History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)

Book Description

Recorded history is a finely-woven magic fabric of intricate lies about events predating the sixteenth century. There is not a single piece of evidence that can be reliably and independently traced back earlier than the eleventh century. This book details events that are substantiated by hard facts and logic, and validated by new astronomical research and statistical analysis of ancient sources.

Customer Reviews:

Calculations are only as good as your numbers.......2007-08-03

Yes, we can all agree that mainstream history is nearly 100% BS due to politics, economics, ego, problems with dating techniques, and various conspiracies. Agreed. But, I've been researching the distinct possibility that human history (in terms of civilizations) are much more ancient than we've been told, so coming across this book was very interesting to me. I wondered how Fomenko could be wrong (if at all) because he is very persuasive in his presentations. Then it dawned on me. If at previous times in prehistory, due to the various catastrophies that are well documented (comets, asteroids, planetary disruptions, plasma discharge, pole reversals, etc) the Earth was in a different position in relation to the sun, different tilt on its axis, different orbit, different rotation (in terms of velocity and DIRECTION), and the continents were in different positions, then would this not cause the ancients to see the sky (constellations) differently? In other words, is Fomenko making erronious assumptions about the physics of the Earth in pre-history, which then corrupt his data with regards to dating the relevant astrology? The last event to seriously disrupt our planet occured roughly 3500 years ago, according to other good researchers, so is it possible Fomenko has been confused by this? The vastly different physics of our planet in the not so distant past may explain this confusion, which is not to say the "mainstream" version of history is correct; on the contrary. I am not an expert in these fields, but wanted to see if this idea could spark discussion.

Pants on fire?.......2007-07-19

Will people ever read before spamming? Yes, Jesuits could not rewrite world history alone, they had help. Anyway, Dr Prof Acad A.Fomenko does not point to jesuits as the driving force of world wide history manipulation in published volumes 1,2,3;, actually he barely mentions the poor devils. Check it with 'Search inside' feature, please. China is rarely mentioned either, in fact, Dr Fomenko is completely eurocentric. Right, his theory contradicts all mainstream schools of history, because in their actual state they are all built on blatantly erroneus chronology. You don't need a mysterious cabal (conspiracy) to falsify history, the falsification is its modus operandi. It is inherent to history(ians) to falsify (distort) events, as it is inherent to humans to boast as it is inherent to power (authority) to legimize itself by referrring to glorious past made to its own order. Dr Prof Fomenko and team have identified scores of instances of such manipulation in Russian, European, etc.. history, and delivered valid statistical proof thereof. His own 'reconstruction' is completely another story. Forget c14 as a valid method of dating. W.Libby has initially discovered a brilliant method of INDEPENDENT dating. Too bad, c14 method has become a joke after a forced marrige with dendrochronology with consensual chronological scale inbuilt. Radiocarbon method can't stand blind tests, but is so very productive as a rubberstamp.

Accepted History & Chronology Must Be Changed. .......2007-04-09

There is no doubt that history as most know it is a sham, & institution's version of History both University & Church is fradulent & inaccurate. Everything was established with an agenda, The real "Dark Ages" are now when we have access to incredible amounts of information past authorities & more important 'common folk' didn't have but our institutions & educators are slow to evolve because of what has ignorantly & arrogantly been taught for too long. This is on many subjects not just Chronology.

For anyone to question "Why would a Mathematician have anything credible to say of History?" The answer is from Dr. Fomenko's preface in the book: "It would be worthwhile to remind the reader that in the XVI-XVII century Chronology was considered to be a subdivision of Mathematics." These volumes could possibly be some of the most important works to date & should be read by everyone with an interest in History, especially professors & educators who have a duty to the public. I have read both books & must say that 'Chronology 1' has some very eye opening & revolutionary information. Even if these volumes are part true the implications are profound & opens the doors to further investigations & questions which must be done. I speak several different lanquages & must say the logic Dr. Fomenko uses with "inflection" of words & words being read from left to right in one region & right to left in another then written backwards, the removal of vowels & get down to basics of words, or different cities & locations having the same name etc. is correct. Vowel usage has always been optional & varied, actually complicating linquistics & study. The first thing one has to understand is that words never had a fixed spelling in history like we do now, the spelling of words was mutable & regional, as well as names & titles of people were vast, varied & changed, NOTHING WAS FIXED or understood linear. Matters of Life & Death as well as financial profiteering yesterday & today were & are made with ignorant, illogical & conspiratorial views of history & reality, it's time people get closer to the Truth & society collectively grow up.

