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.

Blood Revenge: Family Honor, Mediation and Outcasting

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Blood Revenge: Family Honor, Mediation and Outcasting
Joseph Ginat
Manufacturer: Sussex Academic Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Great Introduction to the Arab world
History living today in the Arab world
Reads more like a sociology book
A distinguished work
Informative but poorly organized and biased

A History of the Arab Peoples
Albert Hourani
Manufacturer: Belknap Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0674395654

Book Description

THIS EDITION HAS BEEN REPLACED BY A NEWER EDITION

Customer Reviews:

Great Introduction to the Arab world.......2007-09-25

The author paints the spread of the Arab language and culture in a concise and readable way. We learn how important Islam was in the dissemination of Arab culture and people. A great book.

History living today in the Arab world.......2007-04-19

his is a very detailed account of the main tribes and leaders and social movements that shaped the foundations of the Middle East as we know it today. The index is well-developed, which will make it much easier for you to find information when you need it, and have to skim and re-skim large portions to find information about a certain region or time period. For reviews of similar books, see the resources pages at civilsociety at seedwiki

Reads more like a sociology book .......2006-06-17

The review is about the 1st edition, which I read about two months ago. If the book was organized in a temporal way, in event-by-event sense, it would be clearer as a history book i.m.o., and it would be more exciting. The author breaks down the chapters into major temporal eras, but, the sections are categorized according to social, religious etc. aspects of life, not according to the events. The author is trying to cover the Arab peoples' history in a joint, parallel manner, maybe that's why it reads like a sociology book more than a history book, which would suggest a title of "... people" instead of "peoples" (I need to note that the author starts with the story of Ibn-Khaldun, who is accepted as founder of sociology). These sections on different aspects of life repeat themselves in almost all chapters since these aspects have been similar throughout long centuries.

I also could not find details about the crusaders' wars, which must be really important in Arab history. Also, the author just skims through the era of prophet Muhammed, which is the most important era of Arabic history i.m.o. The book has lots of pictures and useful maps though, and it clearly defines the geography of the regions it is talking about.

A distinguished work.......2006-02-10

Distinguished Lebanese-American historian Albert Hourani presents this book that might seem comprehensive to the Westerners but concise to the Arabs. Hourani tries to cover most of the history of the Arab peoples, but this is certainly no easy task. He ends up quickly surveying this history.
Despite its brevity, Hourani's volume is a reference work par excellence. Hourani is well read and his book is well researched. His style is inviting even if the massive number of dates and names might discourage some people who are not familiar with the Arab region.
The book is essential for all Westerners interested in the Arabs and their region. It is history 101 for all those who are willing to embark on such an endeavor. The book is also helpful to Arabs who are not familiar with their history. Overall, the book is a good read even if it might seem academic and a bit boring as you read it.
Of course readers have to keep in mind that writing history is an objective exercise that is never free of the writer's bias. In some instance, Hourani seems to give credit to one group at the favor of another. However, this is history. It is the most probable version from the perspective of its writer.

Informative but poorly organized and biased.......2006-01-01

Albert Hourani's A History of the Arab Peoples is a widely regarded general history of the Arab world. This is too bad, since as history the book is of low quality, with significant problems of organization and, where relevant to Hourani's apparent biases, factual accuracy. It does have its redeeming elements, but on the whole is for a variety of reasons not a reliable source as a general history of the Arab world, especially for the beginner.

Being the author of a general history of the Arab world myself, before I explain why I evaluate the book negatively I would like to suggest some alternatives, lest I be accused of attacking a rival publication out of self-interest. Philip K. Hitti's The History of the Arabs is a very detailed history which runs from pre-Islamic times to the 19th century. Arthur Goldschmidt's Concise History of the Middle East covers Turkey, Iran and Israel as well as the Arab world and is well-organized for beginners. It was the first general history of the Middle East I read as an undergraduate. Bernard Lewis' The Middle East focuses more on concepts and the flow of history but is also appropriate for those without a strong background in the region.

This book was first published in 1991. This review is based on the 1992 paperback version by Warner Books.

The initial weakness of this book begins with the very first chapter; although containing 458 pages of main text, Hourani's history devotes a mere seven pages to the pre-Islamic period. This is pretty amazing, for anyone familiar with that period, since Arab history prior to Islam is roughly as long as Arab history after it. Exactly how far back Arab peoples go in history is a matter of dispute, but certainly there were people one could call "Arabians" as far back as the beginning of the first mellinnium BC, or 1,600 years prior to Muhammad. The evidence is sporadic for sure, and no writer would give it equal prominence with later times, but seven pages is pretty paltry.

