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Η Ιστορία του Θουκυδίδη εξιστορεί τα πρώτα 20 χρόνια του πολέμου μεταξύ της Αθήνας και της Σπάρτης, που κράτησε από το 431 μέχρι το 404 π.Χ. και είναι γνωστός ως Πελοποννησιακός Πόλεμος. Είναι έργο ζωής ενός καλλιεργημένου, ευσυνείδητου και δραστήριου ανθρώπου, που προσφέρει μια διεισδυτική ματιά στα γεγονότα της εποχής του και την ανθρώπινη φύση. Το αρχαίο κείμενο διαβασμένο με σύγχρονη νεοελληνική προφορά. Βιβλίο 5 από τα 8. Thucydides' Histories is the history of the first 20 years of the war between Athens and Sparta, which lasted from 431 until 404 B.C., also known as the Peloponnesian War. It is the life's work of a very sophisticated, efficient and active man which gives us a deep insight to the occurences of his time and human nature. Ancient text read with contemporary Greek pronunciation. Book 5 of 8. (Summary by olorou)...

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Ancient Texts, Classics (antiquity), Sea stories, War stories

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Jesus of Nazareth, a Biography, by John Mark, recognizes the author of the second Gospel as that John, whose surname was Mark (Acts 15:37), whom Barnabas chose as companion when he sailed for Cyprus on his second missionary journey. In making use of the new title, the plan of the Editor is to present The Gospel: According to Mark as it would be printed were it written in the twentieth rather than the first century. (Introduction from Forward, by D. Appleton & Co, Publishers, 1922)...

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Ancient Texts, Biography, History, Religion

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The history of the Israelites from the death of Moses to the death of Joshua. (Summary by Joy Chan)

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Ancient Texts, Religion

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Antiquities of the Jews was a work published by the important Jewish historian Flavius Josephus about the year 93 or 94. It is a history of the Jewish people, written in Greek for Josephus' gentile patrons. Beginning with the creation of Adam and Eve, it follows the events of the historical books of the Hebrew Bible, but sometimes omits or adds information. Volume 1 contains Books 1-5 and ends with the dedication of Samuel and death of Eli the priest....

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Ancient Texts, History

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Antiquities of the Jews was a work published by the important Jewish historian Flavius Josephus about the year 93 or 94. Antiquities of the Jews is a history of the Jewish people, written in Greek for Josephus' gentile patrons. Beginning with the creation of Adam and Eve, it follows the events of the historical books of the Hebrew Bible, but sometimes omits or adds information. Volume 3 contains Books 11-15; it begins with the return of the Babylonian exiles under Cyrus, king of Persia and ends with King Herod rebuilding the temple (c. 559 BC - 20 BC)....

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Ancient Texts, History

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The history of the kings of Judah and Israel until their downfall. (Summary by Joy Chan)

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Ancient Texts, Religion

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Antiquities of the Jews was a work published by the important Jewish historian Flavius Josephus about the year 93 or 94. Antiquities of the Jews is a history of the Jewish people, written in Greek for Josephus' gentile patrons. Beginning with the creation of Adam and Eve, it follows the events of the historical books of the Hebrew Bible, but sometimes omits or adds information. Volume 4 contains Books 16-20; it begins with King Herod finishing the temple and ends with the beginning of the Jewish revolt against Nero (c. 20 BC - 66 AD)....

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History, Ancient Texts

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Antiquities of the Jews was a work published by the important Jewish historian Flavius Josephus about the year 93 or 94. Antiquities of the Jews is a history of the Jewish people, written in Greek for Josephus' gentile patrons. Beginning with the creation of Adam and Eve, it follows the events of the historical books of the Hebrew Bible, but sometimes omits or adds information. Volume 2 contains Books 6-10; it begins right after the death of Eli the priest and the capture of the Ark and ends with the prophecies of Daniel in Persia....

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Ancient Texts, History, Classics (antiquity)

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Η Ιστορία του Θουκυδίδη εξιστορεί τα πρώτα 20 χρόνια του πολέμου μεταξύ της Αθήνας και της Σπάρτης, που κράτησε από το 431 μέχρι το 404 π.Χ. και είναι γνωστός ως Πελοποννησιακός Πόλεμος. Είναι έργο ζωής ενός καλλιεργημένου, ευσυνείδητου και δραστήριου ανθρώπου, που προσφέρει μια διεισδυτική ματιά στα γεγονότα της εποχής του και την ανθρώπινη φύση. Το αρχαίο κείμενο διαβασμένο με σύγχρονη νεοελληνική προφορά. Βιβλίο 4 από τα 8. Thucydides' Histories is the history of the first 20 years of the war between Athens and Sparta, which lasted from 431 until 404 B.C., also known as the Peloponnesian War. It is the life's work of a very sophisticated, efficient and active man which gives us a deep insight to the occurences of his time and human nature. Ancient text read with contemporary Greek pronunciation. Book 4 of 8. (Summary by olorou)...

