Synopses & Reviews
Bestselling author Norman Cantor delivers this compact but magisterial survey of the ancient world -- from the birth of Sumerian civilization around 3500
B.C. in the Tigris-Euphrates valley (present-day Iraq) to the fall of the Roman Empire in
A.D. 476. In
Antiquity, Cantor covers such subjects as Classical Greece, Judaism, the founding of Christianity, and the triumph and decline of Rome.
In this fascinating and comprehensive analysis, the author explores social and cultural history, as well as the political and economic aspects of his narrative. He explains leading themes in religion and philosophy and discusses the environment, population, and public health. With his signature authority and insight, Cantor highlights the great books and ideas of antiquity that continue to influence culture today.
Synopsis
This authoritative survey of the ancient world spans the ages, from the birth of Sumerian civilization around 3500 BCE in the Tigris-Euphrates valley (what is now present-day Iraq) to the fall of the Roman Empire in 476 CE. In Antiquity, best-selling author and historian Cantor covers such subjects as Classical Greece, Judaism, the founding of Christianity, and the triumph and decline of Rome.
In this fascinating and comprehensive analysis, Cantor explores social and cultural issues, as well as the political and economic aspects of history. He explains leading themes in religion and philosophy and discusses the environment, population and public health. With his signature authority and insight, Cantor identifies the ideas generated by these ancient civilizations that continue to influence culture today.
Norman F. Cantor (1929-2004) was professor emeritus of history, sociology, and comparative literature at New York University. His many books include the New York Times best-seller In the Wake of the Plague, Antiquity, The Civilization of the Middle Ages, Medieval Lives, and Inventing the Middle Ages, which was nominated for a National Book Critics Circle Award.
"Unintimidating, adroitly structured grounding in the enduring legacies of ancient civilizations ... A lifetime's worth of crib notes for late-blooming history buffs." -- Kirkus Reviews (starred)
Synopsis
"With his characteristic eloquence and lucid insights. . . Cantor offers a splendid and accessible portrait of the cultures of the ancient world."--Publishers Weekly
Bestselling author Norman Cantor delivers this compact but magisterial survey of the ancient world--from the birth of Sumerian civilization around 3500 B.C. in the Tigris-Euphrates valley (present-day Iraq) to the fall of the Roman Empire in A.D. 476. He covers such subjects as Classical Greece, Judaism, the founding of Christianity, and the triumph and decline of Rome.
In this fascinating and comprehensive analysis, Cantor explores social and cultural history, as well as the political and economic aspects of his narrative. He explains leading themes in religion and philosophy and discusses the environment, population, and public health. With his signature authority and insight, he highlights in Antiquity the great books and ideas of antiquity that continue to influence culture today.
About the Author
Norman F. Cantor was Emeritus Professor of History, Sociology, and Comparative Literature at New York University. His academic honors include appointments as a Rhodes Scholar, Porter Ogden Jacobus Fellow at Princeton University, and Fulbright Professor at Tel Aviv University. His many books include the New York Timesbestseller In the Wake of the Plague, Antiquity, Inventing the Middle Ages, which was nominated for a National Book Critics Circle Award, and The Civilization of the Middle Ages, the most widely read narrative of the Middle Ages in the English language.