BookOdyssey

\'The hunt for early Bible manuscripts was among the most romantic of all the 19th century\'s grand quests...At the heart of this lively, inspiring double biography is the story of how a pair of spirited Presbyterian women made their own extraordinary discovery\' Sunday Times Sisters of Sinai is the story of how Scottish twin sisters made one of the most important manuscript finds of the nineteenth century - an early copy of the gospels which lay hidden in the Sinai desert. We trace the footsteps of the intrepid pair from the Ayrshire of their childhood, as they voyage to Egypt, Sinai and beyond, coping with camels, unscrupulous dragomen, and unpredictable welcomes, not least from the academics of their adopted home in Cambridge. Fast-paced, informative and written with dry wit, this is a story of two remarkable women, undeterred in their spirit of adventure, who overcame insuperable odds to claim a place in history. Σελίδες: 352, Διαστάσεις: 13x13cm

Since the time of the ancient Greeks we have been fascinated by accounts of the Amazons, an elusive tribe of hard-fighting, horse-riding female warriors. Equal to men in battle, legends claimed they cut off their right breasts to improve their archery skills and routinely killed their male children to purify their ranks.For centuries people believed in their existence and attempted to trace their origins. Artists and poets celebrated their battles and wrote of Amazonia. Spanish explorers, carrying these tales to South America, thought they lived in the forests of the world’s greatest river, and named it after them.In the absence of evidence, we eventually reasoned away their existence, concluding that these powerful, sexually liberated female soldiers must have been the fantastical invention of Greek myth and storytelling. Until now.Following decades of new research and a series of groundbreaking archeological discoveries, we now know these powerful warrior queens did indeed exist. In Amazons, John Man travels to the grasslands of Central Asia, from the edge of the ancient Greek world to the borderlands of China, to discover the truth about the warrior women mythologized as Amazons.In this deeply researched, sweeping historical epic, Man redefines our understanding of the Amazons and their culture, tracking the ancient legend into the modern world and examining its significance today. Σελίδες: 336, Διαστάσεις: 12.7x12.7cm

A short history of the ancient civilization of Angkor, home to the spectacular temple of Angkor Wat.In the late sixteenth century a mythical encounter was reported on an elephant hunt in the dense jungle north of the Tonle Sap, or Great Lake, of central Cambodia. King Satha of Cambodia and his retainers were beating a path through the undergrowth when they were halted by stone giants, and then a massive wall. The King, the fable reported, ordered 6,000 men to bring down the wall, thereby exposing the city of Angkor \'lost\' for over a century.Subsequent reports from Portuguese missionaries described its four gateways, with bridges flanked by stone figures leading across a moat. There were idols covered in gold, inscriptions, fountains, canals, and \'a temple with five towers, called Angor [sic]\'. For four centuries, this huge complex has inspired awe amongst visitors from all over the world, but only now are its origins and history becoming clear.This book begins with the progress of the prehistoric communities of the area and draws on the author¿s recent excavations to portray the rich and expansive chiefdoms that existed at the dawn of civilization. It covers the origins of early states, up to the establishment, zenith and decline of this extraordinary civilization, whose most impressive achievement was the construction of the gilded temple mausoleum of Angkor Wat, in the twelfth century, allegedly by 70,000 people. Σελίδες: 224, Έτος Έκδοσης: 1101, Διαστάσεις: 13.3x13.3cm

FROM THE MULTI-MILLION-COPY BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF FINGERPRINTS OF THE GODS AND CREATOR OF NETFLIX\'S ANCIENT APOCALYPSE \'Nail-biting\' SUNDAY EXPRESS\'An intellectual whodunit by a do-it-yourself sleuth\' GUARDIAN___________________________________The greatest secret of the last 3000 years is about to be shattered.After nine years investigating the exact location of the ultimate religious icon, the Ark of the Covenant, British researcher and investigative journalist Graham Hancock reveals his status-quo shattering discoveries.Part true adventure and part travel book, this gripping piece of historical research challenges society\'s principal religious preconceptions and takes the reader on a rollercoaster ride through ancient history.___________________________________\'It should cause widespread discussion, and it deserves to\' Daily Telegraph\'Eat your heart out, Harrison Ford\' Gerald Seymour\'Highly readable\' The Times Σελίδες: 640, Διαστάσεις: 11.3x11.3cm

