Hooker - 1990
    Then, within the last two centuries, scientists "cracked the code" of cuneiform, Egyptian hieroglyphs, and Linear B, opening up great vistas on the past and enabling us to decipher for the first time evidence from ancient documents and monuments. Written by six specialists, this volume collects these and other stories in the history of writing, tracing its progression from pictograms to the development of the alphabet, and exploring such factors as the legacy of Greek inscriptions and the role of the Etruscan language as a bridge from ancient Greece to Rome. Contributors include Larissa Bonfante, John Chadwick, B.F. Cook, W.V. Davies, John F. Healy, and C.B.F. Walker, and an introduction by J.T. Hooker surveys the complex subject of writing and covers certain important elements not detailed in the main text. B&W illus.

In the Shadow of Olympus: The Emergence of Macedon


Eugene N. Borza - 1990
    He draws from recent archaeological discoveries and an enhanced understanding of historical geography to form a narrative that provides a material-culture setting for political events. Examining the dynamics of Macedonian relations with the Greek city-states, he suggests that the Macedonians, although they gradually incorporated aspects of Greek culture into their own society, maintained a distinct ethnicity as a Balkan people. "Borza has taken the trouble to know Macedonia: the land, its prehistory, its position in the Balkans, and its turbulent modern history. All contribute...to our understanding of the emergence of Macedon.... Borza has employed two of the historian's most valuable tools, autopsy and common sense, to produce a well-balanced introduction to the state that altered the course of Greek and Near Eastern history."--Waldemar Heckel, Bryn Mawr Classical Review

A Political History of the Achaemenid Empire


Muhammad A. Dandamaev - 1990
    

Hagar the Egyptian: The Lost Tradition of the Matriarchs


Savina J. Teubal - 1990
    

Hittite Myths


Harry A. Hoffner Jr. - 1990
    The translations are based on the original tablets on which the myths were written, and take into account recent textual discoveries and published studies on the texts. Revised and augmented, this second edition includes additional introductions to each myth and a newly published Hurrian myth, "The Song of Release," dealing with legal and social institutions in ancient Babylonia and Israel. Accessible to nonspecialists, the translations also preserve column and line count for the convenience of scholars.

Patricians And Plebeians: The Origin Of The Roman State


Richard E. Mitchell - 1990
    

Progress into the Past: The Rediscovery of Mycenaean Civilization


William A. McDonald - 1990
    

Lamar Archaeology: Mississippian Chiefdoms in the Deep South


Mark WilliamsChad O. Braley - 1990
    These Lamar societies were chiefdom-level groups who built most of the mounds in this large region and were ancestors of later tribes, including the Creeks and Cherokees. This book begins with a history of the last 50 years of archaeological and historical research and brings together for the first time all the available data on this early culture. It also provides an invaluable model for books about Southeastern Indian societies by combining purely descriptive information with innovative analyses, advancing our knowledge of the past while remaining firmly grounded in the archaeological evidence as fact.Contributors include:Frankie Snow, Chad O. Braley, James B. Langford Jr., Marvin T. Smith, Daniel T. Elliott, Richard R. Polhemus, C. Roger Nance, Gary Shapiro, Mark Williams, John F. Scarry, David G. Anderson, andCharles M. Hudson