Biography From Ancient Civilizations
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The Life and Times of Marco Polo
by Susan Zannos
Part of the Biography From Ancient Civilizations series
Marco Polo, the first European to travel to China and return to write about his adventures, was born in Venice in 1254. Marco s father had left on a journey to Asia before the boy was born. Marco did not see his father and uncle, Niccolo and Maffeo Polo, until fifteen years later. In 1271 the three Polos left Venice and headed for the court of Kublai Khan in eastern China. The journey took them more than three years-they arrived in 1275. Marco Polo became a favorite of the Great Khan, and was sent on important missions all over the Mongol Empire. Marco and his father and uncle served Kublai Khan for 17 years. When they returned to Venice in 1295, Marco became the captain of a merchant ship and was captured and imprisoned in Genoa. While in prison he and another prisoner who was a writer of romances wrote the story of Marco Polo s adventures.
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The Life and Times of Constantine
by Kathleen Tracy
Part of the Biography From Ancient Civilizations series
Constantine is considered one of the most influential leaders of the Roman Empire. He spent his childhood in humble surroundings raised by a single mother before reuniting with his father Constantius, a powerful military leader who eventually co-governed the Empire. Known as a brave soldier, Constantine followed in his father s military footsteps and earned a reputation as a natural leader. His victory at Milvian Bridge against Emperor Licinius in 312 A.D. changed the course of not just Roman history but the world. Constantine united Rome under one rule, moved the capital of the Empire to Byzantium, and legalized Christianity, proclaiming it the official religion of Rome. His other legacies include introducing a new currency that would be used for several centuries and instituting a system of having workers pay rent to landowners in exchange for growing crops, which set the foundation for the serf system in medieval European society.
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The Life and Times of Pericles
by Jim Whiting
Part of the Biography From Ancient Civilizations series
Greek soldiers defeated numerically superior Persian armies in several battles near the beginning of the fifth century BCE. That set the stage for what is known as the Golden Age of Greece, several decades of almost unparalleled accomplishments in art, politics, and civil affairs. The leader during this inspired era was a citizen of Athens named Pericles. He led many important political changes in the city. He was also largely responsible for the development of the Acropolis. Buildings such as the Parthenon still inspire awe and admiration among countless numbers of visitors to the site every year.
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The Life and Times of Homer
by Kathleen Tracy
Part of the Biography From Ancient Civilizations series
For almost three thousand years, The Iliad and The Odyssey have thrilled people with tales of adventure in ancient Greece. The stories of Helen and Paris, the Greek gods, the Trojan War, Achilles and of Odysseus ten year quest to return home after the war are known all over the world among all cultures. But so much about the life of the man responsible for those epic poems remains a mystery that for a while some scholars doubted he even really existed. Despite the controversies surrounding him, Homer is still honored as one of civilization s greatest poets. He overcame childhood poverty and adult blindness to achieve fame as a legendary storyteller whose epics kept his audience spellbound. His poems were so vivid that 19th-century archeologists used descriptions in The Iliad to locate the city of Troy. Though many facts about his life remain unknown, his genius as a storyteller remains undisputed.
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The Life and Times of Julius Caesar
by Jim Whiting
Part of the Biography From Ancient Civilizations series
Julius Caesar is one of the most famous figures in ancient Rome. He was born into a turbulent era, when different factions were trying to control the government. He survived and began a steady rise in importance. He became a very successful military commander who added more than 200,000 square miles to the territories under Rome s control. But his triumphs created powerful enemies in Rome. They wanted to strip him of his power. He defeated those enemies in a civil war that made him even more powerful. He had a famous love relationship with Cleopatra, the queen of Egypt. When it seemed that nothing could hold him back, he was assassinated in the Roman Senate. One of his most notable accomplishments still affects people today. He reformed the calendar and established the length of a year at its present 365 days, with a leap year every four years. The month of July is named after him.
