Ancient History Books

Awaiting his execution on trumpted up charges, Boethius attempts to reconcile his unjust sentence with concepts of "justice", "power", "happiness" and of course, "faith." Considered the first truly medieval philosopher, Boethius conducts a Platonic dialogue with Lady Philosophy, attempting to reconcile his Christian faith with the classical rationalist philosophy of Artistotle and Plato. What results is the first elucidation of "scholasticism" - and Boethius' conclusion that faith and reason are reconcilable.

Beyond the philosophical, I was struck by Boethius' resignation to his fate and his quiet confidence in the wrongs being righted. "No one can doubt that God is almighty" Philosophy began. "Certainly not, unless he is mad" I answered. "But nothing is impossible for one who is almighty." "Nothing." "Then can God do evil?" "No, of course not." "Then evil is nothing, since God, who can do all things, cannot do evil."

Both an excellent philosophical tract and a testament to the strength of human reason and belief, I highly recommend it.

_Here you find the unequivocal declaration that not riches, not high position, not fame, not physical pleasure are worth pursuing in-and-of themselves. Such things are of value only if they are obtained in the pursuit of the highest Good. This highest Good is demonstrated to be God. Moreover, Boethius points out that when evil men succeed in obtaining such goals over the righteous, then they cease to truly be men- they are beasts and subhuman. This is a refreshing reminder in the modern world, a world not unlike that of late Roman times.

_All happyness, all worth, all reason for being, lies in the One and the Good. Even when we commit immoral acts, it is a result of ignorance on our part in seeking this ultimate goal. Indeed, to turn from the quest of finding the One is to cease to exist at any meaningful level. There is no "fire and brimstone", or talk of eternal torment in hell here. There doesn't need to be. As long as you willfully or ignorantly stray from the Path then you are in hell. And to not find reconnection with the One and the Good is to cease to exist. All of our earthly existence is for the purpose of reawakening to our true nature. This truth lies within all of us and it is only reached by personal introspection (Know thyself.) Only in this way will we return to the eternal Source that lies beyond time itself.

_The consolation of the Consolatio lies in the fact that suffering serves a purpose if it puts us back on the true Path. Moreover, earthly recognition of virtue is irrelevent. God always recognises the man of virtue if the masses do not.

The truly amazing thing about this work is that it was written in PRISON as Boethius awaited execution (following judgment and conviction based upon spurious charges). Bearing that in mind as I read "The Consolation of Philosophy" (if anyone ever needed consolation, it was an innocent man awaiting his own death; Christians should be able to relate to that idea) made it all the more remarkable. If you ever feel that life isn't fair, that others have it "in" for you, that it's tough to get an even break, maybe reading this will put things in better perspective. If not, it won't be due to Boethius' shortcomings....

In his book, Mr. Capt discusses this question from the standpoint of Scripture and early church history. He also deals with such questions as: What will be the fate of those who "die in their sins," never having received the salvation provided by Christ? (This would include the vast majority of God's creation.) Will He confine them to a place of everlasting punishment to be tortured in a burning fire as most modern churches teach? As a Christian, I always wondered about that. It didn't seem to be fair. Not every person has the same opportunities to know about Christ, either because of his place of birth, his family situation, etc. Mr. Capt presents compelling arguments to prove that the very character of God (perfect justice, mercy and love) would not permit this gruesome punishment. What, then, will be their ultimate fate? This subject is also dealt with at length in the book, and the answer will bring both hope and comfort to many people.

God, as our Father, and we, as His children set an example for our own earthly parent/child relationships. Mr. Capt presents a valid argument that a good, loving earthly parent administers punishment (correction) in order to bring about repentance and restoration to obedience. A father would never torture his child for his entire life for disobedience. God, our Father, being perfect goodness and love would do no less to us, His children. Mr. Capt demonstrates that the doctrine of hell fire had its roots in pagan religions and cannot be backed up by a thorough study of Scripture. Other convincing evidence is presented to show the error of this doctrine. It is well worth reading his book, but be ready to be challenged about what you have always been taught in modern churches concerning eternal punishment in a fiery hell.

This is a book everyone calling themselves christians should read and find out for the first time what a real loving God is instead of a monstor.

