Ancient History Books

My wife and I had just returned from a trip to Egypt when we found out about this book. We had seen a few of the places in the book, but obviously not all of them. We were blown away by the quality and size of the photos, of both places we'd seen [but weren't allowed to take pictures] and places we hadn't.

This is an excellent book. There are dozens, if not hundreds of books filled with pictures of Egyptian art these days -- but this back far surpasses all the others I've seen.

Don't judge this book by the cover on the Amazon page. The cover is rather bland, colorwise, in contrast to the spectacular color illustrations.

The description says there are 30 foldouts -- but it doesn't say that these are huge foldouts--several pages long.

The thoughts that ran through my mind as I looked at the book were, "this is a cultural achievement -- the greatest tribute to the Royal Tombs of Egypt yet paid in modern history" and "surely this is a labor of love by Zahi Hawass, Director of Egyptian Antiquities."

For $65 (the original US price), this book is a bargain -- and even more so with the discounted price (as of this writing) of only $41.

Another exceptionally fine book from the publishing house of Thames and Hudson. Exquisitely photographed by Sandro Vannini and sterling text by Zahi Hawass, the highly respected expert in the field of ancient Egypt. For those who will never have the opportunity of visiting Egypt, this "virtual" tour of its royal tombs is an essential addition to any library of those interested in this extraordinay civilization.
Greg Slater
Australia

As a lover of all things Egyptian and a trained Egyptologist I had high expectations for this book.... and it delivered in every way. The fold-out pages give a fantastic view of the insides of the tombs that the average tourist isn't permitted to take photos of. And instead of viewing a small section at a time you have entire vistas laid out for you. The high quality photography shows the smallest details so clearly that you can see the individual bushstrokes and even places where the painter accidentally dripped some paint and forgot to clean it up. Every time I turned a page memories of my time in Egypt came flooding back.

If I have to make one complaint it would be that there are not enough images of the tomb of Nefertari, and perhaps also the tomb of Seti I. The images that there are are quite selective and do not give an overall impression of their beauty. Admittedly, the focus is on the Valley of The Kings, but Nefertari was a queen and henceforth royal, too.

All in all, this is a MUST have book for anyone who loves Egypt.

Nothing short of exceptional!!! I had heard that the book was a bit tricky to read - what with many foldout pages - but I didn't find that to be the case at all. This might be the situation for someone who is leafing through the book quickly - but this a book that needs to be savored. The photography is fantastic - you get a REALY good idea of what the insides of the Royal Tombs look like. I have no complaints, gripes, nit picks, etc. - This is a book to own and re-read and puruse for years to come.

Que Theodor Mommsen era un genio no es nuevo , ni que se lo considere probablemente el mayor Historiador que jamas existio ( lo del Premio Nobel es totalmente secundario...), si bien puede defenderse que el impacto de Herodoto y/o algun otro sea mas Universal.
La obra es magnifica , si bien un poco densa en algunas partes por su natural inclinacion a la linguistica ...
Su vision Germanica ( barbara al fin ) es evidente en algunas secuencias , asi como el hecho que es un libro escrito a mediados del siglo 19.
Nada de eso invalida su lucidez y belleza , solo requiere del lector un poco mas de paciencia y comprension, la obra lo vale.
No puede decirse que luego de Mommsen no haya mas que hablar sobre Roma hasta 709 AUC , pero no va ser facil tener aportes de esta magnitud...
Ojala me equivoque y las nuevas generaciones encuentren y expliquen mucho mas , pero hasta tanto disfrutemos de lo mejor que tenemos, que se complementa con los pocos libros clasicos que sobrevivieron a la barbarie de siglos.
GAO.

That a publisher would complete a new edition of the entire Mommsen 3 volume "Roman History" in English as a single extremely high quality hardbound book is a major labor of love and a service to select scholars everywhere. This is still a very important work on the topic of Roman Republican history. However, that being said, John H. Collins' redaction of Mommsen's 3 volumes into a 600 page book published by Meridian in 1958 is the book that should be sought out. It is generally available here on Amazon from used book dealers in the $15.00 to $ 25.00 range. It covers the period from the end of the Punic Wars to the demise of the Republic. The translation is thoroughly lively and accurate and makes the work accessible and engaging and retains the stunning quality of Mommsen's writing as great literature. The greatest strength of Mommsen's work was in the period after BCE 250 and the Meridian edition both in paperback or hardcover is a magnificent read and covers the most important of Mommsen's intellectual contributions to Roman Republican history. The cover art appearing above is from the Meridian paperback not the book being reviewed here. At 10.2 pounds and 1703 pages, this item is a beautiful example of fine printing and and high quality binding. It also appears that certain reissue publishers are now making the complete work available but as four volumes and with less pages and weigh. That will mean smaller printer and lower quality paper. I own a 1908 edition of the complete work in English , and the only reason I suggest that one would want a copy of the complete work would be if they were involved with the intellectual history of "classical" scholars. Compared with Alan Ward's, "History of the Roman People," the current standard "textbook" on Roman History, Mommsen's work is historically fresh and vital and, yes, generally accurate after one hundred and fifty years. The unabridged work won the Nobel prize for literature in 1902 - The only history book to ever win the prize. If you read it, you will understand why.

