History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)

Book Description

Recorded history is a finely-woven magic fabric of intricate lies about events predating the sixteenth century. There is not a single piece of evidence that can be reliably and independently traced back earlier than the eleventh century. This book details events that are substantiated by hard facts and logic, and validated by new astronomical research and statistical analysis of ancient sources.

Customer Reviews:

Calculations are only as good as your numbers.......2007-08-03

Yes, we can all agree that mainstream history is nearly 100% BS due to politics, economics, ego, problems with dating techniques, and various conspiracies. Agreed. But, I've been researching the distinct possibility that human history (in terms of civilizations) are much more ancient than we've been told, so coming across this book was very interesting to me. I wondered how Fomenko could be wrong (if at all) because he is very persuasive in his presentations. Then it dawned on me. If at previous times in prehistory, due to the various catastrophies that are well documented (comets, asteroids, planetary disruptions, plasma discharge, pole reversals, etc) the Earth was in a different position in relation to the sun, different tilt on its axis, different orbit, different rotation (in terms of velocity and DIRECTION), and the continents were in different positions, then would this not cause the ancients to see the sky (constellations) differently? In other words, is Fomenko making erronious assumptions about the physics of the Earth in pre-history, which then corrupt his data with regards to dating the relevant astrology? The last event to seriously disrupt our planet occured roughly 3500 years ago, according to other good researchers, so is it possible Fomenko has been confused by this? The vastly different physics of our planet in the not so distant past may explain this confusion, which is not to say the "mainstream" version of history is correct; on the contrary. I am not an expert in these fields, but wanted to see if this idea could spark discussion.

Pants on fire?.......2007-07-19

Will people ever read before spamming? Yes, Jesuits could not rewrite world history alone, they had help. Anyway, Dr Prof Acad A.Fomenko does not point to jesuits as the driving force of world wide history manipulation in published volumes 1,2,3;, actually he barely mentions the poor devils. Check it with 'Search inside' feature, please. China is rarely mentioned either, in fact, Dr Fomenko is completely eurocentric. Right, his theory contradicts all mainstream schools of history, because in their actual state they are all built on blatantly erroneus chronology. You don't need a mysterious cabal (conspiracy) to falsify history, the falsification is its modus operandi. It is inherent to history(ians) to falsify (distort) events, as it is inherent to humans to boast as it is inherent to power (authority) to legimize itself by referrring to glorious past made to its own order. Dr Prof Fomenko and team have identified scores of instances of such manipulation in Russian, European, etc.. history, and delivered valid statistical proof thereof. His own 'reconstruction' is completely another story. Forget c14 as a valid method of dating. W.Libby has initially discovered a brilliant method of INDEPENDENT dating. Too bad, c14 method has become a joke after a forced marrige with dendrochronology with consensual chronological scale inbuilt. Radiocarbon method can't stand blind tests, but is so very productive as a rubberstamp.

Accepted History & Chronology Must Be Changed. .......2007-04-09

There is no doubt that history as most know it is a sham, & institution's version of History both University & Church is fradulent & inaccurate. Everything was established with an agenda, The real "Dark Ages" are now when we have access to incredible amounts of information past authorities & more important 'common folk' didn't have but our institutions & educators are slow to evolve because of what has ignorantly & arrogantly been taught for too long. This is on many subjects not just Chronology.

For anyone to question "Why would a Mathematician have anything credible to say of History?" The answer is from Dr. Fomenko's preface in the book: "It would be worthwhile to remind the reader that in the XVI-XVII century Chronology was considered to be a subdivision of Mathematics." These volumes could possibly be some of the most important works to date & should be read by everyone with an interest in History, especially professors & educators who have a duty to the public. I have read both books & must say that 'Chronology 1' has some very eye opening & revolutionary information. Even if these volumes are part true the implications are profound & opens the doors to further investigations & questions which must be done. I speak several different lanquages & must say the logic Dr. Fomenko uses with "inflection" of words & words being read from left to right in one region & right to left in another then written backwards, the removal of vowels & get down to basics of words, or different cities & locations having the same name etc. is correct. Vowel usage has always been optional & varied, actually complicating linquistics & study. The first thing one has to understand is that words never had a fixed spelling in history like we do now, the spelling of words was mutable & regional, as well as names & titles of people were vast, varied & changed, NOTHING WAS FIXED or understood linear. Matters of Life & Death as well as financial profiteering yesterday & today were & are made with ignorant, illogical & conspiratorial views of history & reality, it's time people get closer to the Truth & society collectively grow up.

