The Ancients in Their Own Words

by Michael Kerrigan

Synopsis Packed with inscriptions dating from third millennium Mesopotamia to the Roman era, The Ancients in their Own Words offers an exciting way of understanding the ancient world through the words of the people of the times. The lives and words of the great and good- emperors, pharaohs, kings, and philosophers- are recorded, as well as those of ordinary people, such as restaurant owners, doctors, farmers, gladiators, and soldiers. The book includes samples of inscriptions from every major ancient civilization, from the third millennium BC Sargon Legend to Roman inscriptions dating from the fourth century AD. The book includes translations from well-known sources such as the Old Babylonian Code of Hammurabi, the Assyrian Sennacherib's Prism, Egyptian pharaoh Ptolemy V's Rosetta Stone, and the Greek Parian Marble, as well as many less-known inscriptions such as the Semitic Ebla Tablets, the Phoenician Kilamuwa Stela, and the Etruscan Pyrgi Plaques. Each inscription is accompanied by a translation, background context, and feature explaining a little-known aspect of the author, subject, or culture. Rendered into modern English, the quotations gives the lay reader an insight into the laws, lives, customs, and concerns of people who lived many thousands of years ago.

Genres: History, Reference, Nonfiction

224 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2009

About the author

Michael Kerrigan is a seasoned freelance writer and editor with over thirty years of experience across a wide spectrum of publishing work, from advertising and catalogue copy to book blurbs and specialist nonfiction. A prolific author, he has written around sixty full-length books on subjects ranging from ancient warfare and Slavic myth to modern architecture and the science of consciousness, all aimed at a general readership. He contributed a weekly Books in Brief column to The Scotsman for two decades and has reviewed extensively for the Times Literary Supplement, The Guardian, and Financial Times.

Reviews

[Syaddad Bahalwan · Rating 1 out of 5]

Gaya penerjemahannya jelek, jadinya membingungkan

[Stephen Bedard · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a beautiful book that is worth it just for the pictures. It is a wonderful introduction to the ancient world in a fresh way.