Antiquity
From the Birth of Sumerian Civilization to the Fall of the Roman Empire

_Antiquity_ by Norman F. Cantor is a very readable and useful general introduction to the history and culture of the ancient Mediterranean. Though he wrote in his introduction that this book covers antiquity from earliest humanity (about 2.5 million years ago) to the fall of the Roman Empire (in the......more

a good summary of classical western history. covers egyptian, near eastern, greek, and roman history up to the fall of the roman empire in the middle of the first millenium. much of the book is a repeat of what many people have already learned in high school history classes. but the book tends to go......more

As someone who thought she despised history until well into adulthood, this was an approachable introduction to a subset at the centre of a great deal of historical reference and theory. I found it to be engaging and easily readable. The "further reading" recommendations in the back will be put to g......more

Another one off the Read Your Library list and I have to say that I thoroughly enjoyed this! Cantor writes wonderfully, pulling you in with his style. Covering the period beginning with the dawn of civilization in Mesopotamia and Ancient Egypt, to the rise and fall of Greece and Rome, and on to the r......more