History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)

Book Description

Recorded history is a finely-woven magic fabric of intricate lies about events predating the sixteenth century. There is not a single piece of evidence that can be reliably and independently traced back earlier than the eleventh century. This book details events that are substantiated by hard facts and logic, and validated by new astronomical research and statistical analysis of ancient sources.

Customer Reviews:

Calculations are only as good as your numbers.......2007-08-03

Yes, we can all agree that mainstream history is nearly 100% BS due to politics, economics, ego, problems with dating techniques, and various conspiracies. Agreed. But, I've been researching the distinct possibility that human history (in terms of civilizations) are much more ancient than we've been told, so coming across this book was very interesting to me. I wondered how Fomenko could be wrong (if at all) because he is very persuasive in his presentations. Then it dawned on me. If at previous times in prehistory, due to the various catastrophies that are well documented (comets, asteroids, planetary disruptions, plasma discharge, pole reversals, etc) the Earth was in a different position in relation to the sun, different tilt on its axis, different orbit, different rotation (in terms of velocity and DIRECTION), and the continents were in different positions, then would this not cause the ancients to see the sky (constellations) differently? In other words, is Fomenko making erronious assumptions about the physics of the Earth in pre-history, which then corrupt his data with regards to dating the relevant astrology? The last event to seriously disrupt our planet occured roughly 3500 years ago, according to other good researchers, so is it possible Fomenko has been confused by this? The vastly different physics of our planet in the not so distant past may explain this confusion, which is not to say the "mainstream" version of history is correct; on the contrary. I am not an expert in these fields, but wanted to see if this idea could spark discussion.

Pants on fire?.......2007-07-19

Will people ever read before spamming? Yes, Jesuits could not rewrite world history alone, they had help. Anyway, Dr Prof Acad A.Fomenko does not point to jesuits as the driving force of world wide history manipulation in published volumes 1,2,3;, actually he barely mentions the poor devils. Check it with 'Search inside' feature, please. China is rarely mentioned either, in fact, Dr Fomenko is completely eurocentric. Right, his theory contradicts all mainstream schools of history, because in their actual state they are all built on blatantly erroneus chronology. You don't need a mysterious cabal (conspiracy) to falsify history, the falsification is its modus operandi. It is inherent to history(ians) to falsify (distort) events, as it is inherent to humans to boast as it is inherent to power (authority) to legimize itself by referrring to glorious past made to its own order. Dr Prof Fomenko and team have identified scores of instances of such manipulation in Russian, European, etc.. history, and delivered valid statistical proof thereof. His own 'reconstruction' is completely another story. Forget c14 as a valid method of dating. W.Libby has initially discovered a brilliant method of INDEPENDENT dating. Too bad, c14 method has become a joke after a forced marrige with dendrochronology with consensual chronological scale inbuilt. Radiocarbon method can't stand blind tests, but is so very productive as a rubberstamp.

Accepted History & Chronology Must Be Changed. .......2007-04-09

There is no doubt that history as most know it is a sham, & institution's version of History both University & Church is fradulent & inaccurate. Everything was established with an agenda, The real "Dark Ages" are now when we have access to incredible amounts of information past authorities & more important 'common folk' didn't have but our institutions & educators are slow to evolve because of what has ignorantly & arrogantly been taught for too long. This is on many subjects not just Chronology.

For anyone to question "Why would a Mathematician have anything credible to say of History?" The answer is from Dr. Fomenko's preface in the book: "It would be worthwhile to remind the reader that in the XVI-XVII century Chronology was considered to be a subdivision of Mathematics." These volumes could possibly be some of the most important works to date & should be read by everyone with an interest in History, especially professors & educators who have a duty to the public. I have read both books & must say that 'Chronology 1' has some very eye opening & revolutionary information. Even if these volumes are part true the implications are profound & opens the doors to further investigations & questions which must be done. I speak several different lanquages & must say the logic Dr. Fomenko uses with "inflection" of words & words being read from left to right in one region & right to left in another then written backwards, the removal of vowels & get down to basics of words, or different cities & locations having the same name etc. is correct. Vowel usage has always been optional & varied, actually complicating linquistics & study. The first thing one has to understand is that words never had a fixed spelling in history like we do now, the spelling of words was mutable & regional, as well as names & titles of people were vast, varied & changed, NOTHING WAS FIXED or understood linear. Matters of Life & Death as well as financial profiteering yesterday & today were & are made with ignorant, illogical & conspiratorial views of history & reality, it's time people get closer to the Truth & society collectively grow up.

