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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Accidental Voyage
Mr. Pipes Series #4
by Doug Bond
from P&R Publishing
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in History of Hymns (Location: XCH-HYMN)
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Ancient City
by Hazel Dodge, Peter Connolly
First Thus from Oxford University
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in Ancient Greece (Location: HISW-ANGR)
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Ancient Greek Art
from Heinemann-Raintree
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Ancient Greek War and Weapons
by Haydn Middleton
from Heinemann Educational Books
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Archimedes and the Door of Science
by Jeanne Bendick
from Bethlehem Books
Biography for 5th-8th grade
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Archimedes and the Door of Science
by Jeanne Bendick
from Purple House Press
Biography for 5th-8th grade
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Augustus Caesar's World
by Genevieve Foster
from Beautiful Feet Books
Non-fiction for 7th-10th grade
Cathy Duffy's 100 Top Picks
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Between the Forest and the Hills
Bethlehem Books Adventure Library
by Ann Lawrence
from Bethlehem Books
Humorous Fantasy for 7th-10th grade
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$9.50
Beyond the Desert Gate
Bethlehem Books Young Adult Bookshelf
by Mary Ray
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$13.95
Book of the Ancient Greeks
by Dorothy Mills
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$20.10
Book of the Ancient Greeks - Student Guide
by Matthew Anderson
from Memoria Press
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Book of the Ancient Greeks - Teacher Guide
by Matthew Anderson
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Book of the Ancient Romans
by Dorothy Mills
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Book of the Ancient Romans - Teacher Guide
by Dorothy Mills
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Book of the Ancient World
by Dorothy Mills
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Book of the Ancient World - Teacher Guide
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Boy of the Pyramids
by Ruth Fosdick Jones
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Bronze Bow
by Elizabeth George Speare
from Houghton Mifflin
Historical Fiction for 5th-9th grade
1962 Newbery Medal winner
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$9.99
Children's Homer
by Padraic Colum & Willy Pogany
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Greek Mythology for 3rd-8th grade
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Children's Homer
by Padraic Colum
from Simon and Schuster
Greek Mythology for 3rd-8th grade
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Children's Homer
by Padraic Colum
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Greek Mythology for 3rd-8th grade
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City
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Coloring Book of the Olympics
by E. Knill
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Coming of Civilization
by Trevor Cairns
from Cambridge University
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Cry From Egypt
by Hope Auer
from Great Waters Press
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$8.50 (2 in stock)
D'Aulaires' Book of Greek Myths
by Edgar & Ingri D'Aulaire
from Yearling
Greek Mythology for 4th-8th grade
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$19.99
D'Aulaires' Book of Greek Myths - Audio CD
by Edgar & Ingri D'Aulaire
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Greek Mythology for 4th-8th grade
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Dateline: Troy
by Paul Fleischman
New Updated Edition from Candlewick Press
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DK Eyewitness: Ancient Egypt
DK Eyewitness Series
by George Hart
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Egyptian History Reference for 4th-8th grade
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Eagle of the Ninth
by Rosemary Sutcliff
Reprint from Square Fish Publishing
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Exploits of Xenophon
World Landmark #18
by Geoffrey Household, illustrated by Leonard Everett Fisher
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Forgotten Daughter
by Caroline Dale Snedeker
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1934 Newbery Honor Book
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Forgotten Daughter
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1934 Newbery Honor Book
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From Distant Days
by Benjamin R. Foster
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God King
Bethlehem Books Living History Library
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Golden Fleece
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1922 Newbery Honor Book
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Greek News
The History News
by Anton Powell & Philip Steele
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Greek Way
by Edith Hamilton
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Greek History for 7th-10th grade
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History of US Book 1
History of US Book 1
by Joy Hakim
3rd Revised Edition from Oxford University
American History Reference for 5th-9th grade
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Hittite Warrior
Bethlehem Books Living History Library
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Hostage Lands
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Ides of April
Bethlehem Books Young Adult Bookshelf
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Inspirational Women
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Lantern Bearers
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1959 Carnegie Medal
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Make This Roman Fort
by Ian Ashman
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Mark of the Horse Lord
by Rosemary Sutcliff
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Motel of the Mysteries
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Humor for 4th-8th grade
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Mummy
by Ernest A. Wallis Budge
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Mysteries of Ancient Egypt
by Nancy E. Krulik
from Scholastic Inc.
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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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North American Indian Burial Customs
by Dr. H. C. Yarrow
First Edition from Eagle's View Publishing
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Pearl Maiden
by H. Rider Haggard
from Christian Liberty Press
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Punic Wars 264-146 B.C.
by Nigel Bagnall
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Puzzle of Ancient Man: Advanced Technology in Past Civilizations?
by Donald E. Chittick
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Pyramid
by David Macaulay
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Ancient Egyptian Architecture for 4th-8th grade
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Pyramid
by David Macaulay
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Ancient Egyptian Architecture for 4th-8th grade
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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)
First Edition from National Gallery of Art
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Quintus
by R. Weerstand
2nd edition from Inheritance Publications
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Romans
by Anthony Marks & Graham Tingay
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Romans, Reformers, Revolutionaries - Student Manual
by Diana Waring
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Romans, Reformers, Revolutionaries Volume Two
A Biblical World History Curriculum - Volume Two
by Diana Waring
2nd edition from Diana Waring History Alive!
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Rome: A Fold-Out History of the Ancient Civilization
by Leigh Grant
from Black Dog & Leventhal
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Science in Ancient Rome
by Jacqueline Harris
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Secret of the Scribe
by Jennifer Johnson Garrity
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Shadow Hawk
Bethlehem Books Living History Library
by Andre Norton
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Short History of Ancient Egypt
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Silver Branch
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Son of Heaven: Imperial Arts of China
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First Edition from Son of Heaven Press
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Story of the Romans
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Tales Mummies Tell
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The Robe
by Lloyd Douglas
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These Were the Romans
by Graham Tingay and J. Badcock
2nd edition from Dufour Editions, Inc.
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Titan's Curse
Percy Jackson & the Olympians #3
by Rick Riordan
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Troy: A Revised Edition
by Mustafa Askin
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Victory on the Walls
Bethlehem Books Living History Library
by Frieda Clark Hyman
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Warrior Scarlet
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Way of the Gladiator
by Dan Mannix
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West Meets East
by Suzanne Strauss Art
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What Really Happened in Ancient Times
by Terri Johnson, editor, illustrated by Darla Dixon
from Knowledge Quest
Biographies for 4th-8th grade
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What Really Happened in Ancient Times
by Terri Johnson, editor
Revised from Knowledge Quest
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White Isle
by Caroline Dale Snedeker
from American Home-School Publishing
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Winged Girl of Knossos
by Erick Berry
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1934 Newbery Honor Book
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Young Carthaginian
by G. A. Henty
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