One might suspect an Islamic bias here, but the problem continues in the key early periods of Islam. The life of Muhammad and his immediate successors who established the basis for the Muslim world, spanning about a half century from Muhammad's first vision to the death of his son-in-law and successor Ali, get only 11 pages. The first Arab empire, the Umayyads (661-950), gets seven pages, and the Abbasid Empire (750-circa. 945), which is usually thought of as the "Golden Age of Islam," gets only six. This means 37 pages for the first 2,000 years of Arab history, including its framing epoch, and over 400 pages for the next 1,000. This would leave the uninitiated reader entirely without much sense of proportion.

What makes this book highly unrecommended for the beginner is its weak sense of organization. The middle time period between the collapse of Abbasid authority - roughly AD 950 - and the ascendance of the Ottoman Empire over the Arab world in 1517 is intrinsically a difficult time period to understand and a more difficult one on which to write a history. This is due to the fact that rather than there being one dominant power or a few powerful states, there is instead a multiplicity of dynasties with genuine authority in some areas not extending beyond the town level with a multifarious mixture of Sunni and Shia, Arab, Persian and Turkic ruling groups, not to mention the Latin states. Hourani makes no serious attempt to help the reader keep all of it straight by moving from a chronological approach prior to 950 to a topical one. There are ten chapters covering this time period and the social history of part of the previous two periods (the Umayyads and the Abbasids). There is one chapter which discusses the major power struggles of the time. If you want to understand the relative historical roles of the Buyids, the Fatimids, the Zengids, the Ayyubids, the Mamluks and their contemporaries, read something else.

It is within these ten chapters that this book contains its major strength - its "social history," or its description of the development of the Arab world. In fact I cited Hourani on the social history sections of my own book. In this regard, Hourani really is better than the alternatives. Over 200 pages of the book is devoted to detailing various aspects of how the Arab world came to be prior to the Ottomans. So for those who have already read a general history of the Middle East or the Arab world and want a more specialized knowledge, these chapters are quite useful.

I have several objections to how this book handles a variety of issues of current interest. This book was written during a time period when there was a great emphasis on negating certain negative images of Arabs and Muslims, to the point of deemphasizing any aspect of the Arab world which might be interpreted negatively. The word "jihad" doesn't even have an entry in the index, although it is used, or perhaps, misused. On page 247, Hourani describes a traditional view stipulating that the ruler has an obligation "to pursue jihad by maintaining the strength of the kingdom's defense..." This gives a misimpression, because legally jihad has two military meanings - the defense of Muslim lands and the Muslim community's collective obligation to spread Islam through conquest. Although jihad has a spiritual as well as martial application, its use is overwhelmingly in the military context, and while Muhammad's battles probably could be described as defensive, the vast majority of military actions between that time and the 19th century involved offensive operations (the Christian counter-offensives known as the Crusades being a major exception).

More broadly, the single most influential Islamist movement of the modern age, the Wahhabis, get only a few scattered mentions, and there is no real indication of the wave of extremism which by 1991 had been felt for some time. The primary non-Islamist ideological influence, Marxism, is discussed of course, but the influence of Nazism during the 1930s and 1940s is left out. Nazi Germany is mentioned once in passing, and in the same paragraph on page 331 Palestinian leader Amin Husseini is mentioned, but it isn't mentioned that he was a strong supporter of Nazis, that he moved to Germany during the Second World War and played an active role in the Holocaust, or that despite this he was made leader of the Palestinian cause by the nascent Arab League after the war.

Hourani's account of the 1967 is incredibly inaccurate, giving the impression that Egypt engaged in some bluster and then Israel started the war. He mentions Nasser's demand that the UN clear out of the Suez Canal zone, and includes the defense pact with Jordan, but omits a key fact - the mobilization of Egyptian forces in the Sinai. Once Egypt did this, Israel had no choice but to attack, because of its small population its economy could not handle an extended mobilization, while Egypt could. Hourani also doesn't mention the statements by Arab leaders to the effect that all Jews would be wiped out in the coming war.

On the whole, this is a useful book if one already has a framework understanding of Arab history and if one understands the slant that is being presented on issues of contemporary concern. Otherwise, I do not recommend buying it.

History: Fiction or Science? Chronology 2 (Chronology)

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Check and see
Suprise! Suprise!
Prescient St Augustine?
Something of a disappointment
Romulus courts Helen, Paris founds Rome, Moses goes to Troy..