Very Interesting.......2007-03-07

It is a good proposal and I believe it will mature into something even better in the future. I think it deserves to be read.

History as Science Fiction.......2007-01-10

Anatoly Fomenko has written a very intriguing book, full of pictures, charts, and computer 'proof' of his thesis: backwards of AD900 we don't really know what happened or when. Between AD900 and AD1600 there is more certainty, but there is still a lot of fuzzy ground, and things don't get reliable until we get past the 1600's where the printing press made it very difficult for the perpetrators of this timeline manipulation to change anything that had been committed to print. The Dark Ages did not happen. Books were burned for a reason. One organization has doubled the actual length of its existence by expanding the real chronology. Read why.

I had always wondered why Christ died about AD33 and yet men waited until the 11th century to form the Knights Templar, the Cathars, etc and go after the Holy Land by force. Why the 1000 year gap? Turns out there wasn't more than a 10-12 year gap and he proves it using astronomy. This also implies that the planet is not as old as we have been told, and current Christian and other creationist scientists are already championing that idea without being aware of Fomenko's book. The two groups, creationist scientists and the Russian mathematical analysts corroborate each other. Fascinating.

Of course, all this flies in the face of what we have been told traditionally is the 'proper' chronology of western civilization, and most readers will experience 'cognitive dissonance' in reading this book. It means that our history going backwards from AD1600 becomes progressively more incorrect and unreliable until it cannot be trusted at all... in the space of 700-800 years.

Naturally, the curious, open-minded reader will want to know WHO did this, WHY, and did any of the events we think of as really ancient ever happen?
Dr. Fomenko is a respected scientist/mathematician at Moscow State University who has already answered these questions to the satisfaction of his initially skeptical colleagues. Most of them are now believers, a few still refuse to believe (the usual diehards), and of course the western press has ignored Fomenko's work -- for obvious reasons when you read the book. The ones who perpetrated this chronology ruse have a lot to answer for. They are still with us. That's why this book is a well-kept secret.

I gave the book a 4-star rating because I was unable to check out some of his claims; those I checked were as he said. But if even 1/3 of his claims are true, this punches a big hole in what we think is our history, the meaning of western civilization, our educational process (for repeating the ruse as gospel), and the trustworthiness of the organization that perpetrated this ruse, well-intentioned or not.

This book relates to current research into a Young Earth paradigm, to John Keel's discoveries about our planet, and Fr Malachi Martin's insights (in his now out-of-print books). We are indeed sheep who are manipulated and kept ignorant -- for a reason. While knowing what these men have to say may be the "booby prize" (as in: 'what can you do with this knowledge?'), it will provide interesting reading. Didn't someone say: "...and the Truth will set you free."?? For you to judge if this book contains the truth.

The Rise and Fall of Alexandria: Birthplace of the Modern Mind

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Alexandria the conjunction of the whole world.
Excellent History
Readable History
I understand the world much better now.
Fascinating study of Western thought and learning!