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The Life and Times of Hippocrates
by Jim Whiting
Part of the Biography From Ancient Civilizations series
For many centuries in ancient history, people believed illnesses were handed down by the gods. In the fifth century BCE, a Greek physician named Hippocrates changed that attitude. He began looking for natural causes of illnesses. Many of his treatment methods seem primitive. For example, he performed brain surgery by drilling into a patient s skull with a sharp piece of wood. There were no anesthetics. It was a very painful procedure. In other ways his methods have held up surprisingly well. Like modern doctors, Hippocrates emphasized the value of a good diet and plenty of exercise. He also used maggots, leeches, and bees to treat his patients. All three of these creatures are still being used by doctors even in the United States. Because of his efforts, today Hippocrates is known as the Father of Medicine.
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The Life and Times of King Arthur
Evolution of a Legend
by Susan Sales Harkins
Part of the Biography From Ancient Civilizations series
Centuries ago, when the earth was still young and sorcerers and fairies were believed to roam the misty forest, a mortal man changed history. Arthur, born into a dark world of savage violence, united the Britons against their enemies at the battle of Mount Badon. For centuries, Britons shared Arthur s story around their campfires. Eventually, the story passed out of the Dark Ages and into modern literature. Follow Arthur, his wife Guinevere, and the knights of the Round Table as the story evolves from a world of warlords and bloodshed into a kingdom of mythical medieval knights, sorcerers, love, and ultimately, betrayal.
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The Life and Times of Pythagoras
by Susan Sales Harkins
Part of the Biography From Ancient Civilizations series
An introduction to the life of the mathematician and philosopher, Pythagoras.
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The Life and Times of Hammurabi
by Tamera Bryant
Part of the Biography From Ancient Civilizations series
Hammurabi was an important leader in ancient Mesopotamia. Following the model of the warrior-king Sargon, Hammurabi built the tiny city-state of Babylon into a vast empire. He was recognized as a hands-on ruler. Not content to delegate duties to governors and advisors, Hammurabi was personally involved with all the goings-on in his empire. From the digging of canals to the construction of huge temples, Hammurabi was very interested in justice and fairness. He thought of himself as a shepherd and protector of all his people. He wanted everyone, the poor and the wealthy, to be treated fairly. In the second half of his reign, Hammurabi compiled a lengthy collection of laws into a single code. It is one of the oldest known law codes. You can find reminders of this ancient code in law books around the world.
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The Life and Times of Thucydides
by Jim Whiting
Part of the Biography From Ancient Civilizations series
Presents a brief biography of Thucydides who wrote History of the Peloponnesian War and provides information on background and the importance of his book as the first work of scientific history.
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The Life and Times of Herodotus
by Jim Whiting
Part of the Biography From Ancient Civilizations series
The ancient Greek writer Herodotus is known as the father of history. He provides most of what is known about one of the most important periods in world history. It began in 490 BCE. An invading Persian army was defeated at the Battle of Marathon. It concluded just over ten years later with Greek victories at Salamis and Plataea. The triumph allowed the Greeks to develop ideas and institutions in politics, economics, science, and even sports. These are the bases for how the Western world thinks and acts today.
Herodotus is also known as the father of lies. For many years, people believed that many of the things he wrote about simply didn't happen. Today, research is showing that many of his tall tales were actually true. He is increasingly respected as a reliable historian.
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The Life and Times of Rameses the Great
by Jim Whiting
Part of the Biography From Ancient Civilizations series
The Egyptian pharaoh Rameses II is often referred to as Rameses the Great. His reign lasted for 67 years, the second longest in Egypt's 3,000-year history. He had dozens of wives and more than 100 children, outliving many of them. He was a military leader who expanded the borders of his country, bringing decades of peace and prosperity for his people. He ordered huge statues of himself to be erected all over Egypt. Many historians believe that he was the pharaoh of the Exodus, the epic journey that the Jewish people made out of Egypt under the inspired leadership of Moses. Even after death, he remained important. After his mummy was discovered late in the nineteenth century, it became one of Egypt's main tourist attractions. A military honor guard and important government officials witnessed the mummy when it was flown to Paris in 1976.
