A COMPANION TO GLOBAL HISTORICAL THOUGHT A Companion to Global Historical Thought provides an overview of the development of historical thinking from the earliest times to the present, directly addressing issues of historiography in a globalized context. Questions concerning the global dissemination of historical writing and the relationship between historiography and other ways of representing the past have become important not only in the academic study of history, but also in public arenas in many countries. With contributions from leading international scholars, the book considers the problem of “the global” – in the multiplicity of traditions of narrating the past; in the global dissemination of modern historical writing; and of “the global” as a concept animating historical imaginations. It explores the different intellectual approaches that have shaped the discipline of history, and the challenges posed by modernity and globalization, while illustrating the shifts in thinking about time and the emergence of historical thought. Complementing A Companion to Western Historical Thought, this book places non-Western perspectives on historiography at the center of discussion, helping scholars and students alike make sense of the discipline at the start of the twenty-first century.

The Greatest Military Leader in History Alexander III of Macedon, better known to the world as Alexander the Great, was one of the most powerful rulers of the ancient world. During his time, he amassed the largest amount of land that the Greek empire would ever see. He seemed to capture land with ease and managed to spread the culture and language of the Greek empire far and wide, ushering in what is referred to as the Hellenic Period. Born the son of King Philip II of Macedon and his main wife, Olympias, Alexander had a privileged upbringing. While much about his childhood has been lost to the proverbial sands of time, we know that he had a very close relationship with his mother and a rather tumultuous relationship with his father, as his father was gone a good deal of the time, conquering lands and their women. It was during the time of his father that the various Greek city-states came together under a single ruler. Dubbed the League of Corinth, it was comprised of all the regional city-states and Philip II was the sole leader of the League. He was, unfortunately, unexpectedly assassinated at his daughter's wedding, which threw the League and Macedonia into a bit of chaos...

A major new history of classical Greece—how it rose, how it fell, and what we can learn from it Lord Byron described Greece as great, fallen, and immortal, a characterization more apt than he knew. Through most of its long history, Greece was poor. But in the classical era, Greece was densely populated and highly urbanized. Many surprisingly healthy Greeks lived in remarkably big houses and worked for high wages at specialized occupations. Middle-class spending drove sustained economic growth and classical wealth produced a stunning cultural efflorescence lasting hundreds of years. Why did Greece reach such heights in the classical period—and why only then? And how, after "the Greek miracle" had endured for centuries, did the Macedonians defeat the Greeks, seemingly bringing an end to their glory? Drawing on a massive body of newly available data and employing novel approaches to evidence, Josiah Ober offers a major new history of classical Greece and an unprecedented account of its rise and fall. Ober argues that Greece's rise was no miracle but rather the result of political breakthroughs and economic development. The extraordinary emergence of citizen-centered city-states transformed Greece into a society that defeated the mighty Persian Empire. Yet Philip and Alexander of Macedon were able to beat the Greeks in the Battle of Chaeronea in 338 BCE, a victory made possible by the Macedonians' appropriation of Greek innovations. After Alexander's death, battle-hardened warlords fought ruthlessly over the remnants of his empire. But Greek cities remained populous and wealthy, their economy and culture surviving to be passed on to the Romans—and to us. A compelling narrative filled with uncanny modern parallels, this is a book for anyone interested in how great civilizations are born and die. This book is based on evidence available on a new interactive website. To learn more, please visit: http://polis.stanford.edu/.

Human civilization recognizes that there is a boundary between the past and the present, a boundary that delineates the time when society began to emerge out of the diaphanous clouds of mythology and recognize that people lived in a world in which nature and thought, and not the impulsive, retributive acts of the gods, determined the course of the world's direction. It's no surprise that this dividing line between tale and truth first emerged with the Greeks, those lovers of logic, experiment, and argument, as they first gained traction on the slippery slope of human curiosity. Pythagoras, an Ionian Greek, is perhaps the first person to describe himself as a philosopher, a lover of wisdom or, as he defined it, one who attempts to know. Because of his influence on the philosopher Plato, Pythagoras is recognized as a crucial building block in the evolution of Western thought. His contributions to the fields of mathematics, philosophy, music and the sciences are acknowledged as influences which have endured long after his time of influence in the sixth century BCE. In the world of the intellect, the Greeks were heavy hitters and many names have traveled through the centuries, continuing to teach and enlighten us about the universe on a grand scale and our humble selves, on a much less grand, but no less significant, level. Philosophy taught human beings that the unexamined life was not worth living. His colleagues in philosophy turned self-examination into an art and a science, delving deep into human motivation, purpose, and existence. The Greeks ignited a fire of learning in the Ancient World. They were not the only civilization to bestow their intellect upon posterity, but it's a mark of their legacy that centuries after their time of glory, they are still regarded as a high water mark of human achievement. Why, exactly, they were so renowned as the brainiacs of the globe can be attributed to a variety of things, but what is certain is that even when mightier powers such as Rome conquered them, the Romans prized their learning, spreading it throughout their own mighty empire. The seeds of Greek learning were planted in fields far from Athens and eventually would spread across the Mediterranean Sea to become the foundation of Western culture as we know it.

For centuries the world has been misled about the original source of the Arts and Sciences; for centuries Socrates, Plato and Aristotle have been falsely idolized as models of intellectual greatness; and for centuries the African continent has been called the Dark Continent, because Europe coveted the honor of transmitting to the world, the Arts and Sciences. It is indeed surprising how, for centuries, the Greeks have been praised by the Western World for intellectual accomplishments which belong without a doubt to the Egyptians or the peoples of North Africa.

The legend of Achilles is one of the greatest legends in the Greek mythology and one of its oldest. His fame survived through centuries and his legend is enhanced by thousands of details in the Iliad poem. Achilles' best traits are glory and honor, he was so eager to follow these exploits with his inseparable friend Patroclus. He preferred, despite the multiple warnings of his mother Thetis, a short but glorious life. Thetis ́ beauty, bravery, fortitude and valuable protection that she provided to Achilles would grant him the approval of Greek Goddesses, such as Hera and Athena, which greatly helped him to increase his fame. He was actually more than just a hero; Achilles was considered in ancient times as a demi-god and revered in many parts of Greece. He dedicated his entire life to pursuing a glorious afterlife, seeking to be surrounded by his deities with whom he shared his life and pleasures in an eternal joy atmosphere, interspersed with feasting and fighting endlessly for the sake of honor and greatness. Achilles decided consciously to leave his human life behind and engrave his name through his noble acts in the Greek world and the world in general. He wanted history to identify him as an "immortal God" rather than a coward who chose a long life over fighting to his last breath in a battle of death. By choosing a short life, Achilles has given history the reason to remember him for eternity and built his legend, because after all his choice complies with what he is and who he truly was; a Goddess and a king's child. The courage he displayed, which his name is forever associated with, is what true heroism is about.

A history of ancient Greek life and thought from the Mycenaean kings to Alexander, Aristotle and Diogenes.