**NOW A HIT STAGE PRODUCTION**Take a journey around the archaeological and cultural remains of Roman Britain with the award-winning author of Greek Myths. This is a book about the encounter with Roman Britain: about what the idea of \'Roman Britain\' has meant to those who came after Britain\'s 400-year stint as province of Rome - from the medieval mythographer-historian Geoffrey of Monmouth to Edward Elgar and W.H. Auden. What does Roman Britain mean to us now? How were its physical remains rediscovered and made sense of? How has it been reimagined, in story and song and verse? Charlotte Higgins has traced these tales by setting out to discover the remains of Roman Britain for herself, sometimes on foot, sometimes in a splendid, though not particularly reliable, VW camper van. Via accounts of some of Britain\'s most intriguing, and often unjustly overlooked ancient monuments, Under Another Sky invites us to see the British landscape, and British history, in an entirely fresh way: as indelibly marked by how the Romans first imagined, and wrote, these strange and exotic islands, perched on the edge of the known world, into existence.\'Mesmerising... Sophisticated and passionate\' Guardian\'[A] lyrical, haunting look at Roman Britain and its echo in our culture\' Sunday Times Σελίδες: 304, Διαστάσεις: 13x13cm

Unlocking the secrets of the pyramids.For thousands of years the pyramids have stood, imposing and enigmatic, refusing to give up their secrets. In this thrilling book of scientific and historical detective work, the authors try to answer some of history\'s oldest questions...Why did the Egyptians really build pyramids?What lies inside the Great Pyramid\'s hidden chamber and what awesome secret, unseeen for 4500 years, could be concealed there?Bauval and Gilbert have spent over ten years investigating the mysteries of the pyramids. Their conclusions have aplit the academic establishment. Σελίδες: 384, Διαστάσεις: 11x11cm

FROM THE BESTSELLING AUTHORS OF FINGERPRINTS OF THE GODS AND THE ORION MYSTERY\'An exciting book . . . deservedly a bestseller\' SPECTATOR___________________________________________In Keeper of Genesis, Graham Hancock and Robert Bauval present a tour de force of historical and scientific detective work:· When and where did history begin?· When was the genesis of civilisation in Egypt?· How and why were the Great Sphinx and the three pyramids of Giza designed to serve as parts of an immense three-dimensional model of the sky of \'First Time\'?· What is contained in the rectangular chamber that seismic surveys have located in the bedrock far below the paws of the sphinx?· What lies behind the mysterious doors recently discovered at the end of a previously unexplored shaft inside the Great Pyramid?· Does mankind have a rendezvous with destiny - a rendezvous not in the future, but in the distant past - at a precise place and time?Using sophisticated computer simulations of the ancient skies to crack the millennial code that the monuments transcribe, Bauval and Hancock set out a startling new theory of the Pyramid Texts and other archaic Egyptian scriptures.___________________________________________\'Reads like a detective story, with the reader enthusiastically trying to outguess the writers\' Literary Review\'Start the book in the early evening and continue uninterrupted till you complete it in the small house. The effect is wonderful . . . Your entire world view has been shifted a hundred yards . . . You fall asleep thinking that nothing will ever be the same again\' Sunday Telegraph Σελίδες: 432, Διαστάσεις: 11.1x11.1cm

THE SUNDAY TIMES NO. 1 BESTSELLERCHOSEN BY WATERSTONES AS ONE OF THEIR BEST HISTORY BOOKS OF 2024 \'Compulsive . . . A wonderful display of how modern archaeology can bring hidden histories to life\' Daily Telegraph  \'Gripping . . . I found it hard to put down\' Evening Standard ‘Fascinating’ Guardian The history of the Middle Ages is typically the story of the rich and powerful, but archaeology represents another way of interrogating our history. By using cutting-edge science to examine human remains and burials, it is possible to gain a new understanding of the past – one that is more intimate and inclusive than ever before. The seven stories in Crypt are not comforting tales. We meet the patients at one of the earliest hospitals in England and the victims of the St Brice’s Day Massacre. We see a society struggling to make sense of disease, disability and death, as incurable epidemics sweep through medieval Europe. We learn of a protracted battle between Church and State, and come face to face with the archers who went down with the Mary Rose.Beautifully written and expertly researched by Professor Alice Roberts, Crypt is packed with thrilling scientific discoveries that challenge what we thought we knew about history. \'An addictive picture of medieval Britain from a cutting edge perspective\'Evening Standard Σελίδες: 352, Έτος Έκδοσης: 0213, Διαστάσεις: 13x13cm

