“This excellent survey . . . spans the rise and fall of the Greco-Roman world. This conversational yet erudite history is a treat.” (Publishers Weekly, starred review) The magnificent civilization created by the ancient Greeks and Romans is the greatest legacy of the classical world. However, narratives about the “civilized” Greek and Roman empires resisting the barbarians at the gate are far from accurate. Tony Spawforth, an esteemed scholar, author, and BBC presenter, follows the thread of civilization through more than six millennia of history. His story reveals that Greek and Roman civilization, to varying degrees, was surprisingly receptive to external influences, particularly from the East. From the rise of the Mycenaean world of the sixteenth century B.C., Spawforth traces a path through the ancient Aegean to the zenith of the Hellenic state and the rise of the Roman Empire, the coming of Christianity, and the consequences of the first caliphate. Deeply informed, provocative, and entirely fresh, this is the first and only accessible work that tells the extraordinary story of the classical world in its entirety. “A welcome survey of the two greatest powers in the ancient Mediterranean world and their bound destinies.” —Kirkus Reviews “A sweeping, beautifully written story. . . . With Spawforth as our guide, we grasp a world less of myths and superheroes than of people who really lived.” —John Timpane, The Philadelphia Inquirer “With great agility, Spawforth mixes literary, inscriptional, and archaeological material and offers a nuanced understanding of how civilisations evolve.” —Professor Michael Scott, author of Ancient Worlds “Informed, informative and thoroughly enjoyable. . . . A book that brings the past back to life.” —Peter Frankopan, author of The Silk Roads

Provides lessons and activities on the history, literature, music, geography, and art of the ancient Romans and Greeks.

From palace-based societies in Minoan Crete to the Germanic invasion of Rome, this book tells the story of these classical civilisations, covering their political development, the rise of the city state and the growth of their empires. Also included are insights into the architectural, artistic and cultural impact of early Greece and Rome and vignettes of key political and cultural figures. This is a fascinating introduction to the two great empires that shaped the modern world.

During the rise of New York from the capital of an upstart nation to a global metropolis, the visual language of Greek and Roman antiquity played a formative role in the development of the city’s art and architecture. This compilation of essays offers a survey of diverse reinterpretations of classical forms in some of New York’s most iconic buildings, public monuments, and civic spaces. Classical New York examines the influence of Greco-Roman thought and design from the Greek Revival of the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries through the late-nineteenth-century American Renaissance and Beaux Arts period and into the twentieth century’s Art Deco. At every juncture, New Yorkers looked to the classical past for knowledge and inspiration in seeking out new ways to cultivate a civic identity, to design their buildings and monuments, and to structure their public and private spaces. Specialists from a range of disciplines—archaeology, architectural history, art history, classics, and history— focus on how classical art and architecture are repurposed to help shape many of New York City’s most evocative buildings and works of art. Federal Hall evoked the Parthenon as an architectural and democratic model; the Pantheon served as a model for the creation of Libraries at New York University and Columbia University; Pennsylvania Station derived its form from the Baths of Caracalla; and Atlas and Prometheus of Rockefeller Center recast ancient myths in a new light during the Great Depression. Designed to add breadth and depth to the exchange of ideas about the place and meaning of ancient Greece and Rome in our experience of New York City today, this examination of post-Revolutionary art, politics, and philosophy enriches the conversation about how we shape space—be it civic, religious, academic, theatrical, or domestic—and how we make use of that space and the objects in it.

The book of Revelation offers us an interesting theological dilemma. It states Rev 22:16. I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. Revelation also states it is "the true sayings" of Jesus and that it is "the testimony of Christ". If this is not "the gospel of Jesus Christ" then what is it and should we consider it accursed testimony of an angel? If it is not to be considered accursed, then it cannot be some other gospel message then what was already given previously. However, this is the conundrum, for if this is the gospel message, then why do so few understand it? There is a possibility which few consider but is the overall thesis of this apology. The reason people don't understand revelation is because they never understood what the gospel message was in the first place! In that case, where does that put those who claim it is not essential for salvation? Do you not find it quite curious that the most "Personally" given NT book By Jesus himself, is the least understood and given the least importance for Salvation in Christendom?....There are numerous preachers and bible exegetes but as Paul said "... I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge" . Most who profess the name of Christ are feeding on doctrines of devils and the ignorant.. There are, without question, many "qualified" teachers and scholars with many years of "dedication" and "solid education". However, teachers, no matter how well lettered or numbered in degrees; if obtained from others; who are just as equally ignorant in such matters, are just " blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch."