Ancient Worlds: A Global History of Antiquity"As panoramic as it is learned, this is ancient history for our globalized world." -- Tom Holland, author of Dynasty and Rubicon Twenty-five-hundred years ago, civilizations around the world entered a revolutionary new era that overturned old order and laid the foundation for our world today. In the face of massive social changes across three continents, radical new forms of government emerged; mighty wars were fought over trade, religion, and ideology; and new faiths were ruthlessly employed to unify vast empires. The histories of Rome and China, Greece and India-the stories of Constantine and Confucius, Qin Shi Huangdi and Hannibal-are here revealed to be interconnected incidents in the midst of a greater drama. In Ancient Worlds, historian Michael Scott presents a gripping narrative of this unique age in human civilization, showing how diverse societies responded to similar pressures and how they influenced one another: through conquest and conversion, through trade in people, goods, and ideas. An ambitious reinvention of our grandest histories, Ancient Worlds reveals new truths about our common human heritage. "A bold and imaginative page-turner that challenges ideas about the world of antiquity." UPeter Frankopan, author of The Silk Roads |
Contents
Rome the Republic and the Perfection of Government | |
China Confucius and the Quest for the Just Ruler | |
A New Generation Arises | |
Making Connections | |
Empires in East and West | |
Religious Innovation from Inside and | |
Enforcing Mixing and Moulding Religion | |
Religion and Rule | |
Conclusion | |
Notes | |
Select Bibliography for Further Reading | |
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Common terms and phrases
Agathangelos Analects ancient world Antiochus Antiochus III Antiochus’s aristocratic Armenian army Ashoka Athenian Athens Bactria battle bishops Buddhist Buddhist monks Carthage Carthaginian central Asia Chandragupta Chang’an China Chinese Christian Church Cleisthenes Confucianism Confucius Confucius’s Constantine consul crucial Daoism death defeated democracy dynasty east eastern Egypt elephants emperor Eusebius father fight forces fourth century Gaodi global Greece Greek Gregory Gupta Han dynasty Hannibal Hannibal’s Herodotus historians ideas imperial India inscription Italy king king’s kingdom later Livy Luoyang Macedon Maodun Mediterranean Megasthenes military modernday nomadic northern official pagan Peisistratus Persian Philip political Polybius Qin Shi Huangdi relationship religion religious republic Roman Empire Roman world Rome Rome’s rule ruler Sassanid Scipio second century BCE Seleucid Empire Seleucus Silk Roads Sima Qian sixth century society Solon survival Tarquinius territory texts third century throne Tiridates traditions tribes troops victory worship Xiongnu Yuezhi Zhou