In whose genetic image were we made? From his first book The 12th Planeton, Zecharia Sitchin has asserted that the Bible\'s Elohim, who said \"Let us fashion The Adam in our image and after our likeness,\" were the gods of Sumer and Babylon - the Anunnaki who had come to Earth from their planet Nibiru. The Adam, he wrote, was genetically engineered by adding Anunnaki genes to those of an existing hominid, some 300,000 years ago. Then, according to the Bible, intermarriage took place: \"There were giants upon the Earth\" who took Adam\'s female offspring as wives, giving birth to \"heroes of renown.\" With meticulous detail, Sitchin shows that these were the demigods of Sumerian and Babylonian lore. Are we then, all of us, descendants of demigods? In this crowning oeuvre, Zecharia Sitchin proceeds step-by-step through a mass of ancient writings and artifacts, leading the reader to the stunning Royal Tombs of Ur. Σελίδες: 352, Έτος Έκδοσης: 0421, Διαστάσεις: 15.2x15.2cm

** WINNER OF THE PEN HESSELL-TILTMAN PRIZE 2021 **\'Beautiful, evocative, authoritative.\' Professor Brian Cox\'Important reading not just for anyone interested in these ancient cousins of ours, but also for anyone interested in humanity.’ Yuval Noah HarariKindred is the definitive guide to the Neanderthals. Since their discovery more than 160 years ago, Neanderthals have metamorphosed from the losers of the human family tree to A-list hominins.Rebecca Wragg Sykes uses her experience at the cutting edge of Palaeolithic research to share our new understanding of Neanderthals, shoving aside clichés of rag-clad brutes in an icy wasteland. She reveals them to be curious, clever connoisseurs of their world, technologically inventive and ecologically adaptable. Above all, they were successful survivors for more than 300,000 years, during times of massive climatic upheaval.Much of what defines us was also in Neanderthals, and their DNA is still inside us. Planning, co-operation, altruism, craftsmanship, aesthetic sense, imagination, perhaps even a desire for transcendence beyond mortality. Kindred does for Neanderthals what Sapiens did for us, revealing a deeper, more nuanced story where humanity itself is our ancient, shared inheritance. Σελίδες: 416, Έτος Έκδοσης: 0105, Διαστάσεις: 12.9x12.9cm

\"Everyone should have two copies - one for the car and one for the house to plan journeys. . . a reminder to think more about the places you pass and less about your route, because every British journey is through rich history.\" (Edward Stourton)From much-loved historian Neil Oliver, comes this beautifully written, kaleidoscopic history of a place with a story like no other.The British Isles, this archipelago of islands, is to Neil Oliver the best place in the world. From north to south, east to west it cradles astonishing beauty. The human story here is a million years old, and counting. But the tolerant, easygoing peace we enjoy has been hard won. We have made and known the best and worst of times. We have been hero and villain and all else in between, and we have learned some lessons.The Story of the British Isles in 100 Places is Neil’s very personal account of what makes these islands so special, told through the places that have witnessed the unfolding of our history. Beginning with footprints made in the sand by humankind’s earliest ancestors, he takes us via Romans and Vikings, the flowering of religion, through civil war, industrial revolution and two world wars. From windswept headlands to battlefields, ancient trees to magnificent cathedrals, each of his destinations is a place where, somehow, the spirit of the past seems to linger. Σελίδες: 448, Διαστάσεις: 12.7x12.7cm

Beginning in the Stone Age and continuing through the collapse of the Roman empire, The Barbarians describes the increasing complexity, technological accomplishments and distinctive practices of peoples who entered recorded history very late, mainly through second-hand accounts. Their story, known almost exclusively through archaeological finds of settlements, offerings, monuments and burials, is as compelling as that of the great literate, urban civilizations. Moreover, the prehistoric past of Europe echoes into the modern era through new discoveries, celebrations of the past, tourist attractions and even politics.Peter Bogucki highlights important discoveries and situates them in a narrative of long-term continuous development and modern understanding of the nature of ancient societies, as well as considering the rich and varied legacy left to us today. Σελίδες: 248, Διαστάσεις: 13.8x13.8cm