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The Life and Times of Nero
by Jim Whiting
Part of the Biography From Ancient Civilizations series
The Roman emperor Nero is one of the most notorious figures in history. He is most famous for fiddling while Rome burned, then blaming Christians for setting the fire and beginning a series of persecutions against them. He even ordered the murder of his own mother. Find out why the Romans declared him a public enemy, and what happened when he tried to run away.
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The Life and Times of Joan of Arc
by Jim Whiting
Part of the Biography From Ancient Civilizations series
Until she was thirteen, Joan of Arc led a normal life. Then she began hearing voices. She believed these voices spoke for God. At first, they told her to be a good girl. A few years later, they told her that her destiny was to save France from its English invaders. Joan s inspirational leadership helped the French to defeat the English at the city of Orleans. Soon afterward, she persuaded the crown prince Charles to become King of France. A few months later, Joan was captured by her enemies. Charles refused to help her in spite of all she had done. After a one-sided trial, she was burned at the stake. She was not forgotten. Today she is honored with a national holiday in France.
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The Life and Times of Nostradamus
by Russell Roberts
Part of the Biography From Ancient Civilizations series
Few people in history have incited such debate and further examination as the French prophet known as Nostradamus. What manner of man was he? Was he really able to part the mists of time and see into the future? Was it possible that he could predict events and identify people separated hundreds of years from his own time? Or are his predictions just vague and ambiguous enough that they can be made to fit almost any occasion? Perhaps one way to find answers to these questions is to examine the entire life of this remarkable man not just the small portion that his predictions constitute. Read about the influences of his youth, his training as a physician, and the reasons he began making his predictions. You may then have the power to better understand who and what he actually was and the times in which he lived.
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The Life and Times of Genghis Khan
by Jim Whiting
Part of the Biography From Ancient Civilizations series
To some people, Genghis Khan was a very evil man. He reportedly killed millions of people, most of them in cold blood. To others, he was the man who established an era of peace and prosperity. This achievement allowed the free exchange of ideas and new inventions between Asia and Europe. One thing is certain. According to the results of a newspaper poll, he was the Man of the Millennium. That means he was the most important human being to live between the years 1000 and 2000. What is especially remarkable about Genghis Khan is that he even lived to manhood. His family was abandoned on the harsh steppes of Central Asia. Somehow they managed to survive. Genghis began an upward climb that several times nearly resulted in his death. He overcame those obstacles. Leading one of history s most remarkable armies, he established one of the largest empires in world history.
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The Life and Times of Leif Eriksson
by Earle Rice Jr.
Part of the Biography From Ancient Civilizations series
Introduces children to the life of Viking adventurer Leif Eriksson chronicling his famed voyage in which he sailed to Newfoundland where he established the first European colony in North America.
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The Life and Times of Moses
by Jim Whiting
Part of the Biography From Ancient Civilizations series
Moses is probably the most important figure in the Old Testament of the Bible. Born into a Hebrew family, he was rescued from a cruel death and raised in the court of the Pharaoh. But after killing an Egyptian, he fled into the desert. Many years later, God appeared to him in the form of a burning bush. He ordered Moses to go back to Egypt and lead the Hebrews out of bondage and into the Promised Land. It wasn't easy. The Hebrews spent many years wandering in the desert, during which time Moses received the Ten Commandments twice. He smashed the stone tablets on which they were inscribed the first time because the Hebrews had begun worshiping a golden calf during his absence. Despite all the difficulties and the dangers, Moses determined leadership finally brought his people to the Promised Land. He died before he could accompany his fellow Hebrews into their new home.