Very Interesting.......2007-03-07

It is a good proposal and I believe it will mature into something even better in the future. I think it deserves to be read.

History as Science Fiction.......2007-01-10

Anatoly Fomenko has written a very intriguing book, full of pictures, charts, and computer 'proof' of his thesis: backwards of AD900 we don't really know what happened or when. Between AD900 and AD1600 there is more certainty, but there is still a lot of fuzzy ground, and things don't get reliable until we get past the 1600's where the printing press made it very difficult for the perpetrators of this timeline manipulation to change anything that had been committed to print. The Dark Ages did not happen. Books were burned for a reason. One organization has doubled the actual length of its existence by expanding the real chronology. Read why.

I had always wondered why Christ died about AD33 and yet men waited until the 11th century to form the Knights Templar, the Cathars, etc and go after the Holy Land by force. Why the 1000 year gap? Turns out there wasn't more than a 10-12 year gap and he proves it using astronomy. This also implies that the planet is not as old as we have been told, and current Christian and other creationist scientists are already championing that idea without being aware of Fomenko's book. The two groups, creationist scientists and the Russian mathematical analysts corroborate each other. Fascinating.

Of course, all this flies in the face of what we have been told traditionally is the 'proper' chronology of western civilization, and most readers will experience 'cognitive dissonance' in reading this book. It means that our history going backwards from AD1600 becomes progressively more incorrect and unreliable until it cannot be trusted at all... in the space of 700-800 years.

Naturally, the curious, open-minded reader will want to know WHO did this, WHY, and did any of the events we think of as really ancient ever happen?
Dr. Fomenko is a respected scientist/mathematician at Moscow State University who has already answered these questions to the satisfaction of his initially skeptical colleagues. Most of them are now believers, a few still refuse to believe (the usual diehards), and of course the western press has ignored Fomenko's work -- for obvious reasons when you read the book. The ones who perpetrated this chronology ruse have a lot to answer for. They are still with us. That's why this book is a well-kept secret.

I gave the book a 4-star rating because I was unable to check out some of his claims; those I checked were as he said. But if even 1/3 of his claims are true, this punches a big hole in what we think is our history, the meaning of western civilization, our educational process (for repeating the ruse as gospel), and the trustworthiness of the organization that perpetrated this ruse, well-intentioned or not.

This book relates to current research into a Young Earth paradigm, to John Keel's discoveries about our planet, and Fr Malachi Martin's insights (in his now out-of-print books). We are indeed sheep who are manipulated and kept ignorant -- for a reason. While knowing what these men have to say may be the "booby prize" (as in: 'what can you do with this knowledge?'), it will provide interesting reading. Didn't someone say: "...and the Truth will set you free."?? For you to judge if this book contains the truth.

Those Terrible Middle Ages: Debunking the Myths

Average customer rating:

A Lesson on Carefully Examining a Brilliant Age of 1000 Yeras and What Honest History Means
Chivalrous, Generous France
If the author wasn't French, everybody would know this book
A Tonic For Uninformed Pronouncements
"History does not furnish any solution...

Those Terrible Middle Ages: Debunking the Myths
Regine Pernoud
Manufacturer: Ignatius Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0898707811

Book Description

As she examines the many misconceptions about the "Middle Ages", the renown French historian, Régine Pernoud, gives the reader a refreshingly original perspective on many subjects, both historical (from the Inquisition and witchcraft trials to a comparison of Gothic and Renaissance creative inspiration) as well as eminently modern (from law and the place of women in society to the importance of history and tradition). Here are fascinating insights, based on Pernoud's sound knowledge and extensive experience as an archivist at the French National Archives. The book will be provocative for the general readers as well as a helpful resource for teachers.

Scorned for centuries, although lauded by the Romantics, these thousand years of history have most often been concealed behind the dark clouds of ignorance: Why, didn't godiche (clumsy, oafish) come from gothique (Gothic)? Doesn't "fuedal" refer to the most hopeless obscurantism? Isn't "Medieval" applied to dust-covered, outmoded things?

Here the old varnish is stripped away and a thousand years of history finally emerge—the "Middle Ages" are dead, long live the Middle Ages!

Customer Reviews:

A Lesson on Carefully Examining a Brilliant Age of 1000 Yeras and What Honest History Means.......2006-08-09

Regine Pernoud's book THOSE TERRIBLE MIDDLE AGES:DEBUNKING THE MYTHS is a brief but instructive book which both undermines popular history (popular nonsense) of the loosely defined Middle Ages (c.500-1500 AD). This book refers to documents and the use of reason to debunk the notion that the Middle Ages were sterile and oppressive. One should note that Miss Pernoud also gives her readers an important lesson on how to learn history and how to produce historical works.