Seamus Heaney's version of trials for the Greek archer entrusted with Hercules' infallible bow and arrows gives us affirmation and points of reflection. Heaney does not dash the ancient dialogue style on the rocky island; rather it is enriched for the modern reader. Honoring the timelessness of Sophocles, Heaney allows today's reader to make comparisons of private nature and choices with the public need and will. The hero, Achilles' son, Neoptolemus, finds that the strategy to take Troy for the Greeks runs counter to his nature of honesty and integrity. We wrestle with him over the choices. We tumble with him when he loses his grip. We crawl back to sure footing along side the hero. I found myself understanding the characters based on different experiences in my life. Philoctetes bemoans his ill-fated injury which leaves him abandoned and full of vengeance. Human empathy allows him to examine his tight grip on his woundedness without denying what he has endured. Odysseus, the pragmatic lieutenant of war, is shown for his utility and foibles. As in all Greek plays, the chorus calls the characters and the reader to reflection, "...For my part is the chorus, and the chorus is more or less a borderline between the you and the me and the it of it." Heaney got the "it of it" for us to take our own measure.

Seamus Heaney pulls through again with his brilliant translation of Sophocles' Philoctetes. The tragic story of the forgotten hero, Philoctetes, provides a unique insight into the conflicts between personal moral beliefs and political calling. Odysseus persuades the heroic Neoptolemus into tricking the mamed Philoctetes into giving up the bow of Hercules. This act challenges the admired traits of the ancient world and draws into question the importance of personal beliefs. As each character represents a different aspect of the Greek world, a fight for beliefs - fidelity, pity, piety - endures. As for the translation itself, Heaney provides a beautiful interpretation of the story as seen in the words of the chorus:

History says, Don't hope
On this side of the grave.
But then, once in a lifetime
The longed-for tidal wave
Of justice can rise up,
And hope and history rhyme.

This enriched translation strays slightly from the ancient text in order to enhance the understanding of the modern reader. Overall, this fast-moving play entices and enchants through a lyrical harmony like no other. Bravo, Seamus. Bravo.

"The Cure at Troy," translated by Seamus Heaney offers a delightful translation of Sophocles' "Philoctetes." With a compelling tale from anchient times layed out before him, Heaney applies colloquial speach diction to the play. This accessability offers the audience a window into the basic moral struggle occuring at the heart of the work. A finly crafted story draws the reader to the characters. A worthwhile read.

This is an excellent book on Egyptology. It has a more personal narration then most books on Egypt--partly due to the authors use of first person narrative and partly due to his passion and enthusiasm on the subject. The effect is the reader takes more then just a factual view of data surrounding stories of Curses in Egypt but rather a personalized look at Archaeology. This is an excellent book for any school aged child weather he is interested or not in Archeology.
This book starts out with and introduction about Zahi Hawass and some of the sites he has worked on including the tombs of the pyramid builders. He then goes into talking about Tutankhamun and how the rumors of a curse began. He then describes some of the information known about ancient grave robbers as well as his own experiences with the curse.
The Appendix in this book is amazing. It has 5 parts:
*Tips for becoming and Archaeologist - This is a good guide for children who dream of following in Dr. Hawass's footsteps.
*Tracing Egypt's glorious past--One of the best brief Chronologys of the periods and kingdoms of Ancent Egypt.
*How mummies were made--this was one of the few spots that was a bit dry.
*Gods and Goddesses of Ancient Egypt--While this section is not compleate (there were I think thousands of different Gods and Goddesses) it does provide a brief description on 17 of the major ones.
*Glossary--Basic glossary of terms used in the book.

Excellent book. Informative for adults and children. Our 8 and 10 year old sons read this book in preparation for viewing the King Tut exhibit. It was a great introduction to Egypt, the pharaohs, and archaeology. The author was a speaker on the audiotape and featured in the end of the exhibit. Highly recommended.

Well written and easy to read. Would be a good book to get children interested in the pharoahs. Wonderful pictures.
Ginny J

I found this book by accident at my local library while looking for books on the fall of Rome for a college paper. The librarian told me it was in the children's section, but that the author's books are so well written and highly documented that adults can use them too. And she was right. This book contains a wealth of information about gladiators, chariot races, and other Roman games, all done in a methodical, thorough, but consistently entertaining manner. Extensive footnotes, a good many of them informational, and a large bibliography add to the value of the volume. Meanwhile, I discovered that the author, Don Nardo, has written extensively about Rome's fall. His Decline and Fall of Ancient Rome (which borrows its title from Edward Gibbon's masterpiece), is also excellent and I plan to review it separately.