History: Fiction or Science? Chronology 2 (Chronology)
Anatoly T Fomenko
Manufacturer: Delamere Resources LLC
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 2913621066

Product Description

`History: Fiction or Science? Chronology 2` is the second volume of the most explosive and astounding tractate on history ever written - however, every theory it contains, no matter how unorthodox, is backed by rock solid scientific data. The book is easy and pleasant to read; it is well-illustrated, contains hundreds of charts, graphs and illustrations, copies of ancient manuscripts, and countless facts attesting to the falsity of the chronology used nowadays. You will be amazed to discover: - That the chronology universally accepted today and taken for granted is simply wrong; - That ALL methods of dating of ancient sources and artefacts known today are erroneous or non-exact; - That there is not a single document that could be reliably dated earlier than the XIth century; The Author refers to the Middle Ages as the Antiquity and proves mutual superimposition of the Second and the Third Roman Empire, both of which become identified as the respective kingdoms of Israel and Judah. Furthermore, he asserts that the famous reform of the Occidental Church in the XI century by Pope Gregory Hildebrand was the reflection of the XII century reforms of Byzantine emperor Andronicus who in his turn identifies with Jesus Christ. The Trojan war counted by Homer happened only as late as of the XIII century A.D. and the great poet actually lived in XIV century A.D. No stone in history of Antiquity is left unturned. Literally. This book is the beginning of a major correction to the chronology we live with.

Customer Reviews:

Check and see.......2007-06-21

I don't care what other people say of this book. Those affirmig it's fake, they hadn't ever read it. Or have some special reasons to do so. "Living is easy with eyes closed, misunderstanding all you see..." This book won't make you feel comfortable. It'll make you feel free. It'll make you feel you're "not the only one" to feel you'd been lied to for centuries.

Suprise! Suprise!.......2007-03-22

Here is a serie of books which turns "the whole world" upside down. I learned a lot of it and I hope that a new book from A.T. Fomenko will follow very quick. A absolute must for everybody who is interested in history or even a little bit from it.

Prescient St Augustine?.......2006-02-05

We can so far divide the New Chronology into the following three parts:

a) The verifiable theory that proves consensual chronology wrong with the aid of astronomy, statistics and mathematics;

b) The new chronology hypothesis based on a new understanding of known historical facts and the most likely logical explanation of the most obvious inconsistencies inherent in the official version of history;

c) The history conjectures, that is experimental historical reconstructions based on assumptions that the authors believe to make sense in the light of their research and linguistic parallels - void of ironclad factual support to date.

Fomenko's theory complies with the most rigid scientific standards as a whole:

It gives a coherent explanation of what we already know.

- It is consistent: independent lines of inquiry all lead to the same conclusion.

- The predictions it makes are confirmed empirically.

Fomenko goes by the following axioms:

- Chronology is the basis of history;

- Human evolution has always been linear, gradual and irreversible;

- The "cyclic" nature of human civilization is a myth, likewise all the gaps, duplicates, "dark ages" and "renaissances" that we know from consensual history;

- The accumulation of geographical knowledge as reflected in cartography is a gradual and irreversible process;

- The chronological distance between a given manuscript and the events described therein is proportional to the amount of distortions it contains;

- There is no "useless" information in authentic ancient sources.

Why the mainstream historians do not shower mathematician Academician Dr.Prof Fomenko with thanks and laurels?

The Russians:

Because Fomenko asserts that there was no such thing as the Tartar and Mongol invasion followed by three centuries of slavery, providing a formidable body of documental evidence to prove his assertion. The so-called "Tartars and Mongols" were the actual ancestors of the modern Russians, living in a bilingual state with Arabic spoken as freely as Russian. The ancient Russian state was governed by a double structure of civil and military authorities. The hordes were actually professional armies with a tradition of lifelong conscription (the recruitment being the so-called "blood tax"). Their "invasions" were punitive operations against the regions that attempted tax evasion. Fomenko proves that Russian history as we know it today is a blatant forgery concocted by a host of German scientists brought to Russia by the usurper dynasty of the Romanovs, whose ascension to the throne was the result of coup d'état, charged with the mission of making their reign look legitimate. Fomenko proves Ivan the Terrible to be a collation of four rulers, no less. They represented the two rival dynasties - the legitimate rulers and the ambitious upstarts. The winner took it all! Over some 30 years of controversy, Russian historians have made a most remarkable transition - they were initially accusing the young mathematician Fomenko of anticommunist dissident activity and attempts to deface the historical legacy of Soviet Russia; nowadays the middle-aged mathematician is accused of adhering to "pro-communist Russian nationalism" and defacing the proud historical legacy of Great Russia.

The Westerners:

Because Fomenko blows consensual Russian history to smithereens, successfully removing a crucial cornerstone from underneath the otherwise impeccable edifice of World History. Fomenko adds insult to injury, wiping out one by one the Ancient Rome (the foundation of Rome in Italy is dated to the XIV century A. D.), the Ancient Greece and its numerous poleis, which he identifies as the mediaeval crusader settlements on the territory of Greece, and the Ancient Egypt (the pyramids of Giza become dated to the XI-XV century A. D. and identified as the royal cemetery of the Global "Mongolian" Empire, no less). The civilization of the Ancient Egypt is irrefutably dated to the XII-XV century A. D. with the aid of the ancient Egyptian horoscopes cut in stone. He was the first one to decipher and date all such horoscopes, coming up with mediaeval dates in every case. English historians rage at the suggestion that the history of Ancient England was de facto a Byzantine import transplanted to the English soil by the fugitive Byzantine nobility. To reward the English historians who consider themselves the true scribes of World History, the cover of the present book portrays Tintoretto's Jesus Christ crucified on the Big Ben.

