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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202 Items found Print
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5,000-Year-Old Puzzle
by Claudia Logan, illustrated by Melissa Sweet
1st edition from Farrar, Straus and Giroux
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Accidental Voyage
Mr. Pipes Series #4
by Doug Bond
from P&R Publishing
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Adventures of Hercules - Coloring Book
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Adventures of Ulysses - Coloring Book
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Aeneid for Boys and Girls
by Alfred J. Church
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Roman Mythology for 5th-8th grade
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Aeneid for Boys and Girls
by Alfred J. Church
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Roman Mythology for 5th-8th grade
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Alexander the Great
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$12.00
Ancient China: To the Great Wall...and Beyond
by Judy Wilcox
from Zeezok Publishing
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$13.95
Ancient Egypt- Greenleaf Guide
by Cynthia Shearer
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Ancient Egypt History Curriculum for 2nd-7th grade
Cathy Duffy's 100 Top Picks
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Ancient Egyptian Fashions - Coloring Book
Dover Coloring Books
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Ancient Greece
by Michelle Miller
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Ancient Greek Art
Art in History
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Ancient History - Intermediate Teacher Guide
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Ancient History - Timeline (Intermediate)
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Ancient History-Based Writing Lessons - Set
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6th edition from Institute for Excellence in Writing
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$55.00
Ancient History-Based Writing Lessons - Student Book
by Lori Verstegen
6th edition from Institute for Excellence in Writing
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$35.00
Ancient Israelites and Their Neighbors
by Marian Broida
from Chicago Review Press
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$18.95
Ancient Rome
by Michelle Miller
from TruthQuest History
History Curriculum for 5th-12th grade
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Ancient Sicily
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from Vision S.R.L.
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$27.00
Archaeology Book
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Archaeology Book - Study Guide & Workbook
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Archimedes and the Door of Science
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Archimedes and the Door of Science
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from Purple House Press
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Beautiful Stories of Life
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1st edition from HMH Books for Young Readers
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Before Columbus
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Beric the Briton - MP3 CD
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Historical Fiction for 6th-10th grade
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$14.00
Black Ships Before Troy
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from Frances Lincoln
Greek Mythology for 3rd-8th grade
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Black Ships Before Troy
by Rosemary Sutcliff
from Laurel-Leaf Books
Greek Mythology for 4th-8th grade
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Black Ships Before Troy - Comprehension Guide
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$19.00
Book of the Ancient Greeks
by Dorothy Mills
2nd edition from Memoria Press
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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 Romans - Student Guide
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Book of the Ancient World
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Book of the Ancient World - Teacher Guide
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Boy of the Pyramids
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Brave Cloelia
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Bronze Bow
by Elizabeth George Speare
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1962 Newbery Medal winner
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Burning of Rome
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Historical Fiction for 5th-9th grade
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Chang Cheng
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Historical Strategy Game for Ages 10 and Up
$29.00
Children's Homer
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Greek Mythology for 3rd-8th grade
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Children's Plutarch: Tales of the Greeks
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Cigars of the Pharaoh
Adventures of Tintin
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City
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Classical Acts and Facts History Cards: Ancient World
from Classical Conversations
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Cleopatra
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Biography for 3rd-6th grade
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Coloring Book of Queen Nefertiti
by Bellerophon Books
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Cultural Atlas for Young People: Africa
by Jocelyn Murray
3rd edition from Facts On File
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$35.00
Cultural Atlas for Young People: Ancient Egypt
by Geraldine Harris
3rd edition from Facts On File
Ancient History for 4th-8th grade
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Cultural Atlas for Young People: Ancient Greece
by Anton Powell
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Cultural Atlas for Young People: Ancient Maya & Aztec Civilizations
by Marion Wood
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Cultural Atlas for Young People: Ancient Rome
