The World in Ancient Times: Primary Sources & Reference Volume - Hardcover

Mellor, Ronald; Podany, Amanda H.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0195222202 ISBN 13: 9780195222203

Publisher: Oxford University Press, 2005

Synopsis

The World in Ancient Times is a unique series of books that tells the story of the ancient world using a broad range of primary sources, from Homer's Odyssey to a Mesopotamian marriage contract, from the Buddha's Four Noble Truths to a Maya altar with hieroglyphs. These documents help students take an active role in understanding history.
The World in Ancient Times Primary Sources and Reference Volume brings together 76 additional documents from all the regions covered in the series. From the ancient Near Eastern epic Gilgamesh to an Aztec poem, from Chinese oracle bones to a comic tale from the Pancha-tantra, a South Asian story collection, this volume paints the colorful history of the ancient world in vivid detail.

Students will also find letters, diary entries, laws, fables, plays, poems, sermons, schoolbooks, proverbs, and even graffiti in this fascinating volume. Each excerpt is set in context by an introduction, and helpful marginal notes define unfamiliar words and identify the proper names within the text. For each source, there is a handy guide to further reading on the topic. This sourcebook also contains a world map, a cast of characters, and a timeline that help students understand how the histories of the various regions of the ancient world fit together as a whole. A thematic index helps students compare documents on topics of interest across the ancient world. A comprehensive index to the entire World in Ancient Times series completes this engaging volume.

About this title

About the Author

Ronald Mellor, who is Professor of History at UCLA, first became enthralled with ancient history as a student at Regis High School in New York City. He is the statewide Faculty Advisor of the California History-Social Science Project, which brings university faculty together with K-12 teachers at sites throughout California. In 2000, the American Historical Association awarded the CHSSP the Albert J. Beveridge Award for K-12 teaching. Professor Mellor has held fellowships from the National Endowment for the Humanities and the American Council of Learned Societies. His research has centered on ancient religion and Roman historiography. His books include: Theia Rhome: The Goddess Roma in the Greek World (1975); From Augustus to Nero: The First Dynasty of Imperial Rome (1990); Tacitus 1993); Tacitus: The Classical Heritage (1995); The Historians of Ancient Rome (1997); and The Roman Historians (1999).

Amanda H. Podany is Professor of history and director of the honors program at California State Polytechnic University, Pomona. She is the author ofThe Land of Hana: Kings, Chronology, and Scribal Tradition (CDL Press, 2002).

Reviews

Grade 6 Up An excellent introduction to the use of primary resources in historical research. The 76 selections include poems, letters, inscriptions, and other contemporary accounts from antiquity as well as more modern descriptions and excerpts. Materials from Asia, Europe, and the Americas are highlighted. The introduction warns readers to be critical, for information taken from a primary source may not be completely accurate. Chapters begin with a brief overview of the particular civilization under discussion, and a source note and description are given for each source included. Margin notes provide definitions and cross-references to other books in the series. Readers will experience the excitement of an archaeological find through Mary Leakey's account of a discovery in Tanzania, learn about the routines of a schoolboy in Mesopotamia, and read instructions on etiquette in the king's court in ancient Egypt. The volume includes a thematic and a series index. Lana Miles, Duchesne Academy, Houston, TX
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Edition details

• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• Publication date: 2005
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0195222202
• ISBN 13: 9780195222203
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 188