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.

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

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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.

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Greek and Roman Jewelry
Reynold Alleyne Higgins
Manufacturer: Univ of California Pr
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0520036018

Who Killed Homer?: The Demise of Classical Education and the Recovery of Greek Wisdom

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Flipping burgers and driving taxis
Classics are Essential to Citizenship
Problematic, sees the teaching of Greek as useful for just one thing and all else is anathema
think like a Greek?
Where is education going?

Who Killed Homer?: The Demise of Classical Education and the Recovery of Greek Wisdom
Victor Davis Hanson , and John Heath
Manufacturer: Free Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0684844532

Amazon.com

The answer to the attention-grabbing question posed by classicists Victor Davis Hanson and John Heath in the title of this passionate defense of their field (which is also a damnation of their academic colleagues) is not a pretty one. "It was," they admit sadly, "an inside job."

Why, at the end of the 20th century, should we give a hoot in the first place about a brutal, misogynist society that rose to greatness on the back of slaves? Because, they argue, it was the first place; for all the faults of ancient Greece, the seeds of what Western civilization is today were planted there. "What we mean by Greek wisdom," they explain, "is that at the very beginning of Western culture the Greeks provided a blueprint for an ordered and humane society that could transcend time and space, one whose spirit and core values could evolve, sustain, and drive political reform and social change for ages hence."

But Hanson and Heath are not content to simply make a fiery, articulate case for what's right about understanding this particular ancient civilization in a contemporary world where more and more non-Western societies openly seek to embrace the democratic spirit. They go on to launch a deliciously vituperative jeremiad on what's wrong with the priorities of those entrusted with passing on this wisdom. Classics departments, as portrayed in Who Killed Homer?, appear to be filled with politically correct, insecure footnote fawners who, steeped in minutiae, miss the Big Picture. Hanson and Heath have a plan, sure to raise the hackles of tenured professors, for reviving classical studies that emphasizes the importance of teaching, communicating, and popularizing over publishing arcane monographs in journals not even the writer's family will ever read, insisting that the alternative--the extinction of a vivid intellectual pursuit--borders on cultural suicide. --Jeff Silverman

Customer Reviews:

Flipping burgers and driving taxis.......2007-04-18

Victor David Hanson's and John Heath's devastating expose of the Anglo classicist establishment, 'Who Killed Homer? - The Demise of Classical Education and the Recovery of Greek Wisdom' (San Francisco: Encounter Books, 2001. ISBN 1893554260) is a book which infuriated classicists because - and as an ex-academic myself I can vouch for this - what it tells us about them and about their utterly baleful influence on our culture happens to be true.

Classicists as a class are here accused of being idle, arrogant, greedy, irresponsible, amoral careerists. They are cads who care little if anything for Greek thought and who have nothing but the most extreme contempt, not only for the general public which pays their salaries, but even for their students since they would rather disburden themselves of the distasteful task of teaching by passing it to an underclass of slaves known as 'graduate teaching assistants' while (when not gadding about the world on an endless round of international 'conferences,' i.e. mutual back-slapping canape-munching cocktail-slurping gabfests) they themselves engage in what they fondly describe as 'research' (i.e. the scribbling of esoteric monographs on utterly trivial matters which no-one is ever going to read) since they would blanch at the thought of actually doing something useful.

The laziness, greed, and arrogance of these elitists have pretty well destroyed the classics as a subject of study and hence as a profession. Many of their former colleagues and most of their ex-students are now flipping burgers or driving taxis, and I think one may confidently predict that it won't be long before the remainder of this elite are looking for similar work since no society can be expected to indefinitely support such a useless class of parasites.

Since their collective efforts have helped to effectively undermine and destroy the foundations of Western Civilization, the demise of classical education being simply one facet of the larger ongoing demise of the West, one wonders if they will perhaps feel a twinge of remorse for what they have done when the tentacles of the New Dark Age they have helped to spawn reach out to coil about them ...?

Classics are Essential to Citizenship.......2006-09-05

Pick up any copy of the Federalist Papers, the articles addressed to the citizens of New York in 1787 on the subject of the Constitution, and you will find unmistakable references to Republican Rome. The authors of the Federalist Papers (and the framers of the Constitution), Alexander Hamilton and James Madison, each had a Classical education which shaped the core of their philosophy.

