A bold & imaginative page-turner that challenges ideas about the world of antiquity& Peter Frankopan (The Silk Roads) This vivid & engaging book brings to life some of the most important moments in ancient history moments that have shaped not only the politics & culture of bygone eras but the institutions thoughts & fantasies of our time& Yuval Noah Harari (Sapiens) As panoramic as it is learned this is ancient history for our globalised world& Tom Holland (Dynasty Rubicon) Acclaimed historian & TV presenter Michael Scott guides us through an epic story spanning ten centuries to create a bold new reading of the classical era for our globalised world Scott challenges our traditionally western-focused perception of the past connecting Greco-Roman civilisation to the great rulers & empires that swept across Central Asia to India & China
- resulting in a truly global vision of ancient history With stunning range & richness Ancient Worlds illustrates how the great powers & characters of antiquity shared ambitions & crises ways of thinking & forms of governing connections that only grew stronger over the centuries as political systems evolved mighty armies clashed universal religions were born & our modern world was foreshadowed Scott focuses on three epochal moments& across the ancient globe & their profound wider significance from 509-8 BCE (birth of Athenian democracy & Rome&s republic also the age of Confucius&s teachings in China); to 218 BCE (when Hannibal of Carthage challenged Rome & China saw its first emperor); to 312 CE when Constantine sought to impose Christianity on the Roman world even as Buddhism was pervading China via the vast trading routes we now know as the Silk Roads&A major work of global history Michael Scott&s enthralling journey challenges the way we think about our past re-draws the map of the classical age to reveal its hidden connections & shows us how ancient history has lessons for our own times