Often characterized as a \'lost\' civilization that was \'discovered\' by adventurers and archaeologists, ancient Egypt has fascin ated and inspired many other cultures. Classical Greek and Roman writers admired ancient Egyptian philosophy; in the eighteenth century, secret societies like the Freemasons still upheld the wisdom of ancient Egypt. But why? Christina Riggs introduces the history, art and religion of Egypt from its earliest dynasties to its final fall to Rome - and explores the influence ancient Egypt has had through the centuries. Today, ancient Egypt is ubiquitous in museums, television documentaries and tattoo parlours - wherever people look for a past as ancient and impressive as they come. Looking for a vanished past, Riggs argues, always serves some purpose in the present. Σελίδες: 208, Διαστάσεις: 13.8x13.8cm

Now available in paperback, The Persians tells the story of this cultured ancient civilization, tracing the unique features of Persian life as well as their influence down the centuries. The book describes the difficulties early Persians encountered and how these contributed to their unique character and the establishment of the Achaemenid Empire. It recounts the keenly fought conflicts with the Greeks for mastery of the Eastern Mediterranean, a contest which was to dominate the geopolitics of the ancient world, and it paints a vivid picture of the many great Persian cities and their spectacular achievements: an efficient road system that linked an empire together; respect for their subject peoples; and advances in irrigation techniques which created a \'paradise\' envied by their neighbours. Σελίδες: 208, Διαστάσεις: 13.8x13.8cm

The Phoenicians is a fascinating exploration of this much-mythologized people: their history, artistic heritage and the scope of their maritime and colonizing activities in the Mediterranean.Vadim S. Jigoulov describes and analyses various artefacts (epigraphic, numismatic and material remains) and considers how historians have derived information about a people with little surviving literature. This includes a critical look at classical, Near Eastern and biblical primary texts, the relationship between the Phoenician and Punic worlds, Phoenician interactions with the Greeks and others, and the repurposing of Phoenician heritage in modernity. Detailed and engrossing, The Phoenicians casts new light on this most enigmatic of civilizations. Σελίδες: 248, Διαστάσεις: 13.8x13.8cm

\'A tour de force\' Alice Roberts \'Wonderful ... A remarkably comprehensive biography of the single most important thing we all share - language\' Robin Dunbar The relationship between language, thought and culture is of concern to anyone with an interest in what it means to be human. The Language Puzzle explains how the invention of words at 1.6 million years ago began the evolution of human language from the ape-like calls of our earliest ancestors to our capabilities of today, with over 6000 languages in the world and each of us knowing over 50,000 words. Drawing on the latest discoveries in archaeology, linguistics, psychology, and genetics, Steven Mithen reconstructs the steps by which language evolved; he explains how it transformed the nature of thought and culture, and how we talked our way out of the Stone Age into the world of farming and swiftly into today\'s Digital Age. While this radical new work is not shy to reject outdated ideas about language, it builds bridges between disciplines to forge a new synthesis for the evolution of language that will find widespread acceptance as a new standard account for how humanity began. Σελίδες: 544, Διαστάσεις: 12.8x12.8cm

An accessible introduction that reveals the importance of Greek inscriptions in the understanding of ancient Greek culture. Inscriptions are an important form of evidence for our interpretation of past human societies. They are outstanding sources as they offer direct snapshots into the behaviour of humans and their aspiration to make a permanent and public record of themselves. Greek inscriptions in particular combine word and image in a multitude of ways, meaning they are rich in terms of the insights they offer into the ancient cultures of the Mediterranean and the mindsets of their peoples. They give us views of inter-state relations, historical narratives, the political administration of city-states and honorific culture; and at the same time offer perspectives on the significance of ideas about democracy, citizenship, gender, ethnicity, religion and the supernatural.This book, based on the collection of ancient Greek inscriptions on stone and metal held at the British Museum, constitutes an introduction to the study of ancient Greek inscriptions, their significance for our understanding of ancient Greek culture, their history and their reception in the modern world. It places emphasis on the texts of the inscriptions, their physical form, their importance in understanding the ancient Greek language and the modern history of their collection. Σελίδες: 112, Έτος Έκδοσης: 0724, Διαστάσεις: 14.7x14.7cm