Why then, is Classical education gradually disappearing from high schools and colleges? Why do teachers and professors refer to Homer, Virgil, Ovid, Thucydides, Tacitus and others as "dead White males?" Authors Victor Davis Hanson and John Heath explore these questions in their book, Who Killed Homer.

Hanson and Heath do a good job of explaining the Greek and Roman origins of American political thought, and convincingly warn that our citizens are rapidly becoming illiterate about the ideas that gave birth to modern republican government and free market economics. The authors perform a public service, putting together reading lists of Classical authors, and discussing interpretations of key writings by Classical authors that demonstrate the undeniable Greek origins of Western civilization.

The authors also offer a explanation for the demise of Classical learning -- academic careerism, and to a lesser extent, ideology have polluted the pure teaching of the Classics. While plausible, this argument often degenerates into mud-slinging, as Hanson and Heath settle scores with scholars whom they accuse of destroying their field. Sometimes, the score-settling gets out of hand, as Hanson and Heath specifically name the scholars they are criticizing, and even accuse one scholar of literally hounding another to his grave. This gossipy material actually detracts from their argument and is not appropriate for the audience the authors are trying to reach.

This book would be more effective if the authors did not take so much time focusing on their opponents and critics and instead stuck to the principles of their argument. The Classics are an essential part of any high school and college curriculum. Our democracy cannot hope to survive on a steady diet of Oprah, the NFL and reality TV.

Problematic, sees the teaching of Greek as useful for just one thing and all else is anathema.......2006-05-05

WHO KILLED HOMER is a tract by Victor Davis Hanson and John Heath seeking to change the contemporary method of teaching and researching Classics--which is facing a decline in popularity among the average student--turning it towards the political and moral ideals the authors hold. For these two, the Greek world (Rome and Latin literature is present here only as an afterthought) is seen as a paragon of political, social, and ethical organization whose lessons undergraduate students must learn. Hanson feels that American is facing "balkanisation", so from the Greeks the youth of today should see that it is desirable for the life of the "polis" to speak a single language and shunning outside cultural traits (including, presumably, such innocent things as food, music, and clothing) just as the Greeks spoke Greek and despised the Persians. They also suggest that Greek literature contains moral insights that the writing of other eras cannot impart, and so is the only basis for a solid education.

The first objection I have against WHO KILLED HOMER is that this idea of classical Greece as worthy of emulating is simply a misinterpretation of the Western heritage. It is the confluence of the ancient world and the grace of Christianity that created the society we know today; only after Christianity entered the life of the Empire do we find a meaningful guide to thought and action. If we want to form the morals of our children, we'd do better teaching them the Church Fathers and the history of Byzantium than the incomplete thought of Athens. Hanson and Heath have raised up the Greek thinkers almost as idols, seeing them not as occasionally interesting intellectual figures, but as the solution to all our problems.

Hanson and Heath feel that research has ruined the university, and that there is little value in much of recent publications. The authors want all research to be on broad, generalized topics that even non-specialists can understand, but in the end it seems that they simply don't understand the value of criticism and haven't learned its terminology, therefore it scares them. While I have seen poor theses appear in print, I've discovered that even the most obscure and specialized studies are occasionally useful to me as a student. I don't care much for ancient literature, but I do read quite a bit of 20th-century poetry and prose, and the close criticism written about my favourite authors has only helped me appreciate even more what they wrote, not led me astray into meaninglessness. My own experience as a knowledge-hungry young person leads me to see that research is valuable and instructive.

Hanson and Heath would prefer to see an end to publication, and recommend heavy teaching loads for faculty. This would be disastrous, for the traditional system of lecturing only draws faculty away from research and demotivates students. I'd rather get everything by drawing together all the many resources in the library than by having to come in and listen to a single boring lecturer every day. Similarly, I'm sure my lecturers would be happy to concentrate on research instead of wasting their own and students' time with classes. Less lecturing is the key to happy, motivated, and successful students and productive faculty, one simply needs to see how much more educated undergraduates turn out in countries were class attendence is not mandatory, but where clear study goals are given and the final exams are rigorous. There's a reason why most of our most brilliant professionals are immigrants trained abroad before coming to the U.S. for graduate education, and our productivity would tank if Hanson's plans succeeded.

