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Emperor of rome: Ruling the ancient world
By Mary Beard. 2023
In her international bestseller SPQR, Mary Beard told the thousand-year story of ancient Rome, from its slightly shabby Iron Age…
origins to its reign as the undisputed hegemon of the Mediterranean. Now, drawing on more than thirty years of teaching and writing about Roman history, Beard turns to the emperors who ruled the Roman Empire, beginning with Julius Caesar (assassinated 44 BCE) and taking us through the nearly three centuries—and some thirty emperors—that separate him from the boy-king Alexander Severus (assassinated 235 CE). Yet Emperor of Rome is not your typical chronological account of Roman rulers, one emperor after another: the mad Caligula, the monster Nero, the philosopher Marcus Aurelius. Instead, Beard asks different, often larger and more probing questions: What power did emperors actually have? Was the Roman palace really so bloodstained? What kind of jokes did Augustus tell? And for that matter, what really happened between the emperor Hadrian and his beloved Antinous? Effortlessly combining the epic with the quotidian, Beard tracks the emperor down at home, at the races, on his travels, even on his way to heaven. Along the way, Beard explores Roman fictions of imperial power, overturning many of the assumptions we hold as gospel, not the least of them the perception that emperors one and all were orchestrators of extreme brutality and cruelty. Here Beard introduces us to the emperor's wives and lovers, rivals and slaves, court jesters and soldiers, and the ordinary people who pressed begging lettersinto his hand—whose chamber pot disputes were adjudicated by Augustus, and whose budgets were approved by Vespasian, himself the son of a tax collector. With its finely nuanced portrayal of sex, class, and politics, Emperor of Rome goes directly to the heart of Roman fantasies (and our own) about what it was to be Roman at its richest, most luxurious, most extreme, most powerful, and most deadly, offering an account of Roman history as it has never been presented beforeThe wandering mind: What medieval monks tell us about distraction
By Jamie Kreiner. 2023
The digital era is beset by distraction, and it feels like things are only getting worse. At times like these,…
the distant past beckons as a golden age of attention. We dream of recapturing the quiet of a world with less noise. We imagine retreating into solitude and singlemindedness, almost like latter-day monks. But although we think of early monks as master concentrators, a life of mindfulness did not, in fact, come to them easily. As historian Jamie Kreiner demonstrates in The Wandering Mind, their attempts to stretch the mind out to God-to continuously contemplate the divine order and its ethical requirements-were all-consuming, and their battles against distraction were never-ending. Delving into the experiences of early Christian monks, Kreiner shows that these men and women were obsessed with distraction in ways that seem remarkably modern. Drawing on a trove of sources that the monks left behind, Kreiner reconstructs the techniques they devised in their lifelong quest to master their minds. She captures the fleeting moments of pure attentiveness that some monks managed to grasp, and the many times when monks struggled and failed and went back to the drawing board. Blending history and psychology, The Wandering Mind is a witty, illuminating account of human fallibility and ingenuity that bridges a distant era and our ownThe war that made the Roman Empire: Antony, Cleopatra, and Octavian at Actium
By Barry S Strauss. 2022
On the brink of everything: grace, gravity, and getting old (BK life book)
By Parker J Palmer. 2018
Drawing on eight decades of life -- and his career as a writer, teacher, and activist -- Palmer explores the…
questions age raises and the promises it holds. "Old," he writes, "is just another word for nothing left to lose, a time to dive deep into life, not withdraw to the shallows." But this book is not for elders only. It was written to encourage adults of all ages to explore the way their lives are unfolding. It's not a how-to-do-it book on aging, but a set of meditations in prose and poetry that turn the prism on the meaning(s) of one's life, refracting new light at every turn. AdultNatural history, a selection: A Selection (Penguin classics)
By the Elder. Pliny, John F Healy. 1991
An encyclopedic overview of Roman scientific understanding during the first century A.D. By the author's estimate, this work presents some…
two hundred thousand facts about astronomy, geography, zoology, botany, medicine, art, and architecture. Discussions are enlivened with anecdotes and personal commentary. c1991. Uniform title: Naturalis historia.The storm before the storm: the beginning of the end of the Roman Republic
By Michael Duncan. 2017
The Roman Republic was one of the most remarkable achievements in the history of civilization. After its founding in 509…
