Author Description

In a long and distinguished career, Chester Starr has written on topics ranging from early man, to the early Athenian democracy, to the role of sea power in the classical world. And one of his finest works - the product of his broad interests and expertise - has been A History of the Ancient World, long a standard work on the distant past. Now this landmark book is available in a new edition, offering an informative account of early history from the rise of the first cities to the fall of the Roman Empire.This richly illustrated new edition deftly explores the broad expanse of early human history. Though Greece and Rome occupy center stage, Star also surveys the cities and empires of Mesopotania, India from the early Indus civilization to the Gupta state, and China from the Hsia dynasty to the Han empire. In this new edition, he has incorporated the latest research into his lucid and informative narrative, reworking virtually every chapter to bring the work completely up-to-date. He has revised his discussions of early humankind to account for the most recent findings; he presents a new view of the Jewish revolt against Rome led by Bar Kockba; and he has thoroughly updated the bibliographies. In addition, his account of the end of the Roman Empire has been rewritten in light of the most recent rethinking by classical historians.