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The ancient Near East is known as the "cradle of civilization" - and for good reason. Mesopotamia, Syria, and Anatolia were home to an extraordinarily rich and successful culture. Indeed, it was a time and place of earth-shaking changes for humankind: the beginnings of writing and law, kingship and bureaucracy, diplomacy and state-sponsored warfare, mathematics and literature. This Very Short Introduction audiobook offers a fascinating account of this momentous time in human history. 

This audiobook includes 19 summaries of the most important works of ancient times, from Genesis through the Greeks and Romans, up to modern times. It is a must-listen before delving into the individual works.

Lorsque la fumée sombre s'élève des temples de pierre, que les adeptes du culte de Dionysos se versent du vin d'un rouge profond, que les anciens philosophes discutent avec passion sur l'agora d'Athènes et que les cris de victoire d'Olympie retentissent au loin, vous n'êtes nulle part ailleurs, chers lecteurs, que dans le monde aux multiples facettes de la Grèce antique.

As the pandemic entered its second year, internationally renowned scholar and best-selling author Marcolongo discovers running. In this spirited, generous, and erudite book, she shares not only her scholarship but her own journey to understanding that a healthy body is a healthy mind. Why do we run? To what end all the effort and pain? The Greeks were the first to ask these questions and to wonder why we choose to measure ourselves against others; they were also the first to suspend war, politics, and the daily workings of the state to enjoy days' long public celebrations of athletic prowess.

Procopius held a position of esteem in Justinian’s empire as an advisor to the military commander Belisarius. He even wrote the official histories of Justinian’s military conquests, lauding both the emperor and his commander. But secretly… Procopius hated them both, so he wrote Anecdota, later known as Secret History, in private.

Traversing more than seven hundred years of Roman history, this book explores how everyday Romans swapped gossip, spread rumors, told jokes, and chanted protests about their emperors—activity that amounted to much more than idle chatter. Caillan Davenport uses ancient evidence, including letters, graffiti, and songs, to reveal how Romans engaged in politics outside the senate house or imperial council. He argues that the idea of the Roman emperor was shaped not only by the political powers granted to him but also by the debate taking place in the streets, churches, taverns, and markets.

When Alexander the Great arrived in Egypt, he overthrew the hated Persian overlords and was welcomed as a saviour. He repaid them by showing due reverence to their long-held traditions. After his death, as the Greek empire broke up and his closest advisers squabbled over the spoils, a Macedonian general named Ptolemy seized the Egyptian throne, ushering in a new dynasty that would last for 300 years. What followed was as dramatic and compelling as any period in Egyptian history.

Con la destrucción de Cartago, Roma se quedó sin un enemigo a su altura y con el Mediterráneo convertido en una suerte de lago privado. Solo una potencia podía interponerse en su destino: la propia Roma. Los años finales de la República estuvieron marcados por las conspiraciones, las guerras civiles y la transgresión de todos los límites legales. La sangre a borbotones de las legiones y de los políticos romanos marcaron los años finales de un sistema político que colapsó antes de evolucionar hacia un imperio que dominaría medio planeta.

La lágrima de Jantipa es un estudio de la Grecia clásica a partir de la palabra de los filósofos y su concepción de lo femenino, un ensayo histórico sobre la configuración de un pensamiento que suponía que las mujeres no debían ser educadas más allá de la labor matronalis y los deberes conyugales.

One of ancient Rome's most significant legacies is a legal framework for hereditary slavery. Under the Roman principle that would come to be known as partus sequitur ventrem (the offspring follows the womb), enslaved women bore enslaved children regardless of the identity of the child's father. For centuries, across the globe, this legal doctrine was invoked to justify control over enslaved women's reproductive labor.

Savage and bloodthirsty, or civilized and peaceable? The Celts have long been a subject of enormous fascination, speculation, and misunderstanding. From the ancient Romans to the present day, their real nature has been obscured by a tangled web of preconceived ideas and stereotypes.

Radical Antiquity takes you on a unique journey in search of anarchy, statelessness, and social experimentation in the Graeco-Roman world. Sweeping across the Mediterranean from the time of the first Olympic Games in 776 BCE until the emergence of Islam in 610 CE, Christopher B. Zeichmann introduces the listener to communities of escaped enslaved people, pirates, and religious sects—all of whom sought a more egalitarian way of life that avoided the coercion, hierarchy, and exploitation of the state.

Imagine you were transported back in time to Ancient Egypt and you had to start a new life there. How would you fit in? Where would you live? What would you eat? Where would you go to have your hair done? Who would you go to if you got ill, or if you were mugged in the street? All these questions, and many more, will be answered in this how-to guide for time travelers.

死の床に就いた桓武天皇．安定した皇位継承を願う彼の“遺言”は，歴史を大きく動かした．ポスト桓武の時代，血なまぐさい事件が起こるなか，藤原北家は幸運を引きつけ，類い稀な才覚と政治的嗅覚を持つ者たちが，天皇家との関係を深めてゆく．

Meditations by Marcus Aurelius offers profound insights into Stoic philosophy. In these writings, the Roman Emperor contemplates themes of virtue, resilience, and inner peace, guiding listeners on how to live a life of purpose and integrity.

Go beyond the popular stories of Greece, Rome, Egypt, the Inca, and the Maya, and uncover the rich diversity of people that are often overlooked. From the world's first peace treaty to daring expeditions across the Pacific, learn about twenty ancient and historic cultures from around the world that have had monumental impacts on our modern world.

يتناول الكتاب مصر وتاريخها القديم منذ حصن بابليون وفتح مصر والقاهرة الخديوية والطراز المعماري لها من رحابة الميادين، وما فيها من تماثيل، إلى الكباري والعمارات وتصميمها مثل عمارات ميدان طلعت حرب.. ومرورًا بمقاهي القاهرة وتاريخها منذ بداية ظهورها، ومرورًا بملاكها وأثر تلك المقاهي وروادها على الحركة الأدبية والسياسية لمصر، وخاصة مقهى ريش الذى هو جزء من ذاكرة مصر وحكاية مكان.

In Die Germania liefert Publius Cornelius Tacitus ein einzigartiges ethnografisches Porträt der germanischen Stämme. Der römische Historiker beschreibt Bräuche, Gesellschaftsstrukturen und Charaktereigenschaften – teils bewundernd, teils kritisch. Tacitus' Darstellung ist geprägt von Staunen, Klischees und politischem Kalkül – aber auch von echtem Interesse an einer Kultur, die dem römischen Imperium fremd, rau und faszinierend erschien.

Immaginate di partire assieme a Giulio Cesare e alle sue legioni. È il 58 a.C., la Gallia è una terra lontana, abitata da popolazioni bellicose, mai domate, che hanno già inflitto dolorose sconfitte ai Romani. Ma è anche una terra ricca e prospera. Giulio Cesare vuole conquistarla, per sé e per Roma, e per farlo è disposto ad affrontare ogni avversità: estenuanti marce nella neve e battaglie sanguinose, intrighi di palazzo e tradimenti, ponti da costruire e flotte da creare da zero, foreste che si dicono stregate e santuari con scheletri decapitati.

Discover timeless wisdom and profound reflections in Meditations by Marcus Aurelius, the Roman emperor and stoic philosopher. Written as a personal journal, this masterpiece offers an intimate glimpse into the mind of a leader striving to live virtuously amidst life's challenges.