Father Buckley, SJ, has a short but useful forward to this book. He gives examples of a brilliant age during which people saw the abolition of slavery, "checks and balances" on abosolutism, great architecture (the Gothic Cathedrals), the invention of the codex (bound book), the musical scale, and the mechanical clock. He could have easily included the development of bookhand or standard penmanship, and the remarkable achievement of Scholastic Philosophy and its insistence on logic and clear reason.

Among the myths that have been perpetuated is that of the Medieval serfs. These people lived better than slaves during Ancient History, and these people had absolute rights such as access to their land. These men and women could not be removed from their land. While these people could not easily leave, they did indeed have social mobility. Furthermore, Miss Pernoud refers to documents such as deeds, bills of sale, etc., whereby serfs, including women, expanded their land holdings and could improve social mobility. She indicates that some who were serfs were able to go the Medieval monastic schools and later universities and rise in the rank of the Catholic Church and political structure. Miss Pernoud cites women such as Heliose, Peter Abelard's wife, who knew Latin and Greek and composed literary works.

Another myth re the Middle Ages is that of the status of women. Miss Pernoud cites documents of women who were in certain trades and businesses. The Catholic Church authorities were very opposed to arranged marriages,and the Canon Law jurists argued that since marriage was a Holy Sacrament which had to be voluntary, arranged marriages were not binding at least in theory. This is not to say that the Catholic authorites prevented arranged marriages. One should note that women of noble birth could be rulers and queens. One should note that St. Louis' mother was his active regeant until he could assume power and ruled from 1226 to 1270. Women who entered the religious life held land tenure and even controlled both convents and monastaries. Miss Pernoud invites readers to look at documents and sources rather than media nonsense whose talking heads have little or no knowledge of anything.

Miss Pernoud destroys the notion that Medieval women did not have souls. Those who propagate this nonsense refuse to acknowledge the number of Medieval women who achieved sainthood. Miss Pernoud again refers readers to documents rather than popular history (popular nonsense).

One should also note Miss Pernoud's remarks on Medieval law and contractual arrangements. The idea of a Medieval king being an absolute monarch was almost impossible. Kings, lords, and vassals had obligations and rights in their legal and political relations which limited trends towards absolute power. The Catholic Church authorities also worked to inhibit trends of centralized power.

Another important issue that Miss Pernoud examines is that of the Inquisition which has been so badly portrayed. A Medieval inquisition was simply an invesitation based on some problem or complaint. It was simply an attempt of the Catholic authorities to investigate and possibly solve problems. Those who cite the Catholic authorities prosecuting heretics as some sort of evil obviously have little knowledge about the challenge a well organized heretical movement presented. Of particular interest is the challenge presented by the Albigensians. When these heretics caught the attention of the Catholic authorities during the late 12th and early 13th centuries (the 1100s and 1200s), the Catholic authorities made an investigation and did not apply sanctions. However, when Catholic repesentatives were murdered, the Catholic authorities had to act. One must also realize that the Albigensians had political and military support from the southern French and northern Spanish nobility who were only interested in land and conquest. One must also understand that the Albigensains were so dualistic that they were fanatical and dangerous. The Albigensians were opposed to contrats in an age when rights and security were based on contractual relations. Miss. Pernoud mentions that the Albigensians worked against anything that promoted life such as marriage and birth. For these heretics to murder pregnant women or the elderaly was common as the Albigensians destroyed anyone who promoted life. To use a current expression, the Albigensians endorsed the culture of death.

Miss Pernoud uses modern examples of modern inquisitions even though they do not go by that name. Rights groups and humanitarian organizations often make investigations (inquisitions) into serious problems and incidents. These moderns then make suggestions or recommendations. The comparison is obvious.

Another aspect of the inquisitions is one of comparison. Miss Pernoud is clear that very few of those summoned by Medieval inquisitions were even sanctioned or punished. Yet, the 20th century moderns witnessed mass murder, concentration camp brutality, mass slaughter of civilians, etc., all in the name of political ideology and affiliation. One should note that that Medieval inquisitors had to honor due process and paid careful attention to evidence to avoid unjust prosecutions. As Miss Pernoud indicates the abuses of the Inquisiton came later during the eras of the Renaissance/Reformation and the Age of Absolutism. When secular authorities got control of the Inquisiton after the Middle Ages, the abuses mulitiplied. One should note that Catholic authorities protested these abuses.

