Ancient History

History is like a tree—the ancient parts are roots, and as the story progresses the trunk rises and branches expand to encompass every person and event since Adam and Eve. Because history is unified, every element of the story is interconnected, even if that connection is distant. Furthermore, the current parts are all directly the product of the parts that have come before, and to understand the current situation you'll need to understand the past.

Understanding the ancient history roots at the bottom of the tree is essential for a proper perspective of everything that comes after. Some people take this too far and assume that ancient history is all that matters, but those who disregard it or understand it on no more than a cursory level are just as mistaken. Just as a building must have a strong foundation, so a study of history must begin in the right place.

The ancient world was different from ours, and the same. It was different in primarily physical ways: technology was less advanced, there were fewer people, and the general standard of living was far below what we enjoy (at least in the industrialized world). However, human nature never changes, and the same universal conflict that exists today—between God's children and His enemies—raged then.

It's interesting to what extent the dominant theories and philosophies of the modern world reflect those of the ancients. There is truly nothing new under the sun, and the Enlightenment rationalism, faith in human progress, belief in man's innate goodness, evolutionary idealism, and even postmodernism against which Christians fight all have their roots in the ideas of the Babylonians, Greeks, Egyptians, and every other early civilization.

That doesn't mean there isn't a clear trajectory from the ancient world to the present. Ideas all run a distinct course, and some reach prominence at different times; while the seeds of every successive philosophy were sown in the ancient world, it took time to grow them into what we recognize how as humanism, modernism, postmodernism, and the ever-illusory post-postmodernism.

The same is true of events. The history of any period is simply the chronicle of man's attempts to thwart God's will and Yahweh's use of even the most outrageous rebellion to achieve His own ends. In some ways, this is more obvious in ancient history, as the nation of Israel fought the surrounding nations, and too often embraced their paganism.

That story, of God's work among His people and in the world, and of man's continual rebellion, is also our story. The Church fights the same battles our Israelite forefathers did, though on a more ideological rather than physical scale. When we realize how much the story of the ancients is our own story, the significance of studying their world becomes much clearer, and the urgency of such study is made plain.