Very Interesting.......2007-03-07

It is a good proposal and I believe it will mature into something even better in the future. I think it deserves to be read.

History as Science Fiction.......2007-01-10

Anatoly Fomenko has written a very intriguing book, full of pictures, charts, and computer 'proof' of his thesis: backwards of AD900 we don't really know what happened or when. Between AD900 and AD1600 there is more certainty, but there is still a lot of fuzzy ground, and things don't get reliable until we get past the 1600's where the printing press made it very difficult for the perpetrators of this timeline manipulation to change anything that had been committed to print. The Dark Ages did not happen. Books were burned for a reason. One organization has doubled the actual length of its existence by expanding the real chronology. Read why.

I had always wondered why Christ died about AD33 and yet men waited until the 11th century to form the Knights Templar, the Cathars, etc and go after the Holy Land by force. Why the 1000 year gap? Turns out there wasn't more than a 10-12 year gap and he proves it using astronomy. This also implies that the planet is not as old as we have been told, and current Christian and other creationist scientists are already championing that idea without being aware of Fomenko's book. The two groups, creationist scientists and the Russian mathematical analysts corroborate each other. Fascinating.

Of course, all this flies in the face of what we have been told traditionally is the 'proper' chronology of western civilization, and most readers will experience 'cognitive dissonance' in reading this book. It means that our history going backwards from AD1600 becomes progressively more incorrect and unreliable until it cannot be trusted at all... in the space of 700-800 years.

Naturally, the curious, open-minded reader will want to know WHO did this, WHY, and did any of the events we think of as really ancient ever happen?
Dr. Fomenko is a respected scientist/mathematician at Moscow State University who has already answered these questions to the satisfaction of his initially skeptical colleagues. Most of them are now believers, a few still refuse to believe (the usual diehards), and of course the western press has ignored Fomenko's work -- for obvious reasons when you read the book. The ones who perpetrated this chronology ruse have a lot to answer for. They are still with us. That's why this book is a well-kept secret.

I gave the book a 4-star rating because I was unable to check out some of his claims; those I checked were as he said. But if even 1/3 of his claims are true, this punches a big hole in what we think is our history, the meaning of western civilization, our educational process (for repeating the ruse as gospel), and the trustworthiness of the organization that perpetrated this ruse, well-intentioned or not.

This book relates to current research into a Young Earth paradigm, to John Keel's discoveries about our planet, and Fr Malachi Martin's insights (in his now out-of-print books). We are indeed sheep who are manipulated and kept ignorant -- for a reason. While knowing what these men have to say may be the "booby prize" (as in: 'what can you do with this knowledge?'), it will provide interesting reading. Didn't someone say: "...and the Truth will set you free."?? For you to judge if this book contains the truth.

Kommos V: The Monumental Minoan Buildings at Kommos (Kommos: An Excavation of the South Coast of Crete)

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Kommos V: The Monumental Minoan Buildings at Kommos (Kommos: An Excavation of the South Coast of Crete)

Manufacturer: Princeton University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0691121230

Book Description

Kommos, an ancient site on the island of Crete, is known both for its important Greek sanctuary and for its earlier role as a major Minoan harbor town. This final book in the Princeton series focuses on the results of several decades of excavation at three of the site's monumental public buildings during the Minoan period. Of these, one has the characteristics of a "Minoan palace," a large central court surrounded by wings. Two stoas on either side of the court may have accommodated spectators watching formal events unfold within the court. Other rooms were used for storage. Vessels from the "palace," but also, and mainly, from two buildings that succeeded it in the fourteenth century BC, originate elsewhere in the Aegean and as far as Anatolia, Cyprus, Egypt, Syro-Palestine, and Sardinia, attesting to the site's major role in international trade. One of the later buildings is characterized by six huge rectangular spaces that were likely used to shelter ships during the nonsailing months. This kind of structure, from that period, has never before been found in Crete. Equally unique is the range of imported pottery.

