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Egypt, Greece, and Rome: Civilizations of the Ancient Mediterranean
Egypt, Greece, and Rome is regarded as one of the best general histories of the ancient world. It is written for the general reader and the student coming to the subject for the first time and provides a reliable and highly accessible point of entry to the period.
Beignning with the early Middle Eastern civilizations of Sumer, and continuing right through to the Islmic invasions and the birth of modern Europe after the collapse of the Roman empire, the book ranges beyond political history to cover art and architecture, philosophy, literature, society, and economy. A wide range of maps, illustrations, and photographs complements the text.
This third edition has been extensively revised to appeal to the general reader with several chapters completely rewritten and a great deal of new material added, including a new selection of images.
Beignning with the early Middle Eastern civilizations of Sumer, and continuing right through to the Islmic invasions and the birth of modern Europe after the collapse of the Roman empire, the book ranges beyond political history to cover art and architecture, philosophy, literature, society, and economy. A wide range of maps, illustrations, and photographs complements the text.
This third edition has been extensively revised to appeal to the general reader with several chapters completely rewritten and a great deal of new material added, including a new selection of images.
824 pages, Paperback
First published April 29, 1996
93 people are currently reading
2404 people want to read
About the author
Charles Freeman
62 books120 followersCharles Freeman is a freelance academic historian with wide interests in the history of European culture and thought. He is the author of the highly acclaimed Egypt, Greece and Rome, Civilizations of the Ancient Mediterranean. He has followed this up with The Greek Achievement (Penguin 1999), The Legacy of Ancient Egypt (Facts on File, 1997) and The Closing of the Western Mind, a study of the relationship between Greek philosophy and Christianity in the fourth century and beyond. His The Horses of St. Mark’s (Little Brown, 2004) is a study of these famous works of art in their historical contexts over the centuries. In 2003, Charles Freeman was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 64 reviews
January 12, 2019
Well this is definitely a whistle stop tour of ancient Mediterranean history. Egypt definitely gets the short straw and is the most glossed over of the three. Honestly, I doubt existing enthusiasts of any of these three ancient cultures will find anything to like here, as it’s not in-depth enough to satisfy. However, the book fulfils its main aim well – of being an introductory overview for the complete newcomer to the subject, a textbook for fresh undergraduates to pick up. Each chapter even comes complete with suggestions for further reading for the student wishing to undertake more extensive research.
February 23, 2018
Günümüze ulaşanın talihi, klasik dünya mirasının karışıklığını akla getiriyor. Birçok beklenmedik yolla kültürümüz istila edilmeye devam ediyor.
Pindaros bu durumu çok iyi özetler:
Keskin baltalı biri eğer,
koca bir meşenin dallannı budar
ve onun cömert biçimini bozarsa,
meyvesi gövermese de, ona hâlâ bir hikâye atfedilebilir;
eğer ki ardından bir kış yangınına çatar
ya da yaslanıp bir sarayın sütunlarına
yabancı duvarlar arasında kederli bir görev üstlenirse,
geldiği yerde ondan hiçbir iz kalmadığında.
Bu kitap, klasik geçmişin ve bu geçmişin ardında bıraktığı mirasın karmaşasını ve zenginliğini anlatmaya çalışmıştır. Hiç kuşku yok ki bu geçmişe ait tartışma, sonraki kuşaklar tarafından ve tahmin edilemez biçimlerde sürecektir. Bu durum, en azından benim için, onun süreğen çekiciliğinin ve öneminin nedenlerinden biridir. Sonuçta, umarım, bu kitabın okurlarını da aynı şekilde ikna etmeyi başarmıştır.
Bitti, ben de bittim.
Bu kitap tarihe ilgi duyanların hayatın belirli dönemlerinde tekrar açıp okumak isteyecekleri, başucu eserlerinden biri!
Onu değerli yapan en önemli şeylerden biri içindeki bilginin değeri kadar yazarın olaylara bakış açısındaki dürüstlük.
Pindaros bu durumu çok iyi özetler:
Keskin baltalı biri eğer,
koca bir meşenin dallannı budar
ve onun cömert biçimini bozarsa,
meyvesi gövermese de, ona hâlâ bir hikâye atfedilebilir;
eğer ki ardından bir kış yangınına çatar
ya da yaslanıp bir sarayın sütunlarına
yabancı duvarlar arasında kederli bir görev üstlenirse,
geldiği yerde ondan hiçbir iz kalmadığında.
Bu kitap, klasik geçmişin ve bu geçmişin ardında bıraktığı mirasın karmaşasını ve zenginliğini anlatmaya çalışmıştır. Hiç kuşku yok ki bu geçmişe ait tartışma, sonraki kuşaklar tarafından ve tahmin edilemez biçimlerde sürecektir. Bu durum, en azından benim için, onun süreğen çekiciliğinin ve öneminin nedenlerinden biridir. Sonuçta, umarım, bu kitabın okurlarını da aynı şekilde ikna etmeyi başarmıştır.
Bitti, ben de bittim.
Bu kitap tarihe ilgi duyanların hayatın belirli dönemlerinde tekrar açıp okumak isteyecekleri, başucu eserlerinden biri!
Onu değerli yapan en önemli şeylerden biri içindeki bilginin değeri kadar yazarın olaylara bakış açısındaki dürüstlük.
February 14, 2015
A well written book by a scholar who knows and apparently loves his subject. And a big subject it is. He covers some 5000 years here in just over 700 pages. Quite impressive.
A bit thin in places but this history is a wonderful overview of ancient Mediterranean history. A good introduction or refresher to people like me who have not read up on ancient western history for what seems like millennia. (I'm feeling stingy with the stars tonight.).
A bit thin in places but this history is a wonderful overview of ancient Mediterranean history. A good introduction or refresher to people like me who have not read up on ancient western history for what seems like millennia. (I'm feeling stingy with the stars tonight.).
December 10, 2016
I started this book when I was in college and made a determined effort to finish it as part of a New Year's resolution. It is a long book with small print covering 4,000 B.C. to 640ish A.D. and has to be the most comprehensive history of the three civilizations ever written.
Freeman covers everything from governments & conquests, to literature and pottery, economic life, cultural & religious life, and the enduring impact these civilizations have on society today. There are plenty of aside chapters on philosophers and artisans, architecture, etc. I feel there are very few details he leaves out. Whether you're interested in specific battles or historical figures, you'll find plenty of info and further recommended readings in the back. A comprehensive timeline is also included and plenty of maps.
In the closing chapters there is a history of the rise of Christianity. It's interesting to read from a secular perspective and I appreciate how little I know about the early church and the development of the major manifestations of the Christian religious orders.
I give this book 5 stars out of 5. I am now glad to move down the list of other dusty books on my shelves asking to be read.
June 14, 2020
Egypt, Greece and Rome is a good introduction to the ancient history of the Mediterranean civilizations, and I read to refresh my memory of these cultures. I will be reading portions of this book in years to come and not cover-to-cover as I did now. I particularly liked the literary support used.
I particularly liked the later part of the Roman rule and the segue into the Byzantine empire. Although, I knew quite a bit of this history, there was much I didn't know.
I particularly liked the later part of the Roman rule and the segue into the Byzantine empire. Although, I knew quite a bit of this history, there was much I didn't know.