A beautifully illustrated account of the history and archaeology of an iconic feature of the English landscape, as part of the stunning Landmark Library series. Perched on the chalk uplands of Salisbury Plain, the megaliths of Stonehenge offer one of the most recognizable outlines of any ancient structure. Its purpose – place of worship, sacrificial arena, giant calendar – is unknown, but its story is one of the most extraordinary of any of the world\'s prehistoric monuments. Constructed in several phases over a period of some 1500 years, beginning c. 3000 BC, Stonehenge\'s key elements are its \'bluestones\', transported from West Wales by unexplained means, and sarsen stones quarried from the nearby Marlborough Downs. Francis Pryor is one of Britain\'s most distinguished archaeologists. In Stonehenge, he delivers a rigorous account of the nature and history of the monument, while also placing the enigmatic stones in a wider cultural context, exploring how antiquarians, scholars, writers, artists, \'the heritage industry\' – and even neopagans – have interpreted the site over the centuries. Σελίδες: 208, Έτος Έκδοσης: 0601, Διαστάσεις: 13x13cm

‘Beautifully written, sumptuously illustrated, constantly fascinating‘ - The TimesOn 26 November 1922 Howard Carter first peered into the newly opened tomb of an ancient Egyptian boy-king. When asked if he could see anything, he replied: ‘Yes, yes, wonderful things.’In Tutankhamun’s Trumpet, acclaimed Egyptologist Toby Wilkinson takes a unique approach to that tomb and its contents. Instead of concentrating on the oft-told story of the discovery, or speculating on the brief life and politically fractious reign of the boy king, Wilkinson takes the objects buried with him as the source material for a wide-ranging, detailed portrait of ancient Egypt – its geography, history, culture and legacy.One hundred artefacts from the tomb, arranged in ten thematic groups, are allowed to speak again – not only for themselves, but as witnesses of the civilization that created them. Never before have the treasures of Tutankhamun been analysed and presented for what they can tell us about ancient Egyptian culture, its development, its remarkable flourishing, and its lasting impact.Filled with surprising insights, unusual details, vivid descriptions and, above all, remarkable objects, Tutankhamun’s Trumpet will appeal to all lovers of history, archaeology, art and culture, as well as all those fascinated by the Egypt of the pharaohs.‘I’ve read many books on ancient Egypt, but I’ve never felt closer to its people‘ - The Sunday Times Σελίδες: 496, Έτος Έκδοσης: 0926, Διαστάσεις: 13.1x13.1cm

\'THE BEST BOOK ON ROMAN BRITAIN I\'VE READ IN AGES\' TOM HOLLAND\'A masterly evocation of the bloodiest year in British history.\' ALICE ROBERTS\'Evocative, authoritative . . . rich storytelling.\' CAT JARMAN\'An engaged, informed companion for the armchair time traveller...captures the thrill and the difficulties of interpreting the past\'. TLS\'Duncan has written a masterpiece - a journey and an investigation that fuses landscape and history, chasing the echoes of Boudica\'s rebellion and finding its physical traces that still surround us today.\' NICHOLAS CRANE\'A brilliant imagining of the past. Mackay\'s knowledge is profound, but lightly worn, his writing elegant and witty, and his enthusiasm infectious. A joy to read.\' Dr Harry Sidebottom, University of Oxford, author or THE MAD EMPEROR\'Mackay\'s journey into the past is hugely enjoyable.\' BBC History Magazine\'The places that Mackay visits, traverses and dwells in are vividly described as a conscious attempt to revive the past... there are real moments of joy and insight.\' History TodayAlmost 2000 years ago, Boudica led the greatest rebellion Britain has ever seen. Within the space of a single blood-soaked year, she united the tribes to deliver blow after devastating blow to the Roman regime, culminating in a brutal, decisive battle.Archaeologist Duncan Mackay has spent a lifetime on the trail of Boudica. Beginning near his home in Norfolk, in the heart of Boudica\'s tribal territory, he embarks on a journey in the footsteps of Romans and Britons, exploring their villages, towns, forts and roads. The passage of two millennia has buried the world that Boudica knew, but Duncan finds that its echoes and physical traces still surround us - as long as you know where to look. The armies marched along the roads we still use, and died in their thousands in towns, cities and countryside where we still live today. The site of Boudica\'s last battle was long believed be lost to time, but the threads of the story all pull towards one remarkable, forgotten little corner of the English landscape.From the Breckland of Norfolk to the back streets of Colchester, from the remotest corner of Anglesey to the depths of the London Underground, Duncan takes us back two thousand years to retell the story of Britain\'s bloodiest year. Fusing ancient history, modern excavation, landscape exploration, and vivid reconstruction, Echolands weaves the long-lost tapestry of Boudica\'s war. Σελίδες: 368, Έτος Έκδοσης: 0730, Διαστάσεις: 12.8x12.8cm