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Ancient Texts, Classics (antiquity), Sea stories, War stories

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Η Ιστορία του Θουκυδίδη εξιστορεί τα πρώτα 20 χρόνια του πολέμου μεταξύ της Αθήνας και της Σπάρτης, που κράτησε από το 431 μέχρι το 404 π.Χ. και είναι γνωστός ως Πελοποννησιακός Πόλεμος. Είναι έργο ζωής ενός καλλιεργημένου, ευσυνείδητου και δραστήριου ανθρώπου, που προσφέρει μια διεισδυτική ματιά στα γεγονότα της εποχής του και την ανθρώπινη φύση. Το αρχαίο κείμενο διαβασμένο με σύγχρονη νεοελληνική προφορά. Βιβλίο 2 από τα 8. Thucydides' Histories is the history of the first 20 years of the war between Athens and Sparta, which lasted from 431 until 404 B.C., also known as the Peloponnesian War. It is the life's work of a very sophisticated, efficient and active man which gives us a deep insight to the occurences of his time and human nature. Ancient text read with contemporary Greek pronunciation. Book 2 of 8. (Summary by olorou)...

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Ancient Texts, History, War stories

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Η Ιστορία του Θουκυδίδη εξιστορεί τα πρώτα 20 χρόνια του πολέμου μεταξύ της Αθήνας και της Σπάρτης, που κράτησε από το 431 μέχρι το 404 π.Χ. και είναι γνωστός ως Πελοποννησιακός Πόλεμος. Είναι έργο ζωής ενός καλλιεργημένου, ευσυνείδητου και δραστήριου ανθρώπου, που προσφέρει μια διεισδυτική ματιά στα γεγονότα της εποχής του και την ανθρώπινη φύση. Το αρχαίο κείμενο διαβασμένο με σύγχρονη νεοελληνική προφορά. Βιβλίο 3 από τα 8. Thucydides' Histories is the history of the first 20 years of the war between Athens and Sparta, which lasted from 431 until 404 B.C., also known as the Peloponnesian War. It is the life's work of a very sophisticated, efficient and active man which gives us a deep insight to the occurences of his time and human nature. Ancient text read with contemporary Greek pronunciation. Book 3 of 8. (Summary by olorou)...

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Ancient Texts, History, War stories, Sea stories

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The full title of this book is The Origins of Christianity with an Outline of Van Manen’s Analysis of The Pauline Literature. Willem Christiaan van Manen (1842-1905) was a Dutch theologian. The vast majority of van Manen’s radical criticism of the New Testament and Christian origins has never been translated into English. In this book, Thomas Whittaker outlines the arguments of van Manen for an English-speaking audience. Van Manen’s work is not now generally known, but his views obtained notoriety by the articles and books that he wrote, in which he maintained that none of the Epistles that bear the Apostle Paul’s name were in fact written by him. From van Manen’s conclusions, Whittaker goes further and relegates the whole body of the New Testament to the second century, and even places the beginning of the Christian movement until after the destruction of Jerusalem in the year 70. Of Paul himself very little is certain, though Whittaker maintains that there may have been an itinerant preacher of that name. Whittaker comes to the conclusion that Jesus of Nazareth is entirely a mythical personage, but holds that what afterwards becam...

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Ancient Texts, History, Myths/Legends, Religion

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The Metamorphoses of Ovid is probably one of the best known, certainly one of the most influential works of the Ancient world. It consists of a narrative poem in fifteen books that describes the creation and history of the world through mythological tales, starting with a cosmogony and finishing with the deification of Julius Caesar. Published around 8 AD, the Metamorphoses are a source, sometimes the only source, for many of the most famous ancient myths, such as the stories of Daedalus and Icarus, Arachne or Narcisus. Ovid works his way through his subject matter often in an apparently arbitrary fashion; however, the connection between all the seemingly unconnected stories is that all of them talk about transformation. Change as the only permanent aspect of nature is the certainty that underlies the work of Ovid, who jumps from one transformation tale to another, sometimes retelling what had come to be seen as central events in the world of Greek myths and sometimes straying in odd directions. The poem is often called a mock-epic. It is written in dactylic hexameter, the form of the great heroic and nationalistic epic poems, both ...