February 15, 2021
At 600 pages of text (which felt like 1,200 with the small font and single spacing), this book covers the ancient civilizations of Egypt, Greece, and Rome. Egypt gets little coverage, which is disappointing. Greece and Rome get better reviewed, and while this book is a good primer for anyone starting their study of ancient civilizations, I’d recommend Susan Wise Bauer’s History of the Ancient World for the numerous maps and timelines.
July 2, 2016
I need to remind myself of two things while reviewing this book: It tries to cover thousands of years of history of a large part of the world in less than seven hundred pages. And it is not fair to criticize a book for being something other than what the author intended. So I really should not complain about the feeling of flying over the historical landscape in an airplane, and the frustration of wanting to stop awhile and learn more about what is passing by below. What was life like for the people living there? How did the economy work? Why did that society some to an end?
We are told, for example, that the Uruk civilization in Sumeria failed in 3100 BCE, “because the water supplies began to dry up, or the land was so intensively cultivated that the rural economy necessary to support the city collapsed.” That half-sentence leaves out the question of how do we know this, and with what certainty or controversy? Ah, yes, but the book is already seven hundred pages long, and we have not even reached Egypt yet.
To be fair, he often suggests further reading for such questions, and he sometimes does touch down to take a closer look at the societies in question. But there are no references, which done properly would add another few hundred pages to the book. It is already so heavy it is hard to read.
I am not nearly expert enough in the subject to judge the accuracy of the book. I will note a few issues that caught my interest.
I think the question of homosexuality and pederasty in classic Greece was glossed over, and not only for lack of space to discuss it. The fact that some traditional societies thought they could transmit social strength along with their semen to the next generation of boys is utterly irrelevant to Greece, and quite insulting. We do need to understand that the today’s sharp boundary between pederasty and homosexuality did not exist at the time. Later he tells us that Thebes, a city of about thirty thousand people, raised an elite regiment called the Sacred Band of three hundred men, all in pair-bonded homosexual couples. Modern America with its 300 million people would have difficulty in creating such a regiment. Add in athletic competitions in the nude, and all the art, and it is clear that sexual practices were very different than those today, or any other society of the time. I wonder if this was simply an aberration, or did it somehow play an essential in Greek culture, along the lines of replacing family bonds with a larger community of men. But this book is not the place for such speculation.
There are some interesting observations made about Roman slavery. He claims that Rome required 140,000 new slaves every year. But where did all these slaves come from, especially after the expansion of the empire stopped? There must have been a supply chain outside of the empire to provide them. Then there is his bold statement that “there was little economic rationale for slavery.” The argument is it was as cheap to employ casual labor as needed than permanently take care of slaves and their families. I suppose this is little different than today when we import temporary foreign workers at a time of high unemployment and welfare. He suggests the social benefits “derived from their almost limitless abilities to control and coerce human property.” I have read elsewhere that this included unrestricted sexual access, including to the children. Social benefits, indeed.
Charles Freemen is also the author of “The Closing of the Western Mind”, with the thesis that Christianity replaced a relatively open, tolerant and pluralistic civilization with a culture that was based on the rule of fixed authority. His coverage of that period in this book seems fairly balanced, rather than an attempt to push that idea. However, he makes his point in a positive way in the final chapter, Legacy. He describes the crucial importance of Greek and Roman civilization on helping modern Western culture overcome rigid Christian authority. If you cannot make it all the way through this long book, I suggest you skip to this chapter before you give up. Don’t miss it.
This book is a good overview of a significant part of our culture and heritage. I suppose it is a good thing that it leaves me wanting to learn more.
We are told, for example, that the Uruk civilization in Sumeria failed in 3100 BCE, “because the water supplies began to dry up, or the land was so intensively cultivated that the rural economy necessary to support the city collapsed.” That half-sentence leaves out the question of how do we know this, and with what certainty or controversy? Ah, yes, but the book is already seven hundred pages long, and we have not even reached Egypt yet.
To be fair, he often suggests further reading for such questions, and he sometimes does touch down to take a closer look at the societies in question. But there are no references, which done properly would add another few hundred pages to the book. It is already so heavy it is hard to read.
I am not nearly expert enough in the subject to judge the accuracy of the book. I will note a few issues that caught my interest.
I think the question of homosexuality and pederasty in classic Greece was glossed over, and not only for lack of space to discuss it. The fact that some traditional societies thought they could transmit social strength along with their semen to the next generation of boys is utterly irrelevant to Greece, and quite insulting. We do need to understand that the today’s sharp boundary between pederasty and homosexuality did not exist at the time. Later he tells us that Thebes, a city of about thirty thousand people, raised an elite regiment called the Sacred Band of three hundred men, all in pair-bonded homosexual couples. Modern America with its 300 million people would have difficulty in creating such a regiment. Add in athletic competitions in the nude, and all the art, and it is clear that sexual practices were very different than those today, or any other society of the time. I wonder if this was simply an aberration, or did it somehow play an essential in Greek culture, along the lines of replacing family bonds with a larger community of men. But this book is not the place for such speculation.
There are some interesting observations made about Roman slavery. He claims that Rome required 140,000 new slaves every year. But where did all these slaves come from, especially after the expansion of the empire stopped? There must have been a supply chain outside of the empire to provide them. Then there is his bold statement that “there was little economic rationale for slavery.” The argument is it was as cheap to employ casual labor as needed than permanently take care of slaves and their families. I suppose this is little different than today when we import temporary foreign workers at a time of high unemployment and welfare. He suggests the social benefits “derived from their almost limitless abilities to control and coerce human property.” I have read elsewhere that this included unrestricted sexual access, including to the children. Social benefits, indeed.
Charles Freemen is also the author of “The Closing of the Western Mind”, with the thesis that Christianity replaced a relatively open, tolerant and pluralistic civilization with a culture that was based on the rule of fixed authority. His coverage of that period in this book seems fairly balanced, rather than an attempt to push that idea. However, he makes his point in a positive way in the final chapter, Legacy. He describes the crucial importance of Greek and Roman civilization on helping modern Western culture overcome rigid Christian authority. If you cannot make it all the way through this long book, I suggest you skip to this chapter before you give up. Don’t miss it.
This book is a good overview of a significant part of our culture and heritage. I suppose it is a good thing that it leaves me wanting to learn more.
August 8, 2011
I wanted to get a good birds eye overview of classic antiquity, get a sense of continuity and fill the gaps in my knowledge. After some failed attempts, I found this book. It exceeded my expectations. I read the book from cover to cover, but it can also be used as a great reference (the chapters are self-contained and make references to other chapters in the book when necessary).
Besides covering specifics periods, the book attempts to show the interrelations of the different processes and-the main theses of the author-how continuity rather than great "revolutions" shaped classical history. The book covers not only political and military history but also cultural history. Culture shapes the historical continuity process, and the examples are many; religious development and influence across the whole Mediterranean and the Near East; the influence of Greek philosophy in politics in the roman empire and in the theology of Christianity; and more.
Since the chapters cover specific topics (Freeman doesn't fall in the error of trying to write chronologically) the book is also very useful as a reference. Each chapter ends with a complete bibliographic essay with references of specific periods or topics.
Freeman's style is dynamic and engaging, and impressive achievement for the amount of history he covers in this book.
Besides covering specifics periods, the book attempts to show the interrelations of the different processes and-the main theses of the author-how continuity rather than great "revolutions" shaped classical history. The book covers not only political and military history but also cultural history. Culture shapes the historical continuity process, and the examples are many; religious development and influence across the whole Mediterranean and the Near East; the influence of Greek philosophy in politics in the roman empire and in the theology of Christianity; and more.