Review by C. Hollis Crossman
C. Hollis Crossman used to be a child. Now he's a husband and father who loves church, good food, and weird stuff. He might be a mythical creature, but he's definitely not a centaur. Read more of his reviews here.
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1,152 Items found Print
1491
by written by Charles C. Mann
2nd ed. from Vintage Books
for Adult
in Ancient America (Location: HISW-ANAM)
$19.00
24 Exciting Plays for Ancient History Classes
by Dean R. Bowman
from Walch Publishing
for 5th-8th grade
in Ancient History (Location: HISW-ANC)
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by Claudia Logan, illustrated by Melissa Sweet
1st edition from Farrar, Straus and Giroux
for 3rd-6th grade
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500 Nations
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1st edition from Alfred A. Knopf, Inc.
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by Doug Bond
from P&R Publishing
for 5th-8th grade
in History of Hymns (Location: XCH-HYMN)
$13.59 $4.80 (1 in stock)
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by Ruth Beechick
from Mott Media
Historical Fiction for 7th-10th grade
in Ancient History (Location: HISW-ANC)
Adara
by Beatrice Gormley
from Eerdmans
for 4th-6th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
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Adventures in Ancient Greece
by Linda Bailey
from Kids Can Press
for 4th-6th grade
in Ancient Greece (Location: HISW-ANGR)
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Adventures of Hercules - Coloring Book
Dover Coloring Books
by Bob Blaisdell & John Green
from Dover Publications
for 2nd-6th grade
in Literary & Fantasy Coloring Books (Location: COL-LIT)
$3.99
Adventures of Ulysses
by Bernard Evslin
from Scholastic Inc.
Greek Mythology for 4th-6th grade
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Adventures of Ulysses
World Landmark #40
by Gerald Gottlieb
from Random House
for 5th-9th grade
in World Landmark Books (Location: VIN-LAN)
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Dover Coloring Books
by Bruce LaFontaine
from Dover Publications
for 2nd-6th grade
in Literary & Fantasy Coloring Books (Location: COL-LIT)
$3.99
Aeneid
by Virgil, translated by Robert Fitzgerald
from Vintage Classics
Ancient Literature/Epic Poetry for 10th-Adult
in Ancient Literature (Location: LIT1-ANC)
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Aeneid
by Virgil, translated by Robert Fagles
from Penguin Putnam
for 9th-Adult
in Ancient Literature (Location: LIT1-ANC)
$20.00
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by Alfred J. Church
from Yesterday's Classics
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$11.95
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by Alfred J. Church
from Living Book Press
Roman Mythology for 5th-8th grade
$6.99
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by Alfred J. Church, illustrated by Eugene Karlin
1st Printing from Macmillan
Roman Mythology for 5th-8th grade
in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
Aeneid Of Virgil
by Virgil, translated by Allan Mandelbaum
from Bantam Books
for 10th-Adult
in Ancient Literature (Location: LIT1-ANC)
$5.95
Aeschylus I: The Oresteia (old)
The Complete Greek Tragedies
by Aeschylus (translation by Richmond Lattimore)
from University of Chicago
Ancient Greek Tragedy for 10th-Adult
in Clearance: Literature (Location: ZCLE-LIT)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Aeschylus II: The Oresteia
The Complete Greek Tragedies
by Aeschylus (translation by Richmond Lattimore)
3rd edition from University of Chicago
Ancient Greek Tragedy for 10th-Adult
in Ancient Literature (Location: LIT1-ANC)
$14.00
Aeschylus' Oresteia
Penguin Classics
by Aeschylus (translation by Robert Fagles)
from Penguin Classics
Ancient Greek Tragedy for 10th-Adult
in Ancient Literature (Location: LIT1-ANC)
$17.00
Aeschylus' Oresteia
by Aeschylus, translated by Peter Meineck
from Hackett Publishing Company
Ancient Greek Tragedy for 10th-Adult
in Ancient Literature (Location: LIT1-ANC)
$13.50
Aeschylus' Oresteian Trilogy
Penguin Classics
by Aeschylus, translated by Phillip Vellacott
from Penguin Classics
Ancient Greek Tragedy for 10th-Adult
in Ancient Literature (Location: LIT1-ANC)
$13.00 $7.00 (1 in stock)
Aesop's Fables
by Aesop
from Signet Classics
Fairy Tales & Fables for 10th grade-adult
in Ancient Literature (Location: LIT1-ANC)
$5.95
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Puffin Classics
by Aesop
Reprint from Puffin Books
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in Puffin Classics (Location: FIC-PUF)
$7.99
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for 6th-12th grade
in Ancient Literature (Location: LIT1-ANC)
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from Focus on the Family
for 1st-3rd grade
in Imagination Station (Location: SER-AIO)
$5.99
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International Collectors Library
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from International Collectors Library
for 4th-8th grade
in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20)
Alexander the Great
by Robert Green
from Grolier Publishing
Biography for 4th-6th grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
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Sterling Point Books
by John Gunther
from Sterling Publishing Co.
Historical Biography for 5th-9th grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
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for 4th-7th grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$12.00
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by Andrew Langley
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for Preschool-3rd grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
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World Landmark #2
by John Gunther
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for 5th-8th grade
in World Landmark Books (Location: VIN-LAN)
Alexander the Great
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from Marshall Cavendish Education
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$19.99
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in Horizon Caravel Books (Location: VIN-HOR)
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Biography for 4th-6th grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
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from Bookwrights Press
