Ancient Biography

The story of the ancient Church is one of a people who were finding their way over many years by the light that God shined forth for them. Today, we are looking back over the centuries with many more years of understanding but we stand on the shoulders of those who braved persecution, death, debate, and mystery on behalf of generations to come.

Some say he was the greatest warrior in history, building an empire that extended from Europe to Africa and on to India and Central Asia. In a stirring narrative, famed historian John Gunther tells the story of Alexander the Great who, at only age 21, became King of Macedonia and set off on a 12-year journey to conquer the known world and extend the boundaries of Greek civilization.

Apart from Jesus, there is no character more vividly presented in the gospels than Peter. To talk of Saint Peter is to talk about a man of action. There is a good reason why he is the apostle with the most mentions in the Gospels, and the most referred to in the New Testament (a total of 195 times). In comparison, John, the next most popular disciple, barely reaches 29 references. It is at decisive moments which require a categorical reaction where the leader of the Twelve shines.

The Pharaoh Akhenaten was one of the most enigmatic people in ancient Egyptian history. Perhaps even in all of history. Often referred to as the heretic King, Akhenaten changed everything about Egypt, from the way religion was practiced to the art. Perhaps the most striking change was the art. He was often depicted with odd physical characteristics. These characteristics were not just relegated to his statuary, but to Akhenaten and his family as well.

The Babylonians were one of the earliest of history's great ancient civilizations, and the most famous Babylonian of them all was Hammurabi, who came to the throne as the first king of the Babylonian empire around the beginning of the 18th century B.C. Hammurabi had a long and fruitful reign that saw him consolidate most of Mesopotamia under his control, but he's best known today for Hammurabi's Code, one of the earliest known code of laws in human history.

What does it mean to be great? There have been many that have come through the sands of time proclaiming their own greatness. We see it in the news every day - leaders, heroes, tyrants, and even reality star presidential candidates claim that they are great. But what about Alexander the Great?

Una biografía completa del padre del imperio romano que resalta además los aspectos menos tratados de Julio César como su importancia como literato o su labor en Hispania. La vida de Julio César es una de las más apasionantes de todas las grandes personalidades de Roma: su ascenso social, sus conquistas, su capacidad como administrador, el complot que acabó con su asesinato y en el que participó su hijo, la sucesión, ya como emperador, de su hijo adoptivo Octavio Augusto, han dado lugar a numerosos manuales y ensayos, pero también a obras dramáticas.

In the indulgence of their egotistical ambitions and reckless whims, kings, conquerors and dictators have frequently presented a spectacle, sometimes comic but more often tragic in its results, that the authors have tried to bring back to life in this book. Here are living biographies of twenty famous rulers including: King Solomon, Caesar, Ivan the Terrible and more.

Cleopatra’s palace shimmered with onyx and gold but was richer still in political and sexual intrigue. Though her life spanned fewer than 40 years, it reshaped the contours of the ancient world. Famous long before she was notorious, Cleopatra has gone down in history for all the wrong reasons. Stacy Schiff boldly separates fact from fiction to rescue the magnetic queen whose death ushered in a new world order, a generation before the birth of Christ.

Given how bad some of Rome's emperors were, it's a testament to just how insane and reviled Caligula was that he is still remembered nearly 2,000 years later as the epitome of everything that could be wrong with a tyrant. The Romans had high hopes for him after he succeeded Tiberius in 37 AD, and by all accounts he was a noble and just ruler during his first few months in power. But after that, he suffered some sort of mysterious illness that apparently rendered him insane.

Rome faced many formidable enemies over the course of nearly 1,000 years, but perhaps none are as enigmatic and forgotten as King Mithridates the Great of Pontus. King Mithridates the Great of Pontus: The Life and Legacy of the Leader Who Challenged Rome During the Mithridatic Wars looks at how Mithridates and his kingdom rose in power and became one of the Roman Republic’s most legendary enemies.

The book chronicles the extraordinary life and leadership of Rome's Emperor Julius Caesar, from his early years to his assassination. "History of Julius Caesar" is one of many biographies aimed at young people written by Jacob Abbott and his brother. The biographies are written in such a way that makes them appealing and easily accessible to everyone.

Claudius. Often portrayed as an awkward, disfigured, and clumsy man, Claudius was the unlikely ruler of the Roman Empire from 41 CE to 54 CE. His reign would prove to be one of the longest of the time even though his rise to the throne did not come without opposition. Virtually no-one in Claudius’ family wanted to see him become emperor - only when he turned out to be the last surviving man of the Julio-Claudian dynasty did he ascend to the throne.

Su nombre ha llegado hasta nosotros como un mito lejano y sin tiempo, uno de los filósofos más conocidos de la Antigüedad clásica. En su célebre escuela, denominada el Jardín, eran admitidos por igual hombres y mujeres, los cuales gozaban de los mismos derechos. Para él, la filosofía es un instrumento útil para conquistar la felicidad. ¿Cómo conquista el ser humano la felicidad? Cuando pone el placer como finalidad. Sin embargo, no es el placer sensual vinculado a las apetencias del cuerpo lo que el ser humano debe perseguir, sino....

In 1922, explorers Howard Carter and Lord Carnarvon entered the tomb of ancient Egyptian king Tutankhamen after years of searching. No one had been inside for about 3,000 years! What the men found in King Tut's tomb was amazing: gold, riches, and historical artifacts beyond their wildest dreams. But as excavation of the tomb continued, strange things began to happen - and what started as a mosquito bite would soon leave Lord Carnarvon dead.

From an acclaimed classicist comes a witty, unusual, and fascinating "biography" of Homer's fictional Bronze Age hero, Odysseus. In this entertaining book, Charles Beye fills out the story of this extraordinary figure while at the same time portraying Odysseus' evolution through the course of a strange and adventuresome life, at times so remote, at times so immediate in the contemporary perspective.

The zenith of the Byzantine Empire was reached in the middle of the sixth century during the reign of the Emperor Justinian (527-565). The internal stabilization of the Byzantine state was completed, and Justinian then embarked on a wide range of external re-conquests. Justinian's prime directive was to restore the Roman Empire to its former glory in the west.

Meet our fearless adventurers Cassandra, Otto and Missy AKA the smartest raven in the universe as they set out on their next action-packed Ladybird Audio Adventure! Get ready, set, go! On this adventure, we're going to learn about some incredible sporting heroes! Grab your trainers as we're going to meet some amazing athletes, from top tennis legends to speedy formula one racers.

Africa may have given rise to the first human beings, and Egypt probably gave rise to the first great civilizations, which continue to fascinate modern societies across the globe nearly 5,000 years later. From the Library and Lighthouse of Alexandria to the Great Pyramid at Giza, the ancient Egyptians produced several wonders of the world, revolutionized architecture and construction, created some of the world’s first systems of mathematics and medicine, and established language and art that spread across the known world.

Saint Patrick was, by his own admission, a controversial figure. Convicted in a trial by his elders in Britain and hounded by rumors that he settled in Ireland for financial gain, the man who was to become Ireland’s patron saint battled against great odds before succeeding as a missionary. Saint Patrick Retold draws on recent research to offer a fresh assessment of Patrick’s travails and achievements. This is the first biography in nearly 50 years to explore Patrick’s career against the background of historical events in late antique Britain and Ireland.