First a word about Theodor Mommsen. He came to Roman history with a background in practicing law and as an MP and legislator. His position in the house was that of a -- how shall I put it -- radical liberal nationalist, a rare colour these days, where liberalism has become a term of abuse. He fiercely opposed the politics of Otto von Bismarck who just had defeated France and reunited Germany. So the perspective on constitutional law that underpins MommsenÕs entire work, came naturally to him, the old Roman understanding of history as the ÒCustom of NationsÓ had found a kindred soul and a speaker of supreme eloquence. In 1902, Mommsen received, as the first and only historian ever, the Nobel-prize for literature. (Churchill too had the Midas-touch for the language, he too was a politician, his compilations make a highly entertaining read, but his contribution to academic history was purely oratorical.) Mommsen was an outspoken opponent to centralization, bureaucracy and anti-Semitism, but had the misfortune to coin a phrase which later the Nazis should turn to their own advantage: in his ÒRoman HistoryÓ he described the Jews in exile as Òan element of national decomposition,Ó of course without suspecting that anybody could pick up on this and use it in a more current context. Mommsen didnÕt live to witness the damage. MommsenÕs most important contribution to Roman history is the editing and publishing of the monumental ÒCorpus Inscriptionum Latinarum,Ó which, if I am not mistaken, has reached by now volume 127. We lesser mortals are not likely to see this on our bookshelves at home, but for the archaeologist and historian it is an indispensable tool. It is a complete survey of all the epigraphs and inscriptions unearthed anywhere in the Roman Empire and an ongoing project since 150 years and for as long as we continue to discover more inscriptions. Through it we know, for instance, that Pilate was not, as the gospels claim, a procurator, but a legate, and hence not accountable to the legate of Syria, which explains a good deal of the reckless atrocities during PilateÕs tenure. From this collection we also gain statistical insights on the average distribution of epigraphs and, corresponding to it, the degree of literacy in different parts of the empire at different times. Mommsen himself considered as his main contribution his studies on Roman constitutional law and his editions of Roman law codices. He also discovered, edited, and published the Òqueen of all inscriptions,Ó Emperor AugustusÕ ÔRes Gestae:Õ the ÔprincepÕsÕ resume of his deeds and accomplishments. But what Mommsen made famous and earned him the Nobel-prize, had originally been a mere potboiler, produced with incredible speed. Then Mommsen stopped in the middle of the work, only to take it up many years later for a 2 volume appendix on the EmpireÕs provinces. And yet this ÒRoman HistoryÓ is the thing to have on your shelf, if you are interested in the subject. I still can recall my awe when I turned the pages for the first time. DonÕt get me wrong, this is not exactly a thriller, more a series of political and legal deductions on historical facts with a view on shifts and amendments in the Roman constitution. The story hovers in the background and Mommsen explains the meaning. But what explanation it is! The first few pages introduce us to ItalyÕs prehistory and deduce the paraphernalia of Indo-European migrations and early Roman society ÒsimplyÓ from the dictionary of the Latin language! It is mind-boggling suggestive. We hear of the early institutions, of KingÕs councilors who eventually formed the republics senate, but under the Etruscian Kings merely had the ÒrightÓ to say Òyes.Ó Not much of a right you may think and it did not include the right to say Òno,Ó but one can always keep silent. (ÓYou disagree?Ó -- ÒYes!!Ó Blimey.) Then Mommsen moves on to the Punic wars and to the elder CatoÕs prosecution of foreign cults on ItalyÕs soil, which created a precedent that affected the prosecution of Christians some 200 years later. Mommsen discusses in great detail the introduction of the revolutionary office of the tribune and how the Gracci used the Ôtribunicia potestasÕ to blunt the executive powers of the Senate and briefly managed to assume the position of an (elected) head of state who was not a consul. Their revolutionary legislation however was soon to be overturned in SullaÕs conservative counter-revolution, which in turn mobilized the popular parties to bring a certain Caesar into power. But even in MommsenÕs glowing eulogy Caesar is little more than a gifted politician and general whose political ambition made him commit high treason and suspend the constitution. Mommsen stopped here. Characteristically the end of the Republic and its democratic institutions was for him the end of history proper -- Mommsen could never bring himself to write about the emperors. In his eyes this would have amounted to little more than a gossipy chronicle of court scandals; and for this we have Gibbon. Still it would have been interesting. At times opinionated and irate, Mommsen had a knack for outrageous statements and we catch glimpses of it in his later survey on the Roman provinces. He called Domitian, who according to Tacitus had been the best hated Emperor of his period, Òthe most careful administrator who ever graced the empire.Ó Or read MommsenÕs comment on Euripides and what he thinks about the poetÕs influence on Hellenistic humanitarianism. It makes you put down the book and pause for a moment: ÒWhat did he just say? Is he serious?Ó I could go on and drool endlessly, it would never do justice to MommsenÕs work. If you canÕt shell out [the money] than go to your library and borrow it through the interlibrary exchange, but make sure you have enough time at your hand, really to sink your teeth into it.

I discovered Theodor Mommsen's magnum opus over thirty years ago as an undergraduate history major at the University of Florida. Although sentential brevity was not a characteristic of Mommsen's history, it was not a hard read. In some places, Mommsen's description of the Jugurthine War for instance, it proved to be as engaging as one of Harold Lamb's popular histories. The book was out of print at that time, and all I had at my disposal was a turn-of-the-century copy in the UF library. Ever after I have been on the lookout for an accessible, affordable edition of Mommsen's work. Alas, this edition is not it.

