The Ancient World-Wide System

The Ancient World-Wide System PDF Author: David Warner Mathisen
Publisher:
ISBN: 9780996059077
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 912

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Book Description
This completely new edition of Star Myths of the World, Volume One, stands as the definitive guide to the ancient world-wide system of celestial metaphor which forms the foundation for the world's ancient myths, scriptures and sacred stories, from virtually every culture on every inhabited continent and island of our planet. Embark on a journey of exploration through the myths of Ancient Egypt, Ancient Mesopotamia, Ancient India, Ancient China and Japan, and of the cultures of Australia, Africa, the Pacific, and the Americas. You will encounter astonishing connections between the myths, and see how these connections reveal the existence of a vast ancient system which predates even the most ancient cultures and civilizations known to conventional history. And you will learn to listen to the myths in the language they are actually speaking -- a language of the stars, intended to convey profound (and practical) truths for our benefit and blessing in this life.

The Ancient World-Wide System

The Ancient World-Wide System PDF Author: David Warner Mathisen
Publisher:
ISBN: 9780996059077
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 912

Get Book

Book Description
This completely new edition of Star Myths of the World, Volume One, stands as the definitive guide to the ancient world-wide system of celestial metaphor which forms the foundation for the world's ancient myths, scriptures and sacred stories, from virtually every culture on every inhabited continent and island of our planet. Embark on a journey of exploration through the myths of Ancient Egypt, Ancient Mesopotamia, Ancient India, Ancient China and Japan, and of the cultures of Australia, Africa, the Pacific, and the Americas. You will encounter astonishing connections between the myths, and see how these connections reveal the existence of a vast ancient system which predates even the most ancient cultures and civilizations known to conventional history. And you will learn to listen to the myths in the language they are actually speaking -- a language of the stars, intended to convey profound (and practical) truths for our benefit and blessing in this life.

Star Myths of the World, Volume Three

Star Myths of the World, Volume Three PDF Author: David Warner Mathisen
Publisher:
ISBN: 9780996059053
Category : Literary Criticism
Languages : en
Pages : 766

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Book Description
Complete guide to the system of celestial metaphor which forms the foundation for the stories of the Old and New Testaments of the Bible. Sometimes called "Astro-theology," the study of the evidence that the scriptures, myths, and sacred traditions all employ celestial metaphor (using stars, constellations, planets, etc) to convey esoteric truths.

Ancient Worlds

Ancient Worlds PDF Author: Michael Scott
Publisher: Basic Books
ISBN: 0465094732
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 448

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Book Description
"As panoramic as it is learned, this is ancient history for our globalized world." Tom Holland, author of Dynasty and Rubicon Twenty-five-hundred years ago, civilizations around the world entered a revolutionary new era that overturned old order and laid the foundation for our world today. In the face of massive social changes across three continents, radical new forms of government emerged; mighty wars were fought over trade, religion, and ideology; and new faiths were ruthlessly employed to unify vast empires. The histories of Rome and China, Greece and India-the stories of Constantine and Confucius, Qin Shi Huangdi and Hannibal-are here revealed to be interconnected incidents in the midst of a greater drama. In Ancient Worlds, historian Michael Scott presents a gripping narrative of this unique age in human civilization, showing how diverse societies responded to similar pressures and how they influenced one another: through conquest and conversion, through trade in people, goods, and ideas. An ambitious reinvention of our grandest histories, Ancient Worlds reveals new truths about our common human heritage. "A bold and imaginative page-turner that challenges ideas about the world of antiquity." Peter Frankopan, author of The Silk Roads

Star Myths of the World, Volume One

Star Myths of the World, Volume One PDF Author: David Warner Mathisen
Publisher:
ISBN: 9780996059022
Category : Literary Criticism
Languages : en
Pages : 496