Since the chapters cover specific topics (Freeman doesn't fall in the error of trying to write chronologically) the book is also very useful as a reference. Each chapter ends with a complete bibliographic essay with references of specific periods or topics.
Freeman's style is dynamic and engaging, and impressive achievement for the amount of history he covers in this book.
August 17, 2012
A good survey text, with plenty of references for further reading at the end of each chapter. Not something that should be read for an in-depth look at any one civilization or time period described, but only for a general and all-encompassing view of the Mediterranean world of antiquity. Good for providing a synthesis and filling in gaps of knowledge.
August 21, 2021
The ancient Mediterranean civilization is the cultural source and precious treasure of Western countries. Egypt, Greece, and Rome, which have risen around the Mediterranean, have left a rich cultural heritage for later generations in science, philosophy, literature, art, architecture, politics, and many other aspects, which have profoundly affected the modern cultural outlook of Europe and the world.
Just as we can still get wisdom guidance from ancient books such as Zhuzi Baijia, Westerners always try to draw nourishment from ancient Greek civilization. Whether it is the Renaissance or modern times, there is a trend of reviving ancient civilizations in Western countries from time to time, and the yearning and enthusiasm for ancient civilizations has never stopped.
British historical philosophy Charles Freeman devoted himself to the study of the history of classical culture and the history of ancient thought. In the 900-page general history of Egypt, Greece, and Rome, he described the rise and fall of the huge civilization complex of the ancient Mediterranean world from the rise of the ancient Near Eastern civilization to the end of the classical era, and focused on the analysis of Egypt and Greece. It is related to cultural characteristics such as the evolution of the political system, philosophical thoughts, and social conditions in the Roman era.
The origins of modern basic ideas and concepts such as democracy, freedom, and citizenship that we are familiar with can be traced back to ancient Greece and Rome.
In 1993, European countries jointly chose the Christiani reform as the starting point for the emergence of democratic political system in Europe, to solemnly commemorate the 2500th anniversary. More than 500 BC, Christine promoted democracy in the rural areas of Athens, allowing village citizens to participate in local governance, and allowing the village to be included in the Athenian democratic system. The principle of "everyone is equal before the law" was also created by the Athenians. Freedom is also a basic element of Greek thinking, including the meaning of national sovereignty freedom and individual citizen freedom.
Although Athens’ democratic political system has obvious defects and problems, which are far from the meaning of modern democracy, the citizens’ assembly, jury system, and five-hundred-man assembly it created are undoubtedly useful attempts. The concepts of democracy, freedom, citizenship, and justice have also developed more maturely in modern society.
In the ancient Mediterranean world, the relationship between the monarch and the god was close. "The king and the god strengthened the legitimacy of each other", which is also an important reflection of the idea of monarch power.
In the epic "Gilgamesh", it is proposed that the king is the supreme existence created by the goddess Aea and the mother goddess. This concept of monarchy and deity is unsurprisingly adopted by the kings of the Hellenistic era and believers in pagan religions. The Roman emperors and the Byzantine emperors who believed in Christianity continued, even though the gods believed by these kings were not the same.
The kings of Egypt, the Hellenistic era, and Rome all used the concept of gods to consolidate their positions, but their practices were slightly different.
The original Egyptians developed a complete kingship mythology, portraying the king as a descendant of the sun god Ra. Although the gods worshipped later became Amon and Atun, in the Egyptian conception, the king was always closely bound to the gods. The king was regarded as the son of the god, and the queen was regarded as the wife of the god. , Even directly regarded as a god. Amenhotep III, who pushed Egypt to its peak during his reign, regarded himself as a god.
In Greek mythology, the gods have their own desires, tempers, and personalities just like mortals. The relationship between them is complicated and chaotic, and fierce conflicts often erupt and spread to mortals, putting mortals in a dilemma. The Greek gods have many similarities with mortals, and the boundaries between them and mortals are not clear. They will involve mortals in their own contradictions, but they all have in common that they will punish evil and promote good.
According to data, Alexander the Great, who created the Greek-Macedonian world, once ordered the Greek city-states to respect him as a god. The typical Hellenistic monarchs represented by Alexander are military generals who can open up new territories. They have portrayed themselves as gods. Their image has something in common with the personal heroic Greek gods who challenge difficulties and achieve achievements.
The triumphal ritual is a glorious moment for the Roman conqueror. On this day, the triumphant is almost a god. Since Octavian ruled the Roman Empire, Rome has made the emperor a god many times. In the period of Constantine, the emperor of the Triumphal Arch of Constantine was also portrayed as a demigod, distinguished from mortals.
From Egypt, the Hellenistic period to Rome, the kings used the concept of gods to consolidate their positions. Egyptian kings used the identities of descendants and wives of gods to narrow their distances from gods and improve their status. Kings of the Hellenistic period added elements related to gods and regarded themselves as gods, while the Roman emperors directly enshrined gods. From the relationship with the gods to the promotion of mortal kings to gods, the kings are obviously becoming more confident and bolder.
Although the number of ancient literary works is scarce, the remaining works can still reflect the social outlook of different eras, of course, mainly the living conditions of the elite.
Ancient Egyptian works are very rare. The Book to Light, commonly known as the Book of the Dead, first appeared in the Middle Egyptian dynasty and was generally placed in the tomb to lead the dead to the kingdom of Osiris. The book also records the rituals for the deceased to be accepted. Like huge pyramids and elaborate mummies, "Book of the Dead" also shows the ancient Egyptians' special attention to the world after death.
People in the ancient Greek era obviously strengthened their awareness of the real world and their personal feelings and thoughts than the ancient Egyptians. In his epics "Iliad" and "Odyssey", Homer praised the heroes of war, valuing honor, dignity, courage, and strength. At the same time, he also described the fragility of life and the peaceful life outside of war. Hesiod explored the dark side of the human soul through the disputes between the gods in "The Book of Gods". In "Work and Time", he described the characteristics of the historical era and the real field life that he believed to be.
The works of the Roman era express stronger personal emotions and richer details. Horace and Virgil were great poets in Roman times. Horace's "Ode Collection" has mature writing skills and refined rhetoric, covering a wide range of topics such as fear of death, satisfaction, glory, friendship, joy, confusion, the tranquility of the countryside, the hustle and bustle of the city, and the achievements of the monarch. Virgil described the vitality of agricultural life in "Agricultural Poems", and in "Aeneas" he described the courage of human beings to face fate and power, and indirectly praised Augustus. The writers of the Roman era used words to describe all aspects of complex society and more dimensional personal emotions.
From the perspective of literary works, from Egypt, Greece to Rome, personal emotions have been paid more and more attention, and the experience of social life has become more delicate and in-depth.
Women's living conditions in the ancient Mediterranean era also left some records.
There are only a few records of a few queens in the ancient Egyptian era, who tried to rule their dynasty like male kings.
Homer's epic describes the wife's contribution and influence to the family, and also praises the image of a woman who can persist in and protect herself in the face of the challenge of survival. Unfortunately, Hesiod has a deep-rooted prejudice against women. The poetess Sappho uses lyric poems to express her strong and keen sense of society and nature.