One of life's little mysteries is how this magnificent work fell out of print while Gibbon's "Decline & Fall of the Roman Empire" never did. Mommsen's Nobel Prize winning work exceeds Gibbon's as the day exceeds the night. Another of life's little mysteries is why this work cannot be issued in a buyer-friendly price range.

Mommsen's History of Rome is THE BEST book available on Roman History. It is incredibly well written (I think, but I'm not sure, he got a Nobel Prize on literature for this History book). Regardless of it's incredible literature value, this masterpiece definetly owns the first place between books ever written on Roman History. It revises the arts, the law, the costumes, etc. It is recomended to roman law students (Mommsen knew a lot of Roman Law), and obviously to history students and lovers. Theodore Mommsen's History of Rome will be the best piece of literature and history you will ever read.

This book is very readable and has been a great aid in home schooling our elementary school age children in ancient history. It delves into the whole topic of aligning the historical events of the Bible with the secular accounts of early civilizations. Great tool if you believe as I do that early civilizations followed the dispersion of people at the Tower of Babel.

Egyptian history can be very confusing when one first undertakes the study of it. In fact, the more you study it, the more of a riddle it becomes. The biggest problem in the history is not so much what happened as when it happened. The issue becomes even more compound if one tries to synchronize the Bible with Egypt's chronology. David Down and John Ashton do a great job of setting a realistic and greatly reduced time frame for the land of the sands.
When I first begin to gather info on biblical chronology I looked to Ussher. Although, Ussher does alright with later history there is so much that Ussher does not explain. Furthermore, most of the names given by Ussher are not even known to us to have ever been pharoahs. I became discouraged until I saw this book. Once I picked it up I was hooked. Here was all things that my history prof taught me but with an altered time frame. The evidence for a new chronology is quite convincing and Downs is not the only one to adopt it.
Downs who has been an archaeologist for some 50 years lets his audience know that in fact, the chronological order of Egyptian history is far from settled amongst those in his field. A greater number of archaeologists are realizing that history needs to be rewritten because a great amount of empirical thinking has beefed up the time frame of Egyptian dynasties by about 500 years. Downs believes that by reducing the time frame we are better able to understand what happened and answer many questions.
Downs also believes that the only way to gain an accurate account of Egyptian history is to compare it with the history of the Hittites and the Israelites. He believes that by a revised chronology the 12th dynasty becomes the catalyst of semitic sojourning and offers evidence for an exodus. His case is well supported by solid facts coming from all different archaelogical studies. He believes that there is evidence to suggest that Hapshetsut may be the queen of Sheba and that the 18th dynasty is much later than first thought. His belief about the Hyksos is a radical departure from classical history but if his time frame is correct it seems to make perfect sense. He also seems to place Rameses in the eighth century. I thought that was a little crazy, but the evidence he offered for that proposal is quite outstanding.
I have to admit that Downs ideas are very progressive but seem to be very tight at the same time. I do not know what Ashton's role in all of this was since it is obvious that Downs is the one who has done the bulk of the homework. Dr.Downs is also very appealing because of the way he presents himself. He seems like a pleasant man who is neither arrogant or brash. He presents his thoughts and ideas in a clear non-agressive format that has an allure to it. It is well substantiated, and when all the evidence is brought together it is clear that Downs knows his game. My only complaint is that I wish the work was much larger because it is obvious that Downs knows much more than he is telling you. I been so fascinated by Dr. Downs work that when I transfer to the University for my Bachelors in History I think I want to minor in Classical Archaeology. The book is groundbreaking to say the least. It is a must have for any student of the Bible or the land of Egypt.

My only complaint about this book is that it is too short. It is obviously based on compendious knowledge and research, and is as up-to-date as anyone could hope for, bringing a number of discoveries since the year 2000 to bear, and also a good summary of the revised chronology arguments. Although this book is very robust in aligning the history of Egypt to a biblical timeline, its real aim is showing how this is the chronology that best fits all the known facts. And it does this very well. I was surprised at the radical adjustment of the period between the 13th and 18th Dynasties, but the end result was very compelling. I think anyone not wedded to the "Old Chronology" beyond reason (as frequently happens in academic circles, before the final collapse of an old order) will have to agree that the 12th dynasty is the precise timeframe for Joseph and the period of oppression in Egypt, with the Exodus fitting in at the end of that era. I would have welcomed a bit more discussion of the Exodus itself, including the range of possible Red Sea crossing sites and location(s) of Mt Sinai; also perhaps an attempt at synchronisation of the invasion of the kings in Genesis 14 - perhaps for your next book, gentlemen?

Having before realised that the present archaeological position has the pyramids existing before the Noahic flood, which is an untenable position, this book brings the answer.

This book is a very readable book, although I'd have liked to see a bit more depth. It does however manage to put the chronologies of Velikovsky and Courville and the like into one coherent chronology and ties this in to the Biblical History, something that I've struggled a bit with, not being an Egyptologist. It provides a really helpful overview that is easy to read and is hence a good starting point to launch out into deeper studies. An excellent book.

I have been looking for a book like this to de-mystify the ancient Egyptians' theology and cosmology for a long time. Finally, I came across this one.

