Ancient Empires

The Akkadian empire is one of the oldest civilizations we know of. Dating back to a few thousand years BC, it presents itself with some archaeological finds, as well as long-forgotten mysteries and unanswered questions that will probably remain that way. However, despite of the many secrets this advanced, vast empire holds, it could definitely be worth our time to explore some of the things we do know. We can learn about their language, their government, and, as far as we have sources, about their economy, art, culture, and religion.

To this day, we feel the influence of imperial Rome. After all, imperial Rome was one of the first successful “melting pots” of cultures. The Romans took what worked and discarded what didn’t work, showing that it was possible to have a stable, centralized government over an extremely large area.

Nero’s extravagance has become nothing short of legendary. In its day, it was incredibly destructive to his people, particularly after the Great Fire of Rome - a fire that he may have even started. Instead of assisting the ten districts that had been damaged by the fire, Nero took advantage of the extra space to build himself a golden palace. He murdered, among others, his own mother, his ex-wife, and his stepbrother. He was additionally a rapist, a child molester, and a brutal abuser.

The life of Augustus is historically important because his leadership marked out a new era in the story of the Roman world - an era that would see the expansion of the Roman Empire across the Mediterranean and beyond. However, the influence of the Roman Empire extended much farther than its territory and had a profound effect on the development of Western culture.

Nilus the Marine Centurion and his young wife Viatrix sink their life savings into a part share in the Merchant ship Belisama and set out toward the Mare Nostrum to begin a new life and establish a trading business in an Empire falling apart at the seams. This is a short story based on characters first introduced in the dark age novel Evening of Empire and seeks to explain to the listeners of the original novel what happened to them when they left Britannia.

Das Römische Reich ist kein weiteres langweiliges historisches Thema. Im Gegenteil, es weckt unsere Phantasie, erschreckt uns und unterhält uns. Es ist die Geschichte der faszinierenden Männer und Frauen - der Kaiser, ihrer Frauen, Eltern, Brüder, Schwestern und Kinder - die dem Reich seinen charakteristischen Charme verliehen. Einige von ihnen, wie Marcus Aurelius und Antoninus Pius, waren tugendhaft und weise; andere - wie Caligula, Commodus und Caracalla - waren monströse, wahnsinnige Raubtiere, deren Blutdurst und sexuelle Gewohnheiten unvorstellbar waren.

At one point in antiquity, the Achaemenid Persian Empire was the largest empire the world had ever seen, but aside from its role in the Greco-Persian Wars and its collapse at the hands of Alexander the Great, it has been mostly overlooked. When it has been studied, the historical sources have mostly been Greek, the very people the Persians sought to conquer. Needless to say, their versions were biased, and attitudes about the Persians were only exacerbated by Alexander the Great and his biographers, who maintained a fiery hatred toward Xerxes I of Persia due to his burning of Athens.

At one point in antiquity, the Achaemenid Persian Empire was the largest empire the world had ever seen, but aside from its role in the Greco-Persian Wars and its collapse at the hands of Alexander the Great, it has been mostly overlooked. The Battle of Gaugamela: The History of Alexander the Great’s Decisive Victory and the Destruction of the Achaemenid Persian Empire looks at one of antiquity’s most important conflicts, and the profound ramifications of Alexander’s campaign; you will learn about the battle like never before.

Whether you have played a Prince of Persia video game, seen the movie, or just heard about it in history class, it is hard to ignore the Persian Empire, which was among the greatest empires of the world for some time. The typical area for the Persian Empire was what is now Iran. The Persians had a vast influence on surrounding countries and regions. Their style, art, music, rule, and culture have had an influence on the development of science and the forming of nations. Learn more in this audiobook about this empire of old.

Many ancient civilizations have influenced and inspired people in the 21st century. The Greeks and Romans continue to fascinate the West today. But of all the world’s civilizations, none have intrigued people more than the Mayans, whose culture, astronomy, language, and mysterious disappearance all continue to captivate people. In 2012 especially, there has been a renewed focus on the Mayans, whose calendar has led many to speculate the world will end on the same date the Mayan calendar ends. The focus on the “doomsday” scenario, however, has overshadowed the Mayans’ true contribution.