\'Fascinating\' GREG JENNER\'I couldn\'t put it down\' JANINA RAMIREZ\'Fabulous\' NATALIE HAYNES\'Alive with the spirit of adventure\' RANULPH FIENNES\'If you love Indiana Jones, this is the real thing\' DAN SNOWAncient shipwrecks in crystal seas, mythical princesses preserved in ice and astonishing lost rituals - this is the story of archaeology.Professor Michael Scott uncovers the true stories behind history\'s most monumental discoveries, unearthing traps, curses and buried treasure along the way. Full of extraordinary characters - from glory hunters to forgotten heroes - X Marks the Spot explores our love affair with the past. Σελίδες: 320, Έτος Έκδοσης: 0924, Διαστάσεις: 12.6x12.6cm

Expands on the traditional \'Seven Wonders\' to examine an impressive number of ancient marvels from around the globe. The traditional list of seven wonders was derived from ancient Greek guidebooks, designed for sightseers in the Hellenic world. The Seventy Wonders of the Ancient World broadens those horizons, incorporating architectural marvels from across the globe, from the walled medieval city of Great Zimbabwe to the pre-Aztec Pyramid of the Sun. These awe-inspiring monuments provoke profound questions about the communities who built them. How were they able to complete such feats of engineering? What prompted people to take on these projects, knowing the human costs involved, and how were the monuments viewed after their completion? In this new and updated edition, seventeen leading experts answer these questions. In doing so, they provide a testament to the skill of ancient engineers, and bring us closer to the communities they lived in. Σελίδες: 352, Έτος Έκδοσης: 1015, Διαστάσεις: 12.9x12.9cm

There is a little Neanderthal in all of us. Although they have been extinct for 40,000 years, our genetic inheritance means that they are not entirely gone. Since the publication of the first Neanderthal genome in 2010, our understanding of the Neanderthals – and our connection to them – has changed dramatically. Once stereotyped as simple and brutish, recent discoveries by archaeologists and geneticists have painted a different picture of Neanderthals, and one more familiar to us: they buried their dead, cared for the sick, and even painted cave walls. We can now delve into their DNA to trace their evolution in Europe and movements across Asia, and piece together how they lived and died in amazing detail. This fully updated edition presents cutting-edge research on our fascinating hominin relatives: their interbreeding with humans and other species including the recently discovered Denisovans, their social behaviours such as smiling to indicate friendliness, and the genes they have passed down to us that could be affecting our health. By confronting our differences and similarities to the Neanderthals, this book addresses the biggest question of all: what it means to be human. Σελίδες: 256, Έτος Έκδοσης: 0823, Διαστάσεις: 12.9x12.9cm

The Orcadian archipelago is a museum of archaeological wonders.The Orcadian Neolithic is home to some of the best-preserved Neolithic sites in Europe: here we can find evidence of a dynamic society with connections binding Orkney to Ireland, to southern Britain and to continental Europe. Yet there is much that remains unknown about the societies that created these sites.In Orcadia, Mark Edmonds traces the development of the Orcadian Neolithic from the early fourth millennium BC through to the end of the period nearly two thousand years later, using artefacts, architecture and the wider landscape to recreate the lives of Neolithic communities across the region. Σελίδες: 368, Έτος Έκδοσης: 0801, Διαστάσεις: 12.9x12.9cm

The Terracotta Army is one of the greatest, and most famous, archaeological discoveries of all time. 6,000 life-size figures of warriors and horses were interred in the Mausoleum of the First Emperor of China - each is individually carved, and they are thought to represent real members of the emperor\'s army. This is the remarkable story of their creation, the man who ordered them made, their rediscovery and their continuing legacy as a pre-eminent symbol of Chinese greatness.The First Emperor, Qin Shi Huang, was king of the Chinese state of Qin and the first man to unite China into a single empire. He built the first Great Wall and brought a single written script to the whole country. He was an inspired and ruthless ruler, but one also beset by paranoia and a desire for immortality. He is still considered the founding father of the modern state of China. On his death in 210 BC he was buried in a giant mausoleum near modern-day Xi\'an. Legends of the treasures contained therein still tantalize the imagination today.In 1974 local farmers digging a well for water broke through into the burial mound and found the first of the Terracotta warriors. Further excavations have revealed the full splendour of the buried army. But the majority of the mausoleum is yet to be opened, including the burial chamber itself - myth tells us that amongst the treasures yet to be uncovered is a vast map of the First Emperor\'s kingdom with rivers marked with channels of flowing mercury. The story of the First Emperor and the Terracotta Army is a fascinating one, not least for the discoveries yet to be made. Σελίδες: 400, Διαστάσεις: 13x13cm

