"The Geography of Strabo is the only surviving work of its type in Greek literature, and the major source for the history of Greek scholarship on geography and the formative processes of the earth. In addition, this lengthy and complex work contains a vast amount of information on other topics, including the journey of Alexander the Great, cultic history, the history of the eastern Mediterranean in the first century BC, and women's history. Modern...

The civilizations of ancient India had their own different governments. In the Indus Valley Civilization, priest kings were at the head of government. The Maurya Empire boasted a stable, centralized government that allowed the flourishing of trade and culture. That government had weakened by the time of the Gupta Empire, opening the gates to foreign invaders and civil wars. This informative volume charts the changes in leadership in ancient India...

The Romans really profited from geography. Rome had a pleasant climate, rich soil, natural defenses, and easy access to the Mediterranean. It was the perfect spot from which to conquer the known world. Readers learn how Rome used its geographical advantages to launch an empire filled with extensive road and aqueduct systems and towns designed in its own image.

"Anyone fortunate enough to have seen the sun set at Kommos in southern Crete will have heard the calls and glimpsed the shadows: proud ships glide into the bay, escorted by songs and steered by men with salt-encrusted faces, confident, hardy, and satisfied. Much like four thousand years ago, when Kommos was a way station for mariners who had made the sea their home and the horizon their destination. They were no cause for alarm, these men from Syria,...

Featuring seventeen hand-illustrated maps and containing illuminating facts about ancient civilizations and peoples, this unrivaled visual guide presents an overview of the ancient world and reveals what the world was like between 10,000 B.C. and 1000 A.D.