The Armenians were the power behind the Byzantine Empire. Byzantium was a great empire that missed the European arrival in the New World by a few decades. They did not endure a thousand years under siege but were a major player on the world stage and much of their power came from an ancient people known as the Armenians who supplied them with emperors, generals, soldiers, intellectuals, religious leaders and artisans.

This book contains the daily life, culture, training, battles, history, and kings of the Spartan Empire. From the birth of their city to the end, the Spartans endured a history of violence and war. Similar to their stories, the traditional Spartan warrior also lived the daily life of a soldier. From the moment they were born and if they were allowed to live, they were trained and conditioned to be some of the most efficient and lethal killing machines. Dominating the land through some of the most famous battles of all time, the Spartans were a force to be reckoned with.

The Roman Empire is the most famous in history, and the center of the far-reaching empire's activities were located in the Forum, a low area between the Capitoline and Palatine hills in Rome. The topography held a great deal of significance for Romans, and consequently so many layers of myth were laid on top of the landscape and buildings that it is difficult to separate legend from actual historical fact.

As the Canaanites established themselves in most of the Levant and the Hurrians carved out space for themselves in northwestern Syria, a West Semitic ethnic group known as the Amorites entered Mesopotamia and Syria from the Arabian Desert. The movement of the Amorites and Hurrians coincided with the collapse of the Ur III Dynasty after 2004 BCE (Haywood 2005, 28), although it is not known for sure if the collapse of Ur III led to the movement of peoples, or if the movement at least partially led to the collapse.

La vida de Augusto es históricamente importante porque su liderazgo marcó una nueva era en la historia del mundo romano, una era que vería la expansión del Imperio romano a lo largo del Mediterráneo y más allá. Aún más, la influencia del Imperio romano se extendió mucho más allá de su territorio y tuvo un profundo efecto en el desarrollo de la cultura occidental. Además, las historias y leyendas que emanan del mundo romano se han convertido en parte de la conciencia cultural del mundo occidental de hoy.

The Byzantine Empire existed for over a thousand years, with a history spanning from the division of the Roman Empire in 395 until the Ottoman conquest of Constantinople in 1453. It was formed from the previous Eastern Roman Empire, and during its long existence, the Byzantine inhabitants were very proud to call themselves Romans. However, many things changed during the long lifespan of the Byzantine Empire, starting with a Hellenization in the sixth century.

For the most part forgotten, they were “the other” prophets, miracle workers, and messiahs - in some cases acclaimed as kings – and they were certainly contemporaries of Jesus of Nazareth. The New Testament does not deny the existence of such characters; in fact, it gives subtle but unequivocal clues to their presence. Learn about their existence in this audiobook.

En el siglo I de nuestra era vivió un hombre llamado Jesús en Judea, en ese tiempo una provincia de Roma. El hombre de origen rural era considerado por unos como un profeta, por otros como un loco y por otros más como un peligro para la seguridad de Israel. En sus últimos días predicó en Jerusalén sobre la inminente destrucción de la ciudad santa y de su templo. Su profecía incluía lenguaje parabólico.

Around the year 1162, near the modern capital of Mongolia, a baby boy was born into a fractious and violent world. The birth of this child must have caused quite a stir among the members of the nomadic tribe that he had been born into. Word soon traveled that the son of Yesügei, the Borjigin tribal leader, had been born clutching a blood clot in his tiny hand.

Among all the periods in ancient Egyptian history, the Ptolemaic Kingdom and its most famous ruler, Cleopatra, may be the most well-known today. By the 4th century BCE, it appeared as though ancient Egypt was in its final death throes. It had long ceased to be an influential kingdom in the Near East and Mediterranean regions, and it had been ruled over by a succession of foreign peoples including Libyans, Nubians, Assyrians, and Persians. But just when Egypt seemed was doomed to pass forever into obscurity, it was reinvigorated by outsiders, most notably Alexander the Great.