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Ancient Worlds: The Search for the Origins of Western Civilization

by Richard Miles
Ancient Worlds: The Search for the Origins of Western Civilization
Ancient Worlds: The Search for the Origins of Western Civilization

Unearthing civilization's origins through ruins and cities.

Imagine walking through the ruins of ancient civilizations, feeling the pulse of history with every step. Richard Miles takes you on a journey back to where Western civilization began, not just retelling history, but making you ponder the duality of urban life—its power to foster growth and its potential to lead to downfall. It's a thought-provoking read that connects the past's grandeur with today's urban challenges.

Note: While we do our best to ensure the accuracy of cover images, ISBNs may at times be reused for different editions of the same title which may hence appear as a different cover.

Ancient Worlds: The Search for the Origins of Western Civilization

by Richard Miles
Condition guide

Book Condition Guide

Books in Like New Condition

This book may contain very minor cosmetic defects, but it is in pristine condition. There should be no yellowing, no foxing, no water damage, and no annotations of any kind on the cover and the pages. For paperbacks, there should not be any crease marks on the spine. This book is good as new — lucky you!

*Books may be missing bundle media (e.g. CD, e-book code), if included.

Books in Very Good Condition

This book has been used, but it is still in a clean condition. There should be no foxing or annotations of any kind on the inner pages, but a sparse amount may be present on the cover, title pages, or outside edges of the book. There should be no water damage of any kind. For paperbacks, there may be light crease marks on the spine.

*Books may be missing bundle media (e.g. CD, e-book code), if included.

Books in Good Condition

We do our best to ensure the quality of our books, but there is no escaping the wear and tear that comes with time. Slight foxing and some annotations may be present on the pages and the cover. There should be no water damage of any kind. For paperbacks, there may be several crease marks on the spine.

*Books may be missing bundle media (e.g. CD, e-book code), if included.

Books in Well Read Condition

This is a well-read book, which means that the previous owner probably really enjoyed it! The cover and pages may include moderate foxing and annotations, but the text is not obscured and still readable. Moderate cosmetic defects and minor water damage may be present on the edges of the book. For paperbacks, there may be multiple crease marks on the spine.

*Books may be missing bundle media (e.g. CD, e-book code), if included.

 

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ISBN: 9780713997941
Authors: Richard Miles
Publisher: Allen Lane
Date of Publication: 2010-01-01
Format: Hardcover
Related Collections: History
Related Topics: Roman, Ancient History
Goodreads rating: 3.98
(rated by 224 readers)

Description

This is the book of the Major BBC2 Series. Across the Middle East, the Mediterranean and the Nile Delta, awe-inspiring, monstrous ruins are scattered across the landscape - vast palaces, temples, fortresses, shattered statues of ancient gods, carvings praising the eternal power of long-forgotten dynasties. These ruins - the remainder of thousands of years of human civilization - are both inspirational in their grandeur, and terrible in that their once teeming centres of population were all ultimately destroyed and abandoned. In this major new book, Richard Miles recreates these extraordinary cities, ranging from the Euphrates to the Roman Empire, to understand the roots of human civilization. His challenge is to make us understand that the cities which define culture, religion and economic success and which are humanity's greatest invention, have always had a cruel edge to them, building systems that have provided both amazing opportunities and back-breaking hardship. Miles is above all fascinated by the compromises that make the city work - the mixture of coercion and desire, ceremony and justice, the great public and private spaces created and recreated across the ancient world that defined the focus and meaning of human civilization. This exhilarating, beautifully illustrated book is both a pleasure to read and a challenge to us all to think about our past - and about the present.
 

Unearthing civilization's origins through ruins and cities.

Imagine walking through the ruins of ancient civilizations, feeling the pulse of history with every step. Richard Miles takes you on a journey back to where Western civilization began, not just retelling history, but making you ponder the duality of urban life—its power to foster growth and its potential to lead to downfall. It's a thought-provoking read that connects the past's grandeur with today's urban challenges.

Note: While we do our best to ensure the accuracy of cover images, ISBNs may at times be reused for different editions of the same title which may hence appear as a different cover.