Early Days of World History: Reflections on the Past

In Early Days of World History, Oswald Spengler paints a dramatic and highly informative vista of humanity’s ancient past. Swarms of savage tribes clash with and finally conquer sophisticated civilisations; emperors replace kings and peasants revolt against their masters. From the scorching deserts of Kash to the frozen tundra of the eternal North, sceptres are passed and throne rooms razed, while nations disappear and new tongues become dominant. The pirate castle of Troy besieged and burned and the Magian culture welcoming a saviour with empire-consolidating powers, Spengler chronicles the rise and fall of pagan peoples before the advent of Christ constricted their destinies through modern universalism.

From the wanderings of old folk souls across withered Bronze Age landscapes to the first clumsy stirrings of newly born peoples in the cradle of high cultures not yet mature, these posthumously published thoughts, by one of the greatest philosophers of history the West has ever known, present a vivid and detailed ride through a world far removed from but yet eerily familiar to us. In this perfect companion piece to The Decline of the West, we can see Spengler at his razor-sharp analytical best tackling the issues affecting the world in its youth.

The often awkward structure and sometimes fragmentary nature of Spengler’s notes in the German original were faithfully replicated in the English translation.

Oswald Spengler (1880-1936) was a controversial German philosopher and historian. With his unique insights, he influenced the modern fields of sociobiology and evolutionary anthropology.