The best general non-scholarly overview of ancient Roman games I have seen so far. It's positively crammed with information even though it's a small book. The author does a really nice job of weaving in quotes by ancient authors, such as Ovid, Cicero, and others, which makes the text more interesting and also more authoritative. As an overall comment, I would call it excellent and extremely well researched and well written.

If you saw the recent movie "Gladiator" and happen to know a few things about real ancient Roman gladiators, as I do, then you were probably just as disappointed as I was. Most of the gladiator fights in the film were not accurately staged, especially the way they showed one guy taking on four or more opponents at a time, which rarely happened, if it happened at all! Anyone who wants to know what these fights were really like should pick up this book. It tells what the fights were really like and includes numerous fascinating deatils about the different types of gladiators. There were several that most people have never heard of, including ones that fought blind-folded!! The author also goes into the way the gladiators dressed, and the way Roman society both looked down on them as low lifes but also cheered them as heroes. The author also points out the movies that did accurately show gladiator fights, "Spartacus" and "Demetrius and the Gladiators" both of which I have seen and agree completely with him. And that's only part of the book. It also goes into the chariot races and mock naval battles and wild animal fights and more!! Unfortunately the book is short for someone like me who wants to know even more on the subject. But the author lists lots of books in the back and I am reading one of these now, "Gladiator" by Micahel Grant, which is also very informative.

Not just one discovery...there are so many discoveries inside of every chapter! The Deeper Truth is a fitting title. The writing is excellent, it flows from one subject to the next beautifully, and there is so much information packed neatly and tightly in. The first four chapters are absolutely brilliant. It is the kind of book you read over and over again. I have just started reading it for the second time around and I am finding things I didn't catch the first time. Highly recommended to alternative thinkers, Masons, as well as mainstream philosophers and theologians.

Mr. Cassaro offers plausible conclusions reached by logically piecing events step by step, completing one possible puzzle that encompasses all of mankind's moral existence on Earth. An easy walkthrough for an inquiring and open mind.

The deeper truth opened my eyes to a new horizon among the ancient egyptian civilization and religon. I enjoyed the authors style of writing and how he tyed Christianity, Muslim, and Judiasm and how they point towards the ancient egyptians. I also learned alot of interesting relations between Jesus and Osiris

This is a fantastic reference guide. Grimal does a wonderful job of giving you a background on all sorts of mythological creatures, characters and other stuff. He doesn't give just a one or two sentence definition, but rather adjusts the length of the definition to the importance / significance of the subject matter. If you're looking to buy a classical dictionary, you need not look any further than this one!

I bought this for my classics class at university and it is fabulous!! The information helps me to learn the background of characters as I am new to this subject and it is great to have a helping hand!
You can get some of these pages online but it is so much easier to flick through it in person, I totally recommend buying this.

I recently became intersted in Greek and Roman mythology. This is a great book for anyone who wants to get more information on this great subject! If you want an awesome book and the gods and goddesses of the past, then buy this book!

There aren't many titles about the Venus de Milo, and far fewer in English yet.

Gregory Curtis has written an entertaining and informative book that tells more than the usual cut and dry history and dates for the Venus de Milo. He has written a book that introduces a whole range of characters that had a direct influence on the statue from the time of her discovery on Milos through her arrival at the Louvre and her subsequent history.

I've always fancied myself as an armchair student of the Venus, but learned some new and fascinating things.

The book is a breeze to read. I only wish there had been many more illustrations and preferably some color shots.

Mr. Curtis is convincing in his opinion that the somewhat rough and crude arms found with the statue were probably the originals, but unfortunately, there is no illustration to show how the statue would have looked when she was finished.

This will make an excellent addition to art history libraries and enthusiasts bookcases everywhere.