The attitude of the Greeks towards women is very ambivalent. While acknowledging the important role of women in the family, the other side questioned women's abilities. Only high-level prostitutes can enter and leave the meeting place if the housewife stays at home. There is no lack of female characters in Greek tragedies, through which human lust and arrogance are displayed. Women in ancient Greece were suppressed on the margins of society. Perhaps this is the reason for setting up a Sesmophoros festival, which is exclusively attended by women, to provide women with an outlet to vent, in the hope that they will be content for the rest of the year. The status given to them by society.
Women in the Hellenistic era have received more attention, and upper-class women have a higher status. They can hold public office, participate in trade and public affairs, and have the right to file for divorce when there are sufficient reasons.
The most respected qualities of Roman women in the Republican period were loyalty and fertility, which emphasized the contribution of women to the family. However, the living conditions of Roman women are more relaxed than those of Greek women. They retain a certain degree of independent living space and decision-making power. They can enter and leave public places, have meals with their husbands, and participate in some banquets and parades. Although there are many profit-oriented marriages, women retain a certain degree of control over the dowry, and the divorce can be smooth if the husband and wife disagree.
The above are just a few small aspects of the ancient Mediterranean world. In "Egypt, Greece, and Rome", Charles Freeman analyzed the development of Egyptian, Greek and Roman civilizations from multiple dimensions such as literature, art, philosophy, architecture, politics, and economy, and tried his best to restore the social culture of each era Features, discusses the origin and formation of Western civilization.
The ancient Mediterranean civilization is the cultural heritage of all mankind. To better understand the ideological concepts and cultural characteristics of modern Western society, it is of great benefit to seek the roots of Egyptian, Greek, and Roman cultures.
Just as we can still get wisdom guidance from ancient books such as Zhuzi Baijia, Westerners always try to draw nourishment from ancient Greek civilization. Whether it is the Renaissance or modern times, there is a trend of reviving ancient civilizations in Western countries from time to time, and the yearning and enthusiasm for ancient civilizations has never stopped.
British historical philosophy Charles Freeman devoted himself to the study of the history of classical culture and the history of ancient thought. In the 900-page general history of Egypt, Greece, and Rome, he described the rise and fall of the huge civilization complex of the ancient Mediterranean world from the rise of the ancient Near Eastern civilization to the end of the classical era, and focused on the analysis of Egypt and Greece. It is related to cultural characteristics such as the evolution of the political system, philosophical thoughts, and social conditions in the Roman era.
The origins of modern basic ideas and concepts such as democracy, freedom, and citizenship that we are familiar with can be traced back to ancient Greece and Rome.
In 1993, European countries jointly chose the Christiani reform as the starting point for the emergence of democratic political system in Europe, to solemnly commemorate the 2500th anniversary. More than 500 BC, Christine promoted democracy in the rural areas of Athens, allowing village citizens to participate in local governance, and allowing the village to be included in the Athenian democratic system. The principle of "everyone is equal before the law" was also created by the Athenians. Freedom is also a basic element of Greek thinking, including the meaning of national sovereignty freedom and individual citizen freedom.
Although Athens’ democratic political system has obvious defects and problems, which are far from the meaning of modern democracy, the citizens’ assembly, jury system, and five-hundred-man assembly it created are undoubtedly useful attempts. The concepts of democracy, freedom, citizenship, and justice have also developed more maturely in modern society.
In the ancient Mediterranean world, the relationship between the monarch and the god was close. "The king and the god strengthened the legitimacy of each other", which is also an important reflection of the idea of monarch power.
In the epic "Gilgamesh", it is proposed that the king is the supreme existence created by the goddess Aea and the mother goddess. This concept of monarchy and deity is unsurprisingly adopted by the kings of the Hellenistic era and believers in pagan religions. The Roman emperors and the Byzantine emperors who believed in Christianity continued, even though the gods believed by these kings were not the same.
The kings of Egypt, the Hellenistic era, and Rome all used the concept of gods to consolidate their positions, but their practices were slightly different.
The original Egyptians developed a complete kingship mythology, portraying the king as a descendant of the sun god Ra. Although the gods worshipped later became Amon and Atun, in the Egyptian conception, the king was always closely bound to the gods. The king was regarded as the son of the god, and the queen was regarded as the wife of the god. , Even directly regarded as a god. Amenhotep III, who pushed Egypt to its peak during his reign, regarded himself as a god.
In Greek mythology, the gods have their own desires, tempers, and personalities just like mortals. The relationship between them is complicated and chaotic, and fierce conflicts often erupt and spread to mortals, putting mortals in a dilemma. The Greek gods have many similarities with mortals, and the boundaries between them and mortals are not clear. They will involve mortals in their own contradictions, but they all have in common that they will punish evil and promote good.
According to data, Alexander the Great, who created the Greek-Macedonian world, once ordered the Greek city-states to respect him as a god. The typical Hellenistic monarchs represented by Alexander are military generals who can open up new territories. They have portrayed themselves as gods. Their image has something in common with the personal heroic Greek gods who challenge difficulties and achieve achievements.
The triumphal ritual is a glorious moment for the Roman conqueror. On this day, the triumphant is almost a god. Since Octavian ruled the Roman Empire, Rome has made the emperor a god many times. In the period of Constantine, the emperor of the Triumphal Arch of Constantine was also portrayed as a demigod, distinguished from mortals.
From Egypt, the Hellenistic period to Rome, the kings used the concept of gods to consolidate their positions. Egyptian kings used the identities of descendants and wives of gods to narrow their distances from gods and improve their status. Kings of the Hellenistic period added elements related to gods and regarded themselves as gods, while the Roman emperors directly enshrined gods. From the relationship with the gods to the promotion of mortal kings to gods, the kings are obviously becoming more confident and bolder.
Although the number of ancient literary works is scarce, the remaining works can still reflect the social outlook of different eras, of course, mainly the living conditions of the elite.
Ancient Egyptian works are very rare. The Book to Light, commonly known as the Book of the Dead, first appeared in the Middle Egyptian dynasty and was generally placed in the tomb to lead the dead to the kingdom of Osiris. The book also records the rituals for the deceased to be accepted. Like huge pyramids and elaborate mummies, "Book of the Dead" also shows the ancient Egyptians' special attention to the world after death.
People in the ancient Greek era obviously strengthened their awareness of the real world and their personal feelings and thoughts than the ancient Egyptians. In his epics "Iliad" and "Odyssey", Homer praised the heroes of war, valuing honor, dignity, courage, and strength. At the same time, he also described the fragility of life and the peaceful life outside of war. Hesiod explored the dark side of the human soul through the disputes between the gods in "The Book of Gods". In "Work and Time", he described the characteristics of the historical era and the real field life that he believed to be.
The works of the Roman era express stronger personal emotions and richer details. Horace and Virgil were great poets in Roman times. Horace's "Ode Collection" has mature writing skills and refined rhetoric, covering a wide range of topics such as fear of death, satisfaction, glory, friendship, joy, confusion, the tranquility of the countryside, the hustle and bustle of the city, and the achievements of the monarch. Virgil described the vitality of agricultural life in "Agricultural Poems", and in "Aeneas" he described the courage of human beings to face fate and power, and indirectly praised Augustus. The writers of the Roman era used words to describe all aspects of complex society and more dimensional personal emotions.
From the perspective of literary works, from Egypt, Greece to Rome, personal emotions have been paid more and more attention, and the experience of social life has become more delicate and in-depth.
