Ancient Customs

Rev. Dr. Geoffrey Schmitt opens the door to the world behind the words of Scripture—bringing fresh understanding to familiar passages by exploring the cultural details that made Jesus’ teachings so vivid to His first listeners. Each chapter focuses on a single phrase, image, or action rooted in the daily life of the ancient world and draws out the spiritual depth we sometimes miss in modern readings. With warmth, clarity, and pastoral insight, Dr. Schmitt weaves together biblical teaching, personal reflection, poetry, and questions for study or discussion. Whether you’re reading alone...

Eliot Stein has traveled the globe in search of remarkable people who are preserving some of our most extraordinary cultural rites. In Custodians of Wonder, Stein introduces listeners to a man saving the secret ingredient in Japan's 700-year-old original soy sauce recipe. In Italy, he learns how to make the world's rarest pasta from one of the only women alive who knows how to make it. And in India, he discovers a family rumored to make a mysterious metal mirror believed to reveal your truest self.

Why have societies all across the world feared witchcraft? This book delves deeply into its context, beliefs, and origins in Europe's history. The witch came to prominence - and often a painful death - in early modern Europe, yet her origins are much more geographically diverse and historically deep. In this landmark book, Ronald Hutton traces witchcraft from the ancient world to the early modern state.

Legends of Norse Mythology is your practical guide for navigating the Norse realms and revealing the origins of these mythical stories, ranging from the gripping narratives of revered gods to Viking sagas of the Scandinavian seafaring adventures with longships, to the timeless rituals of the Nordic people.

Uncovering Roman Mythology takes listeners deep into the legendary world of ancient Rome, where gods ruled human fate and myths shaped an empire. Explore the powerful stories of Jupiter, Juno, Mars, Venus, and more along with the heroes, creatures, and legends that defined Roman culture, politics, and belief. Blending timeless myths with clear explanations and historical insight, this audiobook reveals not just the stories themselves, but the deeper meanings behind them.

WITH PHOTOGRAPHS THROUGHOUT Some ceremonies still performed today have remained unchanged for over 40,000 years. What did their keepers know that science is only now confirming? Every fact is drawn from academic research and documented institutional data. This True Verified Facts book delivers 500+ traditions and rituals from every corner of the planet, built to educate, entertain, and arm you with knowledge worth retelling at any table. Inside This Book: The folk songs that predicted meteor showers a thousand years before astronomers wrote them down African talking drums whose messages can...

From best-selling social commentator and cultural historian Barbara Ehrenreich comes this fascinating exploration of one of humanity's oldest traditions: the celebration of communal joy, historically expressed in ecstatic revels of feasting, costuming, and dancing. Ehrenreich uncovers the origins of communal celebration in human biology and culture, showing that such mass festivities have been indigenous to the West since the ancient Greeks.

The Greek and Roman myths have never died out; in fact, they are as relevant today as ever in their sharp observations about human nature. For thousands of years, they have inspired plays, operas, and paintings; today they live on in movies and video games. Oh My Gods is a contemporary retelling of some of the most popular myths by Philip Freeman, a noted classicist. These tales of errant gods, fantastic creatures, and human heroes are brought to life in fresh and modern versions. 

Thomas Bulfinch introduces us to the gods of the Greek, Roman, and Norse mythologies. We learn their stories and we also observe the similarities between the deities of yore. Comparing these stories and characters to those of some modern religions may produce some surprising results!

Award-winning ancient historian, archaeologist, and social media sensation Dr. Jess Venner re-creates Pompeii’s final day before Mount Vesuvius’s eruption, revealing not just how its people died but how they lived. While today the ruins of Pompeii stand silent and preserved in ash and stone...

Under the order of King Pelias, Jason embarks on a perilous journey to steal the Golden Fleece from the Land of Colchis. Far from heroic, Jason is the typical everyman. Often compared with Homer's Iliad and Odyssey, Jason and the Argonauts is the only surviving poem from the Hellenistic period and was hugely influential on later literature, especially the Roman poetry of Virgil and Ovid.

From a precious oral tradition rooted over 2,500 years in Ireland's past, John O'Donohue's Celtic Wisdom Trilogy brings you this vibrant spiritual legacy, unique in the Western world. A liberating feast of authentic blessings, insights, and teachings, brought to life by this acclaimed poet...

What if the most festive season of the year was born from a cosmic crisis? For centuries, we’ve cherished the comfort of Christmas, but we’ve forgotten the primal terror that birthed it. Before Santa’s sleigh, before tinsel and mandatory cheer, the deepest part of winter was a war against chaos, isolation, and the chilling possibility that the sun might never return. This is the story of the necessary shadow that gives the holiday light its meaning. Historian Elias Shepherd meticulously uncovers the lost traditions of Europe, revealing why the old ways were so terrifying, yet so vital...

Delve into the mystical worlds of Celtic enchantment, the heroic sagas of Bulfinch's lore, the enigmatic tales of Slavic spirits, the celestial dances of Japanese deities, the profound fables of Turkish origins, the creation epics of Sumerian and Mesopotamian civilizations, the rich tapestry of Native American heritage, and the captivating chronicles from the Filipino archipelago.

The first robot to walk the earth was a bronze giant called Talos. This wondrous machine was created not by MIT Robotics Lab, but by Hephaestus, the Greek god of invention, more than 2,500 years ago. In this groundbreaking account of the earliest expressions of the timeless impulse to create artificial life, Adrienne Mayor tells the fascinating story of how ancient Greek, Roman, Indian, and Chinese myths envisioned artificial life, automata, self-moving devices, and human enhancements - and how these visions relate to and reflect the ancient invention of real animated machines.

What if the true story of humanity isn’t written in battles and crowns—but in bread ovens, weaving looms, whispered prayers, and firelit courtyards? Few people realize that history’s greatest legacy is not the monuments of kings, but the everyday lives of ordinary men and women. Farmers who rose with the dawn, mothers who guarded children through famine, craftsmen whose hands shaped survival—all left behind traces that tell us who we really are. In Lanterns in the Shadows, Eleanor Whitcombe carries a lantern into the forgotten corners of the past. What you’re about to discover are...

Dive into the mystical world of ancient Japan and uncover its incredible deities, mythical creatures, and heroic tales, even if you're new to folklore! Are you fascinated by Japan's rich culture and history?Discover captivating tales of Shinto gods, Yōkai, and legendary heroes that shape Japan's cultural heritage.

What if the Christmas traditions you cherish are not Christian at all, but whispers from a forgotten, ancient world? Step into the heart of winter, and you will uncover a story far older than the nativity. Beneath the twinkling lights and familiar carols lies a truth carved into the bones of the season itself, echoed in firelight and carried on the breath of ancient gods. This is an invitation to explore the untold origins of the world’s most celebrated holiday. For centuries, the story of Christmas has been a paradox—a Christian holiday built upon the bones of pagan ritual. The early ...

Africa’s myths are not just tales—they are living echoes of ancient wisdom, power, and identity. If you've ever felt the pull to reconnect with heritage, explore the roots of a rich cultural legacy, or simply lose yourself in unforgettable storytelling, this book will be your guide.

Adrienne Mayor is renowned for exploring the borders of history, science, archaeology, anthropology, and popular knowledge to find historical realities and scientific insights—glimmering, long-buried nuggets of truth—embedded in myth, legends, and folklore. Combing through ancient texts and obscure sources, she has spent decades prospecting for intriguing wonders and marvels, historical mysteries, diverting anecdotes, and hidden gems from antiquity, medieval, and modern times. Flying Snakes and Griffin Claws is a treasury of fifty of her most amazing and amusing discoveries.