Ancient Empires

While he was one of the most influential men in the ancient world, research on Cyrus the Great is simultaneously fascinating and frustrating. Of course, this reality has deepened the mystique that surrounds Cyrus even to this day, and it has elevated his status from conqueror and king to enlightened humanist monarch and ideal ruler. Whatever the underlying issues, the incredible achievements of Cyrus distinguish him as one of the greatest kings in history, and his life, conquests, reforms, and rule continue to be of great interest over 2,500 years later.

The Hellenistic age brought a great deal of change in the ancient world. However, the era was destined to end in 31 BCE with the Battle of Actium. Octavian’s Roman forces defeated Mark Antony and Cleopatra’s Ptolemaic fleet, thus securing the rise of the Roman Empire. While the Hellenistic age lasted only for a brief period in humanity’s rich history, its influence on culture, science, and philosophy has resonated with the world ever since.

Un nuevo y extraño enemigo ha irrumpido desde las estepas y lo arrasa todo a su paso. Nadie sabe quiénes son, ni de dónde proceden. Es imposible encontrar información sobre ellos en los archivos imperiales; ningún historiador, ningún geógrafo los ha descrito antes. Son hábiles jinetes, menudos, de piernas arqueadas y extraños rasgos, implacables; son los hunos. Decenas de miles de godos, incapaces de resistir el empuje imparable de esos demonios, se ven obligados a dejar sus hogares y las tierras de sus antepasados.

For the most part forgotten, they were “the other” prophets, miracle workers, and messiahs - in some cases acclaimed as kings – and they were certainly contemporaries of Jesus of Nazareth. The New Testament does not deny the existence of such characters; in fact, it gives subtle but unequivocal clues to their presence. Learn about their existence in this audiobook.

The supposed collapse of Roman civilization is still lamented more than 1,500 years later - and intertwined with this idea is the notion that a fledgling religion, Christianity, went from a persecuted fringe movement to an irresistible force that toppled the empire. The intolerant zeal of Christians, wrote Edward Gibbon, swept Rome's old gods away, and with them the structures that sustained Roman society. Not so, argues Douglas Boin.

The great barbarian king Charlemagne lived a prosperous life, conquering his enemies and setting Europe onto the path of reform. Over the course of his 72-year life, Charlemagne waged wars with his enemies and conquered their territory. He subjugated the conquered people, bringing them under the rule of the Franks while giving them the access to the things they haven't had since the fall of the Roman Empire. Charlemagne brought stability back to Europe, setting it on the path to thrive for years to come.

For the people of the ancient Mediterranean and beyond, the city of Rome had been a symbol of power for centuries, and entering the early 5th century AD, the Eternal City hadn't been taken by an enemy force since the Gauls had done it about 800 years ago, an unheard of period of tranquility in a world wracked with almost constant warfare. Thus when the Visigoths, who the Romans considered uncultured and inferior, took the city of Rome and sacked it in 410, the world was stunned.

The 50 years following the assassination of Severus Alexander on March 19, 235 CE has been generally regarded by academics as one of the lowest points in the history of the Roman Empire. In stark contrast to the previous 150 years, which included the reigns of the Five Good Emperors and has been universally praised as one of the high points of the empire. Many historians have debated how the Roman Empire managed to survive in any form at all, let alone remain robust enough to allow Diocletian and his successors to restore it.

Wussten Sie, dass die Azteken jedes Jahr 500 bis 700 Menschen opferten, um die Götter zufrieden zu stellen? Seit vielen Jahren regen die Azteken unsere Vorstellungskraft an. Geschichten der ersten europäischen Eroberer über einzigartige, Ehrfurcht gebietende Ruinen und Legenden von Palästen aus Gold erschaffen ein Bild der aztekischen Gesellschaft, das aus Erhabenheit, Reichtum und Pracht besteht. Aber wer genau waren die Azteken? Wo kamen sie her? Wie gelang es ihnen, ein Gebiet von solchen Ausmaßen zu beherrschen?

O Império Romano está no centro das atenções há séculos. Foi estudado, pesquisado e ensinado em escolas de todo o mundo. Invenções, palavras, vocabulário e filosofia foram derivados dessas importantes transições na história da humanidade. Os romanos eram cruéis em alguns aspectos, mas civilizados em outros. Eles eram um povo peculiar que fazia as coisas de maneira diferente daquelas que chamavam de bárbaros. Sua guerra, seus hábitos, sua visão do futuro...tudo isso fez do império o que se tornou.