When popular media types talk about the Renaissance, they betray their lack of knowledge as Miss Pernoud clearly indicates. The Renaissance scholars did not add the Latin and Greek learning. They simply repeated it. On the other hand, the Medieval Scholastics embellished Ancient Greek thought and Latin learning. Medieval vernacular learning was rich and creative,but the Renaissance literature was simply too structured and to imitative of the Ancient Greeks and Romans.

Finally, Miss Pernoud examines the historical methods. Essentially, she argues that history without documents is simply empty opinion and so much propganda and nonsense. One should note that Miss Pernoud gives readers brief excerpts of manuscripts, documents, etc., which refute Media Land historical nonsense.

Obviously, this reviewer is impressed with Miss Pernoud's THOSE TERRIBLE MIDDLE AGES: DEBUNKING THE MYTHS. She carefully makes her case as a historian should. She is clear that historical study should not be politicized nor pandy to popular bias. One should read this book to find why, "A man of science, the historian is, delegated by his fellow man to the conquest of truth (p 141). Miss Pernoud makes this quote meaningful.

Chivalrous, Generous France.......2006-07-19

My title comes from a letter in Phillip Hailey's Lest Innocent Blood Be Shed (recommended despite the critics) written to encourage those hiding Jews in occupied France. The French at that time suffered such indignities as a nose museum, meant to denigrate the Jewish nose in relation to the German's mythic Aryan Man.

The outright blasphemy against the image of God in man (imago dei) perpretated across Europe expecially against the Jews is generally thought to be the resurgence of an attitude prevalent in the Middle Ages, or as they are popularly known, the Dark Ages. Is this an accurate picture or is it a charicature, yet another revisionist myth of anti-semitic propaganda?

Pernoud shows that the the myth of the Middle Ages as a time of widespread ignorance and violence is largely unfounded. Nevermind that is has been perpetrated in popular culture for the last century by historians like Will Durant, commentators like H.L. Mencken, textbook publishers like Time-Life and popular producers like Disney. In short, everyone.

So why four stars? Given my great love of Paris, I yet only know a little French which, like a little dynamite, is just enough to blow my brains out. This book would be great for someone familiar with all the Paris place names and French historic events. For casual readers like myself, I'd like the next edition to have far more copious footnotes and explanations. Regardless, this is a fascinating debunking that reveals the true heart and soul of Generous, Chivalrous France.

If the author wasn't French, everybody would know this book.......2006-05-06

I cannot think of another explanation why this book isn't more widely known. This is ought to be a milestone in historical analysis. You will never see the Middle Ages or the Renaissance in the same light again.

Art. Literature. Education. Politics. Social justice. The author makes a compelling case as to why the Renaissance actually produced regression in all these areas, and explains how the prejudices arose which have led us to believing otherwise. She does not bore you with minutiae or extensive footnotes which makes for quick reading, but she writes with the authority of one who doesn't need fastidious documentation to make her point. She clearly has read almost everything that has been written from these periods and unquestionably knows what she is talking about.

If you are looking for a book that will shatter your preconceptions about anything and stimulate your mind, this is it.

A Tonic For Uninformed Pronouncements.......2004-10-14

Regine Pernoud's Those Terrible Middle Ages! is a wonderful book. Throughout one's life you always hear the usual myths about the period of history known as "The Middle Ages." Pernoud shows that the Middle Ages were a time, for the most part, of peace and learning. She brilliantly shows that the Middle Ages were a time of wonder and acomplishment and juxtaposes that against the cynicism and skepticism brought on by the so-called "Age of Enlightment." This book should be in every history lover's library. Keep it handy when someone, who usually has not actually read a history book, spews forth on the following subjects, women in the "dark ages," the Crusades, the Spanish Inquisition, witches and cats and the usual nonsense one hears from the unread and uninformed nowadays.

"History does not furnish any solution..........2004-07-10

...but it permits--and it alone permits--us to pose the problems correctly."

This book is not only a wonderful debunking of the popular myths used to define the Middle Ages, but, in the last chapter, a wonderful justification of the importance of the study of history (though if you are interested in reading this book then you probably already believe in history's importance).

The entire work is wonderfully researched and, even through the admitedly sometimes rough translation, Pernoud's passion for her subject is obvious. The book is both informative and entertaining, and it is a wonderful book to use to introduce oneself to the subject of the Middle Ages while avoiding the negative mythology of that era that is expounded in public school or other books (such as A World Lit Only by Fire).

