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Plutarch’s series of biographies was the first of its kind, as much ground breaking in conception as Herodotus was with his Histories. Plutarch looked at the great men of the Ancient World and told their stories, in many cases drawing on sources no longer available to us. They offer a unique insight into the characters as well as the achievements of men who influenced their age and the empires that their culture dominated. They are as accessible now as they were when they were first written.is the companion volume to Roman Lives.

On the Shortness of Life was written by Seneca around the year 49AD. He argues that we waste so much time because we do not properly value it. We expend great effort in protecting other valuables such as money and property, but because time appears intangible, we allow others to occupy it and take time away from us. Wise people, on the other hand, understand that time is the most valuable of all resources, and with effort can free themselves from external control to engage in meaningful introspection and create an intentional life.

Xenophon was an ancient Greek philosopher, historian, soldier, and student of Socrates. In the dialogue between the poet Simonides and Hiero, tyrant of Syracuse, Xenophon discusses the burdens of being an absolute dictator and the superior happiness of the private individual.

First published in 1752, "Micromegas" is one of Voltaire’s best-known works. It is a tale of mordant irony, and actually the original science-fiction short story. Arriving on Earth from the star Sirius, the gigantic explorer Micromegas discovers the people of Earth, so small compared to him that he first believes that no creature this size can hope to achieve any degree of intelligence; he will soon discover the ways and thoughts of these diminutive people, who clearly have an over-inflated idea of their own importance in the universe. Voltaire's extrapolations of sun-powered interstellar flight, alien civilizations, and the two moons of Mars, are designed to make us see ourselves in a new light and laugh at what we find.

After Zeus has learned that Prometheus stole his sovereign property, fire, and conveyed it to mankind, he orders Hephaistos, under the direction of Power and Force, to bind his adversary to an arduous crag of most difficult remoteness on the earth. As the Titan responds to this punishment, the reader is inspired with the fire of individual affirmation, devoted indomitably to life and liberty.

His victories won him many supporters, but they also earned him enemies. This easy-to-listen-to biography offers a fascinating look at the life of Alexander and the world in which he lived.

"The Iliad" tells the epic story of the war of Troy and its ten-year siege, bloody battles and great heroes. The mighty warrior Achilles, whose mother held him by the heel while immerging him in the river Styx to make him invulnerable, his brave companion Patroclus, kings and gods compete alike for the glory of ancient Greece, which is still resonating today.

Слава виднейшего политического, государственного и военного деятеля Гая Юлия Цезаря и по сей день является нравственно-политическим ориентиром для многих политиков. Среди многочисленных дарований Цезаря признается его литературный талант и выдающиеся способности военного историка. Подтверждение тому — книги «Записки о Галльской войне» и «Гражданская война». Это не только талантливые мемуары, но и неподражаемый образец истинно романского литературного стиля, образец древнеримской классической литературы.

Most of the great Greek stories and epic tales are initiated over women, which is exactly what happens in the very beginning of The Iliad by Homer. The Trojan War has been waging for nearly a decade, and really erupted when Helen, the wife to Menelaos, was kidnapped and thus launched the "thousand ships" in pursuit of her. This is the reason that the Achaians and the Trojans have been fighting each other for so long. Achilles, who has become hero to the Greeks, is given the present of a slave girl for his excellence in battle.

Medea es una obra teatral en la que el personaje principal, Medea, mata a sus hijos para vengarse de su esposo, quien la ha dejado por otra mujer. A pesar de lo terrible de este acto, se ha identificado a este personaje con la mujer enganada. El analisis de esta obra ha generado muchas controversias. Esta es la obra mas famosa de Eurpides.

Balancing a lighthearted approach with profound psychological insight, Ovid tells a thrilling tale of male and female and of divinity and humanity.

Led by his guide Beatrice, Dante leaves the Earth behind and soars through the heavenly spheres of Paradise. In this third and final part of The Divine Comedy, Dante encounters the just rulers and holy saints of the Church. The horrors of the Inferno and the trails of Purgatory are left far behind. Ultimately, in Paradise, Dante is granted a vision of God's Heavenly court - the angels, the Blessed Virgin, and God Himself.

Le Metamorfosi di Ovidio, insieme all'Iliade, l'Odissea e l'Eneide, è il libro più famoso ed importante che ci sia arrivato dall'antichità. Diviso in 15 libri, contiene circa 250 miti che hanno in comune il tema della trasformazione. Molti dei protagonisti di questi miti sono alla base della nostra cultura. Solo per fare qualche esempio: Eco, Narciso, Europa, Medea, Arianna, Pigmalione, Prometeo, Pan, Ermafrodito, Dedalo ed Icaro, Venere ed Adone.

AudioLearn's Philosophy Classics presents Plato's Republic. Welcome to our discussion of this classical work. Plato was one of the world's first political scientists. His most famous work, The Republic, was written 24 and a half centuries ago - 360 years before the birth of Christ. Yet many of the debates he provoked, issues he raised, and insights he provided are still with us today.

The great tragedy by Athenian playwright Sophocles, a tale of a woman's duty and a king's pride. Antigone promised a proper burial to her late brother, but doing so will disobey an ordinance of King Creon and risk invoking his wrath. Translation by F. Storr.

Perhaps the most famous epic poems ever written, the Iliad and the Odyssey have been read for nearly 3,000 years, making them the oldest written works in the Western world. The poems made characters like Paris, Helen, Odysseus, Achilles, Hector, and Ajax instantly recognizable, and they also influenced other ancient poets like Virgil, whose Aeneid is clearly modeled after them.

There are few mythological characters that require less of an introduction than Hercules. His labors are known and have been reimagined by cultures far beyond their Greek beginnings, and he continues to influence modern culture in more ways than any other ancient Greek hero.

The Odyssey is one of the most powerful stories in Western literature. With this new guide, you will have an even greater understanding of the book. Included in this guide: a historical look at the book's origins, a look at its context in Ancient Greece, its literary elements, detailed chapter summaries, analysis, and suggestions for essays. This is the definitive guide to The Odyssey, concise, easy to listen to, and guaranteed to add to your enjoyment of this classic.

The Phaedrus by Plato, is a dialogue between Plato's protagonist, Socrates, and Phaedrus, an interlocutor in several dialogues. It was probably written around 370 BC, at about the same time as Plato's Republic and Symposium. Ostensibly about love, the discussion in the dialogue focuses on the art of rhetoric and how it ought to be practiced. The dialogue appears in the direct words of Socrates and Phaedrus, without an introduction.

Dopo anni di lotte e di vittorie, Giulio Cesare ha conquistato la Gallia. A Roma, tuttavia, gli avversari del grande condottiero, temendo il suo crescente potere, vogliono metterlo sotto processo, e persino il suo principale collaboratore e amico, Tito Labieno, lo ha abbandonato. Eppure, proprio quando sembra che l'unica scelta possibile sia rinunciare alle proprie ambizioni, Cesare getta il dado e sorprende tutti: varca il Rubicone con la sola XIII legione e muove verso Roma.