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at0ncebecoming's review against another edition
1.0
All of the 1 star reviews and a few of the 2 star reviews says it all. I'm sorry Mr Cantor never got around to reading up on the Dead Sea Scrolls, perhaps he was too uncomfortable with real "facts" staring him in the face.
This is entertainment, at best. Even Brendon Fraser and Harrison Ford have more accurate things to say about history and archaeology.
This is entertainment, at best. Even Brendon Fraser and Harrison Ford have more accurate things to say about history and archaeology.
thegoodmariner's review against another edition
2.0
There’s only about two chapters in this book with enough depth and concision to be useful for much of anything. It’s a survey, but totally all over the place. Hoped to use it for a classroom setting but probably will just photocopy the chapter on Romans and that’s about it.
warhistory4's review
challenging
informative
medium-paced
4.75
Excellent book on how Antiquity shaped the modern realm, showcased Ancient Athens and Rome in a succinct way and went into depth of Judaism and Christian Thought that I had never before seen in a History book.
garyp's review against another edition
3.0
a good summary of classical western history. covers egyptian, near eastern, greek, and roman history up to the fall of the roman empire in the middle of the first millenium. much of the book is a repeat of what many people have already learned in high school history classes. but the book tends to go into much more depth in certain areas and also includes alternative views of history that aren't usually taught in school.
overall a quick read that provides a surprisingly thorough overview, even if its length makes it necessary to omit many things.
overall a quick read that provides a surprisingly thorough overview, even if its length makes it necessary to omit many things.
elisacp's review against another edition
2.0
This book is a sweeping historical overview of the period "from the birth of the Sumerian civilization to the fall of the Roman Empire."
It covers a lot of ground.
It also made me feel weirdly uncomfortable. I felt like the author had clear biases...he dismissed or judged harshly some peoples and their civilizations in a way that seemed non-objective. Certain groups were depicted as more "primitive' than others, but it wasn't justified by his actually factual descriptions of what their lives were like, it seemed injected in because of his attitude or opinion.
it's hard to explain...I would have liked this book for its educational value a lot more, but the tone occasionally made me cranky.
It covers a lot of ground.
It also made me feel weirdly uncomfortable. I felt like the author had clear biases...he dismissed or judged harshly some peoples and their civilizations in a way that seemed non-objective. Certain groups were depicted as more "primitive' than others, but it wasn't justified by his actually factual descriptions of what their lives were like, it seemed injected in because of his attitude or opinion.
it's hard to explain...I would have liked this book for its educational value a lot more, but the tone occasionally made me cranky.
mindingmypeas's review against another edition
1.0
This book was terrible. I expected a history, not an opinion article.
rabbithero's review
2.0
This one took me a while to get through, and, in the end, really proved not worth the effort. In fact, I moreso consider it a success because of the fact that I didn't abandon it, which is something I've been doing with a lot of books of late.
Cantor's work is ambitious, and therein lies its folly. The text attempts to cover so much that its inevitable something is going to get left out, and that's an understandable shortcoming. But when you claim to examine antiquity from the birth of Sumerian civilization to the Fall of the Roman Empire, and then give Sumeria a single paragraph, you know shit's gonna go south fast. Much of what is examined is readily available in more interesting ways in Dan Carlin's excellent Hardcore History podcast, or can be gleaned by reading, well, nearly anything with a passing attention to ancient history.
I suppose this may be useful for the new-comer, but that's an assessment I can't really make, because I am not one. But I feel like a newcomer wouldn't gravitate to this book, and frankly, think they shouldn't. The same information is available elsewhere, and without the agenda.
Cantor's work is ambitious, and therein lies its folly. The text attempts to cover so much that its inevitable something is going to get left out, and that's an understandable shortcoming. But when you claim to examine antiquity from the birth of Sumerian civilization to the Fall of the Roman Empire, and then give Sumeria a single paragraph, you know shit's gonna go south fast. Much of what is examined is readily available in more interesting ways in Dan Carlin's excellent Hardcore History podcast, or can be gleaned by reading, well, nearly anything with a passing attention to ancient history.
I suppose this may be useful for the new-comer, but that's an assessment I can't really make, because I am not one. But I feel like a newcomer wouldn't gravitate to this book, and frankly, think they shouldn't. The same information is available elsewhere, and without the agenda.
krikketgirl's review against another edition
2.0
Started off strong--if dense--but quickly seemed to lose drive. The last half was like hacking my way through a jungle without a machete.
assimbya's review against another edition
2.0
A note to Mr. Cantor: when one writes a brief but apparently authoritative and comprehensively wide-ranging volume on the 'civilization of the ancient world', the proportion of it that concerns the early development of the Judeo-Christian peoples should not exceed oh, say, one-fifth. If that. Antiquity discussed these religious predeccesors of modern Jews and Christians for at least a full third of its length (I can attribute this to no cause but pro-monotheistic prejudice).
The remainder of the book, which discussed the other, and, to be honest, far more contemporaneously significant civilizations of Egypt, Greece, and Rome. And an unbelievably brief section on Mesopotamia. These brief overviews somehow managed to contain the most simplistic and frankly ludicrous literary criticism of Euripides that I have ever read.
Stick to Edith Hamilton for these sort of 'cultural histories'. At least her pretentiousness is well-deserved.
The remainder of the book, which discussed the other, and, to be honest, far more contemporaneously significant civilizations of Egypt, Greece, and Rome. And an unbelievably brief section on Mesopotamia. These brief overviews somehow managed to contain the most simplistic and frankly ludicrous literary criticism of Euripides that I have ever read.
Stick to Edith Hamilton for these sort of 'cultural histories'. At least her pretentiousness is well-deserved.
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