Ancient Civilizations

The Ultimate Encyclopedia of Mythology

In the first half, author Arthur Cotterell describes the central mythical figures of classical Greece and Rome, the Celtic heroes and the Nordic gods. In the second part, author Rachel Storm expertly leads us through the powerful pantheon of gods and goddesses of the East from Ancient Egypt through Central Asia, to the dragon festivals of eastern lands. …

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By Steppe, Desert, and Ocean: The Birth of Eurasia

We live in a globalized world, but mobility is nothing new. Barry Cunliffe tells the story of how humans first started building the globalized world we know today. Set on a huge continental stage, from Europe to China, it covers over 10,000 years, from the origins of farming around 9000 BC to the expansion of the Mongols in …

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The Complete Dead Sea Scrolls in English: Seventh Edition (Penguin Classics)

A newly updated edition of the landmark translation by one of our greatest religious scholarsSince its publication in 1962, esteemed biblical expert Géza Vermes’s translation of the Dead Sea Scrolls has established itself as the authoritative standard. The original manuscripts, discovered in the Judean Desert between 1947 and 1956, completely transformed our understanding of the Hebrew Bible, early …

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Augustine of Hippo: A Biography

This classic biography was first published forty-five years ago and has since established itself as the standard account of Saint Augustine’s life and teaching. The remarkable discovery of a considerable number of letters and sermons by Augustine cast fresh light on the first and last decades of his experience as a bishop. These circumstantial texts have led Peter …

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Confronting the Classics: Traditions, Adventures, and Innovations

A National Book Critics Circle Award finalist, this is “the perfect introduction to classical studies, and deserves to become something of a standard work” (Observer). Mary Beard, drawing on thirty years of teaching and writing about Greek and Roman history, provides a panoramic portrait of the classical world, a book in which we encounter not only Cleopatra and …

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Who Was King Tut?

Ever since Howard Carter uncovered King Tutankhamun’s tomb in 1922, the young pharaoh has become a symbol of the wealth and mystery of ancient Egypt. Now, a two-and-a-half-year-long museum exhibit of Tut’s treasures is touring major cities in the U.S., drawing record crowds. This Who Was . . . ? is complete with 100 black-andwhite illustrations and explains …

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Egyptian Mythology: A Guide to the Gods, Goddesses, and Traditions of Ancient Egypt

From stories of resurrected mummies and thousand-year-old curses to powerful pharaohs and the coveted treasures of the Great Pyramids, ancient Egypt has had an unfaltering grip on the modern imagination. Now, in Egyptian Mythology, Geraldine Pinch offers a comprehensive introduction that untangles the mystery of Egyptian Myth.Spanning Ancient Egyptian culture–from 3200 BC to AD 400–Pinch opens a door …

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Ancient Book of Jubilees

Almost lost over the centuries, the Book of Jubilees was retrieved from the Ethiopic language, translated into English by R. H. Charles, and was recently found among the Dead Sea Scrolls. The Book of Jubilees is also called the Little Genesis, Book of Divisions, and the Apocalypse of Moses. It repeats the events of Genesis and Exodus from …

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Ancient Egypt Transformed: The Middle Kingdom

The Middle Kingdom (ca. 2030–1700 B.C.), the second great era of ancient Egyptian culture, was a transformational period during which the artistic conventions, cultural principles, religious beliefs, and political systems formed during earlier dynasties were developed and reimagined. This comprehensive volume presents a detailed picture of the art and culture of the Middle Kingdom, arguably the least known of …

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