The Rise and Fall of Alexandria: Birthplace of the Modern Mind
Justin Pollard , and Howard Reid
Manufacturer: Viking Adult
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Discoveries: Alexandria: Jewel of Egypt (Discoveries (Abrams))
Alexander's Tomb: The Two Thousand Year Obsession to Find the Lost Conqueror

ASIN: 0670037974

Book Description

The astonishing story of the ancient city that invented the modern world

Founded by Alexander the Great and built by Greek pharaohs, the city of Alexandria at its height dwarfed both Athens and Rome. It was the marvel of its ageÂ—legendary for its vast palaces, safe harbors, and magnificent lighthouse. But it was most famous for the astonishing intellectual fluorescence it fostered and the library it produced. If the European Renaissance was the Â“rebirthÂ” of Western culture, then Alexandria, Egypt, was its birthplace.

It was here mankind first discovered that the earth was not flat, originated atomic theory, invented geometry, systematized grammar, translated the Old Testament into Greek, built the steam engine, and passed their discoveries on to future generations via the written word. Julius Caesar, Anthony and Cleopatra, Jewish scholars, Greek philosophers, and devout early Christians all play a part in the rise and fall of the city that stood Â“at the conjunction of the whole world.Â” Compulsively readable and sparkling with fresh insights into science, philosophy, culture, and invention, this is an irresistible, eye-opening delight.

Customer Reviews:

Alexandria the conjunction of the whole world........2007-07-24

An outstanding book written about Alexandria Egypt. There are barely any books written on this old and historical city.
Having lived there for 30 years,it certainly appealed to me to purchase this book.
Rise and Fall of Alexandria is not only about the Ptolomies,and the library of Alexandria,or the Roman Empire.
It is the history of: philosophy,mathematics,geopgraphy,astrology,medicine,and all the intellectual minds that were born,and came to research study and die in Alexandria.
The beginning of Christianity,the translation of the Bible from Hebrew to Greek,what was Christianity and Judaism seen from the eyes of the intellectual Philosophers in Alexandria.
Who created the Pharos of Alexandria one of the 7 wonders of the ancient world.
Who created roads,palaces, gardens,and libraries.How it all started and how it all ended.

It is a very easy book to read,with so much knowledge,that it would have certainly been kept in the old Alexandria Library had it survived the fire.

A must read for those who like ancient history.

Excellent History.......2007-07-04

I highly recomment this title. Its a colorful tale that covers several remarkable centuries in the life of this remarkable city. Its a rich narrative and will keep you engaged. One of my favorites

Readable History.......2007-06-23

This is a fun and easy to read story of the political and intellectual development of a unique city. For a lay person like me, it helps to organize episodes of history, putting events in their time. While there are no footnotes, there are some good timelines at the end.

It gives the reader an understanding of the great library as part lyceum, university, think tank and research center. The authors show how scholarship and knowledge were a threat to the established interests even before the middle ages.

I've often wondered how history would have played out if either Caesar or Mark Antony had prevailed. Would they have rebuilt the library/university or eventually turn on the scholars? Would we have autos by 1000 AD? This book provokes more of those thoughts.

I held back a star because some of the explanations of the philosophies bogged down the narrative. The math ones, in general, were hard to follow. They interrupt a well written story.

On p. 226 there is an illusion to Julius Caesar burning the city and library in chase of Mark Antony. This is probably a careless mistake, (since Caesar chased Pompey and Octavian/Augustus Caesar chased Mark Antony, but did he set a fire?) its being here causes me to wonder if there are other careless errors under my radar screen.

I enjoyed the book. I recommend it to the casual reader because it tells the story in an entertaining way.

I understand the world much better now. .......2007-04-22

Rise and Fall of Alexandria: Birthplace of the Modern Mind. - Justin Pollard (2006) *****
For me this was a fabulous introduction to Classical civilization. I sought it out because I wanted to know what was lost at the great library of Alexandria. This book answered my question past my greatest hopes. Not only did I learn the answer to my question, but I learned more about Jewish, Persian, Greek, Roman, and Christian history than I have ever learned in one place. And I was introduced to some of the most interesting historical figures I have ever heard of. Understanding the history of Alexandria seems to be a key to understanding a world's transition from pre-historic to modern. I invested my time well.

