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The History of the Ancient World

From the Earliest Accounts to the Fall of Rome

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The History of the Ancient World

By: Susan Wise Bauer
Narrated by: John Lee
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About this listen

A lively and engaging narrative history showing the common threads in the cultures that gave birth to our own.

This is the first volume in a bold new series that tells the stories of all peoples, connecting historical events from Europe to the Middle East to the far coast of China, while still giving weight to the characteristics of each country. Susan Wise Bauer provides both sweeping scope and vivid attention to the individual lives that give flesh to abstract assertions about human history. This narrative history employs the methods of "history from beneath" - literature, epic traditions, private letters, and accounts - to connect kings and leaders with the lives of those they ruled. The result is an engrossing tapestry of human behavior from which we may draw conclusions about the direction of world events and the causes behind them.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your My Library section along with the audio.

©2007 Susan Wise Bauer (P)2013 Audible, Inc. Ancient Civilisation Europe Greece Rome World Middle East Middle Ages Greek Mythology Mythology Italy Africa
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another really good book. read in an engaging and informative way. kept me and my son engaged for hours

enjoyable

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I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I would recommend it to anyone seeking knowledge about early High Civilisation and Empire.

Great Historical Narrative

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Excellently written with an engaging narrator with an obvious love for the topic at hand. Highly recommend to anyone looking for an accessible book to provide a glimpse of the ancient past.

Must read for ‘fans’ of history.

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A sweeping tale told with humour and wonder at humanity’s ongoing wackiness. Jumps from place to place in a meanwhile way but well told overall

Witty and well well balanced

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Riveting collation and delightful telling of the history of the world. The performance of the narrator - with his articulation, fluency and faultless pronunciation (of some truly gnarly foreign names) - is worth the price alone. The text is made interesting by it's lens: examining archeological and literary sources, adding well founded cultural contexts and delivering it all with a sprightly licence to color in the gaps, the end result is a rich, chronological panorama of peoples, nations and empires. It does unfortunately (perhaps necessarily) depict much of the ugly details of the violence, murders, treachery and war which stain the majority of our history, so be warned. Religion, politics and key personalities are also in the mix, adding depth and showing some of the things which have shaped our race. Personally, I found human corruption to be the major character in the story, which ends up feeling like a rather sobering indictment on our days and ways. But if you're wanting a snapshot of history, look no further. This audiobook had me spellbound in its 'pages' from start to end.

Absorbing, never-dull narration of our history

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A well researched, and beautifully written book with an excellent narrator. I found it hard to get into though; it's certainly structured in a different way. Bauer focuses on ancient Rome, China, India and Persia, and the people who ruled these areas. I prefer my other history books, but I'm a medieval fan. I definitely suggest giving this a listen, if you love ancient civilisations. The details are amazing!

I liked it, but it's definitely not my favourite.

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I Enjoyed this very much. very good narration and superb piece of writing. So many changes of rulers; nepotism galore tinged with a bit of incestuous galivanting.

Really good piece of work

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Great narrator. I'll be looking for more of his.
Insightful and articulately written. Very pleased.
I have now bought others in the series and anticipate listening to those.

Detailed without the drudgery of many texts

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I found this book both interesting and informative. Definitely a must for those who are looking for an overview before delving into some more specific areas of Middle Eastern, Mediterranean, or Chinese history .

GREAT OVERVIEW

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Excellent book! Misses a lot about other events that occurred. Yet still great to knowledge. What happened in the past will always repeat itself.

Excellent listen for a vrod understanding

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