Women's living conditions in the ancient Mediterranean era also left some records.
There are only a few records of a few queens in the ancient Egyptian era, who tried to rule their dynasty like male kings.
Homer's epic describes the wife's contribution and influence to the family, and also praises the image of a woman who can persist in and protect herself in the face of the challenge of survival. Unfortunately, Hesiod has a deep-rooted prejudice against women. The poetess Sappho uses lyric poems to express her strong and keen sense of society and nature.
The attitude of the Greeks towards women is very ambivalent. While acknowledging the important role of women in the family, the other side questioned women's abilities. Only high-level prostitutes can enter and leave the meeting place if the housewife stays at home. There is no lack of female characters in Greek tragedies, through which human lust and arrogance are displayed. Women in ancient Greece were suppressed on the margins of society. Perhaps this is the reason for setting up a Sesmophoros festival, which is exclusively attended by women, to provide women with an outlet to vent, in the hope that they will be content for the rest of the year. The status given to them by society.
Women in the Hellenistic era have received more attention, and upper-class women have a higher status. They can hold public office, participate in trade and public affairs, and have the right to file for divorce when there are sufficient reasons.
The most respected qualities of Roman women in the Republican period were loyalty and fertility, which emphasized the contribution of women to the family. However, the living conditions of Roman women are more relaxed than those of Greek women. They retain a certain degree of independent living space and decision-making power. They can enter and leave public places, have meals with their husbands, and participate in some banquets and parades. Although there are many profit-oriented marriages, women retain a certain degree of control over the dowry, and the divorce can be smooth if the husband and wife disagree.
The above are just a few small aspects of the ancient Mediterranean world. In "Egypt, Greece, and Rome", Charles Freeman analyzed the development of Egyptian, Greek and Roman civilizations from multiple dimensions such as literature, art, philosophy, architecture, politics, and economy, and tried his best to restore the social culture of each era Features, discusses the origin and formation of Western civilization.
The ancient Mediterranean civilization is the cultural heritage of all mankind. To better understand the ideological concepts and cultural characteristics of modern Western society, it is of great benefit to seek the roots of Egyptian, Greek, and Roman cultures.
August 5, 2025
I should probably not have read this in the same year as The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman empire because, frankly, it doesn’t fare well in the comparison. I doubt many of these kind of books would.
Obviously, at less than a 6th the length of Decline and Fall, it seems far more rushed and somewhat anaemic in comparison. That in itself I could forgive, but I have far more of an issue with the dryness. Most of Decline and Fall is surprisingly engaging. I found myself prioritising it over most of the fiction books I was reading at the time. This one is far more dry and dull. Not unbearably so, but I know which I’d rather re-read out of the two!
What also doesn’t help is the audio narration. It’s not terrible, but it’s monotonous. Again, doesn’t help make the book more exciting. And it should be, it’s an exciting topic!
But it really wasn’t a bad book on the subject, and if I had read it at a different time I might have rated it higher, probably still not as high as Decline and Fall, but I’m tempted to think of that one as the gold standard for books on ancient Rome and the area around it.
Obviously, at less than a 6th the length of Decline and Fall, it seems far more rushed and somewhat anaemic in comparison. That in itself I could forgive, but I have far more of an issue with the dryness. Most of Decline and Fall is surprisingly engaging. I found myself prioritising it over most of the fiction books I was reading at the time. This one is far more dry and dull. Not unbearably so, but I know which I’d rather re-read out of the two!
What also doesn’t help is the audio narration. It’s not terrible, but it’s monotonous. Again, doesn’t help make the book more exciting. And it should be, it’s an exciting topic!
But it really wasn’t a bad book on the subject, and if I had read it at a different time I might have rated it higher, probably still not as high as Decline and Fall, but I’m tempted to think of that one as the gold standard for books on ancient Rome and the area around it.
January 13, 2025
Outstanding. The book is long, but gives an overview of the cultures from before Egypt through to Rome. Politics and military history is touched on, but so is religion, literature, art, architecture, and so much more. Some overviews are entirely too short for someone with no knowledge. I think this book would have been a great place for me to start, though it is a time investment. The book also suggest numerous books for further reading. This made it take longer, because I had to stop and look most of those up. Thoroughly enjoyed this one.
December 24, 2024
基礎入門好書，內容紮實，通俗易讀。
August 22, 2019
This is a good read. There isn't much on the Egyptians, and half the book is on the Romans, but the material is still good. I picked it up mostly for the Egyptians, and often skimmed the later parts, though. But the parts on the Greeks were better than I expected.
The Nile floods from July to October, leads to plowing and sowing form November to February and harvesting from March until June. The surplus produce could feed people on the land's great construction projects. Greeks saw Egyptians as the basis of their civilization, and copied things like architecture. They were farming there by 4000 BC and had walled towns by 3600 BC. They needed to organize society to trade w/ others for needed resources. Memphis was built where Upper Egypt (the Delta) met Lower Egypt. The pharaoh would rejoin Ra upon death, necessitating the great tombs. The 4th dynasty had the great pyramids, but the 5th dynasty had nobles gain more power and build their pyramids. The Middle Kingdom had the ideology of Ma'at, that there was a harmony through right living and justice. The king was supposed to act with justice and moderation to help fulfill this ideology. The god Osris had death and suffering, but also renewel- he was reborn to become a savior, and would judge all souls after their deaths. There was also belief in an afterlife. The New Kingdom was about empire, and had an army of about 15 to 20,000. We have more info on daily life from the New Kingdom. There was an efficient/ruthless transfer of wealth to the elite - about 5% of the population. They were originally the best at medicine, but perhaps had too much attachment to tradition. They figured pi as 3.1. Many people were esssentially serfs. Men typically married at age 20, women at ages 12-14. Boys were circumsized at age 14.
Mesopotamia makes a brief appearance. Freeman argues that the leaders were actually secular. They had cities by 4500 BC and later writing and the wheel. Sargon's empire lasted 70 years beyond him. They were faltering by 2000 BC. Babylon had the best mathematicians. One figured the lunar cycle within one second of its actual length. They had multiplication and division and even log rythyms. They new of the pythagarous theorum before the Greeks did. They had positional notation, with a base-60 system. The Hitittes may have been from Central Asia. The Assyrians were the first great horsemen.
Minoans on Crete built palaces and were in the Aegean trade. They had skilled craftsmen and Linear A writing. By 1600 BC, many palaces were destroyed. Myceneans arose by 1425 BC. A new cultural emerged. They were outward looking with trade. They had their own writing, Linear B. They collapsed by 1200-1100 BC. Their economy may have become too complex. Mass migrations occurred. An 8th centruy Reinassance emerged, including the revival of writing. The polis emerged. They had more trade with the east and settlement with the west (Italy, Sicily). The town of Euboea did a lot of colonization. There were also settlement north up to the Black Sea and south to Libya. Euboea was later exhausted by a civil war, and Cornith became the main town. Hoplites fought in rows, and were loyal to the polis. Tyrants rose and fell, and their fell led to the rise of the hoplite class. In Sparta, helots did the labor, freeing up hoplites to fight - they were constantly mobilized. Solon thought that Athenians were too greedy and abolished debt ownership. Greece first had coins in the 6th century. Thales was the father of Greek philosophy, as he argued that water was the first principle. Pythagarus believed the soul was separate from the body and a numerical order could explain all the world. 90% of Greeks were farmers, often with their own small plots of land called a kleros. Barley was their main cereal and olives their main crop. Some cities had up to 30% slaves. Women were largely out of the public sphere. Solon thought that men should wed at age 28-35 and women at age 10-15 or less. Mt. Olympus was seen as the home of the gods since Mycenean days. It was a family of gods, as in Egypt. Gods weren't about human welfare, but generally rewarded proper behavior. The Oracle of Delphi was the center of the world through a hole in the ground.
