The History of the Ancient World

From the Earliest Accounts to the Fall of Rome

By: Susan Wise Bauer

Narrated by: John Lee

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.

Download the accompanying reference guide.©2007 Susan Wise Bauer (P)2013 Audible, Inc.

Bloodshed

More than a little I'm disappointed for there is no attention for anything else then lust for power, no culture, no daily life, no architecture, no emerging of social phenomena, etc, only war between and within royal families, emperors, generals ...

Way, way too ambitious

Any additional comments?

I found this book a cluttered mess. Not because it was poorly written--it wasn't--but because the author tried to cover far too much material. The reader is bounced from Mesopotamia to China to India and back, told story after story of kings and emperors, with little or nothing to connect the stories (understandable, since most of the regions she tries to cover were isolated from each other at the time).

Additionally, the author seems only mildly critical of her sources, and not critical at all when it comes to Biblical sources (she did her undergrad at Jerry Falwell's Liberty University, if that tells you anything). She starts the book trying a bit too hard to present evidence for the Great Flood, and makes a number of unsupported assertions regarding certain Biblical figures. Fine, I get it. Sources for some of these times and events are sparse, and the Bible has some value as a historical source. But her willingness to use it so uncritically made me wonder immediately whether she had a religious agenda.

After further reading, my feeling is that she doesn't to have an agenda, other than to write a history book. Also on the positive side, she has at the very least woven the many disparate strands of ancient history into a single (if extraordinarily busy) tapestry, and she is not unskilled as a writer. I feel as if she could write an entertaining and informative volume if she could just get away from the "history of everything" premise and stick with a certain topic. It feels like a gimmick, and it doesn't really work. Frankly, in fact, I don't think anyone could pull this off; human history is just too vast and complex.

The narrator has a difficult job, but he manages to trot along. Someone else here said he sounds like he's just trying to get through the book as quickly as he can, and I agree that it feels like that sometimes. But he must also be given credit for pronouncing the names of ancient Chinese warlords and complex Middle-Eastern place-names with a rapid fluency that doesn't bog the narrative down.

I am hesitant to say this, because it sounds more negative than it is, but I use this book quite often to help me fall asleep at night. Since there's nothing to really focus on for any length of time, the rapid, disjointed narrative has a strong soporific effect on me. It's interesting for a while, then I start to feel drowsy, and the next thing I know it's morning.

Questionable sources

Would you try another book from Susan Wise Bauer and/or John Lee?

Probably not anything else written by Susan Bauer

What could Susan Wise Bauer have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?

Quote the Bible less. Not everyone believes the Bible or thinks it is terribly accurate. She also takes any and every opportunity to bash Egypt or Egyptian culture.

What does John Lee bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

he did very well.

Was The History of the Ancient World worth the listening time?

somewhat.

More historical info than I knew existed.

This is a great book for the history buff or student.

It's always been about power and money - even murdering family members to get them.

Her Bible is showing

While it tired to be historical and neutral she creates a lot of defenses supporting the bible historically and explains to the reader why it is accurate even when clearly not accurate (bible is written to be accessible to the contemporary reader...which has some merit but of course undermines the concept of historical reliability)

You get a warning right away when she explains why she is using BC and AD instead of the more correct versions of dating which are now being used. She devotes quite a bit of time arguing for why she does this when it would ring truer if she just had a line saying something like "I grew up with the bible and with BC and AD so I'm going to use it for date plotting"

Also it actually is not principally different from other histories even though the prologue claims it is a view of history from a different more people-centric view.

However it is a well written history and I'd give it 5 starts if she had not claimed it was a unique/different history presentation and if she had been able to divest herself from the bible. In fact I would have given 4 stars to Story even with all that except for the way she tells of the Abraham story.

Veeeeeery long

I guess, unless you are really into this topic and every detail of this time, it is difficult to keep track of names, events and time/dates. Stopped listening about half way and found another book.

Exactly what I hoped!

I read Bauer's 4 volumes to all three of my children because they were told in such engaging, narrative style. I heard she also wrote "grown up versions" but have less time to read larger volumes. i was thrilled when i bumped into these!

I bought the first one (volume 1) and was delighted that they found an EXCELLENT reader, which is not always the case. The reader proficiently pronounces Assyrian and Chinese names and their English pronunciation adds an academic dimension that is tasteful.

The amount of detail in here is extraordinary but Bauer does a great job of making the lives of individuals come to life so that the stories are narratives rather than lists of places, dates and people.

Her understated,dry humor also had me chuckling with laughter. I never had a history book do that for me but that just shows you how fresh and refreshing this storytelling is.

You'll love it!

The world up to the end of the 4th century.

If you enjoy history, you will love this book. Pure satisfaction in the level of detail and the transitions from Europe to Asia to the Middle East to Africa are engaging. The length is daunting, but given the task Susan attempts, its completely reasonable. John Lee's narration is perfect, none of the names are butchered (as far as I know), and there's a constant feeling of deadpan excitement throughout, perfect for a novel such as this. Purely Old World though, so if you're expecting the Olmec of Mesoamerica you may be out of luck. I don't know if I'll be relistening anytime soon, but I cannot wait to hear the next segment of the human race by Bauer.

Long but good

well rather dry i really enjoyed the detail and how tue book was laid out. it is a survey of each dynasty. it is not to detailed but enough to make you really understand

A thorough telling

The first half is far more interesting than the latter (or perhaps that's a reflection of my interest) as it is much easier to follow. The ending felt flat and vague as I was left without a strong understanding of the empire's fall.