Litsy

After 1177 B.C.: The Survival of Civilizations | Eric H. Cline

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After 1177 BC, by Eric Cline (2024)
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Premise: An exploration of the latest evidence on the recovery of the Aegean, Eastern Mediterranean, and Mespotamian worlds in the aftermath of the Late Bronze Age Collapse.

Review: I am a big fan of Cline‘s book 1177 BC, which documented the disappearance within a single generation of a centuries-old network of civilizations. ⬇️

Mattsbookaday This book is both his attempt at looking at how these civilizations recovered in the centuries that followed, and a response to some of his more vocal critics. I was particularly fascinated by his analysis of the data through the lens of resilience theory. If you‘re someone who doesn‘t appreciate ‘broad strokes‘ history surveys, this probably won‘t be for you, but I found this to be excellent, and with just the right amount of academic humility. 3w

7 likes1 comment

danx

The Abduction of Sita | R. K. Narayan

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Another mini Penguin for a short trip. Thoroughly enjoyed this, my introduction to the Ramayanam - an abridged version of R. K. Narayan‘s 1972 prose - I think this is from just one section. The cover is beautiful too, this image doesn‘t do it justice. I do now have a bunch of tabs open with writing on patriarchy and the Ramayana due to Sita‘s ordeal by fire…

7 likes

Rome753

The Rise of Athens: The Story of the World's Greatest Civilization | Anthony Everitt

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Definitely enjoyed this book. The author did a good job with examining the history, politics, and culture of ancient Athens. The book also examines Sparta to a lesser degree, as well as the relation between Athens and other city-states. Overall, it can serve as a good starting point for anyone interested in learning about Athens.

23 likes

JenP

The Epic of Gilgamesh: A New Translation, Analogues, Criticism | Gilgamesh

In what is a supreme act of avoidance from writing grants (which probably won‘t get funded anyway in this climate), I decided to take a world literature course from Harvard extension. They offer a bunch of free online courses although I may pay the certificate fee just to support them. Gilgamesh is the first text they are discussing and I hadn‘t ever read it so finally getting to it

merelybookish Once upon a time I taught world lit to undergraduates (not at Harvard 😆) and always started with this. And it was often the book they liked best. Enjoy your course! Sounds fun! 2mo

JenP @merelybookish I‘m certainly liking it more than the Odyssey which I read freshman year (many years ago 😂). How fun you taught world literature. I‘m enjoying this class so far. 2mo

Tamra It‘s a fantastic historical study! 2mo

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DGRachel I decided at the beginning of the years that I wanted to do a deep dive into Ishtar, and the book I‘m reading references Gilgamesh quite a lot, so I picked up a copy last month. I‘m looking forward to getting to it. 2mo

JenP @DGRachel it‘s a very quick read. Hope you like it. I found it interesting 2mo

JenP @Tamra yes! I‘ve found it interesting to compare the deluge to the version in genesis. The historical background from the class has also been fascinating 2mo

Tamra @JenP there are several parallels with later mythologies! Humans have been asking the same questions and telling the same stories. 2mo

Avanders Love this! ♥️ 2mo

27 likes8 comments

Rome753

The Rise of Athens: The Story of the World's Greatest Civilization | Anthony Everitt

"Another innovation of Cleisthenes was ostracism. The ecclesia voted once a year, if there was demand, on the exile for ten years of a leading politician. Citizens could propose anyone they wished. There was no question of punishment for criminality, rather a desire, in Plutarch's phrase, to 'humble and cut back oppressive prestige and power.'"
-Anthony Everitt, "The Rise of Athens"

16 likes

MariaW

24 Hours in Ancient Rome: A Day in the Life of the People Who Lived There | Philip Matyszak

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This was very interesting. I‘ve read much about the Roman Empire and watched a lot of documentaries about the emperors themselves, but never did I come across a study of the life of „normal“ Roman people. This book shows the ordinary life with the help of 24 different persons. Especially the the person last chapter „The parasite returns from dinner“ was new to me. I never knew that there have been spongers who attended dinners to entertain. 🧽🧽🧽

62 likes

MariaW

24 Hours in Ancient Rome: A Day in the Life of the People Who Lived There | Philip Matyszak