Fascinating study of Western thought and learning!.......2007-04-17

Well written, interesting, and engaging! Covers a wide range of scientific learning and philosophical thought. I've heard a lot about the library in Alexandria, but had no idea of it's real significance.

What Life was Like on the Banks of the Nile

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Super book for a super price
wonderful introductory book for kids and adults
What Life Was Like: When Ancient Egypt Instructed the World
breathing life into history
One of the most creative....

What Life was Like on the Banks of the Nile

Manufacturer: Time-Life Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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What Life Was Like: In the Age of Chivalry : Medieval Europe Ad 800-1500 (What Life Was Like)
What Life Was Like: When Rome Ruled the World : The Roman Empire 100 Bc-Ad 200 (What Life Was Like)
What Life Was Like: At the Dawn of Democracy : Classical Athens 525-322 Bc (What Life Was Like)
What Life Was Like When Longships Sailed: Vikings Ad 800-1100 (What Life Was Like)
What Life Was Like: Among Druids and High Kings : Celtic Ireland Ad 400-1200 (What Life Was Like)

ASIN: 0809493780

Customer Reviews:

Super book for a super price.......2007-09-18

This book is all you'd expect for a book from a Time-Life series. The price and shipping are a fraction of what Time-Life sells it for.

wonderful introductory book for kids and adults .......2007-03-24

Non-fiction. A small book loaded with interesting facts and color photographs. Gives a great introduction to ancient Egypt. Many anecdotes including for example how they communicated with dead family members to have them help with problems, which I've seen no where else. This book could be read by an intelligent child, but is worthwhile for adults wanting to get more information about ancient Egypt. Great photographs on every page. A classic, and not just for children despite the size and shape of it. (FYI the cover shows King Tutankhamun seated and his wife standing, it was the backrest of his throne and one of the most stunning pieces of artwork imaginable.)

What Life Was Like: When Ancient Egypt Instructed the World .......2007-02-24

"Interwoven throughout, these stories are the intimate details of daily life- what people ate, wore, and thought about life, love, and the afterlife." A persuading address to my grandson Nuni, from the back cover.

Hail to thee, O Nile!
Who manifests thyself over this land, and comes to give life to Egypt!
O Nile, come and prosper!
O you who make men live through his flocks and those through his orchards!
Like a giant Anaconda, the world's longest river, the Nile, slides through some of the most arid deserts on earth to engulf a rather narrow fertile valley, which extends for a thousand miles from the cataracts south of Aswan into the delta on the Mediterranean sea in the north. Hapi, the Nile God was believed to have been the trigger to this great early civilizations in history, as Herodotus had written, "Egypt is the gift of the Nile." The Nile has been a faithful provider to the earliest known civilized nations, and a central core to its thought and religion.

Ancient Egyptian Life:
Daily life in ancient Egypt revolved around the Nile and the land along its banks, it divided the land of the living and those of the dead on its west banks. The yearly river flood enriched the soil and brought good harvests and wealth to the land. Most ancient Egyptians worked as farmers, craftsmen and scribes. The pharaoh with a small group of people were the priests and nobles. Together, these groups of people made up the population of ancient Egypt, that survived for more than two millennia.

A Time-Life Classic:
Based on interwoven notes from scholarly works of Egyptologists, amazing artifacts in museums, writings by discoverers and archeologists. When Champolion deciphered hieroglyphics, he made available history, stories, as well as written prayers to recount what life was like in the land of temples, Pyramids, obelisks and the Sphynx. Accounts of pharaohs, wise priests and scribes, warriors, and common people alike are narrated, with emphasis on the role of women, which distinguishes Ancient Egyptians from all other peoples, who lived in their surroundings.
This meticulously prepared, and beautifully displayed book brought about by the time-Life research tank provides an in depth panorama of the amazing ancient Egyptian symphony, with basic information about the pyramids, mummification, social life, work and religion. Also delving into the life of famous Egyptian royalty, including Akhenaton and Ramses. Ancient Egyptians whose stories are told, with full color photos, showing statues, sculpture, and portraits of their artifacts exposes their lives. The text is friendly, reconstructing in readers imaginations the past as its own participants has recorded. The real enjoyment of this book will be shared by civilization explorers and ancient history teachers.

