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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24 Exciting Plays for Ancient History Classes
by Dean R. Bowman
from Walch Publishing
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in Ancient History (Location: HISW-ANC)
Accidental Voyage
Mr. Pipes Series #4
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Adam and His Kin
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Alexander the Great
Sterling Point Books
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Ancient City
by Hazel Dodge, Peter Connolly
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Ancient Egypt and Her Neighbors
by Lorene Lambert
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Ancient Greek Art
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Ancient Greek War and Weapons
by Haydn Middleton
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Archimedes and the Door of Science
by Jeanne Bendick
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Archimedes and the Door of Science
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Augustus Caesar's World
by Genevieve Foster
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Cathy Duffy's 100 Top Picks
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Beric the Briton
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Book of the Ancient Greeks
by Dorothy Mills
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Book of the Ancient Greeks - Student Guide
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Book of the Ancient Romans
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Book of the Ancient World
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Boy of the Pyramids
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Boys' and Girls' Herodotus
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Bronze Bow
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1962 Newbery Medal winner
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Caesar's Gallic War
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Coloring Book of the Olympics
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Coming of Civilization
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Cry From Egypt
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D'Aulaires' Book of Greek Myths
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Dateline: Troy
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DK Eyewitness: Ancient Egypt
DK Eyewitness Series
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Greek News
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Greek Way
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Greek Way
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History of US Book 1
History of US Book 1
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Hostage Lands
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Ides of April
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Inspirational Women
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Lantern Bearers
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Lysis Goes to the Play
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Make This Roman Fort
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Mark of the Horse Lord
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Motel of the Mysteries
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Mummy
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Mysteries of Ancient Egypt
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Mystery of History Volume I (old)
by Linda Lacour Hobar
2nd edition from Bright Ideas Press
History Curriculum for 4th-8th grade
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Mythology
by Edith Hamilton
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North American Indian Burial Customs
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Odyssey (retold)
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Outcast
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Pearl Maiden
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Punic Wars 264-146 B.C.
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Puzzle of Ancient Man: Advanced Technology in Past Civilizations?
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Pyramid
by David Macaulay
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Pyramid
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Quest for Immortality: Treasures of Ancient Egypt
by Betsy Morrell Bryan, Erik Hornung, National Gallery of Art (U. S.), United Exhibits Group (Denmark)
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Quintus
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Quo Vadis (abridged)
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Quo Vadis?
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Roman Colosseum
Wonders of the World
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Romans
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Romans, Reformers, Revolutionaries - Student Manual
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Romans, Reformers, Revolutionaries Volume Two
A Biblical World History Curriculum - Volume Two
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Rome: A Fold-Out History of the Ancient Civilization
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Science in Ancient Greece
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Secret of the Scribe
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Shadow Hawk
Bethlehem Books Living History Library
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Story of Ancient China
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Story of the Iliad
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These Were the Romans
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Percy Jackson & the Olympians #3
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