Ancient Biography

Canadian botanist, biochemist, and visionary Diana Beresford-Kroeger's startling insights into the hidden life of trees have already sparked a quiet revolution in how we understand our relationship to forests. Now, in a captivating account of how her life led her to these illuminating and crucial ideas, she shows us how forests can not only heal us but save the planet.

In the years 434-454 A.D., the fate of Europe hung upon the actions of one man: Attila, king of the Huns. The decaying Roman Empire still stood astride the Western World, but it was threatened by a new force, the much-feared barbarian hordes. Attila was the one-man wrecking ball that helped put the final boot into Rome's decaying splendor.

Rumi's inspiring and deceptively simple poems have been called ecstatic, mystical, and devotional. To writer and activist Melody Moezzi, they became a lifeline. In The Rumi Prescription, we follow her path of discovery as she translates Rumi's works for herself - to gain wisdom and insight in the face of a creative and spiritual roadblock. With the help of her father, who is a lifelong fan of Rumi's poetry, she immerses herself in this rich body of work, and discovers a 13th-century prescription for modern life.

In his subtle and engaging investigation into the life and times of Jesus, Thomas Cahill shows us Jesus from his birth to his execution through the eyes of those who knew him and in the context of his time—a time when the Jews were struggling to maintain their beliefs under overlords who imposed their worldview on their subjects. Here is Jesus the loving friend, itinerate preacher, and quiet revolutionary, whose words and actions inspired his followers to journey throughout the Roman world and speak the truth he instilled.

The first monotheistic religion was born in ancient Persia, more than 2000 years before any other under the leadership of Zoroaster. As a lone philosopher and wanderer, Zoroaster traveled Persia to spread his teachings facing persecution, assassination attempts, and more. Dive into both Zoroaster's life and the beliefs of the faith practice Zoroastrianism, which is still alive today. Just as in ancient times, many practitioners are forced to survive persecution and violence in order to keep their cultural heritage alive.

Over 1500 years before Leonardo Da Vinci became the Renaissance Man, antiquity had its own in the form of Archimedes, one of the most famous Ancient Greeks. An engineer, mathematician, physicist, scientist and astronomer all rolled into one, Archimedes has been credited for making groundbreaking discoveries, some of which are undoubtedly fact and others that are almost certainly myth.

Geometry defines the world around us, helping us make sense of everything from architecture to military science to fashion. And for over 2,000 years, geometry has been equated with Euclid's Elements, arguably the most influential book in the history of mathematics. In The King of Infinite Space, renowned mathematics writer David Berlinski provides a concise homage to this elusive mathematician and his staggering achievements.

"Famous Men of Rome" features 29 stories covering the history of Rome from its founding to the last emperor. You will hear about the lives of Horatius, Camillus, Caesar, Cicero, and many others. The biographies of "Famous Men of Rome" are in chronological order and the whole book will bring you through the three stages of Ancient Rome: monarchy, republic, and empire.

Gaio Giulio Cesare è il personaggio più famoso della storia di Roma antica, nonché uno dei più noti condottieri di tutti i tempi. In suo onore vennero chiamati "Cesare" gli imperatori di Roma, gli imperatori tedeschi e gli zar russi. Eppure Cesare non fu mai imperatore o re. Nel corso degli ultimi, tempestosi anni della Roma repubblicana, fu cinque volte console, pontefice massimo per quasi vent'anni e dittatore.

Ferocious raids, heroic battles, larger-than-life leaders, and courageous explorers that changed the course of human history. From battle-ax-wielding tribes plundering the greatest cities of Europe to powerful kings and queens ruling their dominions with iron fists, the Vikings were some of the most feared and fearless figures in European history. Find the bravest heroes, the most menacing villains, and unbelievably awesome facts and myths inside this action-packed overview.

Dive into the Timeless Wisdom of History's Luminaries From the meditative alleys of Eastern philosophy to the resilient spirits of modern visionaries, "Wisdom of the Ages" offers a curated exploration into the profound insights and lessons from some of the most esteemed minds in human history. Why Read This Book? Universal Teachings: Traverse through time, uncovering the ageless truths that resonate even in today's complex world. Diverse Perspectives: Engage with a plethora of voices, from ancient philosophers like Plato to trailblazing scientists like Marie Curie, and from spiritual ...

