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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
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- Narrated by: Jay Snyder
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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
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Sailing from Byzantium
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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
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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?!?
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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!
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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"
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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 (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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Overall
- Bonnie
- 09-18-07
Touching on so many facts
I love history, and the ancients have always fascinated me, for with out them who would we be. The loss of the library of Alexandria is something that to this day breaks my heart. What wonders could have been transcribed. But this book has many little nuances about the different classes of citizens that inhabited the city over the ages enlightening and enjoyable.
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16 people found this helpful
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Overall
- Jerez Art
- 07-04-11
Excellent book!!!!!!
I really enjoyed the book, very good and complete, excellent narration, highly recomended, this is a must read for anyone that loves history, Egypt or if you want to have a very good time.
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Overall
- Terence Lowery
- 09-13-18
The true birthplace of modern society.
This document is a startling account of a profound history of an idea that was made manifest by a single man, (Alexander the Great) and moved forward by the genius of the individuals who held his beliefs in their hearts and minds. The research of this book, by the authors is mind boggelng and fascinating. The narration by Simon Vance is superb.
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Overall
- Christopher
- 09-06-10
Written and read the way history should be
I enjoyed this book immensely. Written and read the way history should be; like a story. This book offers a very broad and scholarly view of Alexandria without becoming boring or seeming like just a download of information. An excellent journey through the formation and pivotal role of Alexandria in the ancient world.
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- luke haughwout
- 08-31-18
Very Interesting Glimpse into a Forgotten Past
How smart were people over 2000 years ago? Pretty effing smart. I found this to be a super interesting audiobook with a great narrator who helped bring the ancient world to life. We had all this knowledge that was lost and rediscovered hundreds of years later.
It gets a bit dull towards the end, dealing with Christian mystical philosophy, but that is part of the story. I loved the stories about measuring the earth with a sundial and ancient computers!
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- andrew
- 03-12-18
.
simply the best book of great antiquity. fascinating bold honesty and human . a great book.
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- Alexander
- 06-23-23
An absolute Gem.
Everyone can learn something from this. History is done right here, especially if you are interested in the Religion of Christianity and the Jews.
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Overall
- Nikolas
- 04-17-10
A must read
This book gives an excellent description of the Greek, Egyptian and Roman history for about 500 years (400 BC to 100 AD) around the Mediterranean Sea and Middle East. It deals with philosophy, medicine, astronomy, physics, alchemy, geography, religion, war tacticts and more.... Such a wealth of knowledge. Not to mention the perfect narration.
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13 people found this helpful
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- carl801
- 05-25-12
This is History done right!
Can you call an audiobook a "page turner?" Well, maybe not, but the authors are such masters of their subject and display such eloquence and insight that I found myself saying, "Wow, that was interesting! What's next?" This is not your average dry and dusty history book, that much is for sure.
Well, to be fair, history did give them a wonderful cast to work with. Alexander the Great, Ptolemy Soter, Pythagoras, Archimedes, Aristarchus, Eratosthenes, Julius Caesar, Cleopatra, Mark Anthony, Claudius Ptolemy, Philo, Caligula, Caracala, Hypatia of Alexandria and many, many more. From the story of Alexander himself laying out the streets ca 300 BCE to the final dousing of the candle of knowledge before plunging in to the dark ages ca 600 CE, this is the story of a city like no other before or since. It was born from a vision, lived and flourished, and then like all good things, it died, the victim of its own brash nature and (in my opinion) the ultimately destructive forces of greed and revealed religions. But along the way, Alexandria taught us how to think.
This is a great read. The reader doesn't get in the way of the text, which is the third best thing you can say about a narrator.
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- Jean
- 06-30-18
Edifying
I learned so much from this book about not only Alexandria but of Egypt and the Mediterranean. The book covered the economy, history and existing knowledge of the ancient era. I guess if you think of the library and museum of Alexandria in modern day terms, it would be called a university, a think tank as well as a library. I did note that Alexandrea was a diverse city of Egyptians, Jews, Greeks, Romans and people from neighboring countries. It is amazing to realize the city was designed to have a sewer system, running water, as well as the city was laid out with streets and buildings.
The book was well written and meticulously researched. I found the section about Hypatia (350-370-415 A.D.) to be most interesting. The way the author told the story has triggered me to want to learn more about Hypatia. She was a mathematician and philosopher in the later days of Alexandria and was considered a great teacher. I enjoyed the book and highly recommend it.
It is eleven and a half hours. Simon Vance does an excellent job narrating the book. Vance is a well known award-winning audiobook narrator.
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