The results of the excavation are recorded in detail in chapters commenting on the architecture, on the "palace's" painted mural decoration, and on other finds representing a wide range of activities, including the likely production of purple dye, valued for trade amongst the elite. Well-stratified deposits provide a unique opportunity to establish local ceramic developments and to use them to date events that are being considered in terms of sociopolitical and economic perspectives encompassing the Mediterranean and the Near East. This book, which completes a survey of more than six hundred years of history, will prove especially useful to specialists in the Minoan era and to all students of the ancient world.

Minimus Pupil's Book: Starting out in Latin (Cambridge Latin Texts)

Average customer rating:

A little frustrating
Good for schools and homeschools
Excellent Resource - BUT you must have the audio for pronunciation (more)
Long live Minimus
Great for beginners

Minimus Pupil's Book: Starting out in Latin (Cambridge Latin Texts)
Barbara Bell
Manufacturer: Cambridge University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0521659604

Book Description

This elementary Latin course for 7-10 year olds combines a basic introduction to the Latin language with material on the history and culture of Roman Britain. Highly illustrated, the book contains a mixture of stories and myths, grammar explanations and exercises, and background cultural information. Pupils are drawn into the material as they read about the lives of a family living in a community at Vindolanda; the adventures of the children and the family cat and mouse provide interest throughout. As well as offering a lively introduction to Latin and classical studies, Minimus also has cross-curricular relevance. The material on the community at Vindolanda can be used to supplement studies of the Romans at KS2. The grammatical content helps to develop language awareness, and provides a solid foundation from which learners can progress to further English or foreign language studies. The Teacher's Resource Book provides support, particularly for non-Classicists. It includes teaching guidelines, English translations of the Latin passages, and additional background information, plus photocopiable worksheets.

Customer Reviews:

A little frustrating.......2007-09-23

We do not "homeschool" but I wanted to use this book to teach my daughter Latin as a supplement to what she's learning in school. So far I have found it to be frustrating. Mostly because all the words are not defined. I have been having her translate the cartoons but she is not able to do it completely because of the lack of definitions. It would also be helpful to have a comprehensive glossary at the end. I have a Latin dictionary but it's not terribly helpful. For instance, they introduce "est" but none of the tenses. So along comes "erit" and I'm not sure how they're supposed to know that that is the future tense and means "is going to be"? And "erit" is not in the Latin dictionary. I am now going to have to sit down and write up a spreadsheet with definitions of all the words.

The mouse is cute and I like the addition of Roman culture and history.

Good for schools and homeschools.......2007-08-23

This is an excellent alternative to Prima Latina and Latina Christiana. It is engaging and fun without being gimmicky. I have taught Latin using a variety of texts for over 10 years-- this is the perfect textbook for elementary school students or homeschoolers looking for a solid introduction to Latin language and ancient culture. This book is also perfect for students studying the ancient Mediterranean (perhaps using Story of the World or another such text). It has much useful and fascinating information on daily life in the ancient world.

The teacher's manual that accompanies this book is fraught with ideas for projects and classroom activities.

Excellent Resource - BUT you must have the audio for pronunciation (more).......2007-07-04

This is very entertaining, very versatile -- there are so many activities to be used for reinforcement that one truly will not be able to do them all. Even though I had Latin in High School, I had to purchase the audio CD - I found it to be the missing component to the kids' enjoying their lessons thoroughly. The Audio is an enormous help -- easy to understand and a practical learning aid. I also used photos off the internet of present day Vindolanda which gaves the kids an excellent perspective of the area about which they are learning. Because of the great versatility of the series and the many ways to branch out and make the lessons interesting, relevant AND still have your students learn Latin, I would definitely recommend this series AND the audio component.

Long live Minimus.......2007-05-14

This book is a very entertaining way to introduce basic latin for young and inquisitive minds. I liked the humerous stories coupled with the classic mythology.

Now I look for latin words in everyday life with a lot more awareness than before. Long live minimus!