Book Description

This is a study of Greek myths in relation to the society in which they were originally told. It does not re-tell the myths; rather, it offers an analysis of how myths played a fundamental role in the lives of the Greeks. The relation between reality and fantasy is discussed by means of three case studies: the landscape, the family, and religion. Most of all, this book seeks to demonstrate how the seemingly endless variations of Greek mythology are a product of its particular people, place, and time.

Customer Reviews:

for the serious scholar.......2000-05-16

Buxton's small book is big on theory and thus truly useful only to scholars interested in Greek mythology, especially as a social or intellectual phenomon. While one may not agree with everything Buxton has to say, his theories are well supported by the evidence he uses and he has a firm grasp of the ancient Greek mind and culture. A must have book for the serious scholar. The only thing that might make it better would be a more general approach since that would make it accessible to a wider audience.

Early Modern Europe, 14501789 (Cambridge History of Europe)

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History as it should be written

Early Modern Europe, 14501789 (Cambridge History of Europe)
Merry E. Wiesner-Hanks
Manufacturer: Cambridge University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0521005213

Book Description

Covering European history from the invention of the printing press to the French Revolution, this accessible and engaging textbook offers an innovative account of people's lives, from a variety of backgrounds, in the early modern period and within the global context of European developments. Six central topics - individuals in society, politics and power, cultural and intellectual life, religion, economics and technology - are explored in two chronological sections, 1450-1600 and 1600-1789. The text takes in Europe in its entirety, eastward to the Ottoman Empire, northward to Sweden, and southward to Portugal, includes European colonies overseas, and integrates religious, ethnic, gender, class, and regional differences. Students are encouraged to think about continuities as well as changes across this formative period and throughout the text, maps, illustrations, timelines, and textboxes of original sources and featured topics illuminate the narrative. Online resources include primary source material, music examples and regularly updated bibliographies.

Customer Reviews:

History as it should be written.......2006-10-03

Whether or not you are interested in this period, if you like to read history you will like this book. Well written and organized, comprehensive, and, as far as I can tell, objective. If Cambridge can cover the entire post-Classical period with books of this quality, it will be providing a great service.

The Uses of Greek Mythology (Approaching the Ancient World)

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Helps you understand our own time, too
good social and political understanding

The Uses of Greek Mythology (Approaching the Ancient World)
Mr Ken Dowden
Manufacturer: Routledge
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0415061350

Book Description

Explores the uses Greeks made of myth and the uses to which we can put myth in recovering the richness of their culture. Sheds light on many aspects of Greek history and culture - including war, religion and sexuality.

Customer Reviews:

Helps you understand our own time, too.......2007-06-15

The author argues in case ofter case how Greek myth was used to justify a certain political situation, so as to gain acceptance for otherwise immoral situations of dominance, to take one example. This is a very different way of approaching myths than, e.g., geomythology, or psychoanalysis. There is no single origin for all myths, but understanding different mechanisms for how they originate and are manipulated and promoted, can be a tremendous help in understanding both ancient and modern myths. Warning: The book may make you understand that some things that you thought of as fact in reality are modern myths, and that these same principles are active today. He does not discuss these issues, but once your senses are on the alert, you may look at the daily flow of information in a new way. I know I did.

good social and political understanding.......2000-05-16

Dowden provides the reader with a good social and political basis and evaluation of mythology in the ancient world, focusing on the ancients themselves instead of falling into the trap of modern theory and belief. If one is working on anything involving classical myth, I highly recommend reading this book at some point. You'll disagree at times, but it will make you think.

Strong of Body, Brave and Noble: Chivalry and Society in Medieval France

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read it now!
Strong of fact, noble writing!

Strong of Body, Brave and Noble: Chivalry and Society in Medieval France
Constance Brittain Bouchard
Manufacturer: Cornell University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0801485487

Book Description

Medieval society was dominated by its knights and nobles. The literature created in medieval Europe was primarily a literature of knightly deeds, and the modern imagination has also been captured by these leaders and warriors. This book explores the nature of the nobility, focusing on France in the High Middle Ages (11th-13th centuries). Constance Brittain Bouchard examines their families; their relationships with peasants, townspeople, and clerics; and the images of them fashioned in medieval literary texts. She incorporates throughout a consideration of noble women and the nobility's attitude toward women.