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Classics (antiquity), Ancient Texts, Myths/Legends, Poetry

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Bede's Ecclesiastical History of England is a work in Latin by Bede on the history of the Christian Churches in England, and of England generally; its main focus is on the conflict between Roman and Celtic Christianity. It is considered to be one of the most important original references on Anglo-Saxon history. It is believed to have been completed in 731, when Bede was approximately 59 years old. Divided into five books, it covers the history of England, ecclesiastical and political, from the time of Julius Caesar to the date of its completion (731). The History of the English Church and People has a clear polemical and didactic purpose. Bede sets out, not just to tell the story of the English, but to advance his views on politics and religion. In political terms he is a partisan of his native Northumbria, amplifying its role in English history over and above that of Mercia, its great southern rival. While Bede is loyal to Northumbria, he shows an even greater attachment to the Irish and the Irish Celtic missionaries, whom he considers to be far more effective and dedicated than their rather complacent English counterparts. His fin...

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History, Ancient Texts, Politics, Religion

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Das Dhammapada ist eine Anthologie von Aussprüchen des Buddha. Dabei sind die Verse so ausgewählt, dass sie den Kern der Lehre des Buddha wiedergeben. Es ist einer der bekanntesten Texte dieser Lehre und findet seine weiteste Verbreitung im südlichen Buddhismus. Dort begleitet es die Schüler des Buddha vom Anfang bis zum Ende ihres Pfades. Darüber hinaus ist es ein Meisterwerk sowohl der frühen buddhistischen Literatur als auch der indischen Tradition des Karvya (Belle Lettre)....

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Religion, Ancient Texts, Philosophy, Psychology

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Yoga sutras by Patanjali is a seminal work in yoga, this book is more about control of mind and the true goal of yoga. The sutras are extremely brief, and the translation in neat English makes it very easy for people to understand the ancient Sanskrit text. It starts with the birth and growth of spiritual man through the control of mind. In all, this is a all in one book for yoga philosophy written by the master himself. (Summary by sidhu177)...

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Advice, Ancient Texts, Instruction, Philosophy, Psychology, Science

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Commentarii de Bello Gallico (English: Commentaries on the Gallic War) is Julius Caesar's firsthand account of the Gallic Wars, written as a third-person narrative. In it Caesar describes the battles and intrigues that took place in the nine years he spent fighting local armies in Gaul that opposed Roman domination. The work has been a mainstay in the teaching of Latin to schoolchildren, its simple, direct prose lending itself to that purpose. It begins with the frequently quoted phrase Gallia est omnis divisa in partes tres, sometimes quoted as Omnia Gallia in tres partes divisa est, meaning All Gaul is divided into three parts. (Summary from Wikipedia)...

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Ancient Texts, Classics (antiquity), History, War stories

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Plato's Phaedo is one of the great dialogues of his middle period, along with the Republic and the Symposium. The Phaedo, which depicts the death of Socrates, is also Plato's seventh and last dialogue to detail the philosopher's final days (the first six being Theaetetus, Euthyphro, Sophist, Statesman, Apology, and Crito). In the dialogue, Socrates discusses the nature of the afterlife on his last day before being executed by drinking hemlock. Socrates has been imprisoned and sentenced to death by an Athenian jury for not believing in the gods of the state and for corrupting the youth of the city. The dialogue is told from the perspective of one of Socrates' students, Phaedo of Elis. Having been present at Socrates' death bed, Phaedo relates the dialogue from that day to Echecrates, a fellow philosopher. By engaging in dialectic with a group of Socrates' friends, including the Thebans Cebes and Simmias, Socrates explores various arguments for the soul's immortality in order to show that there is an afterlife in which the soul will dwell following death. Phaedo tells the story that following the discussion, he and the others were the...

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Ancient Texts, Classics (antiquity), History

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Marcus Fabius Quintilianus was of Spanish origin, being born about 35 A.D. at Calagurris. At Rome he met with great success as a teacher and was the first rhetorician to set up a genuine public school and to receive a salary from the State. He left behind him a treatise On the causes of the decadence of Roman oratory (De causis corruptae eloquentiae), some speeches and his magnum opus, the only one to survive to our days. His Institutio Oratoria, despite the fact that much of it is highly technical, has still much that is of interest to‑day, even for those who care little for the history of rhetoric. (Summary adapted from the translator's preface) This first volume covers books 1 to 3....

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Advice, Ancient Texts, Classics (antiquity), Instruction

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Laws (Greek: Νόμοι) is Plato's last and longest dialogue. It is generally agreed that Plato wrote this dialogue as an older man, having failed in his effort in Syracuse on the island of Sicily to guide a tyrant's rule, instead having been thrown in prison....