What a remarkable book, especially for a "first-time" author! There is so much fascinating information contained in the space of 200 pages, it's a tribute to Mr. Curtis (and his editor) that he was able to sandwich everything in - and to keep the sandwich neat and tidy. The book is a joy to read, from when the statue is uncovered by a farmer on the Aegean island of Melos right up until the final flourish, when Mr. Curtis presents his conclusions concerning who sculpted the Venus, when it was done, and what makes the statue a great piece of art. At first, there was a dispute about who was going to get possession of the Venus - the Turks or the French. Mr. Curtis explains why it was so important for the French to bring home this prize: Greek works were considered the epitome of art, if they were from the classical period (around the 4th century B.C.). It was thought that you could do no better than to imitate what the Greeks had done, and the best way to imitate the Greeks was to have their works where your own artists could study them, copy them, and gain inspiration from them. The British had the famous Elgin marbles and the Vatican had the Apollo Belvedere (which was removed from the Louvre and returned to Italy after Napoleon's final defeat), so it was very important to the French that they "bring home the bacon" and get the Venus to Paris. Mr. Curtis did extensive research and it really shows: in addition to the story of the Venus, we learn a lot about Greek society, including the role of women and female sexuality. Mr. Curtis also gives us a crash course in Greek mythology (we need this information in order to understand his conclusions about why the statue was located where it was, its purpose, and what position the missing arms would have been in and what they were doing). The author also gives us a blow-by-blow description of the "battles of the scholars." French scholars were desperate to prove that the sculpture came from the "right" (classical) period and was not carved at a later date. (This was due to the huge influence of a thinker named Johann Winckelmann, who stated that Greek art from after the classical period was inferior.) Battling against the "French School" was the highly respected Adolf Furtwangler, who concluded (based on physical evidence found at the same site where the Venus had been unearthed) that the statue was created during the Hellenistic period, sometime around 100 B.C. This argument seems silly to us - after all, if the Venus is a great work of art, what's the difference? But it points out the importance of historical context and frames of reference. At that time, it was important to the cognoscenti that the sculpture have the right pedigree. This all allows Mr. Curtis to have a lot of fun showing us the mental "loop-the-loops" the various scholars went through trying to prove they were right and their opponents were wrong. This included much wishful thinking and groundless speculation, in addition to selective use of the available data. (Does this sound surprisingly modern to anyone out there?) Another section of the book I really enjoyed was where Mr. Curtis explained how the Venus de Milo would have been displayed back at the time she was created. Based on standard practice of the time, she would have been adorned with bracelets, earrings and a necklace; her hair would have been painted blonde and her lips would have been painted red; likewise, her drapery would have been painted. Mr. Curtis explains that nowadays we would think all of this would ruin the statue, but to the Greeks it all would have made her more lifelike. Over the years many people were involved with the story of the Venus de Milo, and the author doesn't miss out on the chance to humanize the story by letting us in on their idiosyncrasies. For example, one of the Frenchmen who went to Melos to try and get possession of the statue after the discovery was the comte de Marcellus. He was very eager to sail to the island, but not because he was an art lover. He had happened to see a beautiful girl in a painting by a Viennese painter by the name of Johann Ender. Marcellus was obsessed with the girl in the painting, and found out from Ender that she lived on Melos. So, Marcellus was interested in beauty - but not of the inanimate kind! The aforementioned Furtwangler was also a rather interesting specimen - he proposed to his future wife, Adelheid Wendt, on the first night he met her. As with many brilliant men, Furtwangler had no use for brains that he perceived as operating at a lower wattage. Thus, he referred to a fellow scholar as a "complete ignoramus" and he was never happier than when he was able to pick out a museum's prize piece and label it a fake. The book is full of people such as Marcellus and Furtwangler - brilliant, odd, and entertaining. There is one last thing I should mention: the title of my review refers to the artist who sculpted the Venus, a Greek man named Alexandros of Antioch. He also wrote poetry, and composed and sang songs. Those works are all lost to us, but we still cherish his greatest creation.

The Venus de Milo has become a symbol of great art, as well as kitsch. It has been used in advertising throughout the world because of its ease of recognition. While everybody knows the identity of the statue almost immediately, few know the story of its discovery, transport from Melos in Greece to the Louvre, and the controversy that followed. Gregory Curtis has given "flesh" to the marble by his often masterful descriptions of the actions of a few all too human men who were associated in some way with the statue after its discovery. From Voutier, who actually recognized the stature as something of value after it had been discovered by a local farmer, through d'Urville who successfully took credit for the discovery, to Reinach and Furtwängler who argued over the history of the Venus, the story is one of intrigue and curiously eccentric people.