Athens was ruined in the Persian War and depended on Black Sea grain. Pericles was an imperialist. A law in 451 BC (Pericles era) narrowed citizenship. The Acropolis was built up in the 2nd half of that century. An Athenian force in Egypt was destroyed in 454 BC, and that caused Athens to lose power for a bit. They soon revived and in the Delian League, they had 150 subject states. They collected tribute (which helped them build up their town). The League's council stopped meeting in the 440s, making it a true Athenian Empire. If a place rebelled, it was beaten and its land given to poor Athenians. Athens main control was to preserve the grain from the Black Sea. Drama began at the Dionysus festival. Aristotle studied everything: logic, zoology, languge, arts, ethics, politics, law, chmistric, physics, and biology and astronomy. He was an empiricist.
Thebes beat up Sparta in the 300s, but polises in general were in decline. Mercenary troops were more common. Philip of Macedonia used a long pike and his hoplites couldn't be beat. They needed less armour, and they could move quicker. He was killed and Alexander became #1. He had a filed siege early on. But he kept hunting Darius until he got him. They had guerilla warfare in Afghanistan. The Macedonian king model had a lot of comradarie with his men while the Persian one was more removed - and Alex favored the latter. 70 straight days of rain ended his pursuit of more land. He was planning an invasion of Arabia when he died. His legacy was absolute monarchy.
A Macedonian/Greek ruling class emerged after he died. Festivals and games reinforced cultural unity. Ptolemy was the astronomer who discussed how planets moved. Hippocrates was the doctor. Galen was the #1 Greek doctor. Pytheas had a voyage all the way around Britain in 330 BC. Maps based on the principles of latitude and longtitude were made. Old gods were in decline - too Olympus-focused for this broader world. Uncertaintly became more important in philosophy. Zeno was a top stoic. For stoics, the world was a single entity, you had to accept pleasure and pain with indifference, and it was a duty to live virtuously. Logos was part of it.
Etruscans were from Italy and began developing around 1200 BC. They had iron, copper, and silver and expanded into southern Italy. Rome had kings from the 8th to 6th centuries. They gave forms of citizenship to non-Latins they conquered. They created colonies. They were flexible. 10-15% normally served in arms for them, 25% in times of crises. Fabius was the early hero in the 2nd Punic War. The Senate's prestige peaked between the 2nd and 3rd Punic Wars. Plunder and slaves poured into Italy.
Claudius helped consolidate the imperial bureacuracy. Hadrian was a big builder. Spain rebelled on and off for 200 years. Execution was an example to others. The government was improved in the imperial system. The census was the basis of their taxation: poll tax and property tax. They also had an inheritance tax. Rome integrated local elites. Citizenship spread. Romanization spread via the army, citizenship, and a common urban culture -- but it was less effective at this in the Greek areas, Jewish areas, and Egyptian areas. Rome built with a better version of concrete. Greeks integrated into the Roman world. They was more villas and more trade. St. Augustine helped create the doctrine of original sin, and believed that most were damned to hell. Roman culture didn't vanish when Rome fell. The church and law survived and provided some cohesion.
The Nile floods from July to October, leads to plowing and sowing form November to February and harvesting from March until June. The surplus produce could feed people on the land's great construction projects. Greeks saw Egyptians as the basis of their civilization, and copied things like architecture. They were farming there by 4000 BC and had walled towns by 3600 BC. They needed to organize society to trade w/ others for needed resources. Memphis was built where Upper Egypt (the Delta) met Lower Egypt. The pharaoh would rejoin Ra upon death, necessitating the great tombs. The 4th dynasty had the great pyramids, but the 5th dynasty had nobles gain more power and build their pyramids. The Middle Kingdom had the ideology of Ma'at, that there was a harmony through right living and justice. The king was supposed to act with justice and moderation to help fulfill this ideology. The god Osris had death and suffering, but also renewel- he was reborn to become a savior, and would judge all souls after their deaths. There was also belief in an afterlife. The New Kingdom was about empire, and had an army of about 15 to 20,000. We have more info on daily life from the New Kingdom. There was an efficient/ruthless transfer of wealth to the elite - about 5% of the population. They were originally the best at medicine, but perhaps had too much attachment to tradition. They figured pi as 3.1. Many people were esssentially serfs. Men typically married at age 20, women at ages 12-14. Boys were circumsized at age 14.
Mesopotamia makes a brief appearance. Freeman argues that the leaders were actually secular. They had cities by 4500 BC and later writing and the wheel. Sargon's empire lasted 70 years beyond him. They were faltering by 2000 BC. Babylon had the best mathematicians. One figured the lunar cycle within one second of its actual length. They had multiplication and division and even log rythyms. They new of the pythagarous theorum before the Greeks did. They had positional notation, with a base-60 system. The Hitittes may have been from Central Asia. The Assyrians were the first great horsemen.
Minoans on Crete built palaces and were in the Aegean trade. They had skilled craftsmen and Linear A writing. By 1600 BC, many palaces were destroyed. Myceneans arose by 1425 BC. A new cultural emerged. They were outward looking with trade. They had their own writing, Linear B. They collapsed by 1200-1100 BC. Their economy may have become too complex. Mass migrations occurred. An 8th centruy Reinassance emerged, including the revival of writing. The polis emerged. They had more trade with the east and settlement with the west (Italy, Sicily). The town of Euboea did a lot of colonization. There were also settlement north up to the Black Sea and south to Libya. Euboea was later exhausted by a civil war, and Cornith became the main town. Hoplites fought in rows, and were loyal to the polis. Tyrants rose and fell, and their fell led to the rise of the hoplite class. In Sparta, helots did the labor, freeing up hoplites to fight - they were constantly mobilized. Solon thought that Athenians were too greedy and abolished debt ownership. Greece first had coins in the 6th century. Thales was the father of Greek philosophy, as he argued that water was the first principle. Pythagarus believed the soul was separate from the body and a numerical order could explain all the world. 90% of Greeks were farmers, often with their own small plots of land called a kleros. Barley was their main cereal and olives their main crop. Some cities had up to 30% slaves. Women were largely out of the public sphere. Solon thought that men should wed at age 28-35 and women at age 10-15 or less. Mt. Olympus was seen as the home of the gods since Mycenean days. It was a family of gods, as in Egypt. Gods weren't about human welfare, but generally rewarded proper behavior. The Oracle of Delphi was the center of the world through a hole in the ground.
Athens was ruined in the Persian War and depended on Black Sea grain. Pericles was an imperialist. A law in 451 BC (Pericles era) narrowed citizenship. The Acropolis was built up in the 2nd half of that century. An Athenian force in Egypt was destroyed in 454 BC, and that caused Athens to lose power for a bit. They soon revived and in the Delian League, they had 150 subject states. They collected tribute (which helped them build up their town). The League's council stopped meeting in the 440s, making it a true Athenian Empire. If a place rebelled, it was beaten and its land given to poor Athenians. Athens main control was to preserve the grain from the Black Sea. Drama began at the Dionysus festival. Aristotle studied everything: logic, zoology, languge, arts, ethics, politics, law, chmistric, physics, and biology and astronomy. He was an empiricist.
