Ancient World Empires

What happens when great empires vanish without a clear trace? Echoes of Ancient Forgotten Empires seeks to answer that question by exploring the powerful civilizations that once dominated regions across the Old World—only to be lost to time, conquest, or natural disaster. These empires may not appear in mainstream history books, but their influence still lingers in the cultures, languages, and traditions that followed. This audiobook brings their stories back to life through a vivid blend of archaeology, historical research, and storytelling.

This is the first volume in a bold new series that tells the stories of all peoples, connecting historical events from Europe to the Middle East to the far coast of China, while still giving weight to the characteristics of each country. Susan Wise Bauer provides both sweeping scope and vivid attention to the individual lives that give flesh to abstract assertions about human history. This narrative history employs the methods of "history from beneath" - literature, epic traditions, private letters, and accounts - to connect kings and leaders with the lives of those they ruled.

Here in a single volume is the entire, unabridged recording of Gibbon's masterpiece. Beginning in the second century A.D. at the apex of the Pax Romana, Gibbon traces the arc of decline and complete destruction through the centuries across Europe and the Mediterranean. It is a thrilling and cautionary tale of splendor and ruin, of faith and hubris, and of civilization and barbarism. Follow along as Christianity overcomes paganism... before itself coming under intense pressure from Islam.

The Roman Empire and the Silk Routes investigates the trade routes between Rome and the powerful empires of inner Asia, including the Parthian regime which ruled ancient Persia (Iran). It explores Roman dealings with the Kushan Empire which seized power in Bactria (Afghanistan) and laid claim to the Indus Kingdoms. Further chapters examine the development of Palmyra as a leading caravan city on the edge of Roman Syria and consider trade ventures through the Tarim territories that led Roman merchants to Han China.

Travel across thousands of years and countless cultures with this lively, informative, and entertaining exploration of ancient civilizations. Covering the period from 3500 BC to 1500 AD, this audiobook blends history, storytelling, and humour into a single guide that’s as enjoyable as it is enlightening. Whether you’re a lifelong history fan or simply curious about how ancient civilizations shaped the world, you’ll find plenty to learn, laugh at, and share.

A "masterly" (Economist), prize-winning, internationally bestselling history of books in the ancient world "Exquisite. . . . Beautifully translated into English by Charlotte Whittle, who is able to convey both Vallejo’s passionate narrative presence and her synthesising intelligence.” —The...

Some 250 years after its first publication, Gibbon's Decline and Fall is still regarded as one of the greatest histories in Western literature. He reports on more than 1,000 years of an empire which extended from the most northern and western parts of Europe to deep into Asia and Africa and covers not only events but also the cultural and religious developments that effected change during that time.

In this comprehensive survey, updated for this new edition, Henderson explores the entire Maya cultural tradition, from the earliest traces of settlement through the period of the Spanish conquest in the 16th century. His wide-ranging account treats diverse aspects of the Maya world, from religion and philosophy to the environments of the various Maya peoples, using deciphered Maya texts to reconstruct the ancient societies.

The barbarian nomads of the Eurasian steppes have played a decisive role in world history, but their achievements have gone largely unnoticed. These nomadic tribes have produced some of the world’s greatest conquerors: Attila the Hun, Genghis Khan and Tamerlane, among others. And, as Kenneth Harl illustrates in this glorious work of narrative history, their deeds still resonate today. Professor Kenneth Harl draws on a lifetime of scholarship to vividly recreate the lives and world of these often-forgotten peoples from their beginnings to the early modern age.

Studies have shown that developing an “atomic habit”—just doing a few minutes a day of whatever skill or habit you want to take on—can be more than enough to engrain it into our lives. Therefore, we have transformed timeless, legendary stories into 10-minute bite-size chunks long enough to entertain, enthrall, and even educate the listener but short enough to be enjoyed quickly at bedtime or any other point in our busy modern days.

Brought to you by Penguin. AS SEEN ON TV Professor Alice Roberts travels 1,300 miles by train across Italy, France and Spain in search of a greater understanding of the Roman Empire for Channel 4's popular TV series Roman Empire by Train with Alice Roberts. Visiting sites often off the beaten...

The Crusades shook the world. But why did they happen? Their origins are revealed in a new light. As part of a medieval world war that stretched from Asia to Europe. At its center was an ancient empire Byzantium. Told for the first time as a single, linked narrative are three great events that changed history: The fall of Byzantium in the 11th century, the epic campaign of the First Crusade and the origins of modern Turkey. Nick Holmes not only presents the First Crusade in a wider global context but he also puts forwards new interpretations of the original sources.

On the horizons of many warring tribes, Roman warriors, knights from chivalric orders, and the devoted penniless appeared on a divine mission ready to conquer with an appetite for destruction, salvation, and a higher purpose. Pax Romana. Had the world ever seen the magnitude of empires as it did in the Roman Empires that would unhinge themselves from their very foundation in their attempt to dominate over kings, lords, and tribes?

The land between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers is called the “cradle of civilization”, and for good reason! Although Mesopotamia’s first civilization, Sumer, developed parallel with those of Egypt and nearby Elam, it was a place of many firsts for humanity. Some of them are well known, such as the wheel and the writing script. But it was the ancient Mesopotamians who first came up with the concept of time, the mathematical sexagesimal system, and a calendar with 12 months.

The Mitanni Empire came to prominence at a time when the Egyptians, the Hittites, and the Assyrians were all angling for supremacy. Mitanni made alliances and conquered other lands, excelled at the military art of charioteering, suffered invasions, endured assassinations, and saw a dynasty rise and fall. For more than 3,000 years, the Mitanni Empire remained largely forgotten. Recently, archaeological excavations and translations of ancient texts have shed some light on these remarkable people who were the equals of their more-famous peers in Egypt, Hatti, and Assyria.

Immerse yourself in an epic historical journey: The Akkadian Empire: The Rise and Fall of the World's First Empire. Welcome to a narrative of power and civilization, where history unfurls in thrilling detail and academic rigor is wrapped in a tapestry of storytelling. This is more than a book; it's a journey to the very dawn of empires and the heart of human ambition. Through this examination, the book will shine a light on the broader struggles and conflicts that tested the mettle of the Akkadian Empire.

Famous for its unflagging narrative power, fine organization, and irresistibly persuasive arguments, The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire has earned a permanent place of honor in historical literature. Gibbon's elegantly detached erudition is seasoned with an ironic wit, and remarkably little of his work is outdated.

History of the Ancient World: Ancient Civilizations, and Ancient Empires. History that Defined our World offers a tantalizing glimpse into our vast and complex ancient history that is sure to inspire further study. There is a lot to be learned from ancient history.

We promise that once you’ve finished the audiobook, you’ll not only take away a wealth of information, but you’ll own the experience as if you’ve lived it yourself! Allow us then to guide you through the mysterious, fascinating and magnificent histories of Ancient Greece, Mesopotamia, Egypt, and Rome and explore the gods, goddesses, kings, queens, mythology, culture, battles, beliefs, love, war, and more.

In The Rule of Empires, Timothy Parsons gives a sweeping account of the evolution of empire from its origins in ancient Rome to its most recent twentieth-century embodiment. He explains what constitutes an empire and offers suggestions about what empires of the past can tell us about our own historical moment. Parsons uses imperial examples that stretch from ancient Rome, to Britain's "new" imperialism in Kenya, to the Third Reich to parse the features common to all empires, their evolutions and self-justifying myths, and the reasons for their inevitable decline.