for 4th-7th grade
in Ancient Greece (Location: HISW-ANGR)
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$22.99
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1952 Newbery Honor Book
in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS)
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from Houghton Mifflin
for 4th-8th grade
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by Jonathan Norton Leonard
from Time-Life Books
for 9th-Adult
in Great Ages of Man (Location: ADU-HISGAM)
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by Judy Wilcox
from Zeezok Publishing
for Kindergarten-12th grade
in China (Location: HISMC-CHI)
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from Diana Waring Presents
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in Diana Waring History Revealed (Location: OHIS-DWHR)
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3rd edition from Diana Waring Presents
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in Diana Waring History Revealed (Location: OHIS-DWHR)
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3rd edition from Diana Waring Presents
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in Diana Waring History Revealed (Location: OHIS-DWHR)
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The Time Traveler Series
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from T.S. Denison & Company
for 3rd-7th grade
in Timeline Resources (Location: HISRF-TIM)
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The Time Traveler Series
by Jane Pofahl & Danielle de Gregory
from T.S. Denison & Company
for 3rd-7th grade
in Ancient Greece (Location: HISW-ANGR)
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The Time Traveler Series
by Jane Pofahl & Danielle de Gregory
from McGraw-Hill
for 3rd-7th grade
in Timeline Resources (Location: HISRF-TIM)
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in China (Location: HISMC-CHI)
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by Robert Nicholson
from Scholastic Inc.
for 4th-6th grade
in Ancient Egypt (Location: HISW-ANEG)
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Ancient Egypt
by Karen Sullivan
First Edition from Brockhampton Press
for 5th-8th grade
in Ancient Egypt (Location: HISW-ANEG)
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from Oxford University
for 9th-Adult
in Ancient Egypt (Location: HISW-ANEG)
$18.00 (1 in stock)
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from Edupress
for 4th-6th grade
in Ancient Egypt (Location: HISW-ANEG)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
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by Lorene Lambert
from Simply Charlotte Mason
for 1st-12th grade
in Ancient Egypt (Location: HISW-ANEG)
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in Ancient Egypt (Location: HISW-ANEG)
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in Ancient Egypt (Location: HISW-ANEG)
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for 5th-9th grade
in Ancient Egypt (Location: HISW-ANEG)
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for 4th-6th grade
in Art History & Appreciation (Location: ELE-ARTHIS)
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by Tom Tierney
from Dover Publications
for 1st-3rd grade
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for Preschool- 3rd Grade
in History of the World Coloring Books (Location: COL-HISW)
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from Dover Publications
for 2nd-6th grade
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Reprint from Dover Publications
for 9th-Adult
in Ancient Egypt (Location: HISW-ANEG)
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from Scholastic Inc.
for 4th-7th grade
in Ancient Egypt (Location: HISW-ANEG)
$7.00 (1 in stock)
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Revised and Updated from Heinemann-Raintree
for 1st-3rd grade
in Ancient Egypt (Location: HISW-ANEG)
$4.00 (2 in stock)
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by Marian Broida
from Chicago Review Press
for 3rd-6th grade
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for 2nd-4th grade
in Oversized History Books (Location: HISW-OVER)
$4.50 (1 in stock)
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by Robert Nicholson
from Chelsea House Publishing
for 3rd-6th grade
in Ancient Greece (Location: HISW-ANGR)
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for 5th-12th grade
in TruthQuest History (Location: HISCUR-TQ)
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for 3rd-6th grade
in Ancient Greece (Location: HISW-ANGR)
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for 2nd-6th grade
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for 4th-6th grade
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in Ancient Greece (Location: HISW-ANGR)
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in Art History & Appreciation (Location: ELE-ARTHIS)
$7.99 $4.50 (1 in stock)
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from Heinemann-Raintree
for 4th-8th grade
in Ancient Greece (Location: HISW-ANGR)
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2nd edition from Beautiful Feet Books
for 5th-8th grade
in Beautiful Feet Books (Location: HISCUR-BFB)
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from Beautiful Feet Books
for 5th-8th grade
in Beautiful Feet Books (Location: HISCUR-BFB)
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6th edition from Institute for Excellence in Writing
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in IEW Theme-Based Writing Lessons (Location: WRI-IEWTBW)
$55.00
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6th edition from Institute for Excellence in Writing
for 3rd-6th grade
in IEW Theme-Based Writing Lessons (Location: WRI-IEWTBW)
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5th edition from Institute for Excellence in Writing
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$19.00 (1 in stock)
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6th edition from Institute for Excellence in Writing
for 3rd-6th grade
in IEW Theme-Based Writing Lessons (Location: WRI-IEWTBW)
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from Chicago Review Press
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in Israel (Location: HISW-ANIS)
$18.95
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from Children's Press
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