Saint Peter, also known as Peter the Apostle, was one of the main figures of the early Christian Church. He began his life as a simple fisherman who caught fish in the Sea of Galilea, but one day, this fisherman became a “fisher of men” instead. In good time, he would help to form one of the largest religious movements the world had ever known, eventually giving his life to the cause when he was sentenced to death by crucifixion. Here, in this audiobook, we discover the life of Saint Peter from beginning to end.

Pompey, Caesar, Cicero, Brutus, Antony: the names resonate across thousands of years. Major figures in the civil wars that brutally ended the Roman republic, their lives still haunt us as examples of how the hunger for personal power can overwhelm collective politics, how the exaltation of the military can corrode civilian authority, and how the best intentions can lead to disastrous consequences. Plutarch renders these history-making lives as flesh-and-blood characters.

Constantine the Great was one of the most pivotal figures in the history of the Roman Empire and the widespread expansion of the Christian religion. This is in no way an understatement; Constantine was not only one of the last truly powerful Roman emperors, but he also successfully reconstituted the whole empire according to his vision of Rome’s future. He played the most significant role in transforming the Empire from a Greco-Roman pagan dominion into a bulwark of the Christian faith, granting for the first time real temporal power for the early Christian church.

1599 was an epochal year for Shakespeare and England. During that year, Shakespeare wrote four of his most famous plays: Henry the Fifth, Julius Caesar, As You Like It, and, most remarkably, Hamlet; Elizabethans sent off an army to crush an Irish rebellion, weathered an Armada threat from Spain, gambled on a fledgling East India Company, and waited to see who would succeed their aging and childless queen.

Marcus Licinius Crassus (115-53 BCE) was a modern man in an ancient world, a pioneer disrupter of finance and politics, and the richest man of the last years of the Roman republic. Without his catastrophic ambition, this trailblazing tycoon might have quietly entered history as Rome's first modern political financier. Instead, Crassus and his son led an army on an unprovoked campaign against Parthia into what are now the borderlands of Turkey, Syria, and Iraq, losing a battle at Carrhae which scarred Roman minds for generations.

Emperor Tiberius: Life and Reign offers a comprehensive and nuanced exploration of one of Rome’s most enigmatic emperors. Tiberius, who ruled from AD 14 to AD 37, has often been portrayed through the lens of his reclusive and autocratic later years, but this book aims to provide a balanced view, shedding light on both his achievements and controversies. From his birth into the prominent Claudian family and his early military successes to his complex relationships with Augustus and his mother Livia, Tiberius’ life is a tapestry of ambition, duty, and personal struggle. His rise to power ...

Sulla had become renowned in Rome as a general during the Jugurthine, Social, and Mithridatic Wars, but naturally he is now remembered for the gruesome acts committed during his tenure as Rome’s first lifelong dictator. Sulla’s unprecedented period of one-man rule is viewed by many historians as a means of re-establishing peace and order in Roman politics while safeguarding the Republican system from abuse by powerful individuals.

¿Quiso Julio César, el gran conquistador de las Galias y de las mujeres de sus enemigos y aliados, coronarse rey de Roma? ¿Fue Augusto, enfermizo y acomplejado, un gobernante maquiavélico? ¿Cómo se convirtió Tiberio en un tirano estrafalario recluido en la isla de Capri? ¿Qué enfermedad mental aquejó a Calígula para que llegara a convertirse en un dios psicópata? ¿Era Claudio tan estúpido como le pintan sus contemporáneos?

This brilliantly readable work of history tells the bizarre story of the Ottoman Empire as seen through the lives of its extravagant and tyrannical sultans. With their absolute power, their love of pomp, and their overwhelming venality and corruption, rarely has a great empire been ruled by such grotesque and awesome figures. For 400 years, they fought wars, terrorized their subjects, made Turkey into a great empire, and then allowed her to decline into ostentatious and impotent decay.