Ancient Empires

No discussion of the 19th Century is complete without Napoleon. We begin with Charles Phillips’ eulogy, summarizing the strangeness and contradiction of the most influential man of his time. Followed by 7 brief speeches by Napoleon himself.

Hast Du schon mal von den Merowingern gehört? Willst Du wissen, wie das Volk der Merowinger entstand? Interessierst Du Dich für die Errungenschaften der Merowinger? Sichere Dir noch heute das Buch und lerne mehr über die geschichtliche und kulturelle Entwicklung der Merowinger.

Hay muchos misterios que rodean a los incas. ¿Dónde se originaron? ¿Cómo llegaron a reinar sobre un imperio tan vasto que incluía montañas, selvas tropicales y zonas costeras? ¿Cuáles fueron los logros más destacados de sus grandes reyes? ¿Cómo eran sus templos y monumentos, especialmente la ciudad capital, Cuzco, y su impresionante asentamiento en la cima de la montaña, el Machu Picchu, en lo que hoy es Perú?

The first transportation wheel, the first writing, the first law codes, and the first empires—the innovative ancient Iraqis transformed our world! The “Cradle of Civilization” brought us the sixty-second minute, the sixty-minute hour, and the twelve-hour day and night. Their brilliant sages predicted solar and lunar eclipses and developed quadratic equations.

Explore the mesmerizing origins of the Aztecs, discover how a wandering desert tribe came to rule much of present-day Mexico, and investigate the spectacular–albeit somewhat depraved–culture that set their civilization apart.

Explore la fascinante historia del Imperio asirio. Situado en el actual Irak, la antigua Mesopotamia, la tierra entre los grandes ríos Tigris y Éufrates, fue donde todo comenzó. Es la parte del mundo donde hace unos 6.000 años la gente finalmente se despidió de sus vidas de cazadores y recolectores, y comenzó a cultivar e iniciar la construcción de civilizaciones. La historia de Mesopotamia está llena de fronteras en constante cambio, civilizaciones en ascenso y descenso y, por supuesto, guerra y conquista.

Very few of the ancient empires and nations were able to challenge the Romans, who were famous for their military might. Even fewer were able to make them shiver just by mentioning their name. In fact, only one enemy of Rome managed to engrave such fear into their bones. That was Carthage, sometimes called the Carthaginian Empire. It was a formidable state that stretched across northern Africa, from Algeria and Tunisia to the shores of Morocco and southern Spain.

Precursors to the Aztecs (amazing in their own right), the Toltec people were the pre-Columbian Mesoamerican civilization honored for their artisanship and tactile warfare - considered so fierce and respectable that the Aztecs claimed descendancy from them! How did this empire come to be regarded as the apex of culture, sophistication, and civilization? Why did the Aztecs overtake them, and how? And…which came first: the Mayans, the Toltecs, or the Aztecs? Explore these questions and more as you step into amazing architectural sites in Indiana Jones-eque style.

The Assyrian Empire was the largest, most powerful, and longest-lasting in the ancient world. It included lands that comprise modern-day Egypt, Syria, Iraq, Israel, Lebanon, Palestine, Kuwait, Jordan, Bahrain, and Cyprus, as well as large parts of modern Saudi Arabia, Libya, Turkey, and Iran. The Assyrian army was the most effective, most highly trained, and best equipped in the ancient world, and few nations dared to stand against it. This force was used with ruthless brutality by Assyrian kings to ensure that potential foes were terrified of losing a battle with the Assyrians.

According to history books, the Roman Empire ended in 476 CE with the fall of Rome. But if you asked most people alive at that time, they would have pointed you to what they considered the continuation of the Roman Empire - the civilization we now call the Byzantine Empire. The Byzantines, however, were more than just a remnant of Roman glory. At its geographical peak, the Byzantine Empire stretched out across the Mediterranean world.

Starting from the two iconic dates of 753 BC (according to legend, the founding of Rome) and 476 AD (the deposition of the last Western Roman emperor Romulus Augustulus), the history of the Roman Empire spans more than 1200 years. This was not only a long period of time, but also an eventful one - after all, the inhabitants of the city on the Tiber River conquered an empire that, at its greatest expansion in 116 AD, encompassed most of Europe as well as parts of North Africa and Asia Minor.

Studies have shown that developing an “atomic habit”—just doing a few minutes a day of whatever skill or habit you want to take on—can be more than enough to engrain it into our lives. Therefore, we have transformed timeless, legendary stories into 10-minute bite-size chunks long enough to entertain, enthrall, and even educate the listener but short enough to be enjoyed quickly at bedtime or any other point in our busy modern days.

The success of the emperors ironically brought about the worst plague in Rome’s epic history. Due to constant warfare on the borders and attempts to defend positions against various groups, Roman soldiers came into contact with foreign diseases, and they unwittingly brought them home when campaigns ended. This culminated around 165 CE, when an unidentified disease brought the empire to its knees and afflicted an untold number of individuals, one of whom may have been Lucius Verus, the co-emperor of Rome alongside Marcus Aurelius.

In northern Iraq, on the banks of the Tigris River, lie the ruins of the ancient city of Aššur. This was the first capital and the most important religious center of the Assyrian Empire. Underneath the cover of sand and soil are almost six meters of dense stratigraphic layers that reveal the passage of millennia. Known today as Qal'at Sherqat, and also as Kilah Shregat, the city dates back to the third millennium BCE.

When scholars study the history of the ancient Near East, several wars that had extremely brutal consequences (at least by modern standards) often stand out. Forced removal of entire populations, sieges that decimated entire cities, and wanton destruction of property were all tactics used by the various peoples of the ancient Near East against each other, but the Assyrians were the first people to make war a science.

180 AD. North of the Wall, Sarmatian warrior Kai and his adopted tribe, the Votadini, struggle for survival, cast into unfamiliar lands by Roman reprisals. When news arrives that an old enemy is in charge of the Votadini's hated foes, a confederation of tribes known as the Painted People, and has roused them to action, Kai heads south towards the Wall, hoping to ally with the Romans against this resurgent threat. Meanwhile, the Romans have heard tales of butchery and mayhem beyond the Wall.

The New York Times best-selling series reaches an epic climax! James Dashner returns to the series he began - just in time for Dak, Sera, and Riq to make their final stand in ancient Greece alongside a young Alexander the Great. Fix the past. Save the future. It's now or never!

The Rise of Constantinople looks at the events that brought about the transformation of Byzantium, and how Constantinople became one of the most important cities in the world.

Palmyra has long attracted the attention of the world. Well before its rediscovery in the 17th century, the ancient city gained legendary status because of its Queen Zenobia, who in the third century CE rebelled against Rome and expanded Palmyra's territory into what is now modern Turkey and Egypt.

Alexander of Macedon was only 33 years old when he died, leaving behind him a sprawling empire of impressive size, which encompassed dozens of different people groups, religions, cultures, customs, and - of course - problems. Naturally, Alexander is well-known as a figure, but how well do we really know him? How much of his fascinating story is true, and how much is mere legend?