Ancient Civilization Theory

The rise to global predominance of Western civilization is the single most important historical phenomenon of the past five hundred years. All over the world, an astonishing proportion of people now work for Western-style companies, study at Western-style universities, vote for Western-style governments, take Western medicines, wear Western clothes, and even work Western hours. Yet six hundred years ago the petty kingdoms of Western Europe seemed unlikely to achieve much more than perpetual internecine warfare. It was Ming China or Ottoman Turkey that had the look of world civilizations.

Best selling history writer Thomas Cahill continues his series on the roots of Western civilization with this volume about the contributions of ancient Greece to the development of contemporary culture. Tracing the origin of Greek culture in the migrations of armed Indo-European horsemen into Attica and the Peloponnesian peninsula, he follows their progress into the creation of the Greek city-states, the refinement of their machinery of war, and the flowering of intellectual and artistic culture.

If in the year 1411 you had been able to circumnavigate the globe, you would have been most impressed by the dazzling civilizations of the Orient. The Forbidden City was under construction in Ming Beijing; in the Near East, the Ottomans were closing in on Constantinople. By contrast, England would have struck you as a miserable backwater ravaged by plague, bad sanitation and incessant war. The other quarrelsome kingdoms of Western Europe - Aragon, Castile, France, Portugal and Scotland - would have seemed little better.

This sharp commentary on the rise and current decline of Western Civilization touches on historical moments - including the building of early universities in the Middle Ages and the American Revolution - and figures - including Augustine, Acquinas, Edmund Burke, and Adam Smith - that exemplify the faith-reason synthesis at the heart of Western Civilization, as well as the modern villains that threaten to destroy it.

Our age is obsessed by the idea of conspiracy. We see it everywhere---from Pearl Harbor to 9/11, from the assassination of Kennedy to the death of Diana. In this age of terrorism we live in, the role of conspiracy is a serious one---one that can fuel radical or fringe elements to violence. For award-winning journalist David Aaronovitch, there came a time when he started to see a pattern among these inflammatory theories.

Kevin Murdock, martial artist and outdoorsman extraordinaire, has survived his first five years on the planet Oomah. A new transport pod holding 200 more people has landed, and none of the new arrivals know what to expect. The pod holds an unexpected surprise for him personally: Rose's brother, who brings with him his own issues. Conflicts also rage between Murdock and Phylicia Cunningham, a distaff cousin to James Whittier, who has her own lust for power. Counseling common sense and self-reliance, Murdock begins training the arrivals in survival.

Dive into the captivating mystery of the fabled sunken city with 'Atlantis Unveiled.' Embark on an intriguing journey, navigating through age-old legends, ancient literature, geographic theories, and archaeological perspectives to shed new light on this enigma that has fascinated humanity for centuries. Chapter One begins with demystifying the allure of Atlantis, illustrating how it has stood the test of time, immortalized in popular culture, and remained an enigma through the ages. We then journey back to its origins, understanding Plato's dialogues and the context behind the myths. The ...