Reviewers Opinion:
"A fascinating volume that can't help but make readers wonder if human emotions will survive as well on paper and e-mail as these amazing messages have done in clay and stone." Cathryn A. Camper, Minneapolis Public Library

breathing life into history.......2005-05-01

This book is not meant to provide a detailed history of ancient Egypt. Rather, it is meant to breathe life into that history. The book show snips of life (musical entertainment, feasts, marriage and courtship, crafts, etc) that most history books gloss over. It is richly illustrated in vivid color photography so that there are examples of almost everything discussed. It also provides a wonderful timeline that you can reference while reading. It's certainly not the only book you'll want to read in learning about ancient Egypt, but it is definitely to be included. Something like this went out of print? Grab one before they're all gone.

One of the most creative...........1999-01-23

...ways I've seen to talk of ancient egypt. This is a great book, for beginer and expert alike. The stories of common everyday people will show what life really was like back then....

Poverty and Charity in the Jewish Community of Medieval Egypt (Jews, Christians, and Muslims from the Ancient to the Modern World)

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Poverty and Charity in the Jewish Community of Medieval Egypt (Jews, Christians, and Muslims from the Ancient to the Modern World)
Mark R. Cohen
Manufacturer: Princeton University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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The Voice of the Poor in the Middle Ages: An Anthology of Documents from the Cairo Geniza (Jews, Christians, and Muslims from the Ancient to the Modern)

ASIN: 0691092729

Book Description

What was it like to be poor in the Middle Ages? In the past, the answer to this question came only from institutions and individuals who gave relief to the less fortunate. This book, by one of the top scholars in the field, is the first comprehensive book to study poverty in a premodern Jewish community--from the viewpoint of both the poor and those who provided for them.

Mark Cohen mines the richest body of documents available on the matter: the papers of the Cairo Geniza. These documents, located in the Geniza, a hidden chamber for discarded papers situated in a medieval synagogue in Old Cairo, were preserved largely unharmed for more than nine centuries due to an ancient custom in Judaism that prohibited the destruction of pages of sacred writing. Based on these papers, the book provides abundant testimony about how one large and important medieval Jewish community dealt with the constant presence of poverty in its midst.

Building on S. D. Goitein's Mediterranean Society and inspired also by research on poverty and charity in medieval and early modern Europe, it provides a clear window onto the daily lives of the poor. It also illuminates private charity, a subject that has long been elusive to the medieval historian. In addition, Cohen's work functions as a detailed case study of an important phenomenon in human history. Cohen concludes that the relatively narrow gap between the poor and rich, and the precariousness of wealth in general, combined to make charity "one of the major agglutinates of Jewish associational life" during the medieval period.

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A must if you like Cavafy
Important literary review of the Greek Poet

Cavafy's Alexandria
Edmund Keeley
Manufacturer: Princeton University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Cavafy: A Biography (Duckbacks)
The Collected Poems of C. P. Cavafy: A New Translation
The Complete Poems of Cavafy: Expanded Edition
C. P. Cavafy: Collected Poems

ASIN: 0691044988

Book Description

C. P. Cavafy, one of the greatest modern Greek poets, lived in Alexandria for all but a few of his seventy years. Alexandria became, for Cavafy, a central poetic metaphor and eventually the heart of a myth encompassing the entire Greek world. In this, the first full-length critical work on Cavafy in English, Keeley describes Cavafy's literary progress and aesthetic development in the making of that myth.

Customer Reviews:

A must if you like Cavafy.......2007-01-04

I'm an unapologetic Cavafy Fan and this book provided new insights into his world.

My advise is read the poems, read this book and then read the poems again and you will find a whole new way of looking at Cavafy's genius.

