Ancient Worlds: The Search for the Origins of Western Civilization

by Richard Miles

This is the book of the Major BBC2 Series. Across the Middle East, the Mediterranean and the Nile Delta, awe-inspiring, monstrous ruins are scattered across the landscape - vast palaces, temples, fortresses, shattered statues of ancient gods, carvings praising the eternal power of long-forgotten dynasties. These ruins - the remainder of thousands of years of human civilization - are both inspirational in their grandeur, and terrible in that their once teeming centres of population were all ultimately destroyed and abandoned. In this major new book, Richard Miles recreates these extraordinary cities, ranging from the Euphrates to the Roman Empire, to understand the roots of human civilization. His challenge is to make us understand that the cities which define culture, religion and economic success and which are humanity's greatest invention, have always had a cruel edge to them, building systems that have provided both amazing opportunities and back-breaking hardship. Miles is above all fascinated by the compromises that make the city work - the mixture of coercion and desire, ceremony and justice, the great public and private spaces created and recreated across the ancient world that defined the focus and meaning of human civilization. This exhilarating, beautifully illustrated book is both a pleasure to read and a challenge to us all to think about our past - and about the present.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Ancient History, Cultural, Greece, Archaeology, Ancient

320 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 2010

Reviews

[Marc Lamot · Rating 1 out of 5]

All right, I've given this 50 pages, plenty of opportunity to prove itself, I guess. But this is really depressing: unnecessary dramatizations, an accumulation of clichés, sometimes completely outdated views, and above all a discredited concept of civilization. It's as if this book was written in 1960 and not in 2010. I hadn't noticed it at first, but apparently this is the accompanying book to a BBC series, and that explains a few things. Normally you would expect a high scientific level from the BBC, but this is seriously disappointing. I have no doubt that the TV series delivers dazzling visuals, hopping from one region to the next, and that the narrated story sounds smooth and compelling, but this way of storytelling completely breathes the atmosphere of 50 years ago.

Just to illustrate my harsh judgment I offer a few quotes: "here I celebrate civilization and humanity's steady appetite to rebuild after the mighty collapse of entire empires". Or also: “what will become clear is that the march of civilization is more often a painful odyssey, revisiting the same mistakes and failed solutions time and again. But civilization marks the ultimate triumph of hope over experience.” I should see the TV series, but I’m pretty sure that under these solemn phrases there are exuberant horns blaring. Yikes. About the purely scientific errors in this book, see my History account on Goodreads https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Sense of History]

“The beginnings of Sumerian civilization were sown when the heads of several different family groups resolved that their chances of a prosperous and secure future would be enhance if they worked together as a more or less permanent collective.” Really? Is this a fiction writer talking, or a professional historian? Richard Miles (° 1969) is professor of Roman History and Archaeology at the University of Sydney, with a PhD degree from Cambridge (Great Britain), so let’s say he sure earned his spurs. But I’m afraid that isn’t really visible in this book, accompanying the BBC2- television series ‘Ancient Worlds’ (2010): it is superficial, unnecessarily dramatizing and, above all, sometimes simply scientifically outdated. Take this, in the chapter on Mesopotamian history: “Agriculture predates the first cities by thousands of years”, this is manifestly wrong, at least for the Near East, where the first cities predated full blown agriculture. Or calling the temples in Mesopotamia the “dynamic engines powering the formation of the first redistributive economies”, is a view that isn’t followed any more in specialized studies. It looks as if Miles only read books of decades ago, ignoring for instance the revolutionary results ancient DNA-studies now are revealing. Also the way he presents certain events is manifestly wrong, like calling the destruction of the Akkadian empire (around 2.000 BCE) by nomadic people the start of a Dark Age, whilst just a few years later the remarkable culture of Ur III resurfaced? I don’t get it. How could the BBC let this pass? Perhaps this book is better when it touches upon Carthage and the Roman Empire, the area of expertise of Miles, but I didn't have the patience to wait for it.

