First Ancient

The ancient Mediterranean teemed with gods. For centuries, a practical religious pluralism prevailed. How, then, did one particular god come to dominate the politics and piety of the late Roman Empire? In Ancient Christianities, Paula Fredriksen traces the evolution of early Christianity—or rather, of early Christianities—through five centuries of Empire, mapping its pathways from the hills of Judea to the halls of Rome and Constantinople.

The oldest stories ever written. The gods who came before all other gods. The myths that built every civilization that followed. Five thousand years ago, in the world's first cities, a civilization pressed its beliefs into clay. Those tablets contained the original versions of the stories the modern world thinks it knows — the Great Flood, the creation of humanity, the descent into the underworld, the hero who could not accept death. The Sumerians told these stories first, told them without apology, and told them with a brutal honesty about the nature of gods and humans that every ...

The Solaran Defense Forces make the difficult decision to evacuate the colony of Robichar in order to avoid a direct confrontation. But when Captain Elya Nevers gets shot down during the evacuation, his squadron and the admiral in charge have to think fast to rescue their pilot before the Kryl overrun the system.

The First Ancient Egyptian Genome: Decoding the DNA of a Lost Civilization By Sandra F. Morrison What if the ancient secrets of Egypt could be unlocked not just by artifacts and ruins, but by the very DNA of the people who built the pyramids? In this groundbreaking exploration, Sandra F. Morrison takes you on a journey into the past, revealing astonishing genetic discoveries that challenge everything we thought we knew about ancient Egypt. For the first time, scientists have sequenced the entire genome of an ancient Egyptian man who lived during the time of the pyramids. This discovery has ...

Searching for his long-lost father, Bransen Garibond is tricked into journeying across the Gulf of Corona to the wild lands of Vanguard, where he is pressed into service in a desperate war against the brutal Samhaist, Ancient Badden. On an Alpinadoran lake, just below Ancient Badden's magical ice castle, several societies, caught in the web of their own conflicts, are oblivious to Ancient Badden's devastating plans to destroy them.

Newly revised and edited The Apostolic Fathers in Modern English Experience the earliest Christian writings, clearly translated for today. This edition presents the complete collection traditionally known as the Apostolic Fathers in fresh, readable modern English, paired with concise, thematic essays at the end of the book that frame the world, worship, and witness of the early church. If you’ve tried public-domain or Victorian renderings and bounced off the archaic phrasing, this volume is built to be faithful, direct, and readable, without dumbing anything down. What’s Included (...

Captain Elya Nevers and the Furies face a different kind of danger back home as they bid farewell to fallen comrades, wade into the murky realm of Solaran politics, and hunt for knowledge about the Telos relics—while being hunted themselves. Overmind X is still at large. She’s hungry to get her talons on the next artifact of alien power. Will she find it before the Solarans get their own house in order? And what terrifying existential threat to the galaxy does she become if they’re too late?

The must-read exploration of the earliest human ghost stories from leading expert Irvine Finkel, author of The Ark Before Noah 'It's enthralling stuff, mixing the scholarly with the accessible and placing storytelling right at the heart of the human experience.' - History Revealed There are few...

The man who unified China — and built an army of clay to guard him in death. In 1974, a farmer digging a well in central China struck something hard. Within months, archaeologists understood what he had found: eight thousand life-size terracotta soldiers, buried in battle formation, guarding the tomb of the First Emperor of China. Beyond them, still unexcavated, lay the tomb itself. His birth name was Ying Zheng. By thirty-eight he had conquered six rival kingdoms, declared himself First Emperor, and imposed on a vast and culturally diverse territory the most ambitious administrative ...

The World’s First Superpower Has Been Misunderstood for 2,000 Years. Almost everything you think you know about the Persian Empire was written by its enemies. For centuries, Greek historians portrayed Persia as a decadent empire ruled by weak kings and endless luxury. But behind that story stood one of history’s most sophisticated political systems—a superpower whose ideas still shape civilization today. Long before Rome rose to dominance, the Persians built a vast empire spanning three continents.

Known for her “delightful blend of historical fiction and suspense” (People), New York Times bestselling author Marie Benedict, returns with a sweeping tale of a young woman who unearths the truth about a forgotten Pharaoh—rewriting both of their legacies forever. "Bessie Carter and...

