Ancient History Books

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   I figured we could write down our thoughts or comments on books we have read as a reference/recommendation thread.  I'll add books as I read them, to get the ball rolling...

Ancient Rome; by Robert Payne, ~278 pages.  This is a short introduction to Rome that was originally published by ibooks and has a group of computer generated images of what Rome is thought to have looked like as well.  Its been several years since I read it but I thought it was an interesting intro to some of the great achievements of Rome and worth reading.

Ancient Greece; by William Harlan Hale, ~ 249 pages.  Also originally published by ibooks, (my copy of this title and the aforementioned Rome one are by Horizon) also has computer generated images and based around the architectural achievements of the greeks.  It was a good review for me and worth reading.

Babylon; by Joan Oates, ~ 200 pages.  Despite its title this book covers ancient mesopotamia from the beginnings of civilization down to the hellenistic era and the end of babylon, the final chapter providing a review of mesopotamian achievements.  I greatly enjoyed this book because it was my first true introduction to some periods in history I knew very little about; the era of Sargon up to the true rise of Babylon.  When one considers its short length, it is definitely worth reading as a beginning to the world of ancient mesopotamia.  

Alexander the Great; by Lewis V. Cummings, ~ 453 pages.  Okay, first off I'll admit this is one of my favorite books.  It first came out over 60 years ago, and its more of a technical read than some other biographies, but it is overflowing with information on the great Alexander and his life.  It is well worth the time taken to read it, couldn't recommend it more highly.

Great Cities of the Ancient World; by L. Sprague de Camp, ~ 468 pages.  Thebes, Jerusalem, Nineveh, Tyre, Babylon, Memphis, Athens, Syracuse, Carthage, Alexandria, Anuradhapura, Rome, Pataliputra, and of course Constantinople are the cities covered in this book besides an opening chapter on cities and a short final conclusion.   I enjoyed this book because it sparks the imagination, opening ones eyes to the achievements of civilizations long past.  The writing style helps add to the joy of this book.  I've always been enamored with ancient cities, but I still think people would enjoy reading this book.

Sick Caesars: Madness and Malady in Imperial Rome; by Michael Grant, ~ 147 pages.  Basically, this book is about the illnesses of some of the roman emperors.  The last few are quite short though, there is a picture of each emperor and some maps at the back of the book.  Interesting, though its quite short.  

Greek Mythology for Everyone: Legends of the Gods and Heroes; by Donald Richardson, ~ 306 pages.  I recieved this as a gift and was not terribly thrilled at first, I already had a book on greek mythology.  However, I was pleasantly suprised.  It covers many of the well known myths and legends of the ancient greeks in a simple, straightforward, ordered format that really is easy and fun to read, which helped me a lot in fitting all the myths into some kind of proper simplified order versus the utter chaos that was how I understood most of these myths.  Perfect book for those mythology neophytes out there.

The Seven Wonders of the Ancient World; by Peter Clayton and Martin Price, ~167 pages.  I was already well aquainted with the 7 wonders when I recieved this book as gift.  It gives a good review of the 7 wonders with some of the more famous pictures depicting one or the other.  For its length an excellent introduction.  

The Life and Times of Herod The Great; by Stewart Perowne, ~ 180 pages.  I have very limited knowledge of the bible, so I was not real familiar with the image of the evil herod.  This book takes an objective perspective of herod, (again not really familiar with the other view so hard to judge) basing him on the times he lived in.  I found it quite fascinating and detailed.  Also has some pictures of various monuments/sites that are discussed in the book.  Its short and shouldn't take long to read, an excellent book in my eyes.  

The Extraordinary Voyage of Pytheas the Greek; by Barry Cunliffe, ~ 178 pages when including a recommended reading portion.  The story is captivating to say the least; a greek by the name of Pytheas journey's past the straits of gibralter, or across the south of france, ends up in Britain and possibly Iceland(!) in the era just before the exploits of Alexander the Great.  This book is detailed, mentions what Pytheas was likely to have experienced/seen and explores the various theories on pytheas' exact route as well as the authors opinion, an excellent book certainly worth reading.  

Life in the Ancient Near East: 3100 - 332 b.c.e.; by Daniel Snell, ~ 145 pages.  Explores what life in the ancient near east was likely to have been like, some interesting theories on some major questions from the period.  Obviously quite short, would easily double if the enormous appendicies, notes and bibliography were included.  

Londinium: London in the Roman Empire; by John Morris, ~ 350 pages.  Published posthumously, divided into three parts; The Making of London, Roman London, The Survival of London.  Archaeology is a large component of the book, holds a lot of information and well written.

Following Hadrian: A Second-Century Journey through the Roman Empire; by Elizabeth Speller, ~ 300 pages.  A biography of the roman emperor Hadrian based on his extensive travels.  An intriguing book.

* These are only books I own, I will/would have to head to the library to comment on the more expensive volumes I simply borrowed.

Edited by Justinian - 03-Jan-2008 at 02:48