An Introduction to the Ancient World - Softcover

De Blois, Lukas

3.26

257 ratings by Goodreads

9780415458276: An Introduction to the Ancient World

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0415458277 ISBN 13: 9780415458276

Publisher: Routledge, 2008

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Integrating the results of scholarly work from the past decade, the authors of An Introduction to the Ancient World, Lukas de Blois and R.J. van der Spek, have fully-updated and revised all sixteen chapters of this best-selling introductory textbook. Covering the history and culture of the ancient Near East, Greece and Rome within the framework of a short narrative history of events, this book offers an easily readable, integrated overview for students of history, classics, archaeology and philosophy, whether at college, at undergraduate level or among the wider reading public.

This revised second edition offers a new section on early Christianity and more specific information on the religions, economies, and societies of the ancient Near East. There is extended coverage of Greek, Macedonian and Near Eastern history of the fourth to second centuries BC and the history of the Late Roman Republic. The consequences of Julius Caesar’s violent death are covered in more detail, as are the history and society of Imperial Rome.

This new edition is:

comprehensive: covers 3,000 years of ancient history and provides the basis for a typical one-semester course
lavishly illustrated: contains maps, line drawings and plates to support and supplement the text, with updated captions
clearly and concisely written: two established and respected university teachers with thirty years' experience in the subject areas
well-organized: traces the broad outline of political history but also concentrates on particular topics
user-friendly: includes chapter menus, an extensive and expanded bibliography organized by subject area and three appendices, an improved introduction and the addition of an epilogue.

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About the Author:

Lukas de Blois is Professor of Ancient History at the University of Nijmegen, the Netherlands, and specialises in Roman and Greek history and ancient historiography. Robartus van der Spek is Professor of Ancient History at the Free University of Amsterdam, and specialises in the history of the ancient Near East.

Review:

This new textbook provides a more analytical overview of ancient political and social systems than is commonly the case. It takes account of the latest scholarship, and the many illustrations, maps, and charts will make this book particularly welcome to the introductory students as will its willingness to discuss ancient culture and issues in private life.
–Ronald Mellor, University of California, Los Angeles

. . . [An Introduction to the Ancient World] takes the reader from Egypt and Mesopotamia right through Greece and Rome to the Empire's end. Its outstanding feature is the wealth of illustrations. Brief, but always to the point.
–Greece and Rome

Richly illustrated ..., this text is admirably comprehensive in its scope and breadth ... Of particular interest for those who wish to gain a broad familiarity with the ancient world quickly and to students in survey courses.
–Religious Studies Review

Well organize, easily readable and clearly written, it offers some line drawings and a few black-and-white photographs. Best recommended for students in history, classics and archaeology..
–The Bibliography of Ancient Egypt

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