Over the last 2,000 years, ambitious men have dreamed of forging vast empires and attaining eternal glory in battle, but of all the conquerors who took steps toward such dreams, none were ever as successful as antiquity’s first great conqueror. Leaders of the 20th century hoped to rival Napoleon’s accomplishments, while Napoleon aimed to emulate the accomplishments of Julius Caesar. Caesar himself found inspiration in Alexander the Great (356 - 323 BCE), the Macedonian king who managed to stretch an empire from Greece to the Himalayas in Asia by the age of 30.

If you want to discover the captivating history of the Vandals, then keep reading...the Vandals didn't leave us any histories written by themselves. Thus, most of the ancient sources on their past were written by their enemies and adversaries, who didn't look too kindly on them. This is especially true for later historians who idealized ancient Rome and blamed the Vandals for its fall. But the question is, how much of it is true? This guide will try to give some voice to the voiceless Vandals.

Around the year 1162, near the modern capital of Mongolia, a baby boy was born into a fractious and violent world. The birth of this child must have caused quite a stir among the members of the nomadic tribe that he had been born into. Word soon traveled that the son of Yesügei, the Borjigin tribal leader, had been born clutching a blood clot in his tiny hand.

It would be hard if not outright impossible to overstate the impact Roman Emperor Constantine I had on the history of Christianity, Ancient Rome, and Europe as a whole. Best known as Constantine the Great, the kind of moniker only earned by rulers who have distinguished themselves in battle and conquest, Constantine remains an influential and controversial figure to this day.

The 50 years following the assassination of Severus Alexander on March 19, CE 235 has been generally regarded by academics as one of the lowest points in the history of the Roman Empire.

The Greek general and king, Alexander the Great, is a name you might have heard before. Although his historical journey varies greatly from the stories and rumors about him, he did accomplish many victories in Asia and Europe in his conquest to rule the world. In this guide, we will go over his appearance, his character, his many battles, his clever military strategies, and the regions he conquered. His vast empire stretched farther than much else had before his time. But eventually, it became divided, and the throne was being fought over.

Das Byzantinische Reich wurde während des chaotischen dritten Jahrhunderts gegründet. Es war die Zeit, in der Aufstände und Bürgerkriege an der Tagesordnung waren und die römischen Kaiser nur ein Jahr im Amt blieben. Obwohl es eine der fesselndsten historischen Epochen aller Zeiten ist, ist das Byzantinische Reich weniger bekannt, und es ist selten, dass man ein fesselndes Buch zu diesem Thema findet. Aber das wird sich jetzt ändern.

Das Römische Reich ist kein weiteres langweiliges historisches Thema. Im Gegenteil, es weckt unsere Phantasie, erschreckt uns und unterhält uns. Es ist die Geschichte der faszinierenden Männer und Frauen - der Kaiser, ihrer Frauen, Eltern, Brüder, Schwestern und Kinder - die dem Reich seinen charakteristischen Charme verliehen. Einige von ihnen, wie Marcus Aurelius und Antoninus Pius, waren tugendhaft und weise; andere - wie Caligula, Commodus und Caracalla - waren monströse, wahnsinnige Raubtiere, deren Blutdurst und sexuelle Gewohnheiten unvorstellbar waren.

You may have heard about him: Attila the Hun. Let's discover who this individual actually was and why he has such a bad track record of being a callous, aggressive conqueror in the first millennium after Christ. Attila the Hun was the ruler of the Huns from the year 434 till his death in the month of March in the year 453. Also, he was the leader of a tribal realm which consisted mainly of Huns, Ostrogoths, Alans and Bulgars, to name a few, in Central Europe and in Eastern Europe.

The Minoan-Mycenaean Empire is one of the most compelling of the lost civilizations, so how does an advanced civilization vanish as if into thin air? This kingdom wasn’t limited to Greece and its Mediterranean tributaries, the Mycenaean Empire of Greek gods extended around the world, even into the Americas. Their technology included analog computers, humanoid robots, talking oracles, flying machines, transparent windows, hot and cold running water, flushing toilets, sewer systems, loose-stone pyramids that pulled water out of the air, and transcontinental ships with voice navigation.