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Book Description
Embark on an epic journey of discovery through the myths, scriptures and sacred stories of our planet -- and the evidence that they are virtually all based upon a common system of celestial metaphor. Star Myths of the World was designed with two main goals: 1) to provide abundant evidence using literally hundreds of myths from around the world which demonstrate beyond a reasonable doubt that the sacred traditions of humanity all share a celestial foundation, and . . . 2) to teach you the reader how this ancient system works and how to recognize the language of the stars in the myths, building your "vocabulary" and "grammar" as you go along, so that you can eventually analyze Star Myths on your own. Using a unique format, in which the myths are presented in the first half of the book, and the star charts and celestial analysis are found in the second half of the book, you will learn how to perceive and interpret the distinctive patterns of celestial clues for yourself. The discussion and details presented build in complexity as you go along, so you that learn a few building blocks at a time and then learn how to see them in a variety of different mythological disguises and combinations. The evidence presented in Star Myths of the World revolutionizes the conventional understanding of "comparative religion" and mythology, and proves that the myths of humanity -- whether from the Aborigine cultures of Australia or the New Testament of the Bible, whether from Greek mythology or the Kich'e Maya of Central America, whether from ancient China or the Maori of Aotearoa -- all share a common foundation. Armed with this understanding, you will be able to dive even more deeply into the myths and sacred stories of humanity in newly rewarding ways, on your own.

Isis in the Ancient World

Isis in the Ancient World PDF Author: R. E. Witt
Publisher: JHU Press
ISBN: 9780801856426
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 348

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Book Description
The first study to document the extent and complexity of the cult's influence on Graeco-Roman and early Christian culture, R. E. Witt's acclaimed Isis in the Ancient World is now available in paperback Worship of the Egyptian goddess Isis dates as far back as 2500 B.C. and extended at least until the fifth century A.D. throughout the Roman world. The importance of her cult is attested to in Apuleius's Golden Ass, and evidence of its influence has been found in places as far apart as Afghanistan and Portugal, the Black Sea and northern England. The first study to document the extent and complexity of the cult's influence on Graeco-Roman and early Christian culture, R. E. Witt's acclaimed Isis in the Ancient World is now available in paperback.

The Ancient World

The Ancient World PDF Author: Michael Shally-Jensen
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781682174685
Category : Civilization, Ancient
Languages : en
Pages : 2224

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Book Description
This sweeping work covers world cultures from prehistory through the year 700 C.E. With in-depth analysis of civilizations, key figures, cities, cultures and daily life. Its three volumes stretch beyond the boundaries of the ancient world of Greece, Rome and Egypt, to include Egypt, China, the Near East, Europe, Africa, the Americas and more, to provide true world coverage. The set begins with 26 overview essays, from Agriculture to Writing Systems, followed by 1,100 alphabetically arranged essays on persons, cultures, wars, battles, documents or works, traditions or cultural phenomena, structures or artifacts, places or sites, terms, and groups or civilizations. Next, over 200 entries provide in-depth overviews of historic civilizations, times and places. Lastly, the set provides detailed descriptions of "life as" an individual living in a given time and place. Coverage is broad in scope, yet easy to use, with guides for pronunciation, geography, word usage, and timelines included. Additional appendices include a Categorized List of Contents, Timeline, Geographical Guide to Ancient World, Glossary, Websites, and Bibliography, as well as a Name Index and a comprehensive Subject Index. Not only does the set provide encyclopedic coverage of the Ancient World and its civilizations, but it goes on to offer students and researchers new insight into what it meant to live in a specific time and place. No other reference tool provides this unique combination of material. -- Amazon.com.

Prayer, Magic, and the Stars in the Ancient and Late Antique World

Prayer, Magic, and the Stars in the Ancient and Late Antique World PDF Author: Scott Noegel
Publisher: Penn State Press
ISBN: 9780271046006
Category : Body, Mind & Spirit
Languages : en
Pages : 274

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Book Description
In the religious systems of ancient Mesopotamia, Egypt, and the Mediterranean, gods and demigods were neither abstract nor distant, but communicated with mankind through signs and active intervention. Men and women were thus eager to interpret, appeal to, and even control the gods and their agents. In Prayer, Magic, and the Stars in the Ancient and Late Antique World, a distinguished array of scholars explores the many ways in which people in the ancient world sought to gain access to--or, in some cases, to bind or escape from--the divine powers of heaven and earth. Grounded in a variety of disciplines, including Assyriology, Classics, and early Islamic history, the fifteen essays in this volume cover a broad geographic area: Greece, Egypt, Syria-Palestine, Mesopotamia, and Persia. Topics include celestial divination in early Mesopotamia, the civic festivals of classical Athens, and Christian magical papyri from Coptic Egypt. Moving forward to Late Antiquity, we see how Judaism, Christianity, and Islam each incorporated many aspects of ancient Near Eastern and Graeco-Roman religion into their own prayers, rituals, and conceptions. Even if they no longer conceived of the sun, moon, and the stars as eternal or divine, Christians, Jews, and Muslims often continued to study the movements of the heavens as a map on which divine power could be read. The reader already familiar with studies of ancient religion will find in Prayer, Magic, and the Stars both old friends and new faces. Contributors include Gideon Bohak, Nicola Denzey, Jacco Dieleman, Radcliffe Edmonds, Marvin Meyer, Michael G. Morony, Ian Moyer, Francesca Rochberg, Jonathan Z. Smith, Mark S. Smith, Peter Struck, Michael Swartz, and Kasia Szpakowska. Published as part of Penn State's Magic in History series, Prayer, Magic, and the Stars appears at a time of renewed interest in divination and occult practices in the ancient world. It will interest a wide audience in the field of comparative religion as well as students of the ancient world and late antiquity.