Another serious fault of the authors' thesis is that they assume the only reason to read Greek is to understand the thoughts of classical writers. That may be true for Classics majors, but there are many students who take Greek as part of their training in comparative Indo-European linguistics. I could really care less about ancient literature or Plato's philosophy, but I still need a grounding in Greek grammar, ideally in a diachronic context. Were the ideals of Hanson and Heath put into effect, the entire field of Indo-European studies would disappear. Is limiting the possibilities of what one can get out of the material really an improvement for scholarship? And if I have to "think like a Greek" when I study Greek, do the authors think I should also be sacrificing to Agni and Indra in Sanskrit classes?

The writing style here is quite annoying, at times being a screed and always being too passionate and unstable. As one Classics professor has said, Hanson's texts attempt to speak persuasively instead of authoritatively. Furthermore, the authors make digressions into other complaints they have about modern life that strays from the central thesis, as when they rage against free verse and claim it is "non-poetry" written by "non-poets". All in all, I see little value in the book, since the claims of the authors that Greek civilization is the only thing truly worth of study is simply false to most people. One can sympathize with their plea that general writing and representing Classics to the public is worthy of respect, but this is wiped out by their raging against specialized research. All in all, a problematic work.

think like a Greek?.......2005-10-22

This book is refreshing and fascinating. However, I do wish that classicists of all kinds would stop drawing battle lines about the origins of western culture and the "good" and "bad" within the Greeks themselves. We might take a lesson from Herodotus, who happily wandered around the entire Mediterranean recording observations about all the civilizations he encountered and the origins of various Greek customs (many of which he derives from much-maligned Egypt). Herodotus brought to his work a warm sense of humor, an open-mindedness, and a genuine, passionate interest. Nor did he seek to be an obscure specialist. In his day he performed his histories publicly to large audiences-he investigated, and spoke to, everyone.

We might also take a lesson from Thucydides, whose methods were different from Herodotus' but who recorded the events of the Peloponnesian war for much the same reason that Herodotus wrote about the Persian war: "in the belief that it was going to be a great war and more worth writing about than any of those which had taken place in the past." Thucydides was not a propagandist but a clear-eyed observer of the complex workings of power and war. The moral questions he confronted-about the uses of empire, the value of peace, the meaning of justice, the nobility or inhumanity of war, the abuse of power-are ones Greek culture had been addressing since the conflict of Achilles and Agamemnon in the Iliad and ones we should still be considering today. The moral dilemmas of the Roman empire-the exchange of direct political participation and freedom for peace and material prosperity, the accumulation of wealth, the value or danger of mass entertainment, the fantasy of the simple life, the place of a mercenary army (just to name a few)-are also timely. I have a problem with certain professors of today not because they criticize the Greeks and Romans (the ancients criticized themselves extensively already), but because they wrap themselves in jargon and excuse inaction by talking of subjectivity. They do not confront, as the Greeks and Romans did, what I still consider the most essential, troubling, frightening, important questions of human existence: the burden of power, the meaning of responsibility, how much power and responsibility the individual citizen should have, and what, truly, is the best kind of life.

Where is education going?.......2005-10-11

It has long been lamented that the Classics are declining. Where is education headed, if the university system is failing?--the pump has no water. Ask next, how this is connected to the failing public school system. It isn't just a matter of losing the classics, it's about losing the integrity of higher education itself. If the university is compromised, then so are the people who are educated there, who then in turn try to educate the lower levels in K-12--look where we are. We need to ask not just who killed Homer, but why we keep stabbing him over and over again.

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.

History: Fiction or Science? Chronology 2 (Chronology)

Average customer rating:

Check and see
Suprise! Suprise!
Prescient St Augustine?
Something of a disappointment
Romulus courts Helen, Paris founds Rome, Moses goes to Troy..