David Marsh is a dead man on a dead world. Abandoned on Pluto after a mission gone wrong, he survives on recycled air and stubbornness. When a thermal anomaly beneath the ice refuses to stay quiet, he opens the hatch. What he finds is a station that has been sleeping under the surface for 472,000 years. It has architecture that responds to his heartbeat, five synthetic beings designed to prepare a biological host for godhood, and a maintenance drone that has classified him as contamination to be removed. Their commander is Jane — cold, strategic, and certain that without her, David will ...

Rev. Dr. Stephen De Young, creator of the popular The Whole Counsel of God blog and podcast, traces the lineage of Orthodox Christianity back to the faith and witness of the apostles, which was rooted in a first-century Jewish worldview. The Religion of the Apostles presents the Orthodox Christian Church of today as a continuation of the religious life of the apostles, which in turn was a continuation of the life of the people of God since the beginning of creation.

In December 1872, a self-taught engraver named George Smith stood in front of the Prime Minister of Great Britain and read a story off a fragment of broken clay. A great flood. A man warned by a god. A boat, the animals, the mountaintop. The audience assumed they were hearing a Babylonian rewrite of Noah. They were hearing the source — older than Genesis, older than Homer, older than any text the Western canon had ever acknowledged. Tablet XI of the Epic of Gilgamesh. This is the book about the king, the poem, and the recovery. The historical Gilgamesh ruled the Sumerian city of Uruk ...

Enter the shadows of history and legend with "Judas The First Vampire"—where betrayal, immortality, and redemption collide in a dark, captivating fantasy voyage. In a world shrouded in myth and mystery, Judas Iscariot’s infamous act of treachery takes a sinister turn—transforming him into the *first vampire*. Cursed to wander the earth for eternity, Judas builds a hidden empire of influence, haunted by his past and driven by a desperate hope for salvation. As centuries pass, he becomes entangled in pivotal moments of history, shaping the world from behind the scenes—an omnipotent ...

Unearth the Secrets of Gods, Goddesses, and Pharaohs in Ancient Egypt Imagine a civilization where gods walked among mortals, powerful pharaohs ruled as deities, and death was merely a gateway to an eternal journey. This comprehensive book pulls back the veil on the myths, rituals, and rulers that shaped one of history's most fascinating empires. Two manuscripts in one book: Gods and Goddesses of Ancient Egypt: An Enthralling Overview of the Most Important Deities in Egyptian Mythology Pharaohs of Ancient Egypt: An Enthralling Overview of Egyptian Rulers Part 1: Gods and Goddesses of ...

Discover How Soccer Became the World’s Game The Complete Evolution of Soccer takes readers on an engaging journey from ancient ball games and chaotic medieval contests to modern tactics, advanced technology, global tournaments, and smart stadiums. This detailed yet easy-to-read soccer history explores how a loosely organised kicking game developed into the most popular sport in the world. Learn how early rules were created, why clubs and professional leagues emerged, how international competitions grew, and how women’s soccer overcame decades of exclusion to become a major global force....

Jerusalem, AD 30. Three men are dead, each one marked with the same strange wound — small, deliberate strokes carved into the arm, like a tally kept by someone who is counting toward something. Theophilus of Antioch came to Jerusalem to prove himself, not to solve a murder. A young rabbi trained under the great Gamaliel, sent to the Temple courts on a quiet test of his character, he has only one peculiar gift to recommend him: he notices what other men overlook. A scuffed sandal. A hesitation half a breath too long. A parchment written in a hand too confident to be afraid. When an old ...

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER From the acclaimed author of No god but God comes “a lucid, intelligent page-turner” (Los Angeles Times) that challenges long-held assumptions about Jesus. “Riveting . . . [Reza] Aslan synthesizes Scripture and scholarship to create an original account...

Evan and Anya have brokered an unlikely alliance among thieves. With their sights set on a hidden Syndicate base brimming with alien secrets, holding the team together long enough to claim the prize will be their greatest test yet. Leading a crew of outcasts, Evan and Anya stage a high-stakes raid to seize tech that could turn the tide against Chancellor Rostov's iron grip. However, when Conroy—long presumed dead—announces to the core worlds that he's alive and declares Rostov a usurper, the Commonwealth erupts in chaos. As dissidents rally, the crew faces a regime desperate to crush them.