Great for beginners.......2007-02-17

My husband reads this book to our toddler and both enjoy the simple words and concepts. It's perfect for little ones or beginners.

The Art of the Catapult: Build Greek Ballistae, Roman Onagers, English Trebuchets, and More Ancient Artillery

Average customer rating:

Way too simple, but OK for kids
Definitely not worth the money.
Perhaps he should name it....Catapults for Kids.
More fun!
Amusing catapults, interesting history, but no metric units

The Art of the Catapult: Build Greek Ballistae, Roman Onagers, English Trebuchets, and More Ancient Artillery
William Gurstelle
Manufacturer: Chicago Review Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1556525265

Book Description

Whether playing at defending their own castle or simply chucking pumpkins over a fence, wannabe marauders and tinkerers will become fast acquainted with Ludgar, the War Wolf, Ill Neighbor, Cabulus, and the Wild Donkey—ancient artillery devices known commonly as catapults. Building these simple yet sophisticated machines introduces fundamentals of math and physics using levers, force, torsion, tension, and traction. Instructions and diagrams illustrate how to build seven authentic working model catapults, including an early Greek ballista, a Roman onager, and the apex of catapult technology, the English trebuchet. Additional projects include learning how to lash and make rope and how to construct and use a hand sling and a staff sling. The colorful history of siege warfare is explored through the stories of Alexander the Great and his battle of Tyre; Saladin, Richard the Lionheart, and the Third Crusade; pirate-turned-soldier John Crabbe and his ship-mounted catapults; and Edward I of England and his battle against the Scots at Stirling Castle.

Customer Reviews:

Way too simple, but OK for kids.......2007-06-29

I find this book to be very superficial when it comes to the real deal. If you're looking for a book on catapults, you're going to get disappointed. This book focuses om making simple small scale models of catapults. I suppose it's great for a weekend project with your wannabe engineer kids, but if you're really interested in pre gunpowder siege warfare, you should rather take a look at Konstantin Nossov's book on siege warfare, which is a really thourough work. Also note that there aren't any metric units for the models, which complicates construction for the common european.

Definitely not worth the money........2007-04-17

I was really dissappointed with this book. Several of the projects are ridiculous, and he didn't do enough research. A few quick searches of the internet reveal that he gets a lot of historical facts wrong.

His first two projects, have nothing to do with anything related to actual catapults. The first is two sticks tied together, and the second is the equivalent of a waterbaloon slingshot. He calls it the "Viking Catapult". Of the ten projects in this book, three of them are modeled on actual historical types of catapults. Two are sub projects, that just show you how to build parts of the catapults, and the other five are things a child could design on thier own. As the one of the other reviewers pointed out, the last project is a plastic spoon catapult game. Small children do this on their own.

Do your self a favor, and download some free plans off the internet.

Perhaps he should name it....Catapults for Kids........2007-01-10

I was disappointed in this book. I was expecting some historically accurate designs and what I received was overly simplified plans presumably designed mostly for children. Yes, most of the text is related to the history of these weapons, but the plans left something to be desired. The ballista plan suggests use of a peanut as ammunition (not a bolt?) and the catch mechanism is nonexistent. The last project is a plastic-spoon-based basketball game. Enough said?

More fun!.......2006-11-10

This is a great book - got a copy for my brother for Christmas, and after taking a look had to get my own copy. I've been wanting to build a trebuchet ever since I saw one as a teenager - here are the plans!

Amusing catapults, interesting history, but no metric units.......2005-07-20

This book contains easy-to-follow instructions on how to build different catapults. Unfortunately there is no data regarding approx. distance and height for the suggested projectiles, why you must try for yourself. All units are english/american, which means you must translate this to metric units if you are more used to that.
A lot of historic background around catapults in general and around each model is given, which makes the book very interesting to read, even if you do not plan to build any of the models.
I can recommend this book to both historically interrested people and those who are more fond of making amusing toys!