A brand-new translation of a philosophical classic of the ancient world, The Teaching of Ptahhatp, written in Egypt 4,000 years ago. The Teaching of Ptahhatp, composed two millennia before the birth of Plato, is the oldest surviving statement of philosophy in the ancient world and the earliest witness to the power of the written word. It ought to begin the list of the world’s philosophy classics, yet it has been largely forgotten since it was rediscovered in the nineteenth century. Bill Manley’s new translation corrects this oversight, rendering into approachable modern English Ptahhatp’s profound yet practical account of ‘the meaning of life’, providing a new perspective on the Pyramid Age and overturning traditional prejudices about the origins of writing and philosophy. A testament to a common thread connecting humanity across time, Ptahhatp grapples with the pitfalls of greed, ambition, celebrity, success, confrontation, friendship, sex and even the office environment, and his teachings remain remarkably relevant in the modern day. Σελίδες: 240, Έτος Έκδοσης: 1020, Διαστάσεις: 12.9x12.9cm

Written as an engrossing detective story by the leading authority on the subject, this is the first major account in nearly a century to deal with the core issues of how the Irish people came into being. Bringing together the evidence of archaeology, culture, tradition, genetics and linguistics to shed welcome new light on the age-old riddle of Irish origins, and illustrated with numerous informative line drawings and maps, this brilliantly argued book is essential reading for anyone interested in Ireland and the Irish. Σελίδες: 328, Έτος Έκδοσης: 0901, Διαστάσεις: 13x13cm

In Home Francis Pryor, author of The Making of the British Landscape, archaeologist and broadcaster, takes us on his lifetime\'s quest: to discover the origins of family life in prehistoric BritainFrancis Pryor\'s search for the origins of our island story has been the quest of a lifetime. In Home, the Time Team expert explores the first nine thousand years of life in Britain, from the retreat of the glaciers to the Romans\' departure. Tracing the settlement of domestic communities, he shows how archaeology enables us to reconstruct the evolution of habits, traditions and customs. But this, too, is Francis Pryor\'s own story: of his passion for unearthing our past, from Yorkshire to the west country, Lincolnshire to Wales, digging in freezing winters, arid summers, mud and hurricanes, through frustrated journeys and euphoric discoveries. Evocative and intimate, Home shows how, in going about their daily existence, our prehistoric ancestors created the institution that remains at the heart of the way we live now: the family.\'Under his gaze, the land starts to fill with tribes and clans wandering this way and that, leaving traces that can still be seen today . . . Pryor feels the land rather than simply knowing it\' - Guardian Σελίδες: 352, Διαστάσεις: 13x13cm

One man goes in search of the lost cities of the Amazon in the Inca heartland.The lost cities of South America have always exercised a powerful hold on the popular imagination. The ruins of the Incas and other pre-Colombian civilisations are scattered over thousands of miles of still largely uncharted territory, particularly in the Eastern Andes, where the mountains fall away towards the Amazon. Twenty-five years ago, Hugh Thomson set off into the cloud-forest on foot to find a ruin that had been carelessly lost again after its initial discovery. Into his history of the Inca Empire he weaves the story of his adventures as he travelled to the most remote Inca cities. It is also the story of the great explorers in whose footsteps he followed, such as Hiram Bingham and Gene Savoy. Σελίδες: 416, Έτος Έκδοσης: 1024, Διαστάσεις: 13.3x13.3cm

First published in the 1950s, this is a classic account of the discovery in 1911 of the lost city of Machu Picchu.In 1911 Hiram Bingham, a pre-historian with a love of exotic destinations, set out to Peru in search of the legendary city of Vilcabamba, capital city of the last Inca ruler, Manco Inca. With a combination of doggedness and good fortune he stumbled on the perfectly preserved ruins of Machu Picchu perched on a cloud-capped ledge 2000 feet above the torrent of the Urubamba River. The buildings were of white granite, exquisitely carved blocks each higher than a man. Bingham had not, as it turned out, found Vilcabamba, but he had nevertheless made an astonishing and memorable discovery, which he describes in his bestselling book LOST CITY OF THE INCAS. Σελίδες: 320, Έτος Έκδοσης: 0701, Διαστάσεις: 13.2x13.2cm

