Ancient Asia

All in all, Japan seems to be a country of paradoxes and oppositions, of yin and yang. Yet it doesn’t seem to suffer from it; instead, it is thriving, growing, and developing, and it has been doing so for a long time. From those contradictions, a sense of unity and pride arose, guiding Japanese history and civilizational development through the ages, leaving an unquestionable mark on the world heritage and mankind. But this is only the surface of an astonishing culture that deserves a deeper look.

The history of ancient Japan is filled with interesting events that involved many influential and legendary figures. However, some of the accounts were also infused with Japanese myths, which might make it difficult for curious readers to distinguish between facts and legends. But you can safely put your concern aside. With this new Enthralling History book, you will discover an array of information and stories of the ancient Japanese, starting from the prehistoric era up until the Heian period, which saw the birth of the first samurai warriors.

Hablar del increíble desarrollo tecnológico y económico de la China moderna se ha convertido en un tópico en el mundo actual. Sin embargo, el crecimiento exponencial de la China moderna tiene raíces históricas muy fuertes que se remontan a miles y miles de años.

In this audiobook, you will be led on a journey through almost 2,000 years of Chinese history, showing you all the ups and downs of those ancient times, the sufferings and joys of the Chinese people, along with their greatest achievements and failures. Dynasties will change, people will be killed and born, art made and destroyed, but the Chinese civilization will prevail, rising from humble beginnings to an empire that at some points outshined any other in the world at that time.

When one thinks of the world’s first cities, Sumer, Memphis, and Babylon are some of the first to come to mind, but if the focus then shifts to India, then Harappa and Mohenjo Daro will likely come up. These cities owe their existence to India’s oldest civilization, known as the Indus Valley Civilization or the Harappan Civilization, which was contemporary with ancient Mesopotamia and ancient Egypt, and had extensive contacts with the former, making it one of the most important early civilizations in the world.

Get ready to dive into a world of dragons, emperors, ancient gods, and daring heroes – welcome to the magical world of Chinese Legends! This is no ordinary history lesson. It’s a journey through time and imagination, where dragons swim through the skies, warriors rise against impossible odds, and mystical gods shape the fate of the world.

On October 21, 1600, two massive Japanese armies, totaling an estimated 200,000 soldiers armed to the teeth with swords, yari (spears), arrows, muskets, and cannons, faced off on a battlefield near the town of Sekigahara. A bitter fight to the death ensued, and the results would determine the course of Japanese history for the next 250 years. On the battlefield was the warlord Leyasu Tokugawa, a man desiring domain over the entire island of Japan, but standing in his way was Ishida Mitsunari, a warlord controlling vast swaths of western Japan.

This amazing collection of Chinese myths will allow you to enter the Chinese mind, so you can gather secrets and wisdom from a proud and respected country.

Are you curious about how the world has evolved to where it is today? Do you wish you made a better understanding of how all of the world is connected to each other? The history of the world can fascinate even the least interested party. For thousands of years, every culture and civilization has looked to the past to learn from history. History can inspire, teach, and provide an explanation for how things and institutions have come to be.

The Silk Road, which has been understood as a generalized route of trade between the East and the West, is different from European, North African, and Near Eastern trade routes because until recently, it has been understood as solely being a land route; in fact, it was believed to be the longest overland trade route in human history. The history of the Silk Road is extremely complex. It cannot be told as a singular chronological narrative.

The Origins of Shintoism is an invaluable resource for anyone interested in the history and culture of Japan, as well as for those interested in the development and evolution of religions around the world.

In 1872, China—ravaged by poverty, population growth, and aggressive European armies—sent 120 boys to America to learn the secrets of Western innovation. They studied at New England's finest schools and were driven by a desire for progress and reform. When anti-Chinese fervor forced them back home, the young men had to overcome a suspicious imperial court and a country deeply resistant to change in technology and culture. Fortunate Sons tells a remarkable story, weaving together the dramas of personal lives with the fascinating tale of a nation's endeavor to become a world power.

En la antigüedad, los japoneses dependían de los caracteres chinos (kanji) para escribir todo tipo de documentos y manuscritos, desde cartas oficiales hasta registros de censos y poesía. Solo durante el periodo Heian (794-1185 de la era cristiana) empezaron a crear su propio sistema de escritura, conocido hoy como kana.

The Maurya empire, which existed more than 2,000 years ago, was the mightiest civilization that India has ever known. It was more than one and a half times the size of modern-day India in geographical extent. The Maurya empire was established just after the death of Alexander the Great. Fear had prevented his troops from marching farther to invade the subcontinent, which became the fuel for India to reinvent itself as an indomitable mega-culture.

As soon as man discovered writing, he began engaging in historiography (historical writing and philosophy), but paleoanthropology only really began in the late 1800s. As archaeologists began finding bones in European caves of a human race that was very different than any race in the modern world, the study of paleoanthropology was born. The race of those early humans who were found in the European caves were later termed Neanderthals, and for quite some time, they were believed to have been the race from which many modern humans were directly descended.

Most of us know that China is swiftly becoming a greater superpower on the world stage. Join this quest to find the secret behind its infamous global influence. Get ready to immerse yourself in a history filled with great stories — some even be unheard of before now!

Discover the Cradle of Intellectual Thought: From the mystical valleys of the Indus to the imperial courts of Japan, "Eastern Civilization" unravels the vibrant histories of India, China, and Japan. This captivating guide is your window into the ancient worlds that shaped modern thought.

The Kushans began as nomadic steppe warriors who eventually grew tired of constantly migrating and subsequently put their skills and experience to use by conquering Bactria and creating a kingdom that was stronger economically than it was militarily. Taking advantage of their location on the Silk Road trade routes, the Kushan kings charged fees and tolls for goods passing through. But silk, textiles, gold, silver, and other commodities were not the only things that entered the Kushan Empire from the East and West; it was a focal point for the spread of ideas, diplomats, and diseases.

Lo que despierta la curiosidad en la mente de los amantes de la historia sobre la Antigua Anatolia, la cual representa la mayor parte de la actual Turquía, es la diversidad de sus pueblos al interior de sus territorios y a lo largo del tiempo. Este libro trata de presentar el punto de vista más actual sobre los acontecimientos que se desarrollaron a través de los siglos de la Edad de Bronce y la Edad de Hierro en Anatolia. El lector puede descubrir el surgimiento de algunos de los imperios más famosos del mundo, así como conocer las circunstancias que llevaron a su caída.

From about the ninth to fifth centuries BCE, the population of Greece grew unprecedentedly large, expanding from about 800,000 people to as many as 13 million. About a quarter million of these lived in Athens. The average size of urban households during this period grew considerably, a fact that suggests that food was suddenly available in excesses sufficient to keep larger families healthy and alive much more effectively than just a millennium earlier. Bigger families meant bigger armies and larger communities that would eventually grow into the metropolises of Classical Greece.