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The Rise and Fall of Alexandria
- Birthplace of the Modern Mind
- Narrated by: Simon Vance
- Length: 11 hrs and 30 mins
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Publisher's summary
It was here mankind first discovered that the earth was not flat, originated atomic theory, invented geometry, systematized grammar, translated the Old Testament into Greek, built the steam engine, and passed their discoveries on to future generations via the written word. Julius Caesar, Mark Antony, Cleopatra, Jewish scholars, Greek philosophers, and devout early Christians all play a part in the rise and fall of the city that stood "at the conjunction of the whole world". Sparkling with fresh insights into science, philosophy, culture, and invention, this is an irresistible, edifying delight.
Critic reviews
"A nourishing account." (Publishers Weekly)
"Classical history buffs will savor this survey." (Booklist)
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Taken together, the civilizations of Sumer, Assyria, and Persia have helped form the modern makeup of Mesopotamia, western Asia, and the world. However, to really understand why things are the way they are, it’s important to break up this historical timeline and spend some time learning about each society. Only by doing this will you be able to fully appreciate the powerful impact these ancient peoples had on our modern world.
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“Divulian”?
- By SBrown on 03-20-19
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The House of Wisdom
- How the Arabs Transformed Western Civilization
- By: Jonathan Lyons
- Narrated by: Jay Snyder
- Length: 9 hrs and 37 mins
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Here is the remarkable story of how medieval Arab scholars made dazzling advances in science and philosophy, and of the itinerant Europeans who brought this knowledge back to the West. For centuries following the fall of Rome, Western Europe was a benighted backwater, a world of subsistence farming, minimal literacy, and violent conflict. Meanwhile, Arab culture was thriving, dazzling those Europeans fortunate enough to catch even a glimpse.
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Missing history
- By Robert on 11-26-11
By: Jonathan Lyons
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Sailing from Byzantium
- How a Lost Empire Shaped the World
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A gripping intellectual adventure story, Sailing from Byzantium sweeps you from the deserts of Arabia to the dark forests of northern Russia, from the colorful towns of Renaissance Italy to the final moments of a millennial city under siege.
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The Missing Years
- By Nikoli Gogol on 12-29-07
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The Cave and the Light
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The Cave and the Light reveals how two Greek philosophers became the twin fountainheads of Western culture, and how their rivalry gave Western civilization its unique dynamism down to the present.
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All of Western Philosphy Leads to Ayn Rand?!?
- By Leslie on 06-22-15
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The Written World
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Martin Puchner leads us on a remarkable journey through time and around the globe to reveal the powerful role stories and literature have played in creating the world we have today. Puchner introduces us to numerous visionaries as he explores 16 foundational texts selected from more than 4,000 years of world literature and reveals how writing has inspired the rise and fall of empires and nations, the spark of philosophical and political ideas, and the birth of religious beliefs. Indeed, literature has touched generations and changed the course of history.
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Powerful and illuminating!
- By Gloria J. Petit-Clair on 12-04-17
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Hadrian and the Triumph of Rome
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Acclaimed British historian Anthony Everitt delivers a compelling account of the former orphan who became Roman emperor in A.D. 117 after the death of his guardian Trajan. Hadrian strengthened Rome by ending territorial expansion and fortifying existing borders. And - except for the uprising he triggered in Judea - his strength-based diplomacy brought peace to the realm after a century of warfare.
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A Biography "too tall for the height of the cella"
- By Darwin8u on 08-23-12
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The Sign and the Seal
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The fate of the Lost Ark of the Covenant is one of the great historical mysteries of all time. The Bible contains hundreds of references to the Ark's power, but the Ark itself mysteriously disappears from recorded history sometime after the building of the Temple of Solomon. After 10 years of searching through the dusty archives of Europe and the Middle East, Graham Hancock has succeeded where scores of others have failed. This intrepid journalist has tracked down the true story behind the myths and legends - revealing where the Ark is today, how it got there, and why it remains hidden.
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Ridiculous.
- By D. MacNair on 11-09-19
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Sailing the Wine-Dark Sea
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Best selling history writer Thomas Cahill continues his series on the roots of Western civilization with this volume about the contributions of ancient Greece to the development of contemporary culture. Tracing the origin of Greek culture in the migrations of armed Indo-European horsemen into Attica and the Peloponnesian peninsula, he follows their progress into the creation of the Greek city-states, the refinement of their machinery of war, and the flowering of intellectual and artistic culture.
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Super super
- By Richard on 12-28-03
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Ibn Khaldun
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Ibn Khaldun (1332-1406) is generally regarded as the greatest intellectual ever to have appeared in the Arab world - a genius who ranks as one of the world's great minds. Yet the author of the Muqaddima, the most important study of history ever produced in the Islamic world, is not as well known as he should be, and his ideas are widely misunderstood. In this groundbreaking intellectual biography, Robert Irwin provides an engaging and authoritative account of Ibn Khaldun's extraordinary life, times, writings, and ideas.
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Issues with accuracy, pronounciation
- By Moh 3aly on 01-02-19
By: Robert Irwin
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What listeners say about The Rise and Fall of Alexandria
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Jessica S.