Every so often a remarkable discovery hits the headlines – often an account of treasure hunters striking lucky after years of searching the land, or perhaps a chance find made by a farmer after ploughing. With each new hoard comes a story, or a number of possible stories and unanswered questions. Who did it belong to? Why was it buried or lost and not recovered? This fascinating book investigates a broad selection of hoards that have come to light in recent times across the British Isles. Here are caches of prehistoric axes; pits filled with intricately wrought Iron Age torcs; pots of Roman coins; spectacular Anglo-Saxon military equipment; impressive Viking brooches; a jeweller’s stock from seventeenth-century England; a sealed glass jar of gold sovereigns from World War II. The author looks at the variety of objects found and at the practice of hoarding itself. She also considers who the hoarders were and what might have compelled them – economic upheaval, war, or more complex social and ritual customs. Σελίδες: 128, Έτος Έκδοσης: 0301, Διαστάσεις: 17.5x17.5cm

Previously published as The King\'s Grave.NOW A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE STARRING SALLY HAWKINS AND STEVE COOGAN.The official inside story of the discovery of history\'s most controversial monarch.On 22 August 1485 Richard III was killed at Bosworth Field, the last king of England to die in battle. His victorious opponent, Henry Tudor, went on to found one of our most famous ruling dynasties. Fifty years later, the king\'s grave was lost and Richard III\'s reputation buried under a mound of Tudor propaganda. Philippa Langley and Michael Jones trace the remarkable story of the search for the lost king, leading to the incredible moment when the 500-year-old mystery was solved by Philippa Langley as his remains were uncovered beneath a car park in Leicester. The Lost King is the astonishing true story of a woman who refused to be ignored and who took on the country\'s most eminent historians, forcing them to think again about one of the most controversial king\'s in England\'s history. Σελίδες: 352, Έτος Έκδοσης: 0818, Διαστάσεις: 12.8x12.8cm

Longlisted for the RUNCIMAN AWARD, 2021Medicine is one of the great fields of achievement of the Ancient Greeks. Hippocrates is celebrated worldwide as the father of medicine and the Hippocratic Oath is admired throughout the medical profession as a founding statement of ethics and ideals. In the fifth century BC, Greeks even wrote of medicine as a newly discovered craft they had invented.Robin Lane Fox\'s remarkable book puts their invention of medicine in a wider context, from the epic poems of Homer to the first doctors known to have been active in the Greek world. He examines what we do and do not know about Hippocrates and his Oath and the many writings that survive under his name. He then focuses on seven core texts which give the case histories of named individuals, showing that books 1 and 3 belong far earlier than previously recognised. Their re-dating has important consequences for the medical awareness of the great Greek dramatists and the historians Herodotus and Thucydides. Robin Lane Fox pieces together the doctor\'s thinking from his terse observations and relates it in a new way to the history of Greek prose and ideas.This original and compelling book opens windows onto many other aspects of the classical world, from women\'s medicine to street-life, empire, art, sport, sex and even botany. It fills a dark decade in a new way and carries readers along an extraordinary journey form Homer\'s epics to the grateful heirs of the Greek case histories, first in the Islamic world and then in early modern Europe. Σελίδες: 432, Διαστάσεις: 12.9x12.9cm

Σελίδες: 246, Έτος Έκδοσης: 2015

Σελίδες: 304, Έτος Έκδοσης: 2021

\'A truly remarkable writer, one of the most gifted non-fiction authors alive\' Simon Schama, Financial TimesSHORTLISTED FOR THE 2015 COSTA BIOGRAPHY AWARDThis is the autobiography that John Aubrey never wrote.You may not know his name. Aubrey was a modest man, a gentleman-scholar who cared far more for the preservation of history than for his own legacy. But he was a passionate collector, an early archaeologist and the inventor of modern biography.With all the wit, charm and originality that characterises her subject, Ruth Scurr has seamlessly stitched together John Aubrey\'s own words to tell his life story and a captivating history of seventeenth-century England unlike any other.\'A game-changer in the world of biography\' Mary Beard\'Ingenious\' Hilary Mantel\'Irresistible\' Philip Pullman Σελίδες: 544, Διαστάσεις: 12.9x12.9cm