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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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Active Filters: Biographies
Alexander the Great
by Robert Green
from Grolier Publishing
Biography for 4th-6th grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$4.50 (3 in stock)
Alexander the Great
Sterling Point Books
by John Gunther
from Sterling Publishing Co.
Historical Biography for 5th-9th grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
Alexander The Great
by Jane Bingham
from Usborne
for 4th-6th grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
Alexander the Great
by Jacob Abbott
from Canon Press
for 4th-7th grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$12.00
Alexander the Great
by Andrew Langley
Reissue from Oxford University
for Preschool-3rd grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$6.99
Alexander the Great
World Landmark #2
by John Gunther
from Random House
for 5th-8th grade
in World Landmark Books (Location: VIN-LAN)
Alexander the Great
by Demi
from Marshall Cavendish Education
for 1st-3rd grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$19.99
Alexander the Great
by Robert Green
from Grolier Publishing
Biography for 4th-6th grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Alexander the Great, Killer of Men
by David J. Lonsdale
from Carroll & Graf Publishers
for Adult
in History for Adults (Location: ADU-HIS)
$5.00 (2 in stock)
Alexander the Great: His Armies and Campaigns 334-323 BC
by John Warry, Nick Sekunda
from Osprey Publishing
for 4th-7th grade
in Ancient Greece (Location: HISW-ANGR)
Annals of Tacitus
by Cornelius Tacitus
from Franklin Library
for 10th-12th grade
in Ancient Literature (Location: LIT1-ANC)
Archimedes and the Door of Science
by Jeanne Bendick
from Bethlehem Books
Biography for 5th-8th grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$14.95 $9.50 (1 in stock)
Archimedes and the Door of Science
by Jeanne Bendick
from Purple House Press
Biography for 5th-8th grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$10.99
Caesar
by Irwin Isenberg
from American Heritage Publishing Co.
for 6th-10th grade
in Horizon Caravel Books (Location: VIN-HOR)
Children's Plutarch: Tales of the Greeks
by F. J. Gould
from Yesterday's Classics
Greek History Reference for 4th-8th grade
in Classics Retold (Location: FIC-RET)
$11.95
Children's Plutarch: Tales of the Romans
by F. J. Gould, Reteller
from Yesterday's Classics
for 4th-8th grade
in Classics Retold (Location: FIC-RET)
$11.95
Cleopatra
by Diane Stanley & Peter Vennema
from William Morrow & Company
Biography for 3rd-6th grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$7.99 $5.00 (1 in stock)
Cleopatra
by Robert Green
from Grolier Publishing
Biography for 4th-6th grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
Cleopatra
by Diane Stanley & Peter Vennema
from HarperCollins
for 3rd-6th grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
Cleopatra of Egypt
World Landmark #50
by Leonora Hornblow
from Random House
for 5th-9th grade
in World Landmark Books (Location: VIN-LAN)
Constantine the Great
by Michael Grant
from History Book Club
for 8th-Adult
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
Cortes and the Aztec Conquest
by Irwin R. Blacker
from American Heritage Publishing Co.
for 6th-10th grade
in Horizon Caravel Books (Location: VIN-HOR)
D'Aulaires' Book of Greek Myths
by Edgar & Ingri D'Aulaire
from Yearling
Greek Mythology for 4th-8th grade
in Oversized History Books (Location: HISW-OVER)
$19.99
D'Aulaires' Book of Greek Myths - Audio CD
by Edgar & Ingri D'Aulaire
from Yearling
Greek Mythology for 4th-8th grade
in Audio Books & Dramas (Location: CD-AUDIO)
$25.00 $14.00 (1 in stock)
Early Church
by George Hodges
from Yesterday's Classics
for 8th-12th grade
in Church History (Location: XCH-HIS)
$13.95
Great Lion of God
by Taylor Caldwell
Book Club from Doubleday & Company
for 10th-Adult
in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Greek Lives
by Plutarch, translated by Robin Waterfield
1st Reissue from Oxford University
Biography for 11th-Adult
in Ancient Literature (Location: LIT1-ANC)
$13.95
Greek Treasure
by Irving Stone
Book Club from Doubleday & Company
for 9th-Adult
in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Hannibal
by Robert Green
from Grolier Publishing
Biography for 4th-6th grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$6.95
Hannibal
Makers of History Series
by Jacob Abbott
from Yesterday's Classics
for 7th-12th grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$12.95
Hannibal
by Jacob Abbott
from Canon Press
for 1st-3rd grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$12.00
Herod the Great
by Robert Green
from Grolier Publishing
Biography for 4th-6th grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
Herodotus and the Road to History
by Jeanne Bendick
from Bethlehem Books
for 4th-6th grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
Irenaeus of Lyons
Heroes of the Faith
by Dr. Sinclair Ferguson
from Banner of Truth Trust
for 3rd-6th grade
in Church History for Kids (Location: XCH-KID)
$14.00
Julius Caesar
by Jacob Abbott
from Canon Press
for 4th-6th grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$12.00
Julius Caesar
World Landmark #43
by John Gunther
from Random House
for 5th-8th grade
in World Landmark Books (Location: VIN-LAN)
Julius Caesar
by Manuel Komroff
from Julian Messner
for 6th-10th grade
in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS)
Librarian Who Measured the Earth
by Kathryn Lasky
from Little, Brown & Company
Biography for 2nd-5th grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$18.99 $12.00 (2 in stock)
Lives of Famous Romans
by Olivia Coolidge
from American Home-School Publishing
Roman History for 7th-12th grade
in Ancient Rome (Location: HISW-ANRO)
$17.99
Lives of Famous Romans
by Olivia Coolidge, illustrated by Milton Johnson
1992 Printing from Linnet Books
Roman History for 7th-12th grade
in Ancient Rome (Location: HISW-ANRO)
Lost City
by Ted Lewin
Reprint from Puffin Books
for 3rd-7th grade
in Latin & South America (Location: HISMC-LAT)
$8.99
Marcus Aurelius and His Times
by Marcus Aurelius
from Walter J. Black, Inc.
