Marcus Cicero, Rome's greatest statesman and orator, was elected to the Roman Republic's highest office at a time when his beloved country was threatened by power-hungry politicians, dire economic troubles, foreign turmoil, and political parties that refused to work together. Sound familiar? Cicero's letters, speeches, and other writings are filled with timeless wisdom and practical insight about how to solve these and other problems of leadership and politics. How to Run a Country collects the best of these writings to provide an entertaining, common sense guide for modern leaders and citizens. This brief book, a sequel to How to Win an Election, gathers Cicero's most perceptive thoughts on topics such as leadership, corruption, the balance of power, taxes, war, immigration, and the importance of compromise. These writings have influenced great leaders--including America's Founding Fathers--for two thousand years, and they are just as instructive today as when they were first written.

This companion provides a comprehensive introduction to key topics in the study of ancient history. It examines the forms of evidence, problems, approaches, and major themes in the study of ancient history. It comprises more than 40 essays, written by leading international scholars. It moves beyond the primary focus on Greece and Rome with coverage of the various cultures within the ancient Mediterranean. It draws on the latest research in the field. It provides an essential resource for any student of ancient history.

It is a special kind of persuasion with an incubation period of just seconds. It is a psychological secret weapon that can instantly disarm even the most discerning mind . . .

Writing, the ability to make language visible and permanent, is one of humanity's greatest inventions. This book presents current perspectives on the origins and development of writing in Mesopotamia and Egypt, providing an overview of each writing system and its uses. Essays on writing in China and Mesoamerica complete coverage of the four "pristine" writing systems - inventions of writing in which there was no previous exposure to texts.

In this Festschrift for John Van Seters, the problem of Old Testament "historiography" is at the center. Well-known scholars deal with the topic in relevant studies.

When people think of the masterpieces of art, painters such as Gauguin or Picasso might spring to mind. But thousands of years before these modern masters put brush to canvas, artists from all over the ancient world, from France to Egypt to South America, created a trove of masterpieces—artwork stunning for its opulence, its realism, its utility, and its visual drama.

"…an important and outstanding contribution."
--Erich von Daniken, best-selling author of Twilight of the Gods

"The Ancient Alien Question provides a captivating adventure around the world and sheds an interesting perspective on the Ancient Astronaut Theory. It raises questions that culminate in well-thought-out, and sometimes downright startling, conclusions. A must-read for anyone who wants to expand their knowledge horizon in this kick-ass field."
--Giorgio A. Tsoukalos, author, Gods or Ancient Aliens? producer, Ancient Aliens: The Series

Children can try their hand at re-creating ancient Israelite culture-along with the cultures of their neighbors, the Philistines and Phoenicians-in a way that will provide perspective on current events. The book covers a key period from the Israelites' settlement in Canaan in 1200 B.C.E. to their return from exile in Babylonia in 538 B.C.E. This part of the Middle East-no larger than modern-day Michigan-was the birthplace of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. More than 35 projects include stomping grapes into juice, building a model Phoenician trading ship, making a Philistine headdress, and writing on a broken clay pot. Israelites', Phoenicians', and Philistines' writing and languages, the way they built their homes, the food they ate, the clothes they wore, and the work they did, and of course, their many interesting stories, are all explored.