[Iset · Rating 4 out of 5]

I viewed Miles’ series on which this is based when it aired several years ago, and reading the book, I get the same impression, as one might expect. The story beats are the same – bevel-rimmed bowls, Assyrian love of war, Athenian democratic imposed empire, etc. If you’ve seen the series, this is simply a slightly extended version of that. It’s a whirlwind tour of Mediterranean and Near Eastern big players in ancient times. Such a wide scope obviously means it glosses over a lot, and Miles pretty much just hits up a few key talking points. But that is the purpose of the book – it isn’t for professionals or anyone looking for in-depth information. The book is designed for the general public, as evidenced by the smooth, accessible writing style, and its whistle-stop tour is intended simply to hook the reader into hopefully sparking a passion. I would recommend this to new hobbyists or school students about to embark on further study.

7 out of 10

[Matthew Griffiths · Rating 3 out of 5]

a good introduction to early history of European civilizations starting from the ancient cities of the Iraq region through to the roman empire. charting the complex interplay between different societies and cultures - arguably doing a great job to show much each branch of the tree of civilisation owes to all others. for a basic read on ancient history and the origins of some of the central ideas of western civilisation this isnt a bad starting point at all

[Ray · Rating 5 out of 5]

A frantic gallop through early history, painted on a vast canvas - bringing together complex historic themes and threads and presenting these in a way that I found enjoyable and utterly compelling. I would recommend this to anyone with an interest in ancient history.

[Lothario · Rating 4 out of 5]

The earlier eras in the book were of particular interest to me, such as the early Eastern cities and Phoenicians. A lot of ground is covered so it's a good read to gain a baseline knowledge on Western civilisation. I would like to read more on the older civilisations in more depth

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quite a canvas for 340 pages so unsurprisingly a bit uneven.

The coverage of early Mesopotamian civilisations is quite descriptive and a little patchy. Nevertheless, it sets out the question of why civilisations began to spontaneously form and what their common properties might be.

The Bronze age civilisations are covered more fully and compellingly, with interesting discussions on Egypt and the collapses caused by the "Sea People" and rigidity of theocracies.

However, the discussion of Egypt mirrors the approach taken with Greece and especially with Rome. This is definitely not a chronological perspective, so the focus is strongly on the power structures of the Athenian democracy and Alexander's imperial striding in the east.

The last third of the book implicitly ties together these ideas of civilisation by considering the relative stabilities of Roman power in the various phases of its dominance.

Overall this is a very interesting book and thought-provoking book, at least for a reader with a curiosity and some passing knowledge of the classical civilisations. It is certainly neither a bluffers introduction nor a text in academic depth.

I have not yet been able to see the documentary series it accompanied, but it seems to be more "the book of the film" than the story of ideas which was subsequently filmed.

[Ian Hunter · Rating 3 out of 5]

Is a very easy to read explanation of the first few thousand years or civilization around the fertile crescent and extending to the Mediterranean and western European empire that was Rome. A huge subject, with new discoveries being made almost constantly, but this books maintains it's relevance by staying very high level, and explaining the long term trends which caused humanity to move into cities and build societies which developed into civilization. Personally I didn't learn anything I hadn't already read, but for someone who wants to understand the history of early (western) civilization, this would be a great place to start.

[Kristian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely fascinating! In as little as 350 pages Richard Miles succeeds in bringing ancient civilizations to life. From the banks of the Tiber in Rome to the Akropolis in Athene to the hanging gardens of Babylon: the history and civic structure of ancient cultures are briefly but thoroughly explained.
Amazing job of Miles and I look forward to read his, also fabulous I guess, account of Rome's worst enemy: Carthage.

5*

[Harlen King · Rating 5 out of 5]

Most people have been brainwashed when the subject is on non-white people in History! African/ Black people are all over the globe-Earth. Most people do not want to give credit for inventions, math, medicines, or building anything. Rome and Greece learned from the Egyptians- which are a part of, or in Africa. Today most Egyptians seen in the cities are Arab or a mixture. Go to the countryside - there is where you will see the true Egyptians.

[Caity · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book did a magnificent job of encapsulating multiple ancient civilisations in less than 400 pages. The writing flowed, and complex matters were written in a simple but clever way.
I did find the maps to be a bit random throughout the novel and some more photos between chapters would have benefited my understanding.
However, all in all a great novel and I would recommend.