Classic Literature for 9th-Adult
in Walter J. Black Classics Club (Location: VIN-LITWJB)
Meditations
by Marcus Aurelius
from Modern Library
Classic Literature for 9th-Adult
in Ancient Literature (Location: LIT1-ANC)
$11.00
Nefertiti: The Mystery Queen
by Burnham Holmes
from Raintree
for 2nd-5th grade
in Ancient Egypt (Location: HISW-ANEG)
$4.50 (1 in stock)
Nero
Makers of History
by Jacob Abbott
from Canon Press
for 4th-6th grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$12.00
Plutarch's Lives for Boys and Girls
by W.H. Weston (reteller), Plutarch
from Yesterday's Classics
for 3rd-6th grade
in Classics Retold (Location: FIC-RET)
Plutarch's Lives Volume I
by Plutarch, translated by John Dryden
from Modern Library
Biography for 9th-Adult
in Ancient Literature (Location: LIT1-ANC)
$19.00
Plutarch's Lives Volume I
by Plutarch, translated by John Dryden
from Modern Library
Biography for 9th-Adult
in Ancient Literature (Location: LIT1-ANC)
$20.00 $15.00 (1 in stock)
Plutarch's Lives Volume II
by Plutarch, translated by John Dryden
from Modern Library
Biography for 11th-Adult
in Ancient Literature (Location: LIT1-ANC)
$20.00
Polycarp of Smyrna
Heroes of the Faith
by Sinclair B. Ferguson
from Banner of Truth Trust
for 3rd-6th grade
in Church History for Kids (Location: XCH-KID)
$10.00
Pontius Pilate
by Paul L. Maier
2nd edition from Kregel Publications
for 9th-Adult
in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20)
$8.50 (1 in stock)
Pontius Pilate
by Paul L. Maier
2nd edition from Kregel Publications
for 9th-Adult
in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20)
$8.50 (1 in stock)
Roman Lives
by Plutarch, translated by Robin Waterfield
Reissue from Oxford University
Biography for 9th-Adult
in Ancient Literature (Location: LIT1-ANC)
$14.95 $7.50 (1 in stock)
Romulus
Makers of History series
by Jacob Abbott
from Yesterday's Classics
History for 8th-12th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
$12.95 $7.50 (1 in stock)
Saint Athanasius
by F. A. Forbes
from Tan Books
for 4th-8th grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Saints and Heroes 1
by George Hodges
from Living Book Press
Biography Anthology for 5th-8th grade
in Biography Anthologies (Location: BIO-ANTH)
Saints and Heroes 2
by George Hodges
from Living Book Press
Biography Anthology for 5th-8th grade
in Biography Anthologies (Location: BIO-ANTH)
Saints and Heroes to the End of the Middle Ages
by George Hodges
from Yesterday's Classics
Biography Anthology for 5th-8th grade
in Biography Anthologies (Location: BIO-ANTH)
$11.95
TimeFrame #05: A Soaring Spirit
from Time-Life Books
for 10th grade-adult
in Time-Life TimeFrame (Location: ZCLE-HIS)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
TimeFrame #06: Empires Ascendant
from Time-Life Books
for 10th grade-adult
in Time-Life TimeFrame (Location: ZCLE-HIS)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
TimeFrame #07: Empires Besieged
from Time-Life Books
for 10th grade-adult
in Time-Life TimeFrame (Location: ZCLE-HIS)
$2.00 (1 in stock)
TimeFrame #08: March of Islam
from Time-Life Books
for 10th grade-adult
in Time-Life TimeFrame (Location: ZCLE-HIS)
$2.00 (1 in stock)
Tutankhamun
by Robert Green
from Grolier Publishing
Biography for 4th-6th grade
in Ancient Egypt (Location: HISW-ANEG)
$6.95 $3.50 (2 in stock)
Virtues of War
by Steven Pressfield
from Bantam Books
for Adult
in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
What Really Happened in Ancient Times
by Terri Johnson, editor, illustrated by Darla Dixon
from Knowledge Quest
Biographies for 4th-8th grade
in Ancient History (Location: HISW-ANC)
$9.00 (1 in stock)
What Really Happened in Ancient Times
by Terri Johnson, editor
Revised from Knowledge Quest
Biographies for 4th-8th grade
in Ancient History (Location: HISW-ANC)
$11.00 (1 in stock)
Who in the World Was the Acrobatic Empress?
by Robin Phillips & Jeff West
from Well-Trained Mind Press
Picture Book Biography for 1st-3rd grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$9.50
Who Was Alexander the Great?
by Kathryn Waterfield and Robin Waterfield
from Penguin Random House
for 3rd-6th grade
in Who Was? biographies (Location: BIO-WHO)
$5.99
Who Was Julius Caesar?
by Nico Medina
from Penguin Random House
for 3rd-6th grade
in Who Was? biographies (Location: BIO-WHO)
$5.99
Who Was King Tut?
Who Was?...Series
by Roberta Edwards
from Grosset & Dunlap
Biography for 3rd-4th grade
in Who Was? biographies (Location: BIO-WHO)
$5.99 $3.00 (1 in stock)
World's Great Explorers: Alexander the Great
by Maureen Ash
from Children's Press
for 4th-8th grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
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