Research in the last two generations has modified and expanded modern understanding of who knights and nobles were; how they used authority, war, and law; and what position they held within the broader society. Even the concepts of feudalism, courtly love, and chivalry, once thought to be self-evident aspects of medieval society, have been seriously questioned. Bouchard presents bold new interpretations of medieval literature as both reflecting and criticizing the role of the nobility and their behavior. She offers the first synthesis of this scholarship in accessible form, inviting general readers as well as students and professional scholars to a new understanding of aristocratic role and function.

Customer Reviews:

read it now!.......2006-10-21

This book is wonderfully written. Clear, concise, vivid, and very well-structured. A must read, especially for people who like medieval literature.

Strong of fact, noble writing!.......1999-02-09

This is a gem of a book. Dispelling some myths about knights and nobles. Easy to read and understand, but its wealth of references does not slow down the story.

Who Needs Greek?: Contests in the Cultural History of Hellenism

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Who Needs Greek?: Contests in the Cultural History of Hellenism
Simon Goldhill
Manufacturer: Cambridge University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Love, Sex & Tragedy: How the Ancient World Shapes Our Lives

ASIN: 0521011760

Book Description

Who Needs Greek? is an interdisciplinary study of arguments on what ancient Greece has meant to western culture from the ancient world to today. The battles between artists and literary critics, historians and journalists, politicians and scholars, are often violent, hilarious, and always passionate. This cutting-edge cultural history ranges from ancient Greece via the Renaissance to modern opera, and treats a central question of culture in a way which will intrigue academics as well as a more general audience.

Essential Latin: The Language and Life of Ancient Rome

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Good, But Generally Not for Complete Beginners Who Are Adult
An Indispensable Pedagogical Tool
entertaining and well organized
Latins lessons learned

Essential Latin: The Language and Life of Ancient Rome
Gda Sharpley
Manufacturer: Routledge
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0415213207

Book Description

Written with humor and illustrated with cartoons, this modern,user-friendly text places grammar lessons in historical context, and offers a series of fascinating glimpses of the cultura and history of ancient Rome.

Each chapter consists of:
* Grammar with model sentences, practice exercises, amusing illustrations, and summary
* Reading passages taken directly from Latin literature with a generous glossary
* Vocabulary Exercises, including English-to-Latin and the study of derivations and Latin expressions in modern use.

Ideal for classroom use or independent study, the text includes a full answer key for exercises, appendices with grammar tables and an easy-reference vocabulary list, notes on Latin authors, a time chart of important dates, and a glossary of major individuals.

Customer Reviews:

Good, But Generally Not for Complete Beginners Who Are Adult.......2003-08-25

In trying to please all comers (as per its introduction), it seems to become the proverbial "jack of all trades and master of none". I do very much like this book, but many adults seem to favor a more analytic approach, so "complete" beginners will probably be confused by its "'natural language'-esque" pedagogy of introducing new material without sufficient in-depth commentary, if any at all, initially. This book is probably better as a review for second-year Latin students...I am a complete beginner, but luckily I am not relying totally on this one book (I find it best to consult a wide variety of sources: currently I am also using "Latin via Ovid", "Learn Latin" [by Peter Jones], and, of course, Wheelock). I do very much like the fact that it has a complete answer key in the back, and a nice variety of exercises, if still too short for my tastes. It has a lot of mostly original Latin, with translations, to work with, and these original texts are arranged topically, almost always segueing seamlessly into each other: it's really interesting to read of the ancients' own views on their society and its wars and myths and very life. The bottom line is that I whole-heartedly recommend it, but just not as a sole source, or only for those with some prior knowledge of Latin.

An Indispensable Pedagogical Tool.......2001-06-10

I am currently working on a Master's degree in Classics, and I have been studying Latin formally for over three years. Pedagogy is now my concern. I am interested in tools that will help others to learn Latin in an expedient and enjoyable manner. I now think that THE tool to use in helping students learn Latin is George Sharpley's "Essential Latin."

Sharpley's work contains a plethora of Latin texts from a diverse number of Latin writers. He has an answer key in the back of the book, and plenty of paradigms and pictures to assist the new student of Latin. The cultural sections are also invaluable, as is the pronunciation guide. In short, Sharpley's inductive approach is refreshing and effective. I strongly recommend this book as a pedagogical tool!

entertaining and well organized.......2000-11-27

I picked up this book to relearn the Latin I'd forgotten since high school. I chose it because of it's clear organization, and the way it moves quickly into the material. After using the book I came to appreciate the essays on Roman culture, and the sections of original source material to translate. Reading some original material made studying Latin really interesting.