The Chinese:

Because Fomenko wipes out the Ancient History of China outright. No such thing. Full point. The compilation of the so-called Ancient Chinese History is reliably datable to the XVII-XVIII century only. It is perfectly recognizable as the Ancient European history, reworked and transcribed in hieroglyphs as yet another historical transplantation, this time performed on the Chinese soil by the loving Jesuit hands. The Chinese are the next in line to go berserk. Chinese history is inevitably bound to get both more ancient and more eventful, proportionally to the growing involvement of China in the world affairs. Chinese historians will keep on finding valid proof of prehistoric Chinese spaceflights until the Politburo orders them to shut up.

The Arabs:

Too bad. Islam with all its key figures is datable to XV-XVI century A. D. Arabic historians may find consolation in the crucial historical role of the Ottoman Empire in the XVI-XVII century. The trouble is that this empire was initially a Christian state, with Hagia Sophia identifiable as Temple of Solomon, according to Fomenko! We can only guess if the acquisition of Alexander the Great (a Macedonian and a Christian) as the founder of the Muslim World Empire will make Fomenko's theories more acceptable to the Arabic mainstream. He certainly does not spare any holy cows at all, claiming The Stone of Qa'Aba in Mecca to contain the lost Arch of the Covenant.

The Divinity:

Despite of reiterated statement that his theory is all about chronology and not Religion, Fomenko stirs up a whole condominium of wasp nests. His collection of anathemas, fatwa, and other condemnations from all parties concerned is already considerable. Little wonder, considering that the history of religions à la Fomenko looks as follows: the pre-Christian period (before the XI century and JC), Bacchic Christianity (XI-XII century, before and after JC), JC Christianity (XII-XVI century) and its subsequent mutations into Orthodox Christianity, the Catholicism, Islam, Buddhism, and so on.

According to Fomenko we know strictly NOTHING about the events that predate the X century A. D.

St Augustin was prescient when he spoke unto us: "be wary of mathematicians, particularly when they speak the truth."

Something of a disappointment.......2005-09-09

After having read the first volume of this expected series of 7 volumes I was triggered by the thesis of these authors that ancient Greek and Roman history did in fact take place in the Middle Ages. So I started studying medieval history of the Middle East - also known as Islamic history - to find out if the opponents of the ancient Greeks and Romans - the Acheamenid Persians, Sassanids, Scythians, Egyptians, etc. - also have their duplicates in medieval history. My search was disappointing: none of the many medieval Islamic dynasties seemed to correspond to the ancient middle eastern rulers.

However, I did find a close correspondence between Herodotus' Persian kings and medieval events:

- the defeat and capture of an Anatolian king - the Lydian Croesus - by the Persian conqueror Cyrus is identical to the defeat and capture of another Anatolian king - sultan Bayezid - by the Asian/Mongol conqueror Tamerlane;
- the Persian conquest of Egypt by the cruel tyrant Cambyses reds almost exactly as the Ottoman conquest of Egypt by Selim the Grim (note the nickname!);
- Darius the Lawgiver of the Persian Empire looks very much alike to Sulayman the Magnificent, the Lawgiver in Islamic history;
- Xerxes, whose main claim to fame is to be defeated by the Greeks at the naval battle of Salamis, looks like Selim II (the Sot) whose main claim to fame is to be defeated by a Spanish-Italian alliance at the naval battle of Lepanto.

I should have expected Fomenko et al. to arrive at similar conclusions, however, they claim that the Persian kings are the alter egos of the Angevin kings of Sicily whose biographies do not contain the exploits of the Persian kings.

The similiarities I indicate lead to the conclusion that Herodotus must have written his Histories at the close of the 16th century. But this is extremely late, given that Herodotus is "the Father of History", so therefore all other "ancient" histories must have been fabricated even later. Yet, the founders of modern chronology - Scaliger and Petavius - laid their foundations also at the close of the 16th century and had the full corpus of ancient histories already at their disposal.

It seems to me that Fomenko has to address these inconsistencies, maybe in the forthcoming 5 volumes?

Another critique of their book is that the correspondencies between different rulers are often based on a superficial comparison of the biographies; upon a more thorough comparison many details appear that do not correspond at all.

Finally, the authors rely heavily on the works of Gregorovius (1821-1891!!) - his medieval histories of Rome and Athens - as the source of medieval history; these works are - at least in the West - hoplessly outdated and have been superceded by more up-to-date works (for instance, Julius Norwich's trilogy on Byzantine history is not even cited).