We now know the Venus was a Hellenistic rather than a classical Greek sculpture. French pride kept that truth from emerging for many years, but also it was burdened with the idea that Hellenistic art was inferior. Indeed, so set was this idea that anything of such notable merit as the Venus must have come from the studio of a great of the classic age of Greece. The inscription found with it on an associated piece that fit the base had to thus be unassociated! Wishful thinking is a hallmark of humanity!

This is a well-written piece and should find readership with those who like to not only appreciate art, but to understand its history as well.

It never fails to mystify me that people will take a very old work of quasi-scholarship by an amateur and decide that it puts all later, more professional scholarship on it's head, simply because it tells them something they like. Put this book in the context of its creation and it's a fascinating view into late 18th/early 19th century views of the past, religion, the evolution of man, etc. Otherwise, your entire argument rests on the dubious notion that some person just happened to know something, some group of facts that no one else did or has since, and so they are speaking "truth" and all the many others, trained, practiced, and informed to a level unimagined by the amateur are somehow just deluded. Let's not forget the enormous amount of archaeological and linguistic data we have accumulated in the past 200 years, or the development of better methodologies for understanding one's own biases.
And by the way, Joseph Campbell's career, if you will, had its genesis in Jung and a lot of reading in Sanskrit texts, not 18th and 19th century armchair social science.

Together with Thomas Wrights, Worship of the Generative Organs in Medaevil Western Europe, an almost complete picture is drawn displaying how much embedded religion can endure despite duress. I believe it is from this model, and that of Alexander Hislop, that Joseph Campbell built the foundations of his prolific career. The importance of symbols in ancient culture was absolute. To an illiterate populace, or one without written language for that matter, symbols of worship were a unifying commonality (as well, a method of control by those who interpretted those symbols) as much as language and media are to cultures today. The glaring question remains though. How could the widespread practice of one religion with exact means of worship occur considering the current stance of historians and anthropologists? If one were to weigh the evidence with the scales of scientific reasoning the balance would surely tip in favour of the opposition to the modern understanding of cultural derivation. Read it. Enjoy it. See its relevancy today.

A complete study of the practice of sexual superstition in ancient times and during the middle ages. A classic work.

I loved this book. It was soooooooooo cool. But, maybe that's just my opinion. Everyone reading this reviw should stop, and read the book instead; then tell me what you think.

Though this is a short book (only 112 pages) , Joyce Filer has packed it with information. She opens with a chapter on the effect of the environment on Egyptian health. Egypt had a "remark-able landscape." The Nile was its focal point. Unfortunately it was this close contact with the Nile that led to contact with parasites in its waters.

The evidence for the existence of disease is often the surviving art of the people. Yet art can be subject to ideology. Akhenaten is thought to have Froehlich's Syndrome. He is portrayed with feminine atributes. But those who suffer from this malady can _not_ have children and Ahkenaten had six. At this point the expression "go figure" comes to mind.

In addition to disease due to the environment, there are congenital diseases, acquired disorders, and trauma. Seqenenre is the pharaoh who rid his country of the Hyksos. His mummy shows six wounds. Did he suffer these during battle? X-ray analysis shows that bone around one of the wounds had partially healed. So did Seqenenre die of palace intrigue?

Two things need to be said about Filer's book. First of all, the reader will not need a medical dictionary to follow along. Filer does a good job of explaining medical terms. Don't know what anencephaly is? See page 63.

Second of all, the reader may ponder the causes of death then and now. Then...in ancient Egypt sand was used to help grind wheat. Since it could not be sifted back out, it became part of the bread. Egyptians developed abscesses which could become fatal infections. Filer mentions (p. 76) that tumors were a feature of the elderly. Now... our longevity has been increased and we face those diseases which Filer found in the elderly.

Illnesses, such as tuberculosis, leprosy, malaria, teeth infections and bone diseases, were part of the ancient Egyptian life. Thanks to evidence provided by mummies, papyri and painting, this book, written clearly, presents many of the health problems encountered in Ancient Egyptian society. The author gives an account of sicknesses and infections afflicting pharaohs, peasants, dwarves and court officials. This is an interesting slim volume, which proves to be most practical for students.