Latins lessons learned.......2000-06-08

When I decided that learning Latin would further my career, Essential Latin was the book I chose. Although it starts off with the hard stuff (grammar, cases etc.), it gave an excellent view of latin, and also insights into the history of ancient Rome. Filled with comical cartoons and ancient quotes to translate, this is the essential book to learn latin from. There is an Audio cassette available throught the publishers.

African Presence in Early Europe (Journal of African Civilizations)

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Absolutely Phenomenal Work
Breathtaking Revelations in Need of an Update
Hit Dogs up in Heah!
come again?
How Racists Never Want to Admit Africa Was Diverse

African Presence in Early Europe (Journal of African Civilizations)

Manufacturer: Transaction Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0887386644

Customer Reviews:

Absolutely Phenomenal Work.......2007-08-08

For many reviewers who lack an essential knowledge of their perceived history....The acclaimedd and respected anthropologist Sertimas assertions are wild and untethered..In truth All of which he has laid down gives serious weight the standard policy of colonialisic powers re-writing history..(It was done with the Indians, Hawaiians, Aborigines etc) The policy of re-education to the established order is basic and can be expected. Dis-information agents working forf the governemnt are out at full swing, seeking to discredit the truth that Africa the continent, the human birthplace gave birth to Also civilization, invention and human thought as we know it.. To know that Rome hated the British and controlled the Anglo society for over 400-700 years bringing in Africans, coupled with the fact the Europe is only 15-20 miles from Africa (not to mention the fact that between 1440 -1773 hundreds upon hundreds of thousands of Guineas were imported into Europe with no hint of these people today which were mulatooed into the populace) brings further the conclusion that there is no pure race of white..Einstein said that humans are a conglomeration of so many admixtures that no pure race remains... .Shopenhauer said there is no such thing as a white race...just a bleached one... DNA proves inexorably that we are ALL Africans out of exile!! All achievement and invention is African....Period!!

Breathtaking Revelations in Need of an Update.......2007-03-21

This is a compilation book by various authors, edited by Ivan Van Sertima, who also contributed one chapter himself. The chapters treat the following contents: The evolution of the "caucasoid" and the inhabitation of Earth; the first (black skinned) homo sapiens settlers in Europe; original black inhabitation of ancient Greece and later influence in the classic period of Mediterranean Europe; black popes and madonnas; the definitions of the "Moors" and their contribution on the Iberian peninsula and beyond; other blacks in Western Europe inclusive a focus on black women; ancient black settlers on the British isles, Greenland, in Scandinavia and the Caucasus; biographies of (black) Abraham Hannibal, Alexander Pushkin and Ira Aldridge in Russia and the Chevalier de Saint-Georges in France; parallels between Shakespeare's Othello and real life Leo Africanus.

This book was written in 1985, I read the ninth edition of 2006. The historical data is largely still fresh. However, human knowledge currently doubles every five years. Therefore, I strongly advise to skip the chapter on paleoanthropology and most certainly the two on genetics. Instead read one or two very recent genetic books. Ivan Van Sertima would be thankful, as all the new findings in these areas support his claims more than the lacking data possibly could in the ancient genetic years of the 1980s. Since there is no respective update/word of caution in this new printing I have subtracted one star of an otherwise simply astonishing book. And I thought I knew a bit about African influence on Europe already! Interesting, how the system makers and keepers were/are able not to make this knowledge known to the larger public. Considering that some of the chapters are rather reviews and updates of yet older, some indeed much older books.

This book doesn't only provide information in the sense of new/revealed data, but occasionally indeed in an enlightening way. I wish, some chapters would have been followed up in the re-prints. Also, for the massive African influence on Europe, many subjects could be merely mentioned and my guess is, some had to be left out. Yet nobody interested in the subject matter should leave out this incredible work.

Hit Dogs up in Heah!.......2007-02-28

African/Black people are the original humans. Everyone else are the children of African people no matter what your physical being is. It is what it is.

This is a great book. I am so happy that people of African descent are beginning to expose the truth.

In fact, Europe was the last place to be peopled by the Africans.

come again? .......2006-10-20

This book and its various companion volumes are edited by Ivan van Sertima, a particularly extreme Afro-centrist. Now, I'm not against historians unearthing early (or late) African presences in Europe. Such a book could indeed be very illuminating. If no such books exist, Black scholars should write them. Or White scholars, for that matter.