History: Fiction or Science? Chronology 2 (Chronology)
Anatoly T Fomenko
Manufacturer: Delamere Resources LLC
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 2913621066

Product Description

`History: Fiction or Science? Chronology 2` is the second volume of the most explosive and astounding tractate on history ever written - however, every theory it contains, no matter how unorthodox, is backed by rock solid scientific data. The book is easy and pleasant to read; it is well-illustrated, contains hundreds of charts, graphs and illustrations, copies of ancient manuscripts, and countless facts attesting to the falsity of the chronology used nowadays. You will be amazed to discover: - That the chronology universally accepted today and taken for granted is simply wrong; - That ALL methods of dating of ancient sources and artefacts known today are erroneous or non-exact; - That there is not a single document that could be reliably dated earlier than the XIth century; The Author refers to the Middle Ages as the Antiquity and proves mutual superimposition of the Second and the Third Roman Empire, both of which become identified as the respective kingdoms of Israel and Judah. Furthermore, he asserts that the famous reform of the Occidental Church in the XI century by Pope Gregory Hildebrand was the reflection of the XII century reforms of Byzantine emperor Andronicus who in his turn identifies with Jesus Christ. The Trojan war counted by Homer happened only as late as of the XIII century A.D. and the great poet actually lived in XIV century A.D. No stone in history of Antiquity is left unturned. Literally. This book is the beginning of a major correction to the chronology we live with.

Customer Reviews:

Check and see.......2007-06-21

I don't care what other people say of this book. Those affirmig it's fake, they hadn't ever read it. Or have some special reasons to do so. "Living is easy with eyes closed, misunderstanding all you see..." This book won't make you feel comfortable. It'll make you feel free. It'll make you feel you're "not the only one" to feel you'd been lied to for centuries.

Suprise! Suprise!.......2007-03-22

Here is a serie of books which turns "the whole world" upside down. I learned a lot of it and I hope that a new book from A.T. Fomenko will follow very quick. A absolute must for everybody who is interested in history or even a little bit from it.

Prescient St Augustine?.......2006-02-05

We can so far divide the New Chronology into the following three parts:

a) The verifiable theory that proves consensual chronology wrong with the aid of astronomy, statistics and mathematics;

b) The new chronology hypothesis based on a new understanding of known historical facts and the most likely logical explanation of the most obvious inconsistencies inherent in the official version of history;

c) The history conjectures, that is experimental historical reconstructions based on assumptions that the authors believe to make sense in the light of their research and linguistic parallels - void of ironclad factual support to date.

Fomenko's theory complies with the most rigid scientific standards as a whole:

It gives a coherent explanation of what we already know.

- It is consistent: independent lines of inquiry all lead to the same conclusion.

- The predictions it makes are confirmed empirically.

Fomenko goes by the following axioms:

- Chronology is the basis of history;

- Human evolution has always been linear, gradual and irreversible;

- The "cyclic" nature of human civilization is a myth, likewise all the gaps, duplicates, "dark ages" and "renaissances" that we know from consensual history;

- The accumulation of geographical knowledge as reflected in cartography is a gradual and irreversible process;

- The chronological distance between a given manuscript and the events described therein is proportional to the amount of distortions it contains;

- There is no "useless" information in authentic ancient sources.

Why the mainstream historians do not shower mathematician Academician Dr.Prof Fomenko with thanks and laurels?

The Russians:

Because Fomenko asserts that there was no such thing as the Tartar and Mongol invasion followed by three centuries of slavery, providing a formidable body of documental evidence to prove his assertion. The so-called "Tartars and Mongols" were the actual ancestors of the modern Russians, living in a bilingual state with Arabic spoken as freely as Russian. The ancient Russian state was governed by a double structure of civil and military authorities. The hordes were actually professional armies with a tradition of lifelong conscription (the recruitment being the so-called "blood tax"). Their "invasions" were punitive operations against the regions that attempted tax evasion. Fomenko proves that Russian history as we know it today is a blatant forgery concocted by a host of German scientists brought to Russia by the usurper dynasty of the Romanovs, whose ascension to the throne was the result of coup d'état, charged with the mission of making their reign look legitimate. Fomenko proves Ivan the Terrible to be a collation of four rulers, no less. They represented the two rival dynasties - the legitimate rulers and the ambitious upstarts. The winner took it all! Over some 30 years of controversy, Russian historians have made a most remarkable transition - they were initially accusing the young mathematician Fomenko of anticommunist dissident activity and attempts to deface the historical legacy of Soviet Russia; nowadays the middle-aged mathematician is accused of adhering to "pro-communist Russian nationalism" and defacing the proud historical legacy of Great Russia.