I think you would be hard-pressed to find a better work that puts all the Egyptian mythology, theology, ontology, etc., etc. together into a cohesive framework of interpreation.

Only critique would be that at times the author repeats herself in places (though teachers know to do this to make sure students walk away remembering the high points), and that there are capitalization and punctuation issues here and there. But these are real small gripes compared to what this book has. I finally and truly appreciate Egyptian civilization for what it was: the civilization that really set it all in motion, east and west.

The following review (below) was written Friday, Oct 22, 1999 for our Divine Rights Newsletter at Spiritweb. Today, we still know that "WALK LIKE AN EGYPTIAN" by Romona Louise Wheeler is the best Book we have ever read on Egypt! Throughout the book, Ms. Wheeler's personality blends history and humor to make reading fun and interesting.

At the time of the newsletter in 1999 we made a Special Review Web Page in honor of Ramona Louise Wheeler and her book.

Oct 22, 1999 REVIEW FOR "WALK LIKE AN EGYPTIAN"

Dear Friends and Family,

We are introducing to you the most balanced book on Egyptian Spirituality that we have ever read. The Author is gifted in presenting her unique insights into Ancient Egyptian history. "Walk Like an Egyptian" by Ramona Louise Wheeler could very well be the handbook for understanding Natural Spirituality, the Passion of the Egyptians and returning to the Golden Age.

With permission from Ramona Louise Wheeler we present Chapter one of "Walk Like an Egyptian" in two parts. Enjoy!

While I was searching for the origin of hypnosis (I don't believe that Anton Mesmer "invented" hypnosis -- hypnosis is a natural and common biological phenomenum), I bumped into this website and the author. The question I asked was "Did the ancient Egyptian have a specialized god like the Greek's Hypnos in charge of hypnosis?". No, but hypnosis was used all over in their daily life! They don't need a god to handle that job.

As a Chinese, I am, of course, very proud of the "very long 5000 years of Chinese histroy". However, there is always a curiousity -- is there someone else "older and greater" than our ancestors? Did the Chinese "invented" the concept of Yin and Yang (the dualism), where many "traditional believes and concepts" came from? ... etc.

This website, now the book, opened my eyes to see the what happend in the ancient world, and I enjoyed very much. Some of my personal misunderstandings about the Chinese "greatness" were shaken down, and make me more humble. I even wrote an article entitled "Walk Like a Smiling Egyptian", which was included in my first hypnosis book (in Chinese). And at the same time, this book confirmed my observations -- every religion was invented by someone(s) for a specific purpose, Christian believe is not an exception (I read the Bible from page one to the end 100 times when I was in college.), and every religion is like a biological species "on top of the earth" -- it evolved sometime in geological time, and multipled and then eventually died out.

If there is anything that I would suggest, I think this book should have some illustrations and heiragraphs. For example, what the Isis/Hathor, etc. look like? To an beginner to the field of ancient Egypt, I think these pictures/drawings visual illustrations are very important.

As for general book readers, I strongly recommand this excellent book -- if you dare to open up your frog-in-a-deep-well (a Chinese idom, meaning turnnel vision) mind.

When I read religion texts I have two preferred sources. The first are original translations and the second are works written by authors who have immersed themselves in original sources. Ramona Louise Wheeler's "Walk Like An Egyptian" is a wonderful work of the second type.

Most comparative religion texts often have problems. Either they are written with a view that is so Judaeo-Christian centric that they map other world views too close to their own or they are written from a philosophic view point that loses the spirit. "Walk Like An Egyptian" does not have these problems.

When I first started to read "Walk Like An Egyptian" I was struck by how rich the Egyptian philosophy was. No other book on Egyptian religion has done this for me. The discussion of the Egyptian nature of reality is a delight. "Walk Like An Egyptian" is much more then a dictionary of Egyptian gods and ideas. Ramona Louise Wheeler has taken the religion and mythology and, with her writing, has breathed live into it. No longer are these dead ideas.

There is also in "Walk Like An Egyptian" comparison of the Egyptian religion to other religions. I think some people will have problems with this. There will always be questions of when and how these ideas traveled in the old world or if the ideas developed independently. But this misses the big point and that is the ideas themselves. Clearly some of these ideas are similar to those seen in other religions and may be the source for some.

Anyway the bottom line is buy the book. Read it if you are not afraid of new ideas from an old source.

Walk Like An Egyptian is a compelling and informative survey of ancient Egyptian philosophy and religion. Chapters are devoted to basic concepts of reality and the human soul; the essential Egyptian view of the self; the role and symbolism of ancient Egyptian deities, and much, much more. Walk Like An Egyptian is a highly valued contribution to New Age studies and will prove of immense interest to students of Egyptology, philosophy, metaphysical studies, and the meaning of the self.

I read this years ago when I was in Junior High. I am so glad they are reprinting it. As I remember I was the only one who bothered to read it and I felt as if I had found a treasure. This is a great gift for a boy that he will remember for life. I look forward to reading it again myself.

I was thirty when I picked up this book and I can tell you truely it was one of the best reads I have ever had.

The story is compelling, the characters are real and it just works on every level.

Fathers out there, are you looking for a good series for your sons to read? Then this is it. Don't worry, I haven't forgotten the girls but I just think boys will get very valuable lessons from this book about courage, comraderie and how adversity builds character.

Buy this series!!

