This wonderful story of a young Roman boy, Flavius and his developing compassion for his captured Greek slave will touch your heart. You will learn a great deal about Roman culture observing Flavius' relationships with his family and the sights and sounds of Rome. Drama, personal development, tragedy, hope, compassion, triumph - this story has it all in a form easily understood by the young reader. An excellent introduction to the study of Rome and Greece.

It followed every major military victory in ancient Rome: the successful general drove through the streets to the temple of Jupiter on the Capitoline Hill; behind him streamed his raucous soldiers; in front were his most glamorous prisoners, as well as the booty he’d captured, from enemy ships and precious statues to plants and animals from the conquered territory. Occasionally there was so much on display that the show lasted two or three days. A radical reexamination of this most extraordinary of ancient ceremonies, this book explores the magnificence of the Roman triumph, but also its darker side. What did it mean when the axle broke under Julius Caesar’s chariot? Or when Pompey’s elephants got stuck trying to squeeze through an arch? Or when exotic or pathetic prisoners stole the general’s show? And what are the implications of the Roman triumph, as a celebration of imperialism and military might, for questions about military power and “victory” in our own day? The triumph, Mary Beard contends, prompted the Romans to question as well as celebrate military glory. Her richly illustrated work is a testament to the profound importance of the triumph in Roman culture—and for monarchs, dynasts and generals ever since. But how can we re-create the ceremony as it was celebrated in Rome? How can we piece together its elusive traces in art and literature? Beard addresses these questions, opening a window on the intriguing process of sifting through and making sense of what constitutes “history.”

"An audacious history of Josephus (37-c.100), the Jewish general turned Roman historian, whose emblematic betrayal is a touchstone for the Jew alone in the Gentile world"--Dust jacket flap.

How an impulsive little Quaker girl threw a stone at a friendless boy and the troubles she had before she was fully forgiven. Told in the spirit of the time and place--Nantucket, over a hundred years ago.

For weeks, Lysis had been counting on going to the play-the new play by Euripides that everyone in Athens is talking about. It was to be performed for the first time at the theater of Dionysius on the Acropolis, and Father had promised to take him to see it. And then, the day before they were to go, one of Father's ships is wrecked at Samos. And since shipwrecked goods were claimed be whoever found them first, Father has to leave immediately to try to save some of his cargo. "Of course I can't take you to the play now," he says to Lysis. But because his sister, Callisto, sympathizes with Lysis and cares so much when she hears of his disappointment, she sacrifices her most precious possession to the goddess Athena, and Lysis sees the play after all. But Lysis finds a way for Callisto to go, too, breaking the norms of Greek society. This gentle and timeless story, motivated by sibling loyalty, explores the roles of boys and girls, children and adults in pagan Athens. Athenian slaves and citizens come into focus. The pantheon of Greek gods, goddesses and heroes are seen through the eyes of these children.

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • A NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW AND ECONOMIST BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR “A deeply reported, deeply personal history of Zionism and Israel that does something few books even attempt: It balances the strength and weakness, the idealism and the brutality, the hope and the horror, that has always been at Zionism’s heart.”—Ezra Klein, The New York Times Winner of the Natan Book Award, the National Jewish Book Award, and the Anisfield-Wolf Book Award Ari Shavit’s riveting work, now updated with new material, draws on historical documents, interviews, and private diaries and letters, as well as his own family’s story, to create a narrative larger than the sum of its parts: both personal and of profound historical dimension. As he examines the complexities and contradictions of the Israeli condition, Shavit asks difficult but important questions: Why did Israel come to be? How did it come to be? Can it survive? Culminating with an analysis of the issues and threats that Israel is facing, My Promised Land uses the defining events of the past to shed new light on the present. Shavit’s analysis of Israeli history provides a landmark portrait of a small, vibrant country living on the edge, whose identity and presence play a crucial role in today’s global political landscape.

Young Theras, born an Athenian, is taken to Sparta by a relative when his father is lost at war. He is forced to live like a Spartan, a brutal life with no pity for those who are not physically perfect and totally obedient to Spartan control. After enduring rigorous training and repeated cruel incidents, he escapes with a Perioikoi boy and heads for his beloved Athens. This captures the authentic flavor of ancient Greek culture in a story of adventure and excitement that fully illustrates the differences between the Athenian and Spartan cultures.