The Westerners:

Because Fomenko blows consensual Russian history to smithereens, successfully removing a crucial cornerstone from underneath the otherwise impeccable edifice of World History. Fomenko adds insult to injury, wiping out one by one the Ancient Rome (the foundation of Rome in Italy is dated to the XIV century A. D.), the Ancient Greece and its numerous poleis, which he identifies as the mediaeval crusader settlements on the territory of Greece, and the Ancient Egypt (the pyramids of Giza become dated to the XI-XV century A. D. and identified as the royal cemetery of the Global "Mongolian" Empire, no less). The civilization of the Ancient Egypt is irrefutably dated to the XII-XV century A. D. with the aid of the ancient Egyptian horoscopes cut in stone. He was the first one to decipher and date all such horoscopes, coming up with mediaeval dates in every case. English historians rage at the suggestion that the history of Ancient England was de facto a Byzantine import transplanted to the English soil by the fugitive Byzantine nobility. To reward the English historians who consider themselves the true scribes of World History, the cover of the present book portrays Tintoretto's Jesus Christ crucified on the Big Ben.

The Chinese:

Because Fomenko wipes out the Ancient History of China outright. No such thing. Full point. The compilation of the so-called Ancient Chinese History is reliably datable to the XVII-XVIII century only. It is perfectly recognizable as the Ancient European history, reworked and transcribed in hieroglyphs as yet another historical transplantation, this time performed on the Chinese soil by the loving Jesuit hands. The Chinese are the next in line to go berserk. Chinese history is inevitably bound to get both more ancient and more eventful, proportionally to the growing involvement of China in the world affairs. Chinese historians will keep on finding valid proof of prehistoric Chinese spaceflights until the Politburo orders them to shut up.

The Arabs:

Too bad. Islam with all its key figures is datable to XV-XVI century A. D. Arabic historians may find consolation in the crucial historical role of the Ottoman Empire in the XVI-XVII century. The trouble is that this empire was initially a Christian state, with Hagia Sophia identifiable as Temple of Solomon, according to Fomenko! We can only guess if the acquisition of Alexander the Great (a Macedonian and a Christian) as the founder of the Muslim World Empire will make Fomenko's theories more acceptable to the Arabic mainstream. He certainly does not spare any holy cows at all, claiming The Stone of Qa'Aba in Mecca to contain the lost Arch of the Covenant.

The Divinity:

Despite of reiterated statement that his theory is all about chronology and not Religion, Fomenko stirs up a whole condominium of wasp nests. His collection of anathemas, fatwa, and other condemnations from all parties concerned is already considerable. Little wonder, considering that the history of religions à la Fomenko looks as follows: the pre-Christian period (before the XI century and JC), Bacchic Christianity (XI-XII century, before and after JC), JC Christianity (XII-XVI century) and its subsequent mutations into Orthodox Christianity, the Catholicism, Islam, Buddhism, and so on.

According to Fomenko we know strictly NOTHING about the events that predate the X century A. D.

St Augustin was prescient when he spoke unto us: "be wary of mathematicians, particularly when they speak the truth."

Something of a disappointment.......2005-09-09

After having read the first volume of this expected series of 7 volumes I was triggered by the thesis of these authors that ancient Greek and Roman history did in fact take place in the Middle Ages. So I started studying medieval history of the Middle East - also known as Islamic history - to find out if the opponents of the ancient Greeks and Romans - the Acheamenid Persians, Sassanids, Scythians, Egyptians, etc. - also have their duplicates in medieval history. My search was disappointing: none of the many medieval Islamic dynasties seemed to correspond to the ancient middle eastern rulers.

However, I did find a close correspondence between Herodotus' Persian kings and medieval events:

- the defeat and capture of an Anatolian king - the Lydian Croesus - by the Persian conqueror Cyrus is identical to the defeat and capture of another Anatolian king - sultan Bayezid - by the Asian/Mongol conqueror Tamerlane;
- the Persian conquest of Egypt by the cruel tyrant Cambyses reds almost exactly as the Ottoman conquest of Egypt by Selim the Grim (note the nickname!);
- Darius the Lawgiver of the Persian Empire looks very much alike to Sulayman the Magnificent, the Lawgiver in Islamic history;
- Xerxes, whose main claim to fame is to be defeated by the Greeks at the naval battle of Salamis, looks like Selim II (the Sot) whose main claim to fame is to be defeated by a Spanish-Italian alliance at the naval battle of Lepanto.