by Mike Corbishley
3rd edition from Facts On File
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$35.00
Curious Historian 2A - Student Edition
by Aaron Larsen
1st edition from Classical Academic Press
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Curious Historian 2A - Teacher's Edition
by Aaron Larsen
1st edition from Classical Academic Press
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Curious Historian 2B - Student Edition
by Aaron Larsen
1st edition from Classical Academic Press
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Curious Historian 2B - Teacher's Edition
by Aaron Larsen
1st edition from Classical Academic Press
for 6th-8th grade
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$32.95
D'Aulaires' Book of Greek Myths
by Edgar & Ingri D'Aulaire
from Yearling
Greek Mythology for 4th-8th grade
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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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D'Aulaires' Greek Myths - Student Guide
by Leigh & Cheryl Lowe
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D'Aulaires' Greek Myths - Teacher Guide
by Leigh & Cheryl Lowe
2nd edition from Memoria Press
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Detectives in Togas
by Henry Winterfeld
from Harcourt
Humorous Historical Fiction for 4th-6th grade
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Discovery of New Worlds
Story of the World Series #2
by M. B. Synge
from Yesterday's Classics
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DK Eyewitness: Ancient China
DK Eyewitness Series
by Arthur Cotterell
from DK Publishing
Chinese History Reference for 4th-8th grade
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$16.99
DK Eyewitness: Ancient Egypt
DK Eyewitness Series
by George Hart
from DK Publishing
Egyptian History Reference for 4th-8th grade
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$9.99
DK Eyewitness: Ancient Greece
DK Eyewitness Series
by Anne Pearson
from DK Publishing
Greek History Reference for 4th-8th grade
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$9.99
DK Eyewitness: Ancient Rome
DK Eyewitness Series
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Roman History Reference for 4th-8th grade
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$9.99
Eagle of the Ninth
by Rosemary Sutcliff
Reprint from Square Fish Publishing
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Eagle of the Ninth
by Rosemary Sutcliff, illustrated by C. Walter Hodges
from Alfred A. Knopf, Inc.
Historical Fiction for 6th-9th grade
$20.00
Early Times: Story of Ancient Greece
by Suzanne Strauss Art
3rd edition from Wayside Publishing
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$21.48
Early Times: Story of Ancient Rome
by Suzanne Strauss Art
from Wayside Publishing
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$15.95
Excavating the Past: Ancient Greece
by Christine Hatt
from Heinemann Educational Books
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$8.99 $6.00 (1 in stock)
Exploits of Xenophon
World Landmark #18
by Geoffrey Household, illustrated by Leonard Everett Fisher
from Purple House Press
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$14.99
Exploits of Xenophon
by Geoffrey Household
from Purple House Press
for 5th-9th grade
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$24.99
Explore the Classical World
A Child's Geography Volume III
by Terri Johnson
Revised from Master Books
for 4th-6th grade
in Geography Curriculum (Location: GEO-CUR)
$39.19
Famous Men of Greece
by John Haaren, A. B. Poland & Leigh Lowe
2nd edition from Memoria Press
Greek History for 4th-8th grade
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$19.45
Famous Men of Greece - Student Guide
by Leigh Lowe & Tanya Charlton
2nd edition from Memoria Press
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$19.90
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by Leigh Lowe & Tanya Charlton
2nd edition from Memoria Press
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$19.90
Famous Men of Rome
by John Haaren, A. B. Poland & Leigh Lowe
2nd edition from Memoria Press
Roman History Reference for 4th-8th grade
Cathy Duffy's 100 Top Picks
in Memoria Press Classical Studies (Location: HISCUR-MP)
$19.45
Famous Men of Rome - Student Guide
by Leigh & Cheryl Lowe
3rd edition from Memoria Press
for 3rd-6th grade
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$19.90
Famous Men of Rome - Teacher Guide
by Leigh & Cheryl Lowe
3rd edition from Memoria Press
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$19.90
Fashions from India - Coloring Book
Dover Coloring Books
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from Dover Publications
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Flood of Noah
by Bodie Hodge, Laura Welch
from Master Books
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$15.99
For the Temple - MP3 CD
by Jim Hodges
from Jim Hodges Productions
Historical Fiction for 6th-10th grade
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$14.00
Gladiator
by Richard Watkins
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Bethlehem Books Living History Library
by Joanne Williamson
from Bethlehem Books
Historical Fiction for 5th-8th grade
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Gods of Ancient Egypt - Coloring Book
Dover Coloring Books
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from Aladdin Paperbacks
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1922 Newbery Honor Book
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Golden Goblet
by Eloise J. McGraw
from Puffin Books
Historical Fiction for 4th-8th grade
1962 Newbery Honor Book
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$8.99
Great Empires - CD-ROM
from Home School in the Woods
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Greek and Roman Fashions - Coloring Book
Dover Coloring Books
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by Olivia Coolidge, illustrated by Edouard Sandoz
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Greek Mythology for 4th-6th grade
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Hannibal
by Robert Green
from Grolier Publishing
Biography for 4th-6th grade
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He Went with Hannibal
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2022 Reprint from Living Book Press
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