Ancient Empires

In Empires of Trust, Professor Thomas F. Madden explores surprising parallels between the Roman and American republics. By making friends of enemies and demonstrating a commitment to fairness, the two republics - both "reluctant" yet unquestioned super-powers - built empires based on trust. Madden also includes vital lessons from the Roman Republic's 100-year struggle with "terrorism."

Como maestros del caballo, los escitas y los sármatas abrieron la estepa euroasiática a civilizaciones nómadas como nunca antes se había visto. Por primera vez, un grupo de tribus que comparten una cultura común llamaron a la estepa su hogar, adaptándose a su crueldad. Nacidos en este entorno, adoptaron una forma muy particular de vivir y luego se extendió a los pueblos de Asia Central: el estilo de vida nómada pastoral.

Best-selling author Norman Cantor delivers this compact but magisterial survey of the ancient world - from the birth of Sumerian civilization around 3500 BC in the Tigris-Euphrates valley (present-day Iraq) to the fall of the Roman Empire in AD 476. In Antiquity, Cantor covers such subjects as Classical Greece, Judaism, the founding of Christianity, and the triumph and decline of Rome.

Learn about the rise of the Aztec civilization and the powerful cities they created, including the capital city of Tenochtitlan. Explore the daily lives of the Aztec people, their art and culture, and their architecture. Uncover the rituals and beliefs of the Aztec people, including human sacrifice and religious ceremonies. Discover the majestic kings of the Aztec Empire and the legacy they left behind.

In this two in one audiobook, you'll learn about the history of Persia.

In the first part of this book, you will discover how the Inca civilization developed out of a number of preceding cultures in the Andes and Peruvian coast, how quickly the Incas were able to expand and why they needed to, how the empire was administered and how runners were able to take messages from one end of it to the other with remarkable speed....

Duty bound to save the Empire from falling further under a tyrannical usurper, Cursor resolves to unravel the conspiracy and bring the perpetrators to justice. Aiding him is an old friend; a retired Master Centurion named Gaius Calvinus. Regrettably, they know that if successful, Tiberius' retribution will be swift and brutal, sparing neither the innocent nor the guilty. This leaves only two dark paths for Cursor and Calvinus; either allow the pending reign of terror under a ruthless usurper, or unleash the unholy vengeance of an emperor betrayed.

Beginning with the reign of Diocletian in A.D. 284 and ending at the death of Justinian in 565, the Roman Empire completes a transition from paganism to Christianity which is one of the most remarkable events in history. How was it possible to alter an ancient civilization which had existed for millennia, and yet to maintain social and political order? As events unfolded, one part of the empire managed the process successfully, while the other part spiraled out of control.

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. But 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.

The Inka empire was the largest pre-Columbian polity in the New World. Its vast expanse, its ethnic diversity, and the fact that the empire may have been consolidated in less than a century have prompted much scholarly interest in its creation. In this study, Besom explores the ritual practices of human sacrifice and the worship of mountains, attested in both archaeological investigations and ethnohistorical sources, as tools in the establishment and preservation of political power.

379 AD: Thracia has fallen to the Gothic horde. With the ashes of Adrianople still swirling in the air, the Eastern Roman Empire is in turmoil. The emperor is dead, the throne lies empty and the remaining fragments of the army are few and scattered. Numerius Vitellius Pavo, now Tribunus of the XI Claudia, tries to hold his patchwork ranks together amidst the storm. One of the few legions to have survived the disaster at Adrianople, the Claudia do what they can to keep alive the dying flame of hope.

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.

What will your fifth grader take away from learning ancient history? A lot! Learning about ancient history will help your child realize how the world has changed. It will also help your learner understand how the events of the past can be used to predict the future. Learn from the great achievements of previous history makers to avoid committing the same horrific mistakes. Start listening today!

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. But 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.

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.

To this day, we feel the influence of imperial Rome. After all, imperial Rome was one of the first successful “melting pots” of cultures. The Romans took what worked and discarded what didn’t work, showing that it was possible to have a stable, centralized government over an extremely large area.

According to the ancient writer Arrian, when Alexander attempted to apply proskynesis to his court, his decision was met with massive criticism from both the Macedonians and Greeks. And even when he stopped the practice, the Macedonians continued to witness their king apply a variety of Persian customs in the kingdom. Some said his Persianization played a minor role in his death, while others claimed that he died of natural causes. The sources that tell the story of Alexander often contradict each other, which can be confusing for those hoping to learn about the great king’s eventful life.

Would you like to learn about daily life in ancient Rome, but find conventional history books a bit boring? Would you like a more entertaining way to learn about Roman history, from the Republic to the Empire? We have a look at Roman sanitation, medicine, education, wine, sex, bathing, dining, public order, irrigation, roads, the fresh water system, and public health from an accessible, non-academic perspective in this book, as well as looking at some of the perils or downsides in these advances in civilization. We discuss the developments in these aspects of daily life.

In 66 BC, young, ambitious Julius Caesar, seeking recognition and authority, became the curator of the Via Appia. He borrowed significant sums to restore the ancient highway. It was a way to curry favor from Roman citizens in villages along the route, built from Rome to Brindisi between 312-191 BC. After achieving greatness in Rome and the far reaches of Gaul, he led armies along this road to battle enemies in Roman civil wars.

Step into a world of epic battles, great leaders, and ancient cultures with our latest book about the Roman Empire. This book will take you on a thrilling journey through one of the most influential civilizations in human history.