In the ninth century BCE, the peoples of four distinct regions of the civilized world created the religious and philosophical traditions that have continued to nourish humanity to the present day: Confucianism and Daoism in China, Hinduism and Buddhism in India, monotheism in Israel, and philosophical rationalism in Greece. Later generations further developed these initial insights, but we have never grown beyond them. Now, Karen Armstrong reveals...

Often ranked as the greatest of Plato's many remarkable writings, this celebrated philosophical work of the fourth century BC contemplates the elements of an ideal state, serving as the forerunner for such other classics of political thought as Cicero's De Republica, St. Augustine's City of God, and Thomas More's Utopia. Written in the form of a dialog in which Socrates questions his students and fellow citizens, The Republic concerns itself chiefly...

Widely referred to as the "Father of History", Greek Historian Herodotus lived during the 5th century BC and "The Histories" is generally accepted as the first work of historical literature in Western Civilization. Departing from the ancient Homeric tradition of treating historical subjects as epically romantic figures, Herodotus instead approached his subjects with a systematic method of investigation. "The Histories" of Herodotus describe the important...

Text and photographs present a description of early humans, their origins, their tools and weapons, how they hunted and foraged for food, and the role of family life, money, religion, and magic.

Examines the pervading influence of this eminent Greek philosopher through a collection of his major works.

"The Medea of Euripides is one of the greatest of all Greek tragedies, and arguably the one that has the most significance for us today. A barbarian woman brought to Corinth and there abandoned by her Greek husband, Medea seeks vengeance on Jason, and is willing to strike out against his new wife and family--even slaughtering the sons she has born him. From the very beginning of the play we are drawn into a world "torn asunder by blind, disruptive...

"A translation of Aristotle's "The Art of Rhetoric", which establishes the methods of informal reasoning and explores the link between character and emotion."--

A multi-volume encyclopedia with alphabetically arranged topics relating to ancient civilizations and the discovery of famous archaeological sites.