Oxford First Ancient History (Rebuilding the Past) - Softcover

Roy Burrell

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0195213734 ISBN 13: 9780195213737

Publisher: Oxford University Press, 1997

Synopsis

Interspersing fact-filled essays with fictional eyewitness accounts, Roy Burrell makes the ancient world a real place inhabited by real people going about their everyday business of work and family life. A fascinating essay about the history of the region of Mesopotamia is followed by "interviews" with an early settler who extols the virtues of the date palm, with a 12-year-old boy who is studying to be a scribe, and with a soldier. A section on the Greek theater is personalized with a conversation with Cimon, the mask maker. An 80-year-old man tells us how Rome has expanded and changed from the days of Nero through Hadrian's reign. History is no longer a boring list of dates, but an exciting time peopled with characters as real as our closest friends.
The dramatic narrative prose is accompanied by maps, photographs, paintings, cutaway drawings, and cross-sections by a number of artists, including the remarkable Peter Connolly. Meticulous detail and accuracy are his trademarks, and his illustrations and those of the other artists bring to life tribal life at the mouth of a cave in the Stone Age, the city of Rome at the height of its glory, the sprawling palace at Knossos, the first Olympic games, and more.
The Oxford First Ancient History gives it readers an understanding of the forces at work in the development of early civilizations and the techniques historians and archaeologists use to interpret their significance. The emphasis is upon everyday life and the reader is encouraged to compare and contrast present day techniques and attitudes with those of the past. This is fascinating and powerful history that brings the ancient world to life.

About this title

About the Author:

The late Roy Burrell was the author of The Greeks and The Romans and many other historical books for children.
Peter Connolly is an honorary research fellow of the Institute of Archaeology in London. He is the author and illustrator of The Roman Army, Pompeii, Greece and Rome at War, and The Legend of Odysseus.

From Booklist:

Gr. 4-7. Beginning with prehistory, this book surveys ancient civilizations, primarily in the Mediterranean region. Although sections of several pages cover the ancient Egyptians, Sumerians, Persians, and Britons, and two-page sections survey the Phoenicians, Chinese, Assyrians, and others, most of the book presents the cultures of the Greeks and the Romans. Every page includes at least one full-color illustration, a map, a cutaway drawing, a painting re-creating the times, or a photograph of a wall painting, sculpture, artifact, site, or explorer. Not only is the format inviting, but the text is also quite readable. Besides standard presentations of facts, the author conducts imaginary interviews with such characters as a Babylonian soldier discussing justice under Hammurabi, a worker for Sir Arthur Evans talking about the excavations at Knossos, and a Greek mask maker describing the theater. English in origin, the book may occasionally confuse readers with its Briticisms, but this is still a lively, helpful resource. One warning: considering the price, the binding could be (should be) stronger. Carolyn Phelan

About this edition

• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• Publication date: 1997
• ISBN 10: 0195213734
• ISBN 13: 9780195213737
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 320
• Illustrator: Peter Connolly