My mother gave my my copy of this book when I was about [...]. I thought it was really cool because my grandfather wrote it -- no kidding, I really am Paul L. Anderson's grandson.

Then I read it, and I discovered just what a wonderful story it is. Mandorix is a credible hero, and as the first-person narrator he weaves a tale at once compelling and educational. Along with the companion volumes in Anderson's Roman Life and Times series, this book motivated me to study Latin, a pursuit I still enjoy some 50 years after I first read of Gaius Iulius Caesar and Dumnorix, of Quintus Rufus and Carnifex, of the foppish Quintus Cicero and his magnificent stand against Ambiorix.

Hmm, I think it's probably about time for me to read it again. If you haven't yet read it, you could order it today and be reading it by this time next week.

With the Eagles was a great book, and it was great because this past school year we learned about Latin, Rome, Etc. The book takes place in B.C. 54. It's about Mandorix, an Aeduan, whose parents were killed, and his brother ans sister killed or enslaved. He joins Caesar's army and rises through the ranks gaining respect and the friendship of the lowest decurion to even the great Caesar. There are some great battle narrations, diagrams of roman bases, and tons of latin words and phrases. Have a good time reading it!

My father and uncle had this book when they were children, and my father gave it to me when I was in junior high school. It tells the story of a young man whose family was killed by bandits and is left alone in the world. He joins the Roman Legion, serves under Julius Caesar, and has exciting adventures. I reread it many, many times. In the story, virtue (including courage, industriousness, and resourcefulness) is rewarded, which gives it an uplifting message. I recommend the book highly: not only does it have a good story, but the author had researched the ancient Romans extensively and it goes a wonderful job of presenting history and Roman life in a palatable fashion.

Fortunately, this is but one book of a series! (The series is called Roman Life and Times, and some of the other books have been reissued-I believe "Swords in the North" is now available in paperback.)

This is a treasure of a book, with lively text and illustrations geared to pull the young reader into the world of yesteryear and many of its ancient cultures. In 1405, Admiral Zheng He led his fleet to an amazing number of ports around the world, creating trading routes and opening opportunities for modern commerce. Blended in are explanations of China's early inventions, boat building, the magnetic compass, navigation techniques, how to create diplomatic bonds with strangers, what was traded and how global trade developed at the hands of the Chinese and their partners, and more.

Bowler's roots as a teacher are on display. The reader is seamlessly transported into an ancient world, and made to think about how incredible these accomplishments must have felt to people without the modern conveniences we all take for granted. How to communicate among all the ships, navigate stormy waters, fight off pirates, and make friends with strangers in a language you do not share? Bowler entices her readers to think about how amazing all these accomplishments were.

Intricately detailed art work helps the reader visualize every day life, as well as different cultural characteristics of Africa, India, Siam (now Thailand), what we now call the Middle East, and of course, China. The artist shows homes, dress, animals, musical instruments, dinnerware and vases, food, plants, places of worship, boats, traded goods of different countries, and much more. The map at the end of the book helps the readers grasp the magnitude of the 35,000 miles of oceans traveled.

This book tells the story of many fantastic voyages of a visionary explorer in a way that should catch and hold the attention of the reader. What a terrific way to introduce an important piece of our global history and culture to primary and secondary school readers - as well as their parents!

If you've dreamed of sailing in a lovely wooden ship around the world and exploring strange new land, be advised one emperor of early China dreamed of just such adventure - and achieved it! Years before European ships rounded the tip of Africa. "Adventures of the Treasure Fleet: China Discovers the World" is a picturebook recounting the true story of Admiral Zheng, who sailed on seven far-reaching expeditions five hundred years ago, at the behest of the Chinese emperor. Zheng's exploits fighting pirates, discovering new lands, and captaining the legendary "Treasure Fleet" make for a rousing adventure. Admiral Zheng He and his fleet of 'treasure ships' embarked on 7 different expeditions that sailed further than any thought possible - and continued the journey for over 28 years. Finely drawn and colorful pencil drawings by Singaporean artist Lak-Khee Tay-Audouard illustrate this amazing story, told in narrative format with additional historical facts mentioned at length on the bottoms of the pages. Highly recommended for public and children's library collections.

This beautiful, engaging book delighted my 6th grade history students! The art work is detailed and gorgeous. There are 2 stories told here. One is historical fiction. It tells of the adventures of the Chinese Admiral who set out to explore for his emperor. The bottom boarder of each page contains the historical information related to each fictional page.
My students enjoyed spening time examining the beautiful, detailed artwork on each page.
The artwork alone would hold a younger child's attention as the story was read aloud by a parent or teacher.
What did I love most about this book? It inspired my students to ask questions, make connections and have conversations about ancient history!

ADVENTURES OF THE TREASURE FLEET is much more than a picture book. It is a chapter in world history--85 years before Columbus--that is rarely told. How have we missed the 6'tall Admiral Zheng He's incredible voyages in 300 huge Chinese ships, each the size of football fields? And pirates too! Ann Martin Bowler's detailed research and Lak-Khee Ty-Auduoard's wonderful art have made history an exciting adventure!

This beautifully illustrated and written book opens American children's eyes to a fascinating epoch in Chinese history--the great sailing of the "Treasure Fleet" on its several voyages all through Southeast Asia, India, the eastern coast of Africa, and all the way to the Red Sea. Not only does it open a window onto China's rich history, it also provides an excellent geography lesson (thanks to some beautiful maps). Adults will enjoy reading it as well, especially since a "grown-up" history of these voyages is provided at the bottom of the pages. A superb effort!