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The Life and Times of Eleanor of Aquitaine
by Earle Jr. Rice
Part of the Biography From Ancient Civilizations series
Acclaimed as the most beautiful woman of her time, Eleanor of Aquitaine uniquely shaped 12th-century Europe. As the wife of two kings and the mother of three others, her beauty, grace, style, and intellect captivated a continent. At a time when men regarded women as little more than personal property to be owned and exploited, Eleanor threw off the shackles of male dominance and scribed an indelible mark on the history of France and England. As France's queen, Eleanor accompanied Louis VII on the Second Crusade to the Holy Land and championed a burgeoning feminist movement. After divorcing Louis, she married Henry II of England. Her marriage to Henry upset the balance of power in Europe and led to 300 years of warfare before its restoration. Perhaps best remembered as a symbol of courtly love, Eleanor of Aquitaine also continues to personify the proud image of emancipated womanhood.
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The Life and Times of Erik the Red
by Earle Jr. Rice
Part of the Biography From Ancient Civilizations series
Few people recall the name of Eirik Thorvaldsson, who began life in Jaederen, Norway, around 950. When he was nine years old, his father killed a manor maybe twoand was forced to flee with his family to Iceland. Young Eirik grew up in the harsh environs of that wind-swept isle in the North Atlantic. Harsh lands breed harsh men, and Eirik fit the mold. Like his father before him, he battled with neighbors and killed several men in blood feuds. Banished from Iceland for three years, he sailed west to seek refuge in an unexplored land. After three years in exile, Eirik returned to Iceland with tales of his discoveries in that new land to the west. He called it Greenland to entice others to join him there. Around 985, he sailed west again from Iceland with twenty-five ships of colonists. History records him as the founder of the first European settlement in Greenland and the father of Leif Eriksson. People remember him best as Erik the Red.
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The Life and Times of William the Conqueror
by Susan Sales Harkins
Part of the Biography From Ancient Civilizations series
William the son of a duke and a peasant spent his childhood in hiding raised among the Norman peasantry. Lords owing fealty to him would have murdered him if they had found him. He spent his early adult years fighting rebel lords for his birthright. As Duke of Normandy he claimed the throne of England after the death of Edward the Confessor King of England who William said had promised to name him heir. When England refused him he built a huge fleet sailed across the channel and killed Harold the newly crowned English king at the Battle of Hastings. One by one English towns fell to William and his Norman army as they marched toward London. Cowering in fear Londoners had no choice they opened the gates and made William the Conqueror their first Norman king.
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The Life and Times of Plato
by Jim Whiting
Part of the Biography From Ancient Civilizations series
Many scholars regard Plato as the greatest philosopher of all time. Yet he was much more than a man with his head in the clouds. Plato grew up in a turbulent era. A violent civil war divided the Greeks. The turbulence carried over into his personal life. His beloved teacher, Socrates, was executed by the city of Athens. From the teachings of Socrates and his own experiences, Plato developed important theories about government, ethics, love, beauty-even reality. He founded what is probably the first university in the Western world. Plato risked imprisonment and death when he tried to put his political ideas into action. At one point he was almost sold into slavery. He left much for the world to contemplate.
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The Life and Times of Socrates
by Susan Zannos
Part of the Biography From Ancient Civilizations series
Socrates, the great Athenian philosopher, was born during the Golden Age of Greece, one of the most glorious periods in human history. He grew up during the exciting days of Pericles in Athens, in the midst of the flowering of drama and poetry, the creation of magnificent architecture and sculpture, the writing of literature that has inspired mankind for 2,500 years. The glory of Athens, inspired by the Athenians victory over the Persians against great odds, lasted less than 50 years. Socrates lived to see his city conquered by the Spartans and by a terrible plague. He tried to convince his fellow citizens to examine their own beliefs and behavior. The Athenians, looking for someone to blame for their troubles, arrested Socrates. They accused him of corrupting the young men who were his students. Refusing to run away to save his life, he was tried and executed.
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The Life and Times of Richard the Lionheart
by Susan Sales Harkins
Part of the Biography From Ancient Civilizations series
Presents a brief biography of Richard I who ruled England from 1189 to 1199 and provides information on his family the time he spent fighting in the Third Crusade and how he came to be known as Richard the Lionheart.
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