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Classics (antiquity), Ancient Texts, Economics/Political Economy, History, Philosophy, Politics

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In this book the famous Gaius Julius Caesar himself describes the seven years of his war in Gaul. When Caesar got proconsul of Gallia and Illyria in 58 B.C, the conquest of land in Gaul was an urgent need, both to improve his political standing and to calm his creditors in Rome. So Caesar claims his interest for a very large area already in the first sentence. His steps and measures always appear clear and logic, but this simplicity is the result of a strict discipline in style. Caesar really choses his words, and the list of standard words that he never or rarely uses, is astonishing. E.g. for river he only uses flumen and never fluvius or amnis. He avoids porro (furthermore), which would be no decided beginning of a sentence, and in his writings never occurs the word clades (the defeat), although this would normally be demanded by the context. It is remarkable, that still today in all the lands of his conquest the word for peace is derived from latin pax (even basque bake). This peace is no friendship between equals, which is the idea behind the german word Friede. Pax Romana implies subordination, and this concept was promoted by...

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Classics (antiquity), Ancient Texts, History, War stories

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Naturalis Historia (Latin for Natural History) is an encyclopedia published circa AD 77-79 by Pliny the Elder. It is one of the largest single works to have survived from the Roman empire to the modern day and purports to cover the entire field of ancient knowledge, based on the best authorities available to Pliny. The work became a model for all later encyclopedias in terms of the breadth of subject matter examined, the need to reference original authors, and a comprehensive index list of the contents. The scheme of his great work is vast and comprehensive, being nothing short of an encyclopedia of learning and of art so far as they are connected with nature or draw their materials from nature. The work divides neatly into the organic world of plants and animals, and the realm of inorganic matter, although there are frequent digressions in each section. He is especially interested in not just describing the occurrence of plants, animals and insects, but also their exploitation (or abuse) by man, especially Romans. The description of metals and minerals is particularly detailed, and valuable for the history of science as being the m...

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Ancient Texts, Classics (antiquity), Animals, Instruction, Nature

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Ab urbe condita, is a monumental history of ancient Rome written in the Latin language by Titus Livius, an ancient Roman historian. The work covers the time from the stories of Aeneas, the earliest legendary period from before the city's founding in c. 753 BC, to Livy's own times in the reign of the emperor, Augustus. The last year covered by Livy is 745 AUC, or 9 BC, the death of Drusus. About 25% of the work survives. Livy's History of Rome was in demand from the publication of the first packet. Livy became so famous that a man from Cadiz travelled to Rome just to see him, and once he had seen, returned home. The popularity of the work continued through the entire classical period. A number of Roman authors used Livy, including Aurelius Victor, Cassiodorus, Eutropius, Festus, Florus, Granius Licinianus and Orosius. Livy wrote during the reign of Augustus, who came to power after a civil war with generals and consuls claiming to be defending the Roman Republic. Livy's enthusiasm for the republic is evident from the first pentade of his work, and yet the Julio-Claudian family were as much fans of Livy as anyone. Livy must have been ...

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Ancient Texts, Classics (antiquity), History

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Naturalis Historia (Latin for Natural History) is an encyclopedia published circa AD 77-79 by Pliny the Elder. It is one of the largest single works to have survived from the Roman empire to the modern day and purports to cover the entire field of ancient knowledge, based on the best authorities available to Pliny. The work became a model for all later encyclopedias in terms of the breadth of subject matter examined, the need to reference original authors, and a comprehensive index list of the contents. The scheme of his great work is vast and comprehensive, being nothing short of an encyclopedia of learning and of art so far as they are connected with nature or draw their materials from nature. The work divides neatly into the organic world of plants and animals, and the realm of inorganic matter, although there are frequent digressions in each section. He is especially interested in not just describing the occurrence of plants, animals and insects, but also their exploitation (or abuse) by man, especially Romans. The description of metals and minerals is particularly detailed, and valuable for the history of science as being the m...

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Ancient Texts, Classics (antiquity), Instruction, Nature

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The Catiline Conspiracy and the Jugurthine War are the two separate surviving works of the historian commonly known as Sallust. Nearly contemporary to the events he describes, he is supposed to have been a retired officer of Caesar's army. Catiline contains the history of the memorable year 63. Sallust describes Catiline as the deliberate foe of law, order and morality (although party politics may have influenced his view). Still, Sallust does recount Catiline's noble traits, including his courage in the final battle. There is doubt among historians about whether Caesar was involved in the conspiracy; several of Catiline's adherants who survived later joined Caesar's side in his was against Pompey. The difficulty of Cicero's position is throughly treated. Jugurthine War records the war in Numidia c.112 B.C. This war, which introduces the rivals Marius and Sulla to the Roman political scene, recounts the downfall and captur of the Numidian King Jugurtha. There is an exciting description of an agile Ligurian agent of the Roman side entering a besieged enemy city. (Summary adapted from Wikipedia by Karen Merline)...

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Ancient Texts, Classics (antiquity), History