Don't let the size of this book fool you---the point of reading is to understand and this is the best book I've read that puts Alexander the Great's campaigns together in a way that military professionals and casual readers can understand. Every war form we use today has its antecedent in the past--there is a lot to learn from the past if we take the time to reflect on it.

Warry shows some remarkable things--that Alexander's Army of 40,000 defeated a Persian Army of 600,000 and did it with almost no casualties because in ancient war shields defeated arrows and spears. The Macedonian phalanx--a formation of men with shields linked together would close on the enemy at foot speed led by Parmenio, while Alexander surged ahead with his cavalry and collapsed his enemy while the phalanx held the enemy. Think of how Commanders combined their arms in the film, Braveheart to see how Alexander waited until the time was right before placing himself and his Cavalry force at the critical spot to smash his enemy's structure. It was when enemy cohesion and formations collapsed---when they threw down their shields and ran---that the high casualties we usually associate with 1st Generation muscle-powered combat come from. That we are having too many casualties on the modern, automatic weapons fire swept battlefield, means its high time we re-examine the individual Soldier shield to recreate a phalanx capability today.

When Alexander confronted the walled island city of Tyre/Sidon he built siege engines on both ships and rolled across a causeway of land he built by throwing stones into the sea as foretold in the Bible in Ezekiel 26. Warry shows the siege in amazing detailed, color illustrations that enlighten without boring the reader as a dry "scholarly" book tends to do. He then marched across the known world at amazing march speeds--Warry describes the weaponry/equipment in great deatil--you'll notice the macedonians wore a "himation" which could be used both as a sleeping blanket and as a coat--there was no wasted weight being carried on the Soldier's back--a lesson we could stand to relearn today.

Reading Warry's book with its long-range and close-up maps and illustrations from ancient engravings and modern depictions is like an inter-active computer simulation of the battle---you can see both the "big" picture and the "little" picture, in short this book is a masterpiece. We need to re-evaluate our views that for a book to be "accurate" it has to be visually dull, especially in the computer age we live in where we can with hyperlinks go to an entire world of background information from all walks of life on any given subject.

Alexander 334-323 BC: Conquest of the Persian Empire (Campaign Series 7) by John Warry is one of the best of the Osprey Campaign Series. Unlike most to the other books, Alexander does not focus on a given battle or a series of battles, but on the almost decade long conquest of Persia and neighboring countries, such as parts of India. If one is looking for an overview of Alexander's conquests then there is probably no better book. The battles are described in such a manner as to acquaint the reader with the ins and outs and the maps are beyond excellent.

Warry does a fine job in explaining how 50,000 infantry and cavalry troops were able to defeat an empire with troops several times their number. Focusing on the the tactical brilliance of Alexander and the innovations in battle field technologies, the book explains why Alexander was victorious. It is written in a readable fashion and is a good place to start for anyone who is interested in the conquests of Alexander.

It is a very interesting book. But it is written from the Greeks point of view about the Persians. For examole, it is well accepted by modern historians that the Persian army was not 600,000 men and yet the author fails to mention this and just repeats the old fictional account that was passed on from the past. However, I recommend this book for anyone interested on ancient history and Alexander the great. But it is a bit bias.

If you want a comprehensive analysis, with explications of the army's and the leaders, with maps and graphics in color, explaining the tactics and strategies involved in this battles... THIS IS YOUR BOOK. Very simple to understand, and very complete review.

Also try "Cannae 216 B.C." - Hannibal's campaign against Rome, other excelent book

One of the better books of the Osprey Campaign series, this book gives a concise and yet fairly comphrehensive account of the strategies and tactics involved in the campaigns and battles of alexander the great. The key battles of the campaign are well illustrated and easy to follow. The book is an excellent and informative introduction to the full scope of Alexander's political, strategic, and tactical genius.

DK eyewitness books are some of the greatest non-fiction books around. The distinctive white background and high-quality photography gives this book an edge over any other nonfiction picture book. And -- these pictures are real! They're beautiful museum-quality photos of all things related to Ancient China, accompanied by informative captions and text.

Learn about Ancient China, its rulers, and its people. SEE the objects common to everyday life in Ancient China. If you know someone (young or old) who is fascinated by Ancient China, then you must introduce them to this book!

I purchase this book for my grandson. It's the good book. Thank to AMAZON!

this an interesting book i read DK books are the best non-fiction books.the book talked about all the emperors,first
emperor of china,great wall,the food,and the silk road.You
should buy this book it's really a good DK book.the price is
just 19.95 OR 15.95

This book report is about the world's oldest continuous civilization called China. From 221 B.C to A.D 1912 in China was combined under a great and powerful empire called the Qin Empire. Ancient China was remained untouched because it was apart by the huge a scorching deserts, mountain ranges, and the ocean. It was cut off from other cultures such as India, West Asia, and Europe. China's social structure was a main role in maintaining its national stability. What also helped China together was a great philosopher named Confucius who encouraged people to lead an ordered family way of life. Once in a while the Chinese empire experienced short periods of unrest and disunity and attacks from foreigners. During those times they changed the governments and they built many innovations and technological advances such as gunpowder, paper, printing, and industrial machinery. The Chinese people still used the same customs and traditions and stayed remarkably to today.