Thebes beat up Sparta in the 300s, but polises in general were in decline. Mercenary troops were more common. Philip of Macedonia used a long pike and his hoplites couldn't be beat. They needed less armour, and they could move quicker. He was killed and Alexander became #1. He had a filed siege early on. But he kept hunting Darius until he got him. They had guerilla warfare in Afghanistan. The Macedonian king model had a lot of comradarie with his men while the Persian one was more removed - and Alex favored the latter. 70 straight days of rain ended his pursuit of more land. He was planning an invasion of Arabia when he died. His legacy was absolute monarchy.
A Macedonian/Greek ruling class emerged after he died. Festivals and games reinforced cultural unity. Ptolemy was the astronomer who discussed how planets moved. Hippocrates was the doctor. Galen was the #1 Greek doctor. Pytheas had a voyage all the way around Britain in 330 BC. Maps based on the principles of latitude and longtitude were made. Old gods were in decline - too Olympus-focused for this broader world. Uncertaintly became more important in philosophy. Zeno was a top stoic. For stoics, the world was a single entity, you had to accept pleasure and pain with indifference, and it was a duty to live virtuously. Logos was part of it.
Etruscans were from Italy and began developing around 1200 BC. They had iron, copper, and silver and expanded into southern Italy. Rome had kings from the 8th to 6th centuries. They gave forms of citizenship to non-Latins they conquered. They created colonies. They were flexible. 10-15% normally served in arms for them, 25% in times of crises. Fabius was the early hero in the 2nd Punic War. The Senate's prestige peaked between the 2nd and 3rd Punic Wars. Plunder and slaves poured into Italy.
Claudius helped consolidate the imperial bureacuracy. Hadrian was a big builder. Spain rebelled on and off for 200 years. Execution was an example to others. The government was improved in the imperial system. The census was the basis of their taxation: poll tax and property tax. They also had an inheritance tax. Rome integrated local elites. Citizenship spread. Romanization spread via the army, citizenship, and a common urban culture -- but it was less effective at this in the Greek areas, Jewish areas, and Egyptian areas. Rome built with a better version of concrete. Greeks integrated into the Roman world. They was more villas and more trade. St. Augustine helped create the doctrine of original sin, and believed that most were damned to hell. Roman culture didn't vanish when Rome fell. The church and law survived and provided some cohesion.
April 18, 2020
Read for school, didn't finish, though I came really close—had about 150? pages left. (Not, y'know, including the bib, index, etc.) But I'm not gonna bother finishing this cause it was dry as hell. I'll give credit that Freeman really got into the details of the three civilizations, but I felt like the narration could have been.... better. I appreciate that you really do get a good overview without skipping over points that sometimes are in other overview books (like, women). But it was too much info at once and you really have to take your time absorbing everything.
March 27, 2012
An excellent overview of antiquity, this narrative history serves as the perfect introduction to Greek and Roman history -- two topics I plan to delve into this year. Charles Freeman balances an overall historical, chronological survey of the ancient Mediterranean while carefully zeroing-in on critical and particularly fascinating episodes. It is a lengthy book, which gives the author space to cover everything from the economics of slavery in the Roman empire to the "how and why" of Diocletian's reforms to the complicated ins-and-outs of the Peloponnesian War. (Incidentally, for more on the Peloponnesian War, which is, for my money, the most fascinating conflict prior to the modern era, I highly recommend Donald Kagan's book entitled, appropriately enough, The Peloponnesian War.)
Although Freeman's book probably is intended to serve as a mid-level introductory college textbook, the writing is engaging and forcible. For example, the account of the fall of the Roman Republic effectively conveys how terrifying a time it must have been; Freeman's recounting of events left me -- I don't use this term lightly -- breathless.
Although Freeman's book probably is intended to serve as a mid-level introductory college textbook, the writing is engaging and forcible. For example, the account of the fall of the Roman Republic effectively conveys how terrifying a time it must have been; Freeman's recounting of events left me -- I don't use this term lightly -- breathless.
August 5, 2008
This book is full of interesting things. A couple days ago it was talking about why there are 60 minutes, 60 seconds, or 360 degrees in a circle (a factor off of 60).
The ancients found that 60 was a very useful number because it could be divided by everything-
60x1
30x2
20x3
15x4
12x5
10x6
If that fact is interesting to you, then the book is full of such things and you should read it.
If not, you are too dumb. Don't bother.
The ancients found that 60 was a very useful number because it could be divided by everything-
60x1
30x2
20x3
15x4
12x5
10x6
If that fact is interesting to you, then the book is full of such things and you should read it.
If not, you are too dumb. Don't bother.
August 16, 2016
Like a refresher course in 'Civilizations in the Ancient Mediterranean through Late Antiquity.' Presents a solid background and synthesis of the major developments of these early civilizations and how they influenced each other.
April 18, 2022
Yazarın batı merkezli tarih anlatımındansa olayları daha objektif bir şekilde anlatması takdire şayan. Haritalar, çizelgeler ve görseller ile desteklen anlatım sayesinde okuması daha zevkli bir hale gelmiş.
August 24, 2013
Somewhat elementary to me? Although a good starters guide. Kind of hard to cover all three of those civilizations in one book, so I must give the author some credit :/
July 30, 2016
Lots of information, but I would've preferred a chronological order of events than a thematic one.
Want to read
September 8, 2011Decent textbook, I used it as inspiration for lessons on Ancient greece & Rome
Read
September 8, 2023"Egito, Grécia e Roma: Civilizações do Mediterrâneo Antigo" é uma jornada cativante através dos anais da história, explorando as notáveis civilizações que lançaram as bases para grande parte do nosso mundo moderno. Este curso abrangente oferece uma experiência imersiva na rica tapeçaria dessas culturas antigas, guiada por estudiosos e historiadores especializados.
Uma das características marcantes deste curso é sua meticulosa atenção aos detalhes. Cada civilização, desde as impressionantes pirâmides do Egito até os ideais filosóficos da Grécia e as maravilhas da engenharia de Roma, é examinada com precisão e profundidade. O curso não se limita a superficialidades; ele mergulha profundamente nas estruturas sociopolíticas, realizações culturais e vida cotidiana dessas sociedades.
As palestras envolventes são ministradas por especialistas renomados que dão vida à narrativa histórica. Seu entusiasmo e conhecimento são contagiantes, tornando até os assuntos mais complexos acessíveis e intrigantes. O curso também utiliza uma riqueza de recursos visuais, incluindo mapas, artefatos e reconstruções arquitetônicas, que aprimoram a experiência de aprendizado e ajudam os alunos a visualizar o mundo antigo.
Outro aspecto digno de destaque é a capacidade do curso de estabelecer conexões entre essas civilizações e sua influência duradoura na sociedade moderna. Ele enfatiza como conceitos como democracia, filosofia e técnicas de engenharia desenvolvidos nesses tempos antigos continuam a moldar nosso mundo hoje. Essa contextualização adiciona profundidade ao curso, tornando-o relevante e instigante.
Além disso, a estrutura do curso é bem organizada, com módulos claros que permitem que os alunos progridam cronologicamente na história. Avaliações, questionários e discussões entre os colegas proporcionam oportunidades para a aprendizagem ativa e reforçam a compreensão.
