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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Alexander the Great
by Robert Green
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Alexander The Great
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Alexander the Great
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Ancient Civilizations & the Bible - Student Manual
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Ancient Israelites and Their Neighbors
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BiblioPlan Companion, Year One
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Black Ships Before Troy
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City
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Curious Historian 2A - Student Edition
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D'aulaire's Book of Greek Myths - Memoria Press Package
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D'Aulaires' Book of Greek Myths
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Greek Mythology for 4th-8th grade
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D'Aulaires' Greek Myths - Student Guide
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DK Eyewitness: Ancient Greece
DK Eyewitness Series
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Greek History Reference for 4th-8th grade
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DK Eyewitness: Ancient Greece
DK Eyewitness Series
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Greek History Reference for 4th-8th grade
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Famous Men of Greece
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Greek History for 4th-9th grade
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Greek History for 4th-8th grade
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Famous Men of Rome
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Last Quest of Gilgamesh
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Picture the Past
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Life in Ancient China
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Life in Ancient Mexico - Coloring Book
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Make it Work! Ancient Egypt
Make It Work!
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Mummies Made in Egypt
by Aliki
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Mummies Made in Egypt
by Aliki
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by Linda Lacour Hobar
2nd edition from Bright Ideas Press
History Curriculum for 4th-8th grade
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Ancient History Curriculum for 2nd-4th grade
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Place in the Sun
by Jill Rubalcaba
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Pyramid
by David Macaulay
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Ancient Egyptian Architecture for 4th-8th grade
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Revenge of Ishtar
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Romans, Reformers, Revolutionaries - What in the World? CD
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History Curriculum for 1st-10th grade
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Spend the Day in Ancient Greece
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Story of the Ancient World
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Ancient History Reference for 4th-8th grade
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Story of the Greeks
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Ancient Greece Reference for 3rd-8th grade
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Story of the Romans
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Story of the Romans
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Story of the Romans
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Story of the World Volume 1
by Susan Wise Bauer
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Teaching Ancient History with Games
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Tirzah
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Step Into Reading Level 5
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True Book: Ancient Maya
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True Tales Complete Volume 2
by Diana Waring
from Diana Waring History Alive!
History Curriculum for 4th-9th grade
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$9.00 (1 in stock)
Twice Freed
by Patricia St. John
from Christian Focus Publications
Historical Fiction for 4th-8th grade
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Twice Freed
by Patricia St. John
1977 edition from Moody Press
Historical Fiction for 4th-8th grade
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Usbourne Encyclopedia of the Ancient World
Usborne Internet-Linked
from Usborne
Ancient History Reference for 4th-8th grade
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Veritas Press New Testament, Greece and Rome - Set
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Veritas Press Old Testament & Ancient Egypt - Set
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Well of Sacrifice
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What in the World's Going On Here? Part 1 - CD
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History Curriculum for 1st-10th grade
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You Wouldn't Want To Be a Roman Gladiator!
You Wouldn't Want To...
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