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Greek and Roman Architecture
Donald S. Robertson
Manufacturer: Cambridge University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0521094526

Book Description

This book provides a brief, clear account of the main developments in the history of the Greek, Etruscan and Roman architecture, from the earliest times to the foundation of Constantinople. It contains 135 drawings and 24 plates. Professor Robertson has produced a really great handbook; one that has become the standard general work, in English, or perhaps in any language, on its subject. It has not only accuracy, attention to detail and scholarship - these qualities we would expect - it has clarity, breadth of treatment and what can be called architectural soundness.

Portrait of a Priestess: Women and Ritual in Ancient Greece

Average customer rating:

Equal opportunity temples
Portrait of a Priestess, scholarly merits and popular appeal

Portrait of a Priestess: Women and Ritual in Ancient Greece
Joan Breton Connelly
Manufacturer: Princeton University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0691127468

Book Description

In this sumptuously illustrated book, Joan Breton Connelly gives us the first comprehensive cultural history of priestesses in the ancient Greek world. Connelly presents the fullest and most vivid picture yet of how priestesses lived and worked, from the most famous and sacred of them--the Delphic Oracle and the priestess of Athena Polias--to basket bearers and handmaidens. Along the way, she challenges long-held beliefs to show that priestesses played far more significant public roles in ancient Greece than previously acknowledged.

Connelly builds this history through a pioneering examination of archaeological evidence in the broader context of literary sources, inscriptions, sculpture, and vase painting. Ranging from southern Italy to Asia Minor, and from the late Bronze Age to the fifth century A.D., she brings the priestesses to life--their social origins, how they progressed through many sacred roles on the path to priesthood, and even how they dressed. She sheds light on the rituals they performed, the political power they wielded, their systems of patronage and compensation, and how they were honored, including in death. Connelly shows that understanding the complexity of priestesses' lives requires us to look past the simple lines we draw today between public and private, sacred and secular.

The remarkable picture that emerges reveals that women in religious office were not as secluded and marginalized as we have thought--that religious office was one arena in ancient Greece where women enjoyed privileges and authority comparable to that of men. Connelly concludes by examining women's roles in early Christianity, taking on the larger issue of the exclusion of women from the Christian priesthood.

Customer Reviews:

Equal opportunity temples.......2007-08-07

The status of women in the ancient world has long been a controversial issue. The traditional view of male historians has been that it was always a male-dominated world. Some feminists have countered this with arguing, on rather fragile evidence, in favor of prehistoric matriarchy and mother goddesses and so forth. Ancient Greece, in particular, has always been a kind of blank screen on which thinkers project their own image of what it was like. Most of the written evidence has suggested that women in ancient Greece were subordinate and secluded. Against this has been the fact that some powerful Greek gods were female and served by female priests. What these priestesses did,, and what their place was in society, has been somewhat mysterious because what we got from the historians and poets and playwrights was scanty. Connelly supplements this by a careful and scholarly (perhaps too scholarly for the general reader) examination of epigraphs and images.
The text is pretty hard going for the non-specialist but the pictures are great and it will make a handsome addition to a feminist coffee table although it will be a shame if it stays there. I think the large format is justified on more than esthetic grounds because Connolly's argument depends on her ability to bring to bear on the subject her abilities as an art historian and therefore adequate illustrations are needed. These are more than adequate; they are magnificent. It would be presumptuous to pronounce on the strength of her case without more expert knowledge than mine. No doubt other academics will be on the attack and it will be fun to see the fur fly in the Times Literary Supplement etc.
At the risk of quibbling I must break a lance in my ongoing battle against publishers who transcribe Greek inscriptions into lower case. Greek lower case was unknown before the Byzantines. I noticed that she does not mention the triple bronze serpent in the Hippodrome at Istanbul in her discussion of the Pythian oracle at Delphi. Is it authentic?