But the books by Van Sertima are, I'm afraid to say, utter nonsense. Sorry, Ivan! The author is an extreme hyper-diffusionist, who believes that civilization started in Africa, and that Africans then spread it all over the world. Apparently, everyone was Black African: Moses, Jesus, Mohammed, Krishna, the builders of Angkor Wat, even the Olmecs in Central America. Come again? This is presumably the Black nationalist alternative to White supremacist hyper-diffusionism, where everyone is White instead: from Quetzalcoatl to the ancient Chinese, even the Zulu (I kid you not). However, it is a very bad alternative, simply reversing Euro-centrism.

"African presence in Early Europe" is very disconcerting. One example is its discussion of Herodotus, who claimed that Pharao Sesostris conquered "Europe" and "Asia". From this, one contributor draws the conclusion, that Sesostris actually did conquer what we today call Europe and Asia, including northern Europe with Scandinavia! This is rather like suggesting, that since Dubya is "American" president, he's in charge of everything from Greenland to Patagonia. (Well, maybe he thinks he is?) Of course, Herodotus was refering to Asia Minor and the European Black Sea region.

Further, the book claims that Pygmies lived in Scandinavia in ancient times. The proof? Legends about trolls! I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw that statement. Frankly, it would make any Scandinavian laugh. The authors also believe that some Norsemen must have been African, since one of them was nicknamed "the Black". But other Norsemen were nicknamed "the Red", for instance the discoverer of Greenland, Erik the Red, or the Swedish king Hakan the Red. Yet, nobody claims they were American Indians.

This book may be interesting to those who study extreme forms of "alternative history", being essentialy a Black version of it, a sort of Black "Da Vinci Code". But those seriously interested in whatever impact Blacks might have had on Europe, should look eleswhere.

How Racists Never Want to Admit Africa Was Diverse.......2005-10-19

To the person who asked the simplistic question on why Europeans, during and after the slave trade, only found 'primitive' cultures with 'no technology' I say this:

YOU must learn how to understand historical records. What do you think Europeans found in African with the pyramids? Yeah, the pyramids were built BEFORE the Greeks came to Egypt. Egypt, no matter what museums have done, is PART OF AFRICA.

Where did the Egyptians get the technology to BUILD the pyramids? FROM NUBIA. Oh, let's not forget that the Romans fought the Nubians to a draw (during the great Julius Ceasar rule), and when the Nubians sued for peace, the Romans were only too eager to say 'yes'.

The Nubians took their technology of 'step pyramids' to western Africa, to most likely the Shonghai or Mali and from there to Mexico. The step pyramids in Mexico stem directly from the step pyramids of Nubia, and date AFTER the step pyramids of Nubia.

And, according to carbon dating, the giant heads of basalt, the 'black heads' of the olmecs, are dated to AT LEAST 600-800 BC, which predates even the famed Greek Civilizations. Archeologists, for the most part, have conceded that these heads ARE that old and ARE of Western African design.

The British found out about technology and strategy/tactics when the faced their own 'Custer's Last Stand' at the Battle of Isandhlwana in 1878, when almost 2000 British troops were annihilated by at the hands of the Zulu.

I won't even get into the centers of learning in Africa such as Timbuktu and Alexandria. Oh, before he whines that Alexandria was founded by Alexander the Great, yes, I know that. However, the Greeks didn't view the world in 'color'. In fact, they sent many of their most brilliant minds to AFRICA (present day Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan) to study. The study of Philosophy, in fact, comes from ancient Egypt/Ethiopia. The Greeks who studied in what is today called 'Africa' wrote back in their correspeondance, free of racism, of what they learned.

So, to the racists and Eurocentricists who simply MUST deny any good coming out of Africa, please understand that knowledge and ignorance is in ALL people and comes from ALL lands. If you don't understand this, then continue to live in ignorance.

Classes, Estates and Order in Early-Modern Brittany (Cambridge Studies in Early Modern History)

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Classes, Estates and Order in Early-Modern Brittany (Cambridge Studies in Early Modern History)
James B. Collins
Manufacturer: Cambridge University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Europe | History | Subjects | Books

General | World | History | Subjects | Books

Social History | Historical Study | History | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0521440726

Book Description

This book uses the Breton experience to address two fundamental historiographical issues: the meaning of absolutism and the nature of early-modern French society. It abandons the old framework that opposed orders to classes, and instead seeks to find the central meaning of the evolution of the French state in the maintenance of order (especially the preservation of property). Professor Collinsâ€™s main purpose, illustrated by his fusion of economic, social and institutional approaches, is to combine social and political/institutional history, so long separated in works on this field. Contrary to much received wisdom, Professor Collins argues that absolutism was more facade than reality, and that French society was much more mobile than generally believed.

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