An eminent scholar explores the evolution of music, from the ecstatic singing of early civilizations to the development of more structured styles in Egypt, East Asia, Rome, and other regions.

This vol. ranges from the ecstatic singing and Shaman songs of early civilizations to the development of more structured styles in Egypt, East Asia, India, Greece, Rome, the Middle East, and Europe. Illus. depict players and orchestras from China, Korea, Burma, India, and Egypt. A survey of music in early societies leads to exam¿s. of comparative musicology and its methods, melodic styles, rhythm and instrumental music, and polyphony. In the Western Orient and Eastern Asia, the author discusses musical systems in general, along with the concepts of scales, melody and rhythm, and notation. Also explores India¿s Vedic chants and ragas, the early modes of Greece and Rome, and the influence of the music of Islam. Repub. of the 1943 edition.

"As panoramic as it is learned, this is ancient history for our globalized world." -- Tom Holland, author of Dynasty and Rubicon Twenty-five-hundred years ago, civilizations around the world entered a revolutionary new era that overturned old order and laid the foundation for our world today. In the face of massive social changes across three continents, radical new forms of government emerged; mighty wars were fought over trade, religion, and ideology; and new faiths were ruthlessly employed to unify vast empires. The histories of Rome and China, Greece and India-the stories of Constantine and Confucius, Qin Shi Huangdi and Hannibal-are here revealed to be interconnected incidents in the midst of a greater drama. In Ancient Worlds, historian Michael Scott presents a gripping narrative of this unique age in human civilization, showing how diverse societies responded to similar pressures and how they influenced one another: through conquest and conversion, through trade in people, goods, and ideas. An ambitious reinvention of our grandest histories, Ancient Worlds reveals new truths about our common human heritage. "A bold and imaginative page-turner that challenges ideas about the world of antiquity." UPeter Frankopan, author of The Silk Roads