Portrait of a Priestess, scholarly merits and popular appeal.......2007-05-07

Portrait of a Priestess: Women and Ritual in Ancient Greece is a book I'd recommend to scholars. It is well researched and well composed. However, the topic is also of interest to those who enjoy exploring the ancient world and a woman's place in it. Women's lives in this historical period are difficult to access but Connelly has done so in a way that is both useful to those who work in the field and accessible to those who have a general interest and curiosity about the women who acted in and acted out the roles of priestess. An impressive collection of images is of interest to both groups of readers. RD Anderson

Reading Course in Homeric Greek: Book One (revised)

Average customer rating:

The best entry into Epic Greek language
A most welcome 2006 edition of a classic text!
An enlightening pleasure
volume 1 now available again (at long last!)
Useful if you already know some Greek

Reading Course in Homeric Greek: Book One (revised)
Raymond V. Schoder , Vincent C. Horrigan , and Leslie Collins Edwards
Manufacturer: Focus Publishing/R. Pullins Co.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1585101753
Release Date: 2004-12-16

Book Description

This text is a revised edition of the well respected text by Frs. Schroder Horrigan. A Reading Course in Homeric Greek, Book One, provides an introduction to Greek language as found in the Greek of Homer. Covering 120 lessons, readings from Homer begin after the first 10 lessons in the book. Honor work, appendices, and vocabularies are included. Volume II is due later in 2005.

Customer Reviews:

The best entry into Epic Greek language.......2007-01-08

If you want to read ancient texts in Greek, the best way, now pleasantly-surprisingly feasible with this book, is to start in Homer (however many individuals you believe actually composed the works under that name). I say this for two reasons:

1. Literarily, Homer's works function in almost all ancient Greek and Roman literature in the same way that the King James Bible and Shakespeare's works function in English literature.

2. Linguistically, it's always easier to go forward in time through linguistic changes than to go backward. English speakers today have to work at first to get the right feel for Shakespeare's English, and even the later ancient Greeks (after the time of Alexander the Great) depended on their scholars to explain "difficult" parts of Homer's language for them.

This textbook is good. It rewards you with frequent, and real, accomplishment at each step. However, if you're a complete beginner in Greek who has never "declined" nouns and adjectives in any other language, you'll get much better results by taking a class based on this book or else by meeting frequently with a qualified private tutor. If you are comfortable declining nouns, and you are able to teach yourself a language efficiently, you can profitably work through this book on your own.

A most welcome 2006 edition of a classic text!.......2006-09-17

This excellent 3rd edition, including some well-chosen revisions and supplements, retains all the advantages of Schoder and Horrigan's measured approach while improving typography and readability, expanding the (extra-Homer) readings, and speaking more clearly to the preparation-deprived student of our time (earlier editions pretty much took for granted conceptual understanding of grammar and syntax). The book's pace is excellent and so is its well-phased introduction of new concepts as the student progresses. Self-correcting exercises are also included for the first time. Selections from the Odyssey begin halfway through the book, after the student has acquired sufficient knowledge and cultural background to appreciate them.
Highly recommended. I hope that Collins Edwards, the reviser, is even now working on Book 2, last republished (2nd edition) in 1986.

An enlightening pleasure.......2006-08-05

"A Reading Course in Homeric Greek" is a wonderfully-written text, filled with warmth and wisdom. This is a key to the genetic code of Western Civilization!

volume 1 now available again (at long last!).......2005-02-02

update: The publisher has made the first eighty pages (which go up to the middle of Chapter 24) of this book available as a free sample to download, on their website "pullins dot com." So you can order the book now and start studying today with the free sample while you wait for your hard copy to arrive.

Useful if you already know some Greek.......2004-07-23

As others have mentioned, you need book 1 first. It took me about a year to track it down, but I did find eventually.

The strong point of this book is that there are a lot of exercises. Your vocabulary really gets a good work-out.

On the down-side, the book was written assuming that students would have a teacher, so important things like the difference between the aorist and the imperfect are handled in only one paragraph.

The other issue I have is that a lot of the exercises are drawn from the New Testament, which is Koine Greek, and translated into the Homeric dialect. This is a bit like a Latin course giving quotes from Dante translated into classical Latin--sure, it can be done, but it makes more sense to use the original language. (Other exercises are drawn from Plato, Aristotle, et al, also not Homeric, but not as distant as Koine)

Handbook of Ancient Water Technology (Technology and Change in History)

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Handbook of Ancient Water Technology (Technology and Change in History)

Manufacturer: Brill Academic Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 9004111239

Classical Art: From Greece to Rome (Oxford History of Art)

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Superb!