I should have expected Fomenko et al. to arrive at similar conclusions, however, they claim that the Persian kings are the alter egos of the Angevin kings of Sicily whose biographies do not contain the exploits of the Persian kings.

The similiarities I indicate lead to the conclusion that Herodotus must have written his Histories at the close of the 16th century. But this is extremely late, given that Herodotus is "the Father of History", so therefore all other "ancient" histories must have been fabricated even later. Yet, the founders of modern chronology - Scaliger and Petavius - laid their foundations also at the close of the 16th century and had the full corpus of ancient histories already at their disposal.

It seems to me that Fomenko has to address these inconsistencies, maybe in the forthcoming 5 volumes?

Another critique of their book is that the correspondencies between different rulers are often based on a superficial comparison of the biographies; upon a more thorough comparison many details appear that do not correspond at all.

Finally, the authors rely heavily on the works of Gregorovius (1821-1891!!) - his medieval histories of Rome and Athens - as the source of medieval history; these works are - at least in the West - hoplessly outdated and have been superceded by more up-to-date works (for instance, Julius Norwich's trilogy on Byzantine history is not even cited).

Romulus courts Helen, Paris founds Rome, Moses goes to Troy.........2005-07-30

If you agree with Fomenko that Roman chronology is basically the foundation of the entire edifice of global chronology; you would also certainly agree that despite its numerous gaps and inconsistencies, Roman history is the best-documented field of ancient history, and thus a reference scale. But how well is the actual date of the Eternal City's foundation known?

Firstly, Rome is supposed to have been founded by the Trojans who had to flee after the fall of Troy. Some claim Rome to have been founded by Aeneas and Ulysses shortly after Troy had fallen; others are of the opinion that there was an entire dynasty that ruled for 500 years between the fall of Troy and the foundation of Rome.

Well, that's just an innocent 500 years long misunderstanding compared with what heretic Fomenko says, asserts, proves in his second volume: Second Roman Empire, Third Roman Empire, Biblical Kingdom of Israel, Biblical Kingdom of Judah, Holy Roman Empire are stories about basically same events, written from different points of view at different times. The underlying events have actually taken place during xii-xv cy. These histories have been written and perfected by multitude of highly talented humanist and clerical writers of xiii-xvi cy disguised as "ancients" with glorious names like Homer, Pluto, Thucydides etc..Chronology 2.0 beta..

Historians are kindly invited to report the bugs.

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Great History but a major disappointment regarding images
A view in the everiday lifes of ancient times

Mosaics of the Greek and Roman World
Katherine M. D. Dunbabin
Manufacturer: Cambridge University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0521002303

Book Description

Mosaics reached their fullest development under the Romans who used them to decorate the floors of their houses and public buildings. This book gives a comprehensive and fully illustrated history of mosaics in the Greek and Roman world, and studies their development over a thousand years throughout the Roman Empire. Chapters are devoted to technique, to the role of mosaics in architecture, and to their social implications and the role of patrons. This book is the only complete study in depth of this rich material.

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Customer Reviews:

Great History but a major disappointment regarding images.......2005-08-26

I purchased this book to gain color references for the mosaics.....unfortunately, the majority of this book contains black and white plates. If you are planning on using this book as a reference for color, forget it.

A view in the everiday lifes of ancient times.......2000-04-19

The new book by Katherine Dunbabin is a welcome addition to the already excellent catalogue of Cambridge Press. Ms. Dunbabin once more proves her value as a historian by showing that the study of Art in ancient times goes beyond aesthetics and the sphere of nobles and palaces. Her work on Section II "Technique and Production" brings to life the craftsmen and workshops that made the mosaics, but also the social relationships involved in the creation of all forms of Art. Another strong point of the book is the quality of the images depicted in it, both the photo reproductions and the graphic drawings of the mosaics are astounding. The variety of subjects shown in the mosaics allow the modern reader to have a pretty good idea of the ambiance and way of life of the times. It is also interesting that at the end of each chapter Ms. Dunbabin indicates a list of related bibliography with recent works. I can only be sorry that her own classical work "The Mosaics of Roman North Africa" is out of print. This pioneer work should be reprinted.

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