Ancient Worlds

Ancient Worlds PDF Author: Richard Miles
Publisher: Penguin UK
ISBN: 014196300X
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 359

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Book Description
Across the Middle East, the Mediterranean and the Nile Delta, awe-inspiring, monstrous ruins are scattered across the landscape - vast palaces, temples, fortresses, shattered statues of ancient gods, carvings praising the eternal power of long-forgotten dynasties. These ruins - the remainder of thousands of years of human civilization - are both inspirational in their grandeur, and terrible in that their once teeming centres of population were all ultimately destroyed and abandoned. In this major book, Richard Miles recreates these extraordinary cities, ranging from the Euphrates to the Roman Empire, to understand the roots of human civilization. His challenge is to make us understand that the cities which define culture, religion and economic success and which are humanity's greatest invention, have always had a cruel edge to them, building systems that have provided both amazing opportunities and back-breaking hardship. This exhilarating book is both a pleasure to read and a challenge to us all to think about our past - and about the present.

Papyrus

Papyrus PDF Author: Irene Vallejo
Publisher: Knopf
ISBN: 0593318897
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 465

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Book Description
A rich exploration of the importance of books and libraries in the ancient world that highlights how humanity’s obsession with the printed word has echoed throughout the ages • “Accessible and entertaining.” —The Wall Street Journal Long before books were mass-produced, scrolls hand copied on reeds pulled from the Nile were the treasures of the ancient world. Emperors and Pharaohs were so determined to possess them that they dispatched emissaries to the edges of earth to bring them back. When Mark Antony wanted to impress Cleopatra, he knew that gold and priceless jewels would mean nothing to her. So, what did her give her? Books for her library—two hundred thousand, in fact. The long and eventful history of the written word shows that books have always been and will always be a precious—and precarious—vehicle for civilization. Papyrus is the story of the book’s journey from oral tradition to scrolls to codices, and how that transition laid the very foundation of Western culture. Award-winning author Irene Vallejo evokes the great mosaic of literature in the ancient world from Greece’s itinerant bards to Rome’s multimillionaire philosophers, from opportunistic forgers to cruel teachers, erudite librarians to defiant women, all the while illuminating how ancient ideas about education, censorship, authority, and identity still resonate today. Crucially, Vallejo also draws connections to our own time, from the library in war-torn Sarajevo to Oxford’s underground labyrinth, underscoring how words have persisted as our most valuable creations. Through nimble interpretations of the classics, playful and moving anecdotes about her own encounters with the written word, and fascinating stories from history, Vallejo weaves a marvelous tapestry of Western culture’s foundations and identifies the humanist values that helped make us who we are today. At its heart a spirited love letter to language itself, Papyrus takes readers on a journey across the centuries to discover how a simple reed grown along the banks of the Nile would give birth to a rich and cherished culture.

Globalizations and the Ancient World

Globalizations and the Ancient World PDF Author: Justin Jennings
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 1139492926
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 217

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Book Description
In this book, Justin Jennings argues that globalization is not just a phenomenon limited to modern times. Instead he contends that the globalization of today is just the latest in a series of globalizing movements in human history. Using the Uruk, Mississippian, and Wari civilizations as case studies, Jennings examines how the growth of the world's first great cities radically transformed their respective areas. The cities required unprecedented exchange networks, creating long-distance flows of ideas, people, and goods. These flows created cascades of interregional interaction that eroded local behavioral norms and social structures. New, hybrid cultures emerged within these globalized regions. Although these networks did not span the whole globe, people in these areas developed globalized cultures as they interacted with one another. Jennings explores how understanding globalization as a recurring event can help in the understanding of both the past and the present.