Romulus courts Helen, Paris founds Rome, Moses goes to Troy.........2005-07-30

If you agree with Fomenko that Roman chronology is basically the foundation of the entire edifice of global chronology; you would also certainly agree that despite its numerous gaps and inconsistencies, Roman history is the best-documented field of ancient history, and thus a reference scale. But how well is the actual date of the Eternal City's foundation known?

Firstly, Rome is supposed to have been founded by the Trojans who had to flee after the fall of Troy. Some claim Rome to have been founded by Aeneas and Ulysses shortly after Troy had fallen; others are of the opinion that there was an entire dynasty that ruled for 500 years between the fall of Troy and the foundation of Rome.

Well, that's just an innocent 500 years long misunderstanding compared with what heretic Fomenko says, asserts, proves in his second volume: Second Roman Empire, Third Roman Empire, Biblical Kingdom of Israel, Biblical Kingdom of Judah, Holy Roman Empire are stories about basically same events, written from different points of view at different times. The underlying events have actually taken place during xii-xv cy. These histories have been written and perfected by multitude of highly talented humanist and clerical writers of xiii-xvi cy disguised as "ancients" with glorious names like Homer, Pluto, Thucydides etc..Chronology 2.0 beta..

Historians are kindly invited to report the bugs.

Reel Bad Arabs: How Hollywood Vilifies a People

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A MUST HAVE!
Reel Good!
An accessable survey of Arabs on the big screen
Eye-opening book
Interesting publish date

Reel Bad Arabs: How Hollywood Vilifies a People
Jack G. Shaheen
Manufacturer: Interlink Publishing Group
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1566563887

Book Description

Reel Bad Arabs: How Hollywood Vilifies a People is a groundbreaking book that dissects a slanderous history dating from cinema's earliest days to contemporary Hollywood blockbusters that feature machine-gun wielding and bomb-blowing "evil" Arabs.

Award-winning film authority Jack G. Shaheen, noting that only Native Americans have been more relentlessly smeared on the silver screen, painstakingly makes his case that "Arab" has remained Hollywood's shameless shorthand for "bad guy," long after the movie industry has shifted its portrayal of other minority groups. In this comprehensive study of nearly one thousand films, arranged alphabetically in such chapters as "Villains," "Sheikhs," "Cameos," and "Cliffhangers," Shaheen documents the tendency to portray Muslim Arabs as Public Enemy #1-brutal, heartless, uncivilized Others bent on terrorizing civilized Westerners.

Shaheen examines how and why such a stereotype has grown and spread in the film industry and what may be done to change Hollywood's defamation of Arabs.

Customer Reviews:

A MUST HAVE! .......2007-07-22

I knew once I bought this book it would change my life, and it did. When a person learns to read she or he can never look at letters in the same way again. In the same way, once a person is exposed to this book and the critical lens that it offers through which to view, he or she will not be able to consume U.S. popular culture in the same way ever again.

Dr. Jack G. Shaheen, a pioneer in media and Arab American studies, unpacks and analyzes the representation of Arabs in U.S. and Western popular culture films. In the introduction he summarizes the "five basic Arab types--Villains, Sheikhs, Maidens, Egyptians, and Palestinians" that "pop up in a hodgepodge of melodrama and mayhem," and challenges the viewer to "pay special attention to those Arabs you do not see on movie screens...ordinary Arab men, women and children, living ordinary lives."

The vast majority of the book functions as a reference, reviewing films alphabetically from A-Z, and outlining specific examples of how films fall into Hollywood's trap of stereotyping, in which Arab characters wear an "Orientalist face" and perform according to the West's fears and fantasies. Some have suggested that in a post-9/11 world, the stereotypes and negative media coverage of Arabs has gotten worse, and this is arguably true. However, Shaheen points out that the smearing campaign against Arabs and Semites is nothing new, as seen in films outlined from throughout the 20th century.

This is a must-have read for college students in media and ethnic studies and for anyone who wants to understand media representations, stereotypes, and "how Hollywood vilifies a people."

A great complement to this book is the newly released documentary of the same title produced by The Media Education Foundation. Dr. Shaheen communicates the gist of the book, while specific examples are seen on screen. An excellent 50-minute teaching tool, and an eye opener for any audience.

Reel Good!.......2007-07-22

Reel Good!

Arabs have been negatively misinterpreted in the American popular media. Dr. Jack Shaheen has documented over 900 motion pictures since 1893 that portray Arabs in an offensive way. Some may say that this is pure entertainment. But is it?

In Reel Bad Arabs, Dr. Shaheen shows us how we, the West, have come to depict "Arabs" as different from us. We view the typical Arab male as a "terrorist" and the typical Arab woman as oppressed, covered and subordinate to the male. What may seem as fiction in the American popular media is now becoming reality to viewers.

We often see images of Arabs with machine guns on screen and this unfortunately generates stereotypes and hatred in the minds of the public. When we experience this reality, we do not question what an Arab is.

