1. Before Alexander
Hugh Bowden
in Alexander the Great: A Very Short Introduction
‘Before Alexander’ gives a brief history of the Achaemenid Persian Empire and the kingdom of Macedon before they came into conflict, to set the scene for Alexander the Great's era. The ...
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Conclusion
Helen Morales
in Classical Mythology: A Very Short Introduction
Classical mythology is kept alive if the stories are being used and retold. It is a continual process of telling, retelling, provoking, reacting, analysing, and revising. The Conclusion ...
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9. Babylonia in later ages: (6th century bc to 2nd century ad)
Trevor Bryce
in Babylonia: A Very Short Introduction
‘Babylon in later ages’ begins with Babylonia under Persian rule when Cyrus invaded in 539. He honoured, preserved, and maintained Babylon’s and Babylonia’s time-honoured traditions, cults, ...
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5. Encounters
Peter Thonemann
in The Hellenistic Age: A Very Short Introduction
‘Encounters’ travels to the outermost limits of Hellenistic civilization, where Graeco-Macedonian societies of the Mediterranean and western Asia interacted with sophisticated and powerful ...
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The Hellenistic Age: A Very Short Introduction
Peter Thonemann
Drawing on inscriptions, papyri, coinage, poetry, art, and archaeology, The Hellenistic Age: A Very Short Introduction opens up the history and culture of the vast Hellenistic world, from ...
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6. Priene
Peter Thonemann
in The Hellenistic Age: A Very Short Introduction
In the mid-4th century bc, the small Greek city of Priene was founded in the Maeander river valley in western Asia Minor. It flourished for around 250 years, before the city’s harbours were ...
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4. Collecting Facts
Jonathan Barnes
in Aristotle: A Very Short Introduction
‘Collecting Facts’ examines Aristotle’s research methods. While much of his work was based on his own study and observations, he also relied on the expertise of others. Written sources were ...
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4. Iran and the West
Ali M. Ansari
in Iran: A Very Short Introduction
‘Iran and the West’ charts the relationship between Iran and the West beginning in the 16th and 17th centuries with increased contact with Western rulers eager to secure both economic ...
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11. Alexandria
Paul Cartledge
in Ancient Greece: A Very Short Introduction
To stabilize his conquests strategically, and to unify his new kingdom culturally, Alexander III founded a number of Greek-speaking eponymous Alexandrias. There is some dispute over exactly ...
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2. Mythology and history
Ali M. Ansari
in Iran: A Very Short Introduction
‘Mythology and history’ describes the combined mythological and historical narratives that have had a powerful influence on contemporary Iranian identity. The mythological dynasties and ...
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2. Imperial power
Christopher Kelly
in The Roman Empire: A Very Short Introduction
‘Imperial power’ considers the presentation of imperial might, looking at emperors both as gods and as men. A powerful imperial cult existed, with emperors deified through processions, ...
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2. How the Bible was Written
John Riches
in The Bible: A Very Short Introduction
‘How the Bible was Written’ examines some of the features of the Bible's composition. Over what period was it written? How was the text recorded and what is the relationship between oral ...
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Iran: A Very Short Introduction
Ali Ansari
Iran has rarely been out of the headlines. Yet extensive media interest has tended to hinder rather than help our understanding of Iran as an idea, an identity, and a people, leading to a ...
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7. The people’s war
Mike Rapport
in The Napoleonic Wars: A Very Short Introduction
War is not just fought by leaders and soldiers, it is fought by people against other people. Governments, churches, intellectuals, the press, and cultural organizations used different ...
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Introduction
Mike Rapport
in The Napoleonic Wars: A Very Short Introduction
The French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars lasted from 1792 until 1815. They are among the longest and most intense conflicts ever seen in Europe. The French Wars were not an ideological ...
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5. Miletus
Paul Cartledge
in Ancient Greece: A Very Short Introduction
Miletus was a major player in Ionia, a region of Hellas, roughly at the centre of the Aegean littoral of western Antolia. ‘Miletus’ explains the role of this city in the history of Ancient ...
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3. Mycenae
Paul Cartledge
in Ancient Greece: A Very Short Introduction
Mycenae is the major Late Bronze Age city in the Argolis region of the north-east Peloponnese that gave its name to an entire era: the ‘Mycenaean’ Age. ‘Mycenae’ focuses on this Ancient ...
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6. The cost of empire
David M. Gwynn
in The Roman Republic: A Very Short Introduction
Why did the political and social balance on which the Republic depended disintegrate into chaos and civil war? ‘The cost of empire’ considers the effect of expansion on the Republic's ...
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2. Cnossos
Paul Cartledge
in Ancient Greece: A Very Short Introduction
Cnossos, along with four other centres extending along the length of the island of Crete, was developed around 2000 bce (rather than 3000 bce as is often thought). ‘Cnossos’ describes the ...
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3. First forays
Stewart A. Weaver
in Exploration: A Very Short Introduction
‘First forays ’ considers several notable figures in the history of exploration including: Harkhuf, who in 2270 bce explored the Nile River; Pytheas of Massalia, who around 325 bce sailed ...
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