Classical Art: From Greece to Rome (Oxford History of Art)
Mary Beard , and John Henderson
Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0192842374

Book Description

The stunning masterpieces of Ancient Greece and Rome are fundamental to the story of art in Western culture and to the origins of art history. The expanding Greek world of Alexander the Great had an enormous impact on the Mediterranean superpower of Rome. Generals, rulers, and artists seized, imitated, and re-thought the stunning legacy of Greek painting and sculpture, culminating in the greatest art-collector the world had ever seen, the Roman emperor, Hadrian. This exciting new look at Classical art starts with the excavation of the buried city of Pompeii, and investigates the grandiose monuments of ancient tyrants, and the sensual beauty of Apollo and Venus. Concluding with that most influential invention of all, the human portrait, it highlights the re-discovery of Classical art in the modern world, from the treasure hunts of Renaissance Rome to scientific retrieval in the twenty-first century.

Customer Reviews:

Superb!.......2001-09-26

This innovative and deliciously illustrated guide to the arts of Greece and Rome is composed in a light-hearted, humorous vein and provides as much entertainment as artistic edification. Furthermore, its unique exploration of Greek art through the prism of Roman culture offers a refreshing new perspective on the development of the wildly influential high classicism of the empire. In short, a delightful and beautiful book.

Greek Homosexuality: Updated and with a new Postscript

Average customer rating:

Missing the Truth
The Original History of Man-Boy Relations in Antiquity
Simply unreadable...
The social uses of homosexual pursuit
Well researched

Greek Homosexuality: Updated and with a new Postscript
K. J. Dover
Manufacturer: Harvard University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0674362705

Customer Reviews:

Missing the Truth.......2005-11-15

Dover reopened in Greek Homosexuality (1978) the study by classicists of a subject disdained since 1933, when Hitler crushed the German Homosexual Emancipation Movement. However, Sir Kenneth denigrated Greek pederasty by claiming that it was merely lustful. He hypercritically refused to use sources dating from after the 4th century - even Plutarch's Lives, which, like the works of Lucian and Diodorus, notoriously cited and paraphrased lost classical sources, which themselves often relied on earlier oral and written accounts. This simplified the crotchety don's task and distorted his conclusions. His "book" is really a collection of four essays. The longest and most original are about erotic vases and a seamy lawsuit involving a kidnapping. How such a skimpy selection of sources could be expected to yield a valid thesis defies reason.

Nicknamed "Bend-over Dover" by undergrads, Sir Kenneth, unlike so many other Oxfordians, seems never to have experienced a homosexual act, except once when, according to his autobiography, he was buggered while on military duty in Alexandria and complained that it hurt. He was led astray by his intended collaborator, the Canadian shrink Devereux, who taught him the distorted Freudian thesis that homosexuals are sexually retarded, i.e., that we don't fully mature from the oral and anal phases to the phallic. Sir Kenneth's homophobia was well documented a few years ago by James Davidson in the February 2001 issue of Past and Present.

"The Prosecution of Timarkhos" takes up 100 pages (19-109) - one half of the text. It is an extended commentary, a specialized task at which Dover is a master. The best things about the book are the illustrations, the analyses of the vase paintings, and the 30 pages of appendices.

The Original History of Man-Boy Relations in Antiquity.......2005-07-03

When one considers that male-male relations had their dominant Western etiology in Greece antiquity, it's only natural to look back to the ancient records and artefacts to illustrate and examine how these relations existed in their antique form. What we see is probably different from what we expect.

First, it's important to distinguish "homosexuality" from its practice in antiquity to what it is today. In Greek culture several centuries before Christ, homosexuality as we know it today did not exist, except in Sparta. While Dover does not make this as explicit as he could, one cannot read the extensive material Dover covers without forming this conclusion. In Greek antiquity, the relationships were more oriented toward man-boy relations rather than man-man relations. Identifying these man-boy relations as "homosexual" is certainly tendentious, at best.

Second, the "mentoring" that older men functioned for their younger devotees in exchange for the devotee's sexual favors is in stark contrast to anything "homosexual" in our own age. Indeed, today we more likely to lock the older man up in prison for paedophilia, rather than extol him for his service of introducing younger boys to upper Greek society. The cultural context of Athens is anything but homosexual, but truly something else.