BCE, it grew from an unremarkable Italian city-state to the dominant superpower of the Mediterranean world. 'The Storm before the Storm' tells the story of the beginning of the end of the Roman Republic--the story of the first generation that had to cope with the dangerous new political environment made possible by Rome's unrivaled domination over the known world. 2017.Radiant rebellion: Reclaim aging, practice joy, and raise a little hell
By Karen Walrond. 2023
Join Karen Walrond, author of The Lightmaker's Manifesto, in this intriguing investigation into how we can reclaim aging, cultivate joy,…
and resist ageism. During her own year of transition-a milestone birthday, a wedding anniversary, the emptying of the nest-Walrond, in the buoyant and luminous style her readers have come to love, does a deep dive into dimensions of getting older, including health, beauty, spirituality, connection, adventure, and meaning and purpose. Through conversations with social workers and neurologists, activists and clergy, Walrond satisfies her curiosity about why the dominant culture treats aging as a time of dwindling capacity. She also embarks on a series of experiments that help her rebel against convention: letting her hair go naturally gray, going on a silent retreat, revamping her health practices, and plotting her next adventure. Internalized ageism is not our only option; we can write a different story of aging than the one we've been handed. With wisdom from luminaries who light our way, Walrond helps us radiantly rebel against the fads and assumptions that hold us back, redefine the adventure of getting older, and create a shining future of expanded potential. We might even raise a little hell while we're at it!Sennacherib's palace without rival at Nineveh
By John Malcolm Russell. 1991
Gods, demons, and symbols of ancient Mesopotamia: an illustrated dictionary
By Anthony Green, Jeremy A Black, Tessa Rickards. 1992
Ancient Mesopotamia was a rich, varied and highly complex culture whose achievements included the invention of writing and the development…
of sophisticated urban society. This book offers an introductory guide to the beliefs and customs of the ancient Mesopotamians, as revealed in their art and their writings between about 3000 B.C. and the advent of the Christian era. Gods, goddesses, demons, monsters, magic, myths, religious symbolism, ritual, and the spiritual world are all discussed in alphabetical entries ranging from short accounts to extended essays.Babylonian life and history
By Budge, E. A. Wallis. 2005
A history of Mesopotamia including Khammurabis' Code of Laws, and the mythology of Gilgamesh, the Story of the Flood, and…
the Legend of Etana. Includes the history of their writing, astrology, divination, the wearing of spells, reading omens, and other magic.The time of their lives!
By Keith Smith. 1993
In praise of ageing
By Patricia Edgar. 2013
Meet Jim Brierley, who was still jumping out of planes aged eighty-eight. And Muriel Crabtree, whose exhibition of pastels was…
opened by the governor-general shortly after Crabtree died aged 102. Australians are staying healthy and living longer than ever before. Yet rather than focusing on the productive, rich, varied lives older people lead we dwell on the burden of ageing. In Praise of Ageing tells the stories of eight people who have lived well into their nineties and beyond. These people will inspire you, entertain you and motivate you to be connected, interested, risk-taking and inventive. They will challenge your preconceptions. And they will convince you that fifty is now the start of the second half of life and not the beginning of the end.Let evening come: reflections on aging
By Mary C Morrison. 1998
In this daring yet gently written reflection on aging, eighty-seven-year-old Mary C. Morrison considers the sources of strength and dignity…
that truly allow people to grow old gracefully, and to retain a joy for life. Morrison writes about the process of aging with humour and sensitivity. She does not ignore the difficulties that old age brings, but instead emphasizes the benefits of peace, balance, and perspective that come with it. She shows how the gradual movement away from the center of work, family, and community can be a blessing in disguise and how one can feel renewed, instead of made powerless, by old age. The diminishments of age and its real afflictions are treated openly and courageously.Sixtysomething: a positive handbook for the third age of life
By Joan Gomez. 1993
A guide to the "Third age", from 60 onwards. With 20-30 years ahead of you this book proves that, far…
from dreading what lies ahead, you can look forward to a most fascinating, rewarding phase in your life, with the freedom to enjoy it to the full.The fountain of age
By Betty Friedan. 1993
In this powerful and very personal book, Betty Friedan demolishes the traditional myths of aging and offers compelling alternatives for…
living one's own age as a unique period of life, on its own authentic terms - age as adventure!Ageing: the facts
By William Davison, Stephen Webster, Nicholas Coni. 1992
This book offers information on the physical, mental and sociological aspects of ageing and is a practical, helpful manual for…
coping with the problems and the pleasures of growing old, and gives advice to those who care for older people. Political and demographic changes and advances in medical knowledge are also discussed.