Plutarch's Lives
Title | Plutarch's Lives PDF eBook |
Author | Plutarchus |
Publisher | |
Pages | 543 |
Release | 1968 |
Genre | |
ISBN |
Title | Plutarch's Lives PDF eBook |
Author | Plutarchus |
Publisher | |
Pages | 543 |
Release | 1968 |
Genre | |
ISBN |
Title | Eratosthenes and the Measurement of the Earth's Circumference (c.230 BC) PDF eBook |
Author | Christopher A. Matthew |
Publisher | Oxford University Press |
Pages | 353 |
Release | 2023-06-20 |
Genre | Mathematics |
ISBN | 0198874308 |
Eratosthenes and the Measurement of the Earth's Circumference (c.230 BC) is an innovative and thought-provoking examination of one of the pivotal moments in the history of science. This text analyses a debate that has been going on for more than 2,300 years over the accuracy of Eratosthenes' experiment and calculations and puts to rest all prior theories that have come before. This work engages with this long running debate by applying innovative and multi-disciplinary methods such as linguistic analysis, mathematical modelling, satellite mapping, archaeological investigation and historical examination that creates the first ever combined exploration of this important event in the history of astronomy.
Title | Plutarch's Lives PDF eBook |
Author | Plutarch |
Publisher | |
Pages | 650 |
Release | 1919 |
Genre | Greece |
ISBN |
Title | A Storm of Spears PDF eBook |
Author | Christopher Matthew |
Publisher | Grub Street Publishers |
Pages | 574 |
Release | 2012-05-09 |
Genre | History |
ISBN | 1781594228 |
A “practical and thought provoking” study of the ancient military tactic known as the phalanx—the classic battle formation used in historic Greek warfare (The Historian). In ancient Greece, warfare was a fact of life, with every city brandishing its own fighting force. And the backbone of these classical Greek armies was the phalanx of heavily armored spearmen, or hoplites. These were the soldiers that defied the might of Persia at Marathon, Thermopylae and Plataea and—more often than not—fought each other in countless battles between the Greek city-states. For centuries they were the dominant soldiers of the classical world, in great demand as mercenaries throughout the Mediterranean and Middle East. Yet, despite the battle descriptions left behind and copious evidence in Greek art and archaeology, there are still many aspects of hoplite warfare that are little understood or the subject of fierce academic debate. Christopher Matthew’s groundbreaking work combines rigorous analysis with the new disciplines of reconstructive archaeology, reenactment, and ballistic science. He examines the equipment, tactics, and capabilities of the individual hoplites, as well as how they used juggernaut masses of men and their long spears to such devastating effect. This is an innovative reassessment of one of the most important early advancements in military tactics, and “indispensable reading for anyone interested in ancient warfare (The New York Military Affairs Symposium).
Title | Plutarch's Lives PDF eBook |
Author | Plutarch |
Publisher | |
Pages | 456 |
Release | 1949 |
Genre | |
ISBN |
Title | The Oxford Handbook of Ancient Biography PDF eBook |
Author | Koen De Temmerman |
Publisher | Oxford University Press |
Pages | 793 |
Release | 2020-12-10 |
Genre | Literary Collections |
ISBN | 0191007528 |
Biography is one of the most widespread literary genres worldwide. Biographies and autobiographies of actors, politicians, Nobel Prize winners, and other famous figures have never been more prominent in book shops and publishers' catalogues. This Handbook offers a wide-ranging, multi-authored survey on biography in Antiquity from its earliest representatives to Late Antiquity. It aims to be a broad introduction and a reference tool on the one hand, and to move significantly beyond the state-of-the-art on the other. To this end, it addresses conceptual questions about this sprawling genre, offers both in-depth readings of key texts and diachronic studies, and deals with the reception of ancient biography across multiple eras up to the present day. In addition, it takes a wide approach to the concept of ancient biography by examining biographical depictions in different textual and visual media (epigraphy, sculpture, architecture) and by providing outlines of biographical developments in ancient and late antique cultures other than Graeco-Roman. Highly accessible, this book aims at a broad audience ranging from specialists to newcomers in the field. Chapters provide English translations of ancient (and modern) terminology and citations. In addition, all individual chapters are concluded by a section containing suggestions for further reading on their specific topic.
Title | The Spartan Scytale and Developments in Ancient and Modern Cryptography PDF eBook |
Author | Martine Diepenbroek |
Publisher | Bloomsbury Publishing |
Pages | 222 |
Release | 2023-11-16 |
Genre | Literary Criticism |
ISBN | 1350281298 |
This book offers a comprehensive review and reassessment of the classical sources describing the cryptographic Spartan device known as the scytale. Challenging the view promoted by modern historians of cryptography which look at the scytale as a simple and impractical 'stick', Diepenbroek argues for the scytale's deserved status as a vehicle for secret communication in the ancient world. By way of comparison, Diepenbroek demonstrates that the cryptographic principles employed in the Spartan scytale show an encryption and coding system that is no less complex than some 20th-century transposition ciphers. The result is that, contrary to the accepted point of view, scytale encryption is as complex and secure as other known ancient ciphers. Drawing on salient comparisons with a selection of modern transposition ciphers (and their historical predecessors), the reader is provided with a detailed overview and analysis of the surviving classical sources that similarly reveal the potential of the scytale as an actual cryptographic and steganographic tool in ancient Sparta in order to illustrate the relative sophistication of the Spartan scytale as a practical device for secret communication. This helps to establish the conceptual basis that the scytale would, in theory, have offered its ancient users a secure method for secret communication over long distances.