No entanto, um pequeno inconveniente pode ser a profundidade do curso, que pode ser avassaladora para iniciantes. No entanto, para aqueles com um interesse genuíno em história antiga, isso pode ser visto como uma vantagem, oferecendo uma base sólida para uma exploração mais aprofundada.
Em resumo, "Egito, Grécia e Roma: Civilizações do Mediterrâneo Antigo" é um curso esclarecedor e abrangente que proporciona uma compreensão imersiva e perspicaz dessas civilizações antigas. É um recurso inestimável para entusiastas da história e qualquer pessoa interessada em descobrir as raízes profundas de nosso mundo moderno.
O site https://mystudybay.com.br/ desempenhou um papel fundamental em auxiliar na pesquisa e criação da revisão sobre 'Egito, Grécia e Roma: Civilizações do Mediterrâneo Antigo'.
Uma das características marcantes deste curso é sua meticulosa atenção aos detalhes. Cada civilização, desde as impressionantes pirâmides do Egito até os ideais filosóficos da Grécia e as maravilhas da engenharia de Roma, é examinada com precisão e profundidade. O curso não se limita a superficialidades; ele mergulha profundamente nas estruturas sociopolíticas, realizações culturais e vida cotidiana dessas sociedades.
As palestras envolventes são ministradas por especialistas renomados que dão vida à narrativa histórica. Seu entusiasmo e conhecimento são contagiantes, tornando até os assuntos mais complexos acessíveis e intrigantes. O curso também utiliza uma riqueza de recursos visuais, incluindo mapas, artefatos e reconstruções arquitetônicas, que aprimoram a experiência de aprendizado e ajudam os alunos a visualizar o mundo antigo.
Outro aspecto digno de destaque é a capacidade do curso de estabelecer conexões entre essas civilizações e sua influência duradoura na sociedade moderna. Ele enfatiza como conceitos como democracia, filosofia e técnicas de engenharia desenvolvidos nesses tempos antigos continuam a moldar nosso mundo hoje. Essa contextualização adiciona profundidade ao curso, tornando-o relevante e instigante.
Além disso, a estrutura do curso é bem organizada, com módulos claros que permitem que os alunos progridam cronologicamente na história. Avaliações, questionários e discussões entre os colegas proporcionam oportunidades para a aprendizagem ativa e reforçam a compreensão.
No entanto, um pequeno inconveniente pode ser a profundidade do curso, que pode ser avassaladora para iniciantes. No entanto, para aqueles com um interesse genuíno em história antiga, isso pode ser visto como uma vantagem, oferecendo uma base sólida para uma exploração mais aprofundada.
Em resumo, "Egito, Grécia e Roma: Civilizações do Mediterrâneo Antigo" é um curso esclarecedor e abrangente que proporciona uma compreensão imersiva e perspicaz dessas civilizações antigas. É um recurso inestimável para entusiastas da história e qualquer pessoa interessada em descobrir as raízes profundas de nosso mundo moderno.
O site https://mystudybay.com.br/ desempenhou um papel fundamental em auxiliar na pesquisa e criação da revisão sobre 'Egito, Grécia e Roma: Civilizações do Mediterrâneo Antigo'.
April 1, 2024
I have finally finished Freeman!!! Though I’m pretty sure we were even assigned the whole book in Hum 110. It’s kind of hilarious to me that this book was the bane of my existence in my freshman year of college, because, reading it now, it’s just a kind of dry, but very straightforward introductory history book. There were parts of it that I felt weren’t detailed ENOUGH. Whereas, back then, just 20 pages of this would take me hours to slog through.
Anyway, this was fairly enjoyable. I think I liked the sections on Egypt and the Byzantine empire the most because they were the areas I felt the least familiar with, which made them more interesting. I liked the chapter about daily life in the New Kingdom a lot. I’m always tempted to go off and read a book about the Byzantines at the end of every school year, but I never do. Maybe this year. I also think that Freeman has another book about the early Middle Ages, and I’m kind of interested in that as well (freshman year me doesn’t know who I am rn lol).
Anyway, this was fairly enjoyable. I think I liked the sections on Egypt and the Byzantine empire the most because they were the areas I felt the least familiar with, which made them more interesting. I liked the chapter about daily life in the New Kingdom a lot. I’m always tempted to go off and read a book about the Byzantines at the end of every school year, but I never do. Maybe this year. I also think that Freeman has another book about the early Middle Ages, and I’m kind of interested in that as well (freshman year me doesn’t know who I am rn lol).
February 6, 2019
First things first, Freeman is a tour guide, not a scholar. This being the case, do not expect a scholarly text. You can expect a well-written and enjoyable jaunt through classical history. What this book (3rd ed.) lacks in sources it certainly makes up for in imaginative writing (see below for honorable mentions). Overall, the book was enjoyable and I am glad that I read it.
Honorable mentions:
Egyptians were "bewildered" at the sight of the Euphrates river because it flows South rather than North, like the Nile (p. 66).
A study of Roman slavery determined that only one slave was ever freed, Epictetus (p. 6). Later, however, Freeman insists Roman slaves were "freed and incorporated into the citizen body" (p. 306).
Alexander Magnus asked that his artistic depictions show him without a beard as a "sign of youth and vigor" (p. 330), ignoring that he chose to be beardless so enemy combatants had one less thing to grab onto during battle.
Honorable mentions:
Egyptians were "bewildered" at the sight of the Euphrates river because it flows South rather than North, like the Nile (p. 66).
A study of Roman slavery determined that only one slave was ever freed, Epictetus (p. 6). Later, however, Freeman insists Roman slaves were "freed and incorporated into the citizen body" (p. 306).
Alexander Magnus asked that his artistic depictions show him without a beard as a "sign of youth and vigor" (p. 330), ignoring that he chose to be beardless so enemy combatants had one less thing to grab onto during battle.
June 8, 2020
Been "reading" via Audible Charles Freeman's book Egypt, Greece, and Rome: Civilizations of the Mediterranean. Dear reader(s) know that I love ancient Egypt. And I've been reading some books on ancient Greece and Rome lately. I've had this book in physical form on my shelves for some years now, but never started it. It's thick, heavy and small-fonted. I'm not saying I was scared, but...
More here at my review: https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edi...
More here at my review: https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edi...
April 27, 2024
A decent overview of three of the most influential and powerful civilizations of the ancient world. While good as an introduction, there is simply too much that can be said for each individual civilization which makes the treatment of the topics relatively light. Entire books of the same length could be written about each of the civilizations and they would still be considered brief! With this as the only major issue, the book holds up well.
October 14, 2017
There are some slow patches and I was originally planning to rate it a 4. But any book that can sustain my interest over 700 pages, almost a month of reading and that covers more than 2 millenia of history deserves an extra star. THE book to read if you are looking for an accessible and comprehensive account of the Greek and Roman civilizations.
March 24, 2019
I love this resource so much! I wish I had had this back when I was teaching about the Byzantine world. It would have been so helpful. So glad I have a copy. So glad I was finally able to finish it. Well-researched and a fair representation of the many different possible interpretations of the historical data.
August 19, 2019
A great refresher for me and my studies. I would also recommend this for those looking for a good overview and overall introduction to ancient Mediterranean history. Fantastic, also, for those looking for a true representation of the actual diversity (people of colour etc.) that always existed in this area of the world.
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