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THE MYTHS AND LEGENDS OF ANCIENT GREECE AND ROME (non illustrated)

E. M. Berens

The Greeks believed that the mental qualifications of their gods were of a much higher order than those of men, but nevertheless, as we shall see, they were not considered to be exempt from human passions, and we frequently behold them actuated by revenge, deceit, and jealousy. They, however, always punish the evil-doer, and visit with dire calamities any impious mortal who dares to neglect their worship or despise their rites. We often hear of them visiting mankind and partaking of their hospitality, and not unfrequently both gods and goddesses become attached to mortals, with whom they unite themselves, the offspring of these unions being called heroes or demi-gods, who were usually renowned for their great strength and courage. But although there were so many points of resemblance between gods and men, there remained the one great characteristic distinction, viz., that the gods enjoyed immortality. Still, they were not invulnerable, and we often hear of them being wounded, and suffering in consequence such exquisite torture that they have earnestly prayed to be deprived of their privilege of immortality. (non illustrated)

Cleopatra and Antony: Power, Love, and Politics in the Ancient World

Diana Preston

On a stiflingly hot day in August, 30 B.C., the thirty-nine-year-old Queen of Egypt, Cleopatra, took her own life, rather than be paraded in chains through Rome by her conqueror, Octavian, the future emperor Augustus. A few days earlier, her lover of eleven years, Mark Antony, had died in her arms following his own botched suicide attempt. Oceans of mythology have grown up around them, all of which Diana Preston puts to rest in her stirring history of the lives and times of a couple whose names—more than two millennia later—still invoke passion, curiosity, and intrigue.

This book sets the romance and tragedy of Antony and Cleopatra's personal lives within the context of their political times. There are many contemporary resonances: the relationship between East and West and the nature of empire, the concealment of personal ambition beneath the watchword of liberty, documents forged, edited or disposed of, special relationships established, constitutional forms and legal niceties invoked when it suited. Indeed their lives and deaths had deep political ramifications, and they offer a revealing perspective on a tipping point in Roman politics and on the consolidation of the Roman Empire. Three hundred years would pass before the east would, with the rise of Constantinople and the Byzantine Empire, once again take a share of political power in the Mediterranean. In an intriguing postscript, Preston speculates on what might have happened had Antony and Cleopatra defeated Octavian at the Battle of Actium in 31 B.C.

Ancient Rome: from the earliest times down to 476 A. D.

Robert Franklin Pennell

FROM THE EARLIEST TIMESDOWN TO 476 A.D.

The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire (Volume II of VI)

Edward Gibbon

Inspired during a trip to Rome to write a work that would come to define a large portion of his life, Gibbon proceeded to write one of the most ambitious histories in the English language. "The History" is an epic narrative, comprised of six volumes, that covers thirteen centuries of Roman history. Beginning after Marcus Aurelius in 180 and concluding in 1453, Gibbon provides both the broad pattern and the illuminating details of this time period, covering an enormous number of characters and topics with insightful precision. The general objective of this history is to mark the gradual fall of the Roman Empire, stating many reasons for Rome's decay, from political decisions to religious behavior. Published between 1776 and 1788, "The History" has all of the detached irony and objective quality of eighteenth century prose, and it is additionally praised for its extensive and accurate use of reference materials. Gibbon's use of citations became the precursor to today's footnotes, providing entertaining commentary on both ancient Rome and the Great Britain of his own time. Now called the 'modern historian of ancient Rome,' Gibbon's bold work has become the model of most modern historians. Contained here is volume II of VI, representing chapters XVI through XXVI and is extensively annotated by H. H. Milman.

History of Julius Caesar

Jacob Abbott

Notes: This is an OCR reprint. There may be numerous typos or missing text. There are no illustrations or indexes. When you buy the General Books edition of this book you get free trial access to Million-Books.com where you can select from more than a million books for free. You can also preview the book there.

Death on a Wind: The Numidians of the Second Punic War

Charles King

Charles R. King utilizes his academic education in physics and classical history to apply an original quantitative and empirical face to the study of one of the most celebrated and feared elements in classical history, the Numidian Cavalry. Accessible to both the professional historian and the buff, this 20 page analysis enables the reader to approach the Numidians of the Second Punic War from a new and different outlook and even allows the reader to understand how they fought and why they were so effective and devastating to the Romans. The author utilizes primary sources and examination of the weapons and society of the Numidians to provide unique insights.

Charles R. King's specific area of interest has always been the Roman Republic period and the Punic Wars which have fascinated him since childhood. This work not only utilizes his education and academic background, but also takes advantage of his experience as a career military officer and of physical visits to many of the significant sites of the Punic Wars.

PLUTARCH: Lives of the noble Grecians and Romans (Complete and Unabridged)

Plutarch

The complete text of Clough's edition of Plutarch's Lives; containing fifty lives and eighteen comparisons.

The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire (Volume VI of VI)

Edward Gibbon

Inspired during a trip to Rome to write a work that would come to define a large portion of his life, Gibbon proceeded to write one of the most ambitious histories in the English language. "The History" is an epic narrative, comprised of six volumes, that covers thirteen centuries of Roman history. Beginning after Marcus Aurelius in 180 and concluding in 1453, Gibbon provides both the broad pattern and the illuminating details of this time period, covering an enormous number of characters and topics with insightful precision. The general objective of this history is to mark the gradual fall of the Roman Empire, stating many reasons for Rome's decay, from political decisions to religious behavior. Published between 1776 and 1788, "The History" has all of the detached irony and objective quality of eighteenth century prose, and it is additionally praised for its extensive and accurate use of reference materials. Gibbon's use of citations became the precursor to today's footnotes, providing entertaining commentary on both ancient Rome and the Great Britain of his own time. Now called the 'modern historian of ancient Rome,' Gibbon's bold work has become the model of most modern historians. Contained here is volume VI of VI, representing chapters LIX through LXXI and is extensively annotated by H. H. Milman.

Ancient Rome: The Rise and Fall of an Empire

Simon Baker

Ancient Rome is the story of the greatest empire the world has ever known. Focusing on six turning points in Roman history, Simon Baker's absorbing narrative charts the rise and fall of the world's first superpower—a political machine unmatched in its brutality, genius, and lust for power. From the conquest of the Mediterranean in the 3rd century BC to the destruction of the Empire at the hands of barbarian invaders 700 years later, we discover the pivotal episodes in Roman history. At the heart of this account are some of the most powerful rulers in history: men like Julius Caesar, Augustus, Nero, and Constantine. Putting flesh on the bones of these legendary figures, Baker looks beyond the dusty caricatures to explore their real motivations, ambitions, intrigues, and rivalries. Accompanying a landmark BBC television series, Ancient Rome is a fresh, fast-paced account that addresses themes as relevant today as they were 2,000 years ago.

Meditations (Penguin Classics)

Marcus Aurelius

It was during his campaigns against the barbarians that the Roman emperor, Marcus Aurelius, wrote his famous "Meditations". They record the passing thoughts, the maxims and the musings on life and death of a sensitive and humble mind which had been trained in that stoic philosophy which contributed so much to Christianity. In this translation from the scholarly Greek in which Marcus kept his private journal, Staniforth gives us a simple and straightforward version of a work which has often been compared to "the imitation of Christ".
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