Best of
History

1650

Annals of the World


James Ussher - 1650
    In its pages can be found the fascinating history of the ancient world from the Genesis creation through the destruction of the Jerusalem temple. Find Out: * Why was Julius Caesar kidnapped in 75 B.C.? * Why did Alexander the Great burn his ships in 326 B.C.? * What really happened when the sun "went backward" as a sign to Hezekiah? * What does secular history say about the darkness at the Crucifixion?

The Pilgrim: The Travels of Pietro Della Valle


Pietro Della Valle - 1650
    In 1621 he went from Ispahan to Shiraz and then the Gulf of Ormuz. Thereafter he travelled extensively in India, Cyprus, Malta and Sicily. In 1626 he came from Naples to Rome where he lived, fathering 14 sons, till he killed one of the Pope's servants, and had to flee the city. He died peacefully in 1652. A member of a noble Roman family, Pietro della Valle began travelling in 1614 at the suggestion of a doctor, as an alternative to suicide after a failed love affair. The letters describing his travels in Turkey, Persia and India were addressed to this advisor.