The first dynasty to leave historical record was the Shang Dynasty. Their kings ruled the greater part of northern China from 1650 to 1027 B.C., where the soil was fertile and had enough water from the Yellow River. The ruler of the dynasty was a priest or known as the Son of Heaven. He had to believe that his empire has to maintain good relations between our world and heaven. The Shang Dynasty had many slaves, but they rely upon the labor of their rural population. The peasant farmers cultivated the soil and took parts hunting for food and served as soldiers in the army.

Confucius believed that the early years of the Zhou dynasty were golden years of social harmony. During his lifetime, he saw growing disorder and saw reducing power in the dynasty. This fight became more and more turmoil, which led Confucius to develop a moral outlook. It was based on happiness, respect for elders, and strength in the family. He had a saying that a good ruler should set an example by dealing with people. In return, the people had to respect and obey their emperor. Confucius also believed that different families should be governed by common family relationships with a stable society. After Confucius encouraged ancestor worship because it strengthened families. Then the Chinese came to see themselves as a part of a greater family.

For three centuries of war marked a decline of the Zhou dynasty. This dynasty became unstable, so in 481 B.C. China was separated into seven warring states. The battles became large in scale with crossbowmen, cavalry, armored infantry, and chariots. During the war many men were killed and wounded. In 260 B.C. Sun Zi, a writer, wrote the Art of War, the world's oldest military handbook, which gave nobles practice of warfare. Eventually the northwestern state of Qin was victorious and united the feuding lords under one empire. The military began to decline and the civil service grew in importance and Confucianism came in.

During the 250 years of the Chinese empire was occupied a non-Chinese people from the north of the Great Wall. China prospered for 150 years of Manchu, Qin, and different rulers who ruled China. For the first time Chinese technology fell behind and France, Russia, and Japan began to bully the Qin empire. In 1912, ancient China was brining to an end of 2000 years of imperial history.

I recommend this Eyewitness Book: Ancient China because if learning about China in history class it can help you a lot. It has many captions you can read from and learn more just by reading it and the pictures shows you many things what were like and different paintings and sculptures. So whoever likes this may be smarter because they might learn something.

Ancient China was the best book dealing with China that I have so far read. It was intriguing how I learned, saw, and discovered many things in only about 65 pages. The beautiful photography gave the words life. This book proves excellence truly exists and gives the word perfection an even greater new meaning.

this is a great book for children. there are lots of fun activity's as, well as alot of info. your children and you will find many interesting things to do. if you have children you will want to buy this book.

This book introduces four cultures : the Egyptians, the Mesopotamians, the Nubians and the Hittites. The author accurately presents aspects of these civilizations such as history, geography, architecture, clothing, food, religion, writing and labor. Children will enjoy themselves and become part of these ancient worlds by easily following the instructions of the activities. These include constructing a boat, cooking ancient food, creating clothes, and writing on clay. All in all, it is a fun and informative book for children ages 9 to 12.

We use "Our Young Folks' Josephus" as our primary history spine which mentions all these cultures as they relate to Israel. What I like best about this book is that it covers cultures that are often not well represented in other books of this type, particularly the Nubians, Mesopotamians and Hittites. There are many craft activity guides available for Egypt, but nothing that I know of for these other cultures. The crafts are really well thought out and a lot of fun to do. They also have a lot of real learning value and are not just play. Our family highly recommends this book for the study of Ancient cultures.

So much more interesting than a textbook for our homeschool study of ancient history! This book covers not only the familiar Egyptian civilization but also several lesser-known yet equally important ones to whom we owe a great deal. For example, the Babylonians gave us our first written laws; the Sumerians gave us writing and the first real cities; the fierce Hittites discovered how to work iron. Children will remember what they learn in this book because the text is accompanied by recipes, crafts, and other activities. I recommend the Hittite Hummus myself.

This is a gem of a book.As an educator and child psychologist(and parent!),I welcome this exceptional addition to the literary field.Though its defined audience is 9-12 I found ANCIENT EGYPTIANS AND THEIR NEIGHBORS;AN ACTIVITY GUIDE full of ideas and interesting facts.I admit I did not attempt the activities,but the text itself is exceptional--thoughtful and beautifully written as well as meticulously researched.Broida concentrates on four ancient neighboring cultures revealing what their lives were like.The activities give the child an opportunity to become part of these cultures, greatly enriching the reading experience.Let's hope this is only the first of a series.Congratulations to a talentd,innovative and intelligent author.

Kahn offers the fragments of Heraclitus in solid translation, with an extensive and thoughtful commentary that both takes account of a great deal of secondary literature and provides the author's own valuable insights.

Kahn's approach to the interpretation of Heraclitus is orthodox but sensitive. He appreciates Heraclitus' intentional and artful prose style, including his use of ambiguity and wordplay to create a multiplicity of meanings in many of the fragments. He also gives proper attention to the resonance between fragments, often picking up an echo of a word or image from one fragment while interpreting another.

