Breaking the Da Vinci Code
This book assembles the pieces of the mystery surrounding the Da Vinci Code. Each chapter will probe what we know, how we know it, and what we have to think about together. We will review several ancient texts, for they unlock much of the history that The Da Vinci Code attempts to portray. If you get lost, turn to the Glossary in the back that gives the history of these ancient texts, defines major terms, and summarizes the major players. Treat the Glossary like tour guide information; it is there to make sure you know where you are. If you like Sherlock Holmes or Indiana Jones, I think you are in for an adventure. Only in this case, we are dealing with both fiction and history. What is the difference between virtual reality and historical reality when it comes to Jesus, Mary, and The Da Vinci Code? Let's see if we can find out.
Sumer and the Sumerians
Mesopotamia produced one of the best-known ancient civilisations, with a literate, urban culture and highly developed political institutions.
Writing primarily for a non-specialist audience but drawing on the most up-to-date historical and archeological sources, Harriet Crawford reviews the extraordinary social and technological developments in the region over a period of two millennia, from 3800 to 2000 B.C.
This book is intended for students, and especially for students beginning to study the archaeology and history of the ancient Near East.
The changes which took place on the Mesopotamian plain between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers in the fourth and third millennia BC are of crucial importance in understanding subsequent developments in Western Asia and beyond.
Alexander the Great and the Hellenistic Age (24 audio lectures, 30 minutes/lecture)
Taught by Jeremy McInerney
University of Pennsylvania
Ph.D., University of California at Berkeley
This series of lectures examines a crucial period in the history of the ancient world, the age ushered in by the
extraordinary conquests of Alexander the Great.
In all the annals of the ancient world, few stories are more gripping than that of the Hellenistic Age. Between the conquests of Alexander the Great and the rise of Rome, Greek culture became the heart of a world-historical civilization whose intellectual, spiritual, and artistic influence endures to this day. Caesar’s Shame Julius Caesar lamented when he was in his early 30s that by his age Alexander had conquered the world, "and I have done nothing."
In just 10 years, this young prince from the small, hill kingdom of Macedon subdued the largest tract of the earth’s surface ever conquered by one individual. His vast empire—encompassing all or part of 23 present-day countries—stretched from Mount Olympus and the Sahara Desert to the frontiers of India and Central Asia....
Taught by: Professor Brian M. Fagan—University of California at Santa Barbara Professor Fagan takes you into some of the sophisticated chiefdoms and civilizations that developed in the Americas over the past 3,500 years, including the Pueblo cultures of the North American Southwest and the Mississippian culture of the South and Southeast. You will also learn about Mesoamerican civilization, the primordial Olmec culture of the lowlands, and the spectacular Ancient Maya civilization.
Moving to the highlands, you will visit the city-states of Monte Albán in the Valley of Oaxaca and Teotihuacán near the Valley of Mexico. Professor Fagan also describes the rise of Aztec civilization, followed by a journey to the Andes, where the beginnings of Andean civilization on the arid north coast of Peru culminated in the Moche civilization of the first millennium A.D. Finally, you explore the southern highlands, with the rise of Tiwanaku near Lake Titicaca, the Chimu civilization of the coast, and the huge Inka empire.
The series closes with a lecture on the closing centuries of prehistoric times during the European age of discovery and summarizes the main issues and themes of the course—what was involved in the archaic world, the appearance and spread of modern humans, food production, and the development of states.
Wonders of the World Coloring Book (Dover Coloring Book) by A. G. Smith
Reading level: Ages 9-12
Detailed, ready-to-color images of India's lovely Taj Mahal, the hanging gardens of ancient Babylon, the Mayan temples of Tikal in Guatemala, the magnificent sanctuary of Abu Simbel in Egypt, England's awesome Stonehenge, and 22 other amazing structures. Captions.
This is a great book to color. It shows all the wonders of the Ancient World as well as many "newer" wonders, such as the Leaning Tower of Pisa, and Macchu Picchu. Highly recommended.
Ïîñâÿùàåòñÿ study.ee, trzcina, bga è âñåì ëþäÿì, óìåþùèì òâîðèòü ÷óäåñà.
extraordinary conquests of Alexander the Great. 