Dr. Shaheen's message is clear. The understanding and acknowledgment of the other culture is very important. I agree. These ongoing stereotypes and incidents that have been occurring should be an open opportunity for us to learn more about Arabs and who they are in order to avoid such confusion.

-Rima Abdelkader

An accessable survey of Arabs on the big screen.......2007-07-19

I have spent a number of years researching various relationships between people and governments in the Middle East and North America. Dr. Shaheen's academic articles have always been an important resource in this pursuit, especially on the topic of Arabs in the popular "Western" imagination. However, this book brings his life's work to a much broader public audience. Like Edward Said, he poignantly describes a fictitious and twisted world wherein Muslims and Arabs are cast into a mold that does little to explain the reality of their existence in America or abroad. Unlike Said, this book is a little more accessible to read and the main points are well summarized in the introduction. The remainder of the book extensively catalogs just about every film made by Hollywood which uses Arab and/or Muslim stereotypes. The book could be a great reference for anyone with an interest in movie stereotypes of minorities. However, if you really want to get the gist of his point in an even easier format, than I would recommend his film/documentary of the same title. It seems Dr. Shaheen has taken a lesson from Hollywood that people easily learn through the power of motion pictures.

Eye-opening book.......2007-07-19

Dr. Shaheen's book in an eye-opener when it comes to exploration of the vilification of Arabs in Hollywood films, however it is a must read for all Americans. What's shocking is the consistency by which Hollywood has depicted Arabs as evil or backwards since the inception of film, and all of this prior to the events of 9/11. In example after example, Dr. Shaheen shows how Arabs are constantly depicted as terrorists, stupid, greedy, megalomaniacs, misogynists, backwards or just plain evil. Equally disturbing is the dearth of any positive Arab characters in films such as fathers, mothers, doctors or heros.

Dr. Shaheen doesn't make the argument that all portrayals of Arabs should be positive, just that there need be a balance. Like it or not, Hollywood's films contribute to perceptions throughout the world. Aside from the barrage on the self-esteem of young Arab-Americans, stereotypical portrayals such as this are dangerous as they justify violence and civil rights violations that will eventually affect all Americans.

To think this book only affects Arabs and Arab-Americans would be a mistake. Once civil liberties are violated for one group, others will follow. I highly recommend it.

Interesting publish date.......2007-07-07

The book is released in Jul, 2001. 2 months later Arabs comit the most notorious single act of terrorism in history... 9/11. I'm not saying Hollywood has done anything good to break stereotypes... but all stereotypes, good or bad, come from somewhere... and there are many Arabs who proudly do nothing but perpetuate the "bomb toting" stereotype every day in the evening news... way more influencial than Hollywood could ever pretend to be. Shaheen should set his sights on mainstream news media and how they could present a broader perspective on Arab culture. Instead of complaining that Robert Zemeckis had Doc Brown dupe some Arabs out of their plutonium to make a time machine... the last believable scene in Back to the Future.

Arabia and the Arabs: From the Bronze Age to the Coming of Islam (Ancient Peoples)

Average customer rating:

Shallow
elagabal ?

Arabia and the Arabs: From the Bronze Age to the Coming of Islam (Ancient Peoples)
Robert Hoyland
Manufacturer: Routledge
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Ancient | History | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0415195349

Book Description

Knowledge of pre-Islam Arabia is essential for anyone seeking to understand how Islam arose and the shape it took. Further, knowledge of the cultures, commerce, and conflicts of the Mediterranean from the Bronze Age to Muhammed is fatally incomplete without the inclusion of the Arabs and the vital role they played. Arabia and the Arabs provides the only up-to-date, one volume survey of the region and its peoples during this period.
Using a wide range of sources--inscriptions, poetry, histories, and archaeological evidence--Robert Hoyland explores the main cultural areas of Arabia, from ancient Sheba in the south, to the desert oases of the north. He meticulously traces the major themes in the:
*economy
*society
*religion
*art and architecture
*language and literature
*Arabhood and Arabisation.
The text is supplemented by over 50 photographs, drawings, and maps.

Customer Reviews:

Shallow.......2007-04-01

I keep looking for books about the history of Arabs giving a pure academic point of view, unfortunately without success. This book certainely doesnot go deep intothe history of Arabia, nor of the origins of its people or the origins of people who migrated out of Arabia.

It is a big dissapointment.

elagabal ?.......2005-01-10

Why the author does not speak about the emperor Elagabal
and his black stone ?

From Binational Society to Jewish State: Federal Concepts in Zionist Political Thought, 1920-1990, and the Jewish People (Jewish Identities in a Changing World, V. 7)

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From Binational Society to Jewish State: Federal Concepts in Zionist Political Thought, 1920-1990, and the Jewish People (Jewish Identities in a Changing World, V. 7)
Yosef Gorni
Manufacturer: Brill Academic Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 9004155295

Book Description

The central issue in this book are the federal ideas in the Zionist political thought during seventy years, from the early 1920s to the late 1990s. These ideas and plans had a double meaning and purpose: to find a suitable political bi-national structure for the Jews and Arabs in Palestine, which will enable both of them to fulfill their national goals, and to enable the Jewish people in the world to make Palestine their homeland by free immigration.

