Great Events from History. The Ancient World: Prehistory-476 CE

This ambitious two-volume work, produced by a team of American academics, presents 418 essays, over half of which were originally published in previous Great Events from History volumes which covered Europe and North America. The scope of this volume is much larger, covering Europe, Africa, the Near East, Egypt, Asia, the Americas and the Mediterranean from the approximated date of the earliest rock-art to the fall of Rome on `September 4, 476 CE'. Arranged in strict chronological order, the illustrated essays (ranging in length from 1,000 to 1,500 words) focus on a key event, which could be political, technological, philosophical, artistic, militaristic, legal, medical or agricultural, to name but a few. Each essay has the same format, introducing key figures before summarising the event, evaluating its significance and suggesting further reading. The articles are cross-referenced and where appropriate refer to the companion volume Great LIves from History which is also available. With lots of illustrations, maps and charts, as well as an extensive chronology and a lengthy list of websites, this work is clearly targeted at the general reader and will provide a useful reference for those with an appetite for history on a global scale.