Third, the ubiquity of the man-boy pattern (primarily around Athens) as opposed to the man-man pattern (primarily around Sparta) illustrates another distinguishing form of "homosexuality" in antiquity. The historian must go where the artefacts are, and the artefacts are not from Sparta, but from Athens, where the man-boy paradigm prevailed. The book's title might have been more appropriately been retitled "Athen's Paedophilia" rather than "Greek Homosexuality."

Dover's account is both exhaustive and replete. His historian's viewpoint reports the facts and artefacts dispassionately as his discipline allows, but it might seem to many a bit too confining now that other histories have subsequently appeared. (For an excellent history of homosexuality over the ages, I heartily recommend Crompton's "Homosexuality & Civilization" by Harvard University Press.)

If one's purpose is a limited understanding of sexual mores as it was practice in Athen's antiquity, then this book certainly achieves that goal. However, this book really isn't a "gay" or true "homosexual" history at all. It's only by a stretch of definition that man-boy sexual and social enculturation in Greek antiquity really reflects any "homosexuality." If this limited scope is your interest, then this is really the best book of its kind. But if your interest is more broadly "homosexual," then Crompton's book is the one to turn to.

Simply unreadable..........2005-03-18

Once again I have to disagree with every other reviewer.

Greek Homosexuality is a strange book. It is also infuriating. I was never able to read an entire chapter of it. I threw it several times in the garbage can and then went out again to retrieve it because I thought I should know more about Greek gays. But the fact is that the more I read the less I understood what Greek homosexuality was. My own take is that the writing of Greek Homosexuality is an extreme case of a rampant scholarly disease called "not seeing the forest because of the trees".

If you want to buy this book because you are anxious to know whether homosexuality was widespread in ancient Greece and whether it was really accepted as a normal form of sexual behavior, let me tell you that the author has no definite answer to these two crucial questions. These are the kind of general questions he eludes or is honest enough to leave unanswered because the evidence is unconclusive. I spoke of honesty, but I sometimes put down the fuziness of all this to a wrong understanding of what it means to be objective. To be objective doesn't mean to just align dozens and dozens of pottery fragments and ancient author quotes and other scholarly references and then leave the reader to decide what this all means.

As I have just said, Greek Homosexuality is replete with hundreds of details about homosexuality in art, in law, in philosophy, in language. But the trouble is that it is almost completely devoid of enlightening syntheses. Therefore every time I read a few pages in this book, I ended up knowing less about homosexuals in ancient Greece than when I took it up. This sounds incredible, yet it is true. I have tried to read the whole book several times, but simply wasn't able to. I keep getting lost in thickets of disconnected details while the myriad qualifications with which they are hedged about and the dry and technical language get the better of all my intellectual machettes.

Therefore my conclusion is: Greek Homosexuality is un-rea-da-ble! But I will gladly admit that the numerous black and white photographs of male nudes depicted in Greek art are gorgeous and give the reader a fleeting sense of understanding the whole mess of details in the rest of the book.

Touto biblion ouk esti kalon...

The social uses of homosexual pursuit.......2000-03-10

What I found particularly informative was Dover's fascinating theory on the social use of Homosexual pursuit among the citizen class. Particularly the information that hubris was a crime in democratic Athens. What has this to do with homosexuality, you ask? the first half of the book explains. Ancient greek homosexuality in no way resembles the modern version and it is mind-blowing to see how they differ and how analogous structures, in two different societies, may seem to be opposites. For instance, in speaking of homosexual pursuit Dover is constantly forced, when comparing Ancient Athenian society to modern, to use heterosexual pursuit as an analogy for homosexual pursuit. The resemblances between modern heterosexuality and ancient homosexuality are just that strong!

Well researched.......1999-03-10

Dover explores both the role of homosexuality in society as well as personal lives. His research is well laid out and provided an informed view of this subject. While the writing tends to be slightly more academic than I would like, I do not think this could be helped considering the subject matter and the (sometimes) positive views expressed by the author.

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