Book Description

Theologian, philosopher, and political radical, Martin Buber (1878–1965) was actively committed to a fundamental economic and political reconstruction of society as well as the pursuit of international peace. In his voluminous writings on Arab-Jewish relations in Palestine, Buber united his religious and philosophical teachings with his politics, which he felt were essential to a life of public dialogue and service to God.

Collected in A Land of Two Peoples are the private and open letters, addresses, and essays in which Buber advocated binationalism as a solution to the conflict in the Middle East. A committed Zionist, Buber steadfastly articulated the moral necessity for reconciliation and accommodation between the Arabs and Jews. From the Balfour Declaration of November 1917 to his death in 1965, he campaigned passionately for a "one state solution.

With the Middle East embroiled in religious and ethnic chaos, A Land of Two Peoples remains as relevant today as it was when it was first published more than twenty years ago. This timely reprint, which includes a new preface by Paul Mendes-Flohr, offers context and depth to current affairs and will be welcomed by those interested in Middle Eastern studies and political theory.

Customer Reviews:

Fascinating essays about Israel.......2005-08-14

This is an excellent book. Buber's intelligence and sincerity are on display throughout it. Of course, I disagree with much of what Buber says. I'm a Polytheist, and I do not like Monotheistic religions. And I find some of Buber's advice to Israelis to be puzzling at times. Even after the British White Paper of 1939, he thought a Levantine Jewish state unnnecessary, although he admitted that most Levantine Jews disagreed. Still, one can see in these essays how he's always interested in equal rights, including rights for Jews that are neither more nor less than those of others.

I know that some Zionists are more than a little suspicious of Buber. But please try reading Mohandas Gandhi's 1938 article, "The Jews." I consider that article a vicious repudiation of human rights. Then read Buber's calm and dignified response to it.

I know that many anti-Zionists like to cite Buber. But I would advise them to copy his honesty and sincerity, traits I have been seeing far too little of from modern anti-Zionists. In my opinion, Buber would have been more than a little hesitant to excuse, let alone support, Arab aggression and slander, all in the name of equal rights.

Inside Israel: The Faiths, the People, and the Modern Conflicts of the World's Holiest Land

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An interesting book

Inside Israel: The Faiths, the People, and the Modern Conflicts of the World's Holiest Land

Manufacturer: Marlowe & Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1569245568

Book Description

The Israeli-Palestinian conflict continues to crescendo, bringing with it the worst violence in the Middle East in decades. Now Inside Israel helps make sense of the region’s longstanding travails, detailing the past, present, and future of a place that has been holy to Jews, Christians, and Arabs for thousands of years. Organized into three sections—the History, a Day in the Life, and the Peace Process—the collection includes nonfiction pieces by a distinguished roster of writers, historians, journalists, and scholars. David Grossman offers a portrait of Palestinians on the West Bank, Saul Bellow captures the “length and depth” of Jerusalem’s history while Robert Stone considers the capital’s future, and Hendrik Hertzberg analyzes the current conflict and how the U.S. needs to be involved in a peaceful solution. Other writings include contributions by David Remnick, Karen Armstrong, David Grossman, Saul Bellow, Robert Kaplan, Robert Stone, David Shipler, Deborah Sontag, Anthony Lewis, and many others. The state of this holy, contested land makes this is an essential book for everyone seeking new levels of understanding about the place whose fate, now more than ever, impacts the entire world.

Customer Reviews:

An interesting book.......2005-03-25

This is a collection of fourteen essays and excerpts from books about the Arab-Israeli conflict. There are a number of different opinions presented, and that's good. But I think too many ideas are overlooked.

David Shipler starts with an overview of the conflict. Next is Karen Armstrong. She appears to sneeringly dismiss any claims by others to Muslim land, but is all sweetness when she begs all reasonable people to share their non-Muslim land with the Muslims. And she discusses the power of "myth" here. But this misses the point. It is absurd to think that the five million Jews of Israel would happily agree, in the name of equality, to be oppressed by the Arabs! And even more absurd to claim that the only reason the Jews haven't been reasonable enough to surrender is the power of some myth. Human rights are no myth.

Paul Johnson supplies a very reasonable discussion of the history of the establishment of the State of Israel. Next is Meron Benvenisti, who has the same problem as Armstrong: what is Arab is Arab, what's Jewish is negotiable. After that, David Grossman does an excellent job of documenting Arab hatred of Israel. But he's somewhat biased. He shows that the Jews wanted the Land. Now the Arabs want it. What symmetry! He ignores the fact that there is a big difference. The Arabs have millions of square kilometers. The Jews are willing to let the Arabs keep it all. Meanwhile, I'd say that Arabs who insist on grabbing all the Jewish land are being just a little bit greedy.