[Emma · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book goes with a 10 part BBC series, and most of the book goes with the scripts for the series - same wording and sources used.

The book itself is not badly written. It is very vague and does not always follow a consistent time line, leading to some confusion if you are not already familiar with some of the civilisations mentioned. A good introduction to civilisations in the Near East and Mediterranean, but could have done so much more.

[Jackson · Rating 5 out of 5]

An unbelievably good high level overview of history from the beginnings of civilisation to the end of the Roman empire - with insights into political developments and the paradox of civilisation which are still applicable today.

[Roy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thorough and comprehensive

Excellent broad history. Hitting the highlights without getting bogged down in minutiae. Loved it. Will be quite helpful on my trip in two weeks throughout the key areas of this history.

[James Woo · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Daan Dumon · Rating 3 out of 5]

The actual content of this book is great, but the placing of pictures are random, and the badly written text confused me a lot.

[Steve. g · Rating 4 out of 5]

page 53.
'In the twelfth century bc, the Bronze Age cities of the Near East, the eastern Mediterranean and the Aegean suffered a series of disasters on an almost unimaginable scale. In Anatolia the mighty Hittite Empire and in Greece, the Mycenaean kingdoms were toppled. Many of the cities of Syria and the Levant were reduced to rubble. Smaller settlements in more remote locations simply disappeared. The causes of the great Bronze Age collapse and the story of the new worlds that grew up in its wake will be the subject of this chapter. It is a sobering reminder of the fragility of civilisation, but also of its tenacity. For in the new age of iron that followed this ancient Dark Age, civilisation would re-emerge, tempered in the flames of conflict, tougher and more resilient than ever before.'
Terrific, easy, fascinating read. Recommend.

[Carlton · Rating 4 out of 5]

An enjoyable and very readable introduction to the ancient civilisations of Mesopotamia, Egypt, Greece and Rome.
I have read individual books in the past about all these civilisations, and came to this wanting more information about Mesopotamia.
This book presents a persuasive argument about how civilisations have built on previous attempts and how this process works. So as well as coming away with a greater knowledge of Mesopotamia, I also now far better understand why each of these civilisations came into existence and why they failed.
By necessity in a book of this nature, much has to be omitted, but you are free to go and read about what interests you in greater detail.
What it does is try to give you an overarching framework into which to fit the various "ancient worlds" and it does a very good job at this.

[Ross · Rating 4 out of 5]

A whistle-stop tour of ancient civilisations ranging from Babylon to Rome. It skims over a lot of things, and looks at how the civilisations have influenced our modern civilisation. But it's good, with some great insights.

It also highlights the transience of cities and states, and reminds us that while we believe we live in a stable world, shifting borders and populations are the only constant in human history.

[Holly · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed it. It felt like lighter than usual historical reading by a well-researched and knowledgeable author. Full of information and overall, an interesting perspective. Excellent for beginners, or those that are looking for something readable, as opposed to a historical blow by blow. Would also recommend this for precocious younger readers (I would have devoured this when I was 12!) that are Classical history buffs.

[Daniel Kukwa · Rating 4 out of 5]

There is the odd moment where my history-teacher-brain stops and says "I'm not quite sure about THAT point"...but they are few and far between in rather interesting analysis of the progress of civilization. That said, I think the sections prior to reaching Alexander the Great are by far the most effective and fascinating. As concise an ancient civilization bible as you are likely to find.

[Matt · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's so zoomed out from the detail as to be almost maddening at times. But as a superbly written and highly readable whistle-stop introduction to the several millennia of classical history, it's hard to best.

[Susan Franzen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great global overview of the Ancient civilizations. Though unavoidably he has to skip a lot of details and nuances, the book is very informative yet reads very pleasantly. Great as a starting point to learn about the ancients!

[Muslim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Educative and also humorous. It's a good start for beginners like me

[Ashley Chittock · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great whistle stop tour of classical civilisation. Perfect first read for scrubs who don't know which societies they want to delve into deeper.

[Christine Hartweg · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found this annoyingly flat. It got better with the Romans and the ascendancy of Christianity was pretty good.

[Elentarri · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good overview for beginners.