- 08-23-21
A Lively Telling of the Story of the Cradle of Western Learning
Everyone who has ever graduated from a Western university has encountered tales of Alexandria, of it’s fabled lighthouse as one-off the seven wonders of the ancient world, and of the incomprehensible loss of the knowledge contained in its greatest jewel, the library. Every English major has at some point encountered Shakespeare’s “Anthony and Cleopatra.” But most of us know little more. We are unaware of the role the city played in the development of science, mathematics, astronomy, geography, cartography, philosophy, medicine, and every disciple studied to this day; the rise of the West as the world’s dominant cultural and political power; the development of Christianity upon a Neoplatonic framework and its rise to preeminence in the West above all other religions. In all these things Alexandria played a pivotal role. All because Alexander the Great sought a deep harbor from which to ship the vast wealth of Egypt and a city in which to proclaim himself god-emperor of the world.
“The Rise and Fall of Alexandria: Birthplace of the Modern World” by documentarians Justin Pollard and Howard Reid organizes all of the major events of the history of that great city which we are all familiar with, plus so many more we aren’t, into an orderly timeline and fleshes them out in a comprehensive and comprehensible manner. Told in documentary style in the form of a lively narrative filled with interesting characters and ably performed by Simon Vance, “The Rise and Fall of Alexandria” breathes life into that nearly forgotten nursery of the Western mind that has since slipped beneath the Mediterranean Sea and the sands of the Sahara well as the sands of time.
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- Bennie Rosas
- 01-03-21
Unbelievably Epic
This is the kind of history that changes my whole world view. It is very nicely written and performed. Each character and moment in this epic history comes alive, in turn, and is subsequently buried by the tragedies that ensure.
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Overall
- Leigh A
- 09-08-08
A wonderfull walk
Highly recommend to anyone interested in history, any history. I throw my hat in with the other reviewers, this book is how history should be written. It ties facts with what you know so that you find yourself nodding and wondering why you had not figured that one out. They weave their narrative with events, people and places so well that you feel you know where they are taking you but lighting up sights you have never seen. For ancient history buffs it is a must read.
Nothing helps a good book like a good narrator. Simon Vance has been and continues to be at the top of this profession. With 152 narrations on audible I have a lot of listening to do.
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22 people found this helpful
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Overall
- Amazon Customer
- 10-05-09
Birthplace Of Knowledge
Some might feel that Alexandria was not the start of the modern thinking mind. I differ on that feeling. This book points out the reasons for that sentiment. This was the place where all the original thinkers came from. Yes, Greece started it, but Alexandria completes it. This book is excellent and covers everything a person would want to know about ancient Alexandria and more. This book also serves as a good lead-in to any history of the Roman Empire as well. The narration is good. The book never lags in its coverage of this magnificent city and all the treasures it holds for the listener. I say enjoy. Worth the listen!
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9 people found this helpful
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- Jeff
- 03-25-12
A rare topic
This is a gratifying read on a fascinating place and time. I had always wondered about the great library in Alexandria and always greatly mourned its demise. The great library's destruction is one of mankind's greatest losses! This read actually covers quite a bit on the time period putting context on this amazing city's rise and fall. An enriching read. Recommended.
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4 people found this helpful
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- Mark D. Jones
- 05-10-12
What a sad and tragic tale.
The story of Alexandria is far larger and richer than I had imagined. This book could have gone on for 22 hours and still not felt too long or too detailed. Well told, complete with the back stories and sidebars, the personalities and history.
It is interesting to hear how even in 177AD was talking about how low brow (intellectually) Christianity was. How it seemed to seek out those least disposed to reasoning, something we see today with the Republican party and the religious "Right".
If we could only learn from history, maybe we wouldn't have to destroy our country like the Romans and Christians destroyed Alexandria.
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3 people found this helpful
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- Scott
- 01-22-18
Very well written
Keeps the listener entertained.Fast paced knowledge that'll keep you in front of the learning curve!
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- Hectoris
- 08-23-19
Enjoyable if you like history.
An interesting well written and read piece on Egypt and the region, however it is not a significant work, such as Gibbons Decline and Fall, it is more a missing addendum to that work. What it portrays is that the Alexandrian effect whilst important was time based over a relatively short span, vis a vis the Roman Empire which left a lasting mark on our civilization.
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Overall
- James R. Ellis
- 10-23-10
Alexandria not Rome, Athens or Judea World Center
If you think Rome, Athens or Judea were the center of the Ancient World--Think Again. The book describes the rise of Alexandria as the first Planned City to attract knowledge workers, traders and world leaders. A 10 Century saga that covers all aspects of life, the influence of the Ptolemy Dynasty to Cleopatra, the great thinkers from Euclid, the Great Library, the Lighthouse just for starters. A must read for history buffs et al
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Overall
- Tad Davis
- 06-28-11
Brilliant
I'd read a little bit about Alexandria (mostly in Stacy Schiff's book on Cleopatra), but I never dreamed its history was so intimately connected with such vast stretches of the intellectual, political, and religious history of the ancient world. Pollard and Reid spin a fascinating yarn that unites Alexander the Great, the Septuagint, maps of the world, clocks and odometers, Cleopatra, the steam engine, animatronics, and the brutal killing of Hypatia in a single overarching narrative. And when I mention those items of particular interest (to me), I'm only scratching the surface. A brilliant history with an unusual approach, and (as usual) impeccable narration from Simon Vance.
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29 people found this helpful