We then see an excellent and thoughtful article by David Horovitz on what living in Israel has been like. And a silly article by Deborah Sontag. Sontag's article includes some interviews of Arabs. Out of context, it would be pure propaganda. In this book, the other articles provide a little balance.

Adina Hoffman has an interesting article in which she shows the difficulty of tracing house ownership. This article made me even more convinced that the rights to a house should never be "returned" to those who never actually owned it. Do we really want those who claim to be heirs (or descendants, or friends) of Jews or Arabs who had their land swiped in Libya, Poland, and Israel to be given houses they never owned, never improved, and never paid property taxes on? Hoffman does not come up with this question herself, but I sure did.

Saul Bellow doesn't want Israel to fight. Well, that is fine. It's not that bad an idea; those who fight can get hurt. What he wants people to do when they get attacked, however, is not clear. Nor is it clear how he'll stop people from fighting back. Israel is not the only nation in the world that will ever have to decide whether to defend itself or not.

P. J. O'Rourke makes a couple of good points. He says that reality is not a zero-sum game. That is, people make something of what they have. Both sides can prosper. On the other hand, politics is zero-sum. That is, the argument is made that what is good for one side is necessarily bad for the other.

Uri Savir tells of trying to negotiate. But over what? I think there's always someone you can find who will want to lay claim to what is yours. But unless you get to negotiate over what is theirs too, I think "negotiations" are going to be counterproductive. The land-poor Israelis will feel cheated because it is their land that will be stolen. The Arabs will feel cheated because even though the principle has been established that they are entitled to steal Jewish land, they won't get all of it. So I was unimpressed with Savir.

Anthony Lewis has an interesting article in which he doubts that a new Arab state will benefit anyone. I have to agree with that assessment. The fact that we disagree politically does not change that.

Ed Said says that the Arab and Jewish narratives are incompatible. He implies that the Jews are wrong but will not change their minds. But I think the whole idea of narratives is silly. If we want to get our history right, no one is stopping us. There is one truth, not many truths. And he pretends to be realistic and moderate when he proposes to let evil Israel exist, as long as it ceases to be a refuge for Jews (he demands to get rid of the Law of Return). Isn't that the least the grateful Jews can do if the Arabs agree not to crush them? Well, no, it isn't. There are over 5 million Jews in Israel. And if we are to have peace, they will need to have rights too.

The book finishes with an article by Robert Stone, who makes the obvious statement that the Arabs won't leave unless forced to do so. That's a truly stupid note to end on. After all, the Arabs have millions of square kilometers to live on. The Middle Eastern Jews are restricted to Israel. If any side is going to be bought out of the Levant in peacetime, it will be the Arabs.

There are some interesting excerpts and articles in this book, but there's much better material out there.

Three Wishes: Palestinian and Israeli Children Speak

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Illiterate Review
FEAR! Fear of soldiers, fear of bombs, fear of guns, fear of dying, but most of all, there is fear of each other.

Three Wishes: Palestinian and Israeli Children Speak
Deborah Ellis
Manufacturer: Groundwood Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Middle East | History & Historical Fiction | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0888996454

Book Description

Deborah Ellis's enormously popular Breadwinner trilogy recounted the experiences of children living in Afghanistan; now Ellis turns her attention to the young people of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. After visiting the region to conduct interviews, she presents their stories here — in their own words. Twelve-year-old Nora, eleven-year-old Mohammad, and many others speak directly about their lives — which prove to be both ordinary and extraordinary: They argue with their siblings. They hate spinach. They have wishes for the future. Yet they have also seen their homes destroyed and families killed, and live amidst constant upheaval and violence.

This simple, telling book allows young readers everywhere to see that the children caught in this conflict are just like them — but living far more difficult and dangerous lives. Without taking sides, it presents an unblinking portrait of children victimized by the endless struggle around them.

Customer Reviews:

Illiterate Review.......2007-09-05

Your lead review from a School Library Journal was written by someone lacking in English (e.g. she does not know that the plural of soldier is soldiers - NOT soldier's}.

FEAR! Fear of soldiers, fear of bombs, fear of guns, fear of dying, but most of all, there is fear of each other........2007-09-02

"I know there is a war going on, but I don't know why.... I hear about bombs on the television, about bombs going off in shops and on buses and it makes me afraid."

FEAR! Fear of soldiers, fear of bombs, fear of guns, fear of dying, but most of all, there is fear of each other.

Author Deborah Ellis visits this war torn region to see how children live their everyday life in the middle of a terrifying war.

Read this book to find out how peoples' choices of war are affecting Palestinian and Israeli children's lives.

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