Ancient History Books

How we search for meaning in our futures, as revealed by the divine, occult or supernatural, from ancient prophets to the end of days. What will happen to us next? From the earliest beginnings of human civilization, people have se…

What's exciting about a piece of bread 4,000 years old? Or some pots of paint abandoned in the eruption at Pompeii? Why should we be bothered with the distant past anyway? What's the point?The life, art and literature of ancient G…

In the ancient world the magicians of Egypt were considered the best. But was magic harmless fun, heartfelt hope, or something darker? Whether you needed a love charm, a chat with your dead wife, or the ability to fly like a bird,…

Bestselling author Philip Matyszak explores how the Greeks and Romans used magic, who performed it – and why. Magic was everywhere in the ancient world. The supernatural abounded, turning flowers into fruit and caterpillars into b…

An authoritative visual history of one of the world’s oldest and most vibrant cultures, drawing on South Asian art and artefacts from prehistory to the present. Arranged chronologically, and abundantly illustrated with expertly se…

This illustrated introduction to the history of China offers a fresh understanding of China’s progress from the Neolithic age to the present. Told in six chapters arranged chronologically, through art, artefacts, people and places…

A book of Greek myths with a twist! Readers step into the shoes of a legendary hero to solve mazes, crack codes and untangle the riddles that bring lavishly illustrated retellings of classic tales to life. Readers take on their ve…

A compelling and vivid narrative history of one of the founding civilizations of the modern world, the Byzantine empire, evocatively told through the lives of its 92 emperors. Based in the great city of Constantinople (modern-day …

A unique re-interpretation of the city of ancient Rome and its empire, using the tools offered by the latest information technology and graphic design. Packed with cleverly designed graphics, charts and diagrams, Ancient Rome: Inf…

A history of the Japanese archipelago through its material artefacts over fifteen millennia. This spirited visual account of life in the Japanese archipelago spans over 15,000 years, revealing the stories behind an intriguing sele…

In Mythica Emily Hauser tells, for the first time, the extraordinary stories of the real women behind some of the western world’s greatest legends. Following in their footsteps, digging into the history behind Homer’s epic poems, …

On 26 November 1922 Howard Carter first peered into the newly opened tomb of an ancient Egyptian boy-king. When asked if he could see anything, he replied: 'Yes, yes, wonderful things.'In Tutankhamun's Trumpet, acclaimed Egyptolog…

In Rome the echoes of the past resound clearly in its palaces and monuments, and in the remains of the ancient imperial city. But another presence has dominated Rome for 2,000 years -the pope, whose actions and influence echo down…

This luxurious foil-embossed hardback chronicles the rise and fall of the ancient Greek and Roman empires, accompanied by full-colour images of artefacts, artwork, maps and more. From palace-based societies in Minoan Crete to the …

A superb and illuminating history of Imperial Rome's most important women – dispelling the myths and misogyny that have distorted their reputations for over 2000 years. Writer, activist and journalist Joan Smith has worked for yea…

A superb and illuminating history of Imperial Rome's most important women – dispelling the myths and misogyny that have distorted their reputations for over 2000 years. Writer, activist and journalist Joan Smith has worked for yea…

An overview of the lost peoples and cultures who flourished and fought for survival alongside the Egyptians, Greeks and Romans. Who were the Philistines? What was a Pyrrhic victory? Were the Vandals really vandals? Why should you …

A definitive and thrilling new account of the last great dynasty of ancient Egypt, from Alexander the Great to Cleopatra.When Alexander the Great arrived in Egypt, he overthrew the hated Persian overlords and was welcomed as a sav…

What is the nature of things?What is justice? How can I be myself?How should we treat each other?Before the Greeks, the idea of the world was dominated by god-kings and their priests. Twenty-five hundred years ago, in a succession…

Cleopatra: lover, seductress, and Egypt's greatest queen. A woman more myth than history, immortalized in poetry, drama, music, art, and film. She captivated Julius Caesar and Marc Antony, the two greatest Romans of the day, and d…

From Alexandria to York, this unique illustrated guide allows us to see the great centres of classical civilization afresh. The key feature of Cities of the Classical World is 120 specially drawn maps tracing each city's thoroughf…

An epic new history of Ancient China told through the prism of a dozen extraordinary tombsThe three millennia up to the establishment of the first imperial Qin dynasty in 221 BC cemented many of the distinctive elements of Chinese…

A detailed exploration of nearly 200 objects from ancient Rome and museum collections around the world, gathered here into one handy, pocket-sized guide Pocket Museum: Ancient Rome brings together nearly 200 of the finest and most…

A vast collection of significant works of art from the whole of ancient Greek civilization and a range of museums, gathered in one handy, pocket-sized guide The numerous treasures of ancient Greece are scattered all over the world…

A detailed exploration of 200 Ancient Egyptian objects from museums around the world, gathered here into one handy, pocket-sized guide This magnificently illustrated book brings together 200 of the finest and most significant Anci…

In this groundbreaking, story-driven retelling of Western history, Naoise Mac Sweeney debunks the myths and origin stories that underpin the history we thought we knew.Told through fourteen figures who each played a role in the cr…

Think of a place where you can stand at the intersection of Christian and Arab cultures, at the crossroads of the British, Ottoman, Byzantine, Roman and Egyptian empires; a place marked by the struggle between fascism and communis…

Spanning 3,000 years, from the birth of Minoan Crete to the death of the Julio-Claudian dynasty in Rome, a magisterial new history of the ancient world told, for the very first time, through women.For centuries, men have been writ…

14 CE: The first Roman emperor is dead. A second is about to succeed.The Forum of Rome, once fought over so fiercely, has become hardly more than a museum. The house of all power is up above on the Palatine Hill, about to become t…

Ancient Greece and Rome are considered the parents of Western civilisation. But the ancient world was much more interconnected than we realise - a place of constant exchange, commerce and theft, sex, war and enslavement.Journeying…