Ancient Classics

The author of the bestselling Leonardo’s Swans traverses the centuries into the hearts of two extraordinary women to reveal the passions, ambitions, and controversies surrounding the Elgin Marbles. The Elgin Marbles have been displayed in the British Museum for nearly two hundred years, and...

Devdutt Pattanaik is the author of over twenty-five books and 500 articles on the relevance of mythology in modern times. Trained in medicine (MBBSfrom Grant Medical College, Mumbai University), he worked in the healthcare and pharmaceutical industries for fifteen years before devoting all his...

The powerful Chinese novel about love and war on which Zhang Yimou (Raise the Red Lantern; Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon) has based his latest film starring Christian Bale to be released in 2012. This moving short novel is based on true events that took place during the Nanjing Massacre in...

A noted biblical scholar explores how the claim of divine choice has been used from ancient times to the present to justify territorial expansion and prejudice. The Bible describes many individuals and groups as specially chosen by God. But does God choose at all? Michael Coogan explains the...

"Business law in medieval and early modern India developed within thevoluminous and multifaceted texts called the Dharmashastras. These texts laiddown rules for merchants, traders, guilds, farmers and individuals in terms ofthe complex religious, legal and moral ideal of dharma.This exciting...

Spektakl MHAT im. Gorkogo. 20 fevralja 1598 g. Uzhe mesjac, kak Boris Godunov zatvorilsja vmeste so svoej sestroj v monastyre, pokinuv «vse mirskoe» i otkazyvajas' prinjat' moskovskij prestol. Narod ob#jasnjaet otkaz Godunova venchat'sja na carstvo v nuzhnom dlja Borisa duhe: «Ego strashit sijanie prestola».

Bertram's indifference to Helena forces her to use subterfuge in order to comply with the seemingly impossible demands that he places on their engagement. Keep an ear out for the clown - he has the honor of delivering some of the play's best lines!

Cette nouvelle, qui a presque l'ampleur d'un roman, fut publiée dans la revue de Paris en 1843. C'est un aimable spécimen de la manière assagie de Petrus Borel, une histoire habilement dosée de merveilleux et de réel, une aventure dont les ressorts dramatiques s'enveloppent d'une présentation pleine d'humour et de pittoresque.

Director's Playbook Editions help artists to turn playscripts into their own productions, providing useful supporting information and summaries to the interested listener. A play by master Athenian playwright Sophocles, and the last of his three "Theban plays" to be written. Oedipus, former king of Thebes, finds himself in great danger as a new prophecy comes to light involving him and the fate of the city where he once reigned. Translation by F. Storr.

Chi è più sapiente? Colui che dice di sapere o colui che sa di non sapere? Su questo bivio del pensiero Socrate ha fondato la sua vita e imposta ora la sua autodifesa: stringente, appassionante, inoppugnabile. La fine è nota. E tuttavia Socrate non perde la sua forza: perché anche la morte può essere un’avventura, di silenzio o di conversazione.

Paradise Lost is the greatest epic poem in the English language. In words remarkable for their richness of rhythm and imagery, Milton tells the story of Man's creation, fall, and redemption to "justify the ways of God to men."

Primo capolavoro della letteratura occidentale, scritto probabilmente intorno all'VIII secolo a.C., l'Iliade è, insieme con l'Odissea, uno dei pilastri di tutta la cultura occidentale. Nel poema si narrano i 51 giorni della guerra di Troia, dall'ira di Achille ai funerali di Ettore, densi di battaglie ed imprese nelle quali si intrecciano continuamente i destini di dèi ed eroi.

The Iliad - attributed to Homer - is the most famous ancient Greek epic poem. It recounts the struggle between King Agamemnon and the hero Achilles during the final months of the Trojan War, with frequent detours into earlier legends and myths. In its portrayal of battle scenes and the constant interventions of the gods, The Iliad explores themes of wrath, glory, and fate, and has provided the subject matter for many later Greek, Roman, and Renaissance writings.

In search of an ideal civilization, Socrates leads Glaucon, Polemarchus, Thrasymachus, and others in debates about various subjects, including justice, truth, class, and art. For without righteousness, tyranny and injustice give rise to oligarchy. The influential dialogues of The Republic helped shape all of Western literature and philosophical thought. It is as much a doctrine of ethics and politics now as it was for the ancient Greeks, and its dilemma remains: how to create a perfect society populated by very imperfect human beings.

When Zet's father left home to fight the Hyksos, his only option was to leave siblings Zet and Kat in charge. It turns out keeping food on the table is easier said than done. They need a solution and they need it now. One day, Zet spots a thief running through their market square. When the thief gets away, the medjay announce a reward for the man's capture. Zet jumps at the chance. The medjay, however, laugh at him. Zet cares little what they think. The siblings soon set off on a dangerous investigation.

The myth of Echo and Narcissus appears in Ovid's "Metamorphosis", a Latin mythological epic from the Augustan Age. It is one of the most touching stories ever written and has inspired countless works of art through the centuries. The nymph Echo angers Hera, queen of the gods, who curses her: henceforth, Echo will only be able to repeat the last words that struck her ears. One day, the beautiful Narcissus, son of a nymph and a river god, passes through the forest.

The Hanukkah story honors the heroes and heroines throughout Jewish history who have fought using both might and wisdom to overcome their foes. One of these heroes is Judah the Maccabee...

1532 zieht General Pizzarro nach Peru und nimmt mit 300 Abenteurern den Inka und Gottkönig Attahualpa gefangen. Auf das sagenumwobene Gold der Inka haben sie es abgesehen - ein Metall, das den Inka zwar zum Schmuck dient, das aber darüber hinaus für die Menschen keinen Wert zu haben scheint. Dementsprechend ungläubig sind die Inka, als sie sehen, welche Gier die spanischen Besatzer ergriffen hat. Attahualpa fasst einen Plan.

Esta obra, fiel a las convenciones formales del género épico, está dividida en quince libros. Más de doscientas mutaciones entre las que podemos hallar relatos memorables, como los de Narciso, Eco o Apolo y Dafne, que han servido a lo largo de los siglos como materia para innumerables refacciones por parte de las artes y las ciencias, y que constituyen un fundamento indeleble para el imaginario occidental.

For a long, brutal century, the Kingdom of Lower Egypt has been occupied by the "Vile Asiatics", the conquerors called the Shepherd Kings. With their horses and chariots, they overwhelmed the armies of Egypt and swept over the Delta and the sacred cities. Iry, daughter of an old noble house, the Sun Ascendant, has been enslaved by the bearded conquerors. But her new master is born of a different blood, son of the priestess of an ancient rite, the cult of the Horse Goddess and her avatar, the White Mare.