The Ancient World : A Complete Guide to the Great Civilizations from Egypt and Sumer to the Romans and the Incas

232 Pages·2013·58.833 MB·English

by  Haywood, John

A COMPLETE GUIDE TO THE GREAT CIVILIZATIONS
J \
INCAS'
• f « «
|«.WI I I- I tr?'1 '111 I III •
I • I n 11M ‘ • M M I M f ’» u I H I I M : .
I I Ml II ! H p 11»*'
The great civilizations of the distant
past never cease to impress us with their
spectacular achievements. Ideas, myths, works
of art, architecture, and literature speak to
across the millennia with an amazing
Us
freshness and immediacy. This book presents
a vivid and comprehensive portrait of these
achievements, set within their historical
context, and tells the captivating stories of
ancient Mesopotamia, Egypt, Greece, Rome,
India, China, and Pre-Columbian America.
The Ancient World is a wide-ranging guide
to the spiritual, cultural, technological, and
artistic innovation that was the hallmark
of these complex and fascinating societies.
Organized thematically, the text makes use
of the latest research and evidence about
the ancient world. Detailed coverage is
given to symbols, sacred texts, religious
ceremonies, gods and goddesses, visions of
the cosmos, and sacred sites—from the glories
of the Pyramids and the Parthenon to the
towering majesty of Machu Picchu; from the
establishment of Rome to the foundation of
modern China; and from the earliest stirrings
of civilized life in Sumeria in 3500 to the
BC
bloody demise of the Incas and the Aztecs in
the 16th and 17th centuries.
The ten chapters in the book are devoted
to the most illustrious and influential
civilizations of world history, complete with
maps, timelines, dynastic lists, and fascinating
discussions on everything from ancient tomb
robbers to hieroglyphic writings. Packed
with information. The Ancient World is an
authoritative and accessible overview of
5,000 years of world history.

Digitized by the Internet Archive
in 2018 with funding from
Kahle/Austin Foundation
https://archive.org/details/ancientworld0000hayw_v8o4
THE
ANCIENT
WORLD

THE
ANCIENT
WORLD
John Haywood
METRO BOOKS
NEW YORK

The Ancient world
The ancient world had several ‘cradles’ of civilization — Mesopotamia, Egypt,
northern India, China, the Mediterranean and the Andes mountains
and Central America. It was in these favourable areas, all with
the rich natural resources to support dense populations,
that history’s most influential civilizations arose. *
v•l4 W^' •.
v.'.K
. 'A'V
4 '
fc,'! ^ W t
■- -
■A n /-Mv d’' *■ '; /
T ■»
m: 14'" ■■•-'. .
* ‘'Ai' i *
Roman republic
Through military and political innovation,
the Roman republic expanded from a city
state to become the greatest power of the
ancient world.
The Maya
Surviving for 2,000 years,
the warlike Maya civilization
was the most long-lived and
most accomplished of the
Mesoamerican civilizations, noted
for its achievements in astronomy
and mathematics, literature, art
and architecture. Its ruined temple
pyramids and palaces, rising
from the depths of the Central
American rainforest, are among
the most evocative monuments of
the ancient world.
e ^
O t The Inca
P
The Incas of the Peruvian Andes
created the largest empire of
the ancient Americas. Skilful
metalworkers in gold, silver and
bronze, the Inca was the only
ancient American civilization
to make extensive use of metal
tools and weapons.
MAP KEY
n
11^1 Sumer 3500-2004 bc Persian empire 700-329 bc
czn
Ancient Egypt 3100-1070 bc Classical Greece 800-338 bc
Ancient India 2600-185 bc □ Roman republic 509-27 bc
Minoans and Mycenaeans 2000-1200 bc The Maya 600 bc-ad 1697
Ancient China 1766-206 bc The Inca ad 1000-1533