I enjoyed and learned much from Kahn's commentary, though I would rate his overall success at drawing a systematic Heraclitean worldview from the fragments a limited success at best. In this I think he is surpassed by Roman Dilcher and perhaps M.L. West as well. However, Kahn's command of the ancient material, the secondary literature (in several languages), and the history and culture of the ancient world in general, is truly impressive. His erudition serves the reader very, very well, opening up a wealth of other sources and making connections that only someone with such a mastery of classical and archaic literature can. I would also strongly advise interested folks to hunt down the hundreds of footnotes in his already weighty commentary, as they frequently provide a gem of a comment or an important bibliographical reference.

All in all, this book is essential for any serious study of Heraclitus. Its staying power is testament to Kahn's superb work. I personally feel deeply in Professor Kahn's debt for his fine volume, and I'm sure I'm not alone in this. My one and only complaint has to do with his decision to reorder the fragments and number them with Roman numerals...it's truly and deeply annoying, but if this is the only fly in the ointment, I suppose we can forgive Charles Kahn. A wonderful book.

Rather than Charles H. Kahn's 'The Art and Thought of Heraclitus: An Edition of the Fragments with Translation and Commentary' (ISBN: 052128645X), I would suggest that those who are interested in acquiring an edition of Heraclitus which gives them the Greek text with translation and commentary look for a copy of Philip Wheelwright's possibly more interesting 'Heraclitus' (ISBN 0199240221).

I would also suggest that the more scholarly inclined turn to Thomas McEvilley's 'The Shape of Ancient Thought: Comparative Studies in Greek and Indian Philosophies' (ISBN 1581152035) where, in Chapter Two, 'The Problem of the One and the Many,' they will find a fascinating treatment of Heraclitus which goes far beyond anything Kahn has to offer. On page 149 of this same book they will find a valuable footnote (92) which will provide them with a good idea of the quality (or lack of it) of Kahn's 'scholarship.'

As for the general reader who simply wants to read an English translation of Heraclitus, their needs will perhaps be better served by a book such as Guy Davenport's '7 Greeks' (ISBN: 0811212882) which gives an excellent translation of the complete fragments.

Davenport's translations really are superb and the 124 fragments he gives us, which are tragically all that remain of Heraclitus, take up a mere 12 pages of his book. As a bonus, the remainder of '7 Greeks' is devoted to equally fine translations of Archilocus, Sappho, Alkman, Anacreon, Diogenes, and Herondas.

Davenport's Heraclitus is pithy, pungent, and very much to the point:

16. "Awake, we see a dying world; asleep, dreams."

82. "Defend the law as you would a city wall."

97. "Life is bitter and final, yet men cherish it and beget children to suffer the same fate."

107. "Having cut, burned, and poisoned the sick, the doctor then submits his bill."

Another of Davenport's 7 Greeks, Diogenes, was for me a wonderful find and I'm still chuckling over this one:

Diogenes 109. "I've seen Plato's cups and table, but not his cupness and tableness."

The affluent student who simply must own every edition of Heraclitus should by all means acquire Kahn (and also McEvilley who translates and comments on many of the fragments). Others may find Davenport's translations adequate to their needs, somewhat more memorable than Kahn's, and his book better value for money.

One of the things that is most interesting to me about this book is the way it illustrates how we can know so much about someone whose main book is not available to us. By writing about nature in a way that emphasized the power of fire, war, and strife, Heraclitus produced a book that was so well known to ancient writers that many of them lifted ideas for their own purposes. This combination of the knowledge that we have from many sources produces a picture of the permutations that basic philosophy is prone to fall prey to in a history which never finds any particular idea useful for long. I find the application of such ideas most interesting in the field of deep politics, where the idea of "killing the killers," mentioned in connection with the riddle which Homer couldn't guess at the time of his death according to the tradition explained in this book, could be related to some modern despicabilities.

Devoid of all "Slave Morality" influences from Semitic thinking, Heraclitus is pure European thought at its finest. It's usually proclaimed, that all Western philosophies are but a footnote to Plato. I disagree. Even Plato is subjected to Heraclitus. These fragments shine through, and Charles Kahn does an excellent job of giving his opinions about each fragment without forcing them down your throat and proclaiming his opinions as 100% the ONLY way they can be understood (but, in my opinion, he makes a good case for this reasons). After reading these 123 fragments, you'll see that philosophers such as Plato through Hitler among others owe much of their thinking to this one man. An Excellent Read.

This text is not for the beginning student in philosophy or philology. As someone interested in the history of philosophy, works like this compilation/commentary by Kahn are always valuable. The aim of this text is to provide a method for organizing the fragments of Heraclitus' philosophy in a manner that differs from the original Diels-Kranz method. Kahn's translations are markedly different from the now standard translations of Kirk and Raven; the differences are intertwined with the method of organizing the order of the fragments. In assessing any particular fragment in this work, one should always consult the Kirk-Raven text on the Presocratic Philosophers, have at least a passing knowledge of Greek, have read some Heidegger, and know a good bit about the controversy surrounding the arranging of the fragments. The arrangement of Heraclitus' fragments is a project that is just as perilous as attempting to ascertain the order in which Plato wrote his dialogues. I don't particularly find this sort of lexicography to be very fruitful in terms of having definitive answers, but Kahn's arrangement here is very good at placing itself within the context of what has come before in the way of scholarship. Referring back to any particular fragment in Diels-Kranz or Kirk and Raven is easy because Kahn cross-references each of his numbered translations with their numbering systems. It is hard to challenge the authority of this work, but it is by no means the final word on Heraclitus.