Important literary review of the Greek Poet.......2000-07-03

I had been reading Cavafy's poetry for a rather long time before picking up Keeley's book. The book has opened up new aspects of the poetry I didn't discover while reading consciously. For example, Keeley notes the myth-making drama of Alexandria (both ancient and modern) that Cavafy created over a span of 20 years.

Book Description

Tuya came as a teenaged slave to Potiphar's household, a personal gift from the mighty Pharaoah. Tall and slender, the young girl knew nothing of her past except that she had always been a slave.

Another young slave came to Potiphar, purchased from traveling Midianites. If harnessed properly, Potiphar envisioned that this Joseph would pull more than his share of the work load.

In the household of the captain of Pharaoh's guard, Tuya and Joseph come to share their dreams of better things, freedom, and love. But as quickly as their destinies seem to entwine, they are torn apart. Will the dreams they share destroy them both?

First in the Legacies of the Ancient River Series!

Customer Reviews:

series.......2007-04-27

this book (and it's two other books) were the first of the "biblical fiction" series i read. and the story of joseph had already been one of my favorite bible stories.
i read all three of these books in a month. and then when i just moved and rediscovered them in a box i reread them and found them to be just as enjoyable as the first.

there is a whole lot of added story line in here and the scripture dosn't interwine as much as i'd have liked but it was all in all a great read.
and if you read this series and like it... you will for sure enjoy lynn austins "chronical of the kings" series.

Compelling Biblical fiction with message of faith.......2006-04-05

Dreamers by Angela Hunt is the fictionalized story of Joseph from the Bible. Hunt is always compelling with her Biblical fiction, but this book [...] in so completely that at times I found myself worrying about what was going to happen next even though I know how the story ends! This is just the first book in a trilogy about Joseph and his family and covers the time from his becoming a slave until shortly before his brothers come from Canaan seeking food. I always viewed Joseph as a paragon of virtue in the Bible. While God chooses some shady characters on occasion to use and make His covenant with (Jacob, Samson, even Abram), Joseph always comes out with a shine. This book really showed a different, but completely realistic, side to Joseph. It's easy to see how pride could overtake him. The level of detail of Egyptian life and culture is wonderful. Hunt has done so much research into history; she truly makes it come alive. The message of Dreamers is trusting in God. Joseph has to learn to rely on the Lord instead of himself and his own abilities and trust that God has a plan in mind for him. Tuya also has to learn to trust the Lord with nothing less than her own heart and know that He works all things for good. I've read reviews cutting down the romance between Joseph and Tuya in the book, but this relationship is handled beautifully with restraint and realistic growth between both characters. Angela Hunt has written another wonderful piece of Biblical fiction that can enlighten the heart.

Fleshes out the Biblical tale.......2002-07-01

I liked this book because it had more meat than the biblical tale. I know that many of the supporting characters are fictional, but everything taken in context adds so much more depth than we usually read. I thought it was interesting how Joseph, Tuya, Sagira, and the pharaohs all had lives that intertwined at various points.

This book has loves stories, murderous plots, and forgiveness. I liked how the interplay of the different religions came into focus with Tutmosis. It was different, reading about a Pharaoh as a human being.

I can't wait to read the next book in the series.

I won't repeat earlier criticisms but.......2002-03-15

I'lll add that there are historical and Biblical problems. However what does not seem to be mentioned in other reviews is the strange brief introduction to Egyptian family "history" before the story begins. Over and over I asked "where did she get ideas like this" and had to conclude since her "facts" are not cited or documented in any way that she must be reading Herodotus or some modern pseudo-historical work based on misconceived ideas about the benefits of finding matriarchical, matrilineal, and matrifocal cultures. Aside from the questionable family "history" there is also the fact that the story itself does not make reference to the introduction in almost any way until we get to the plot to kill Pharaoh in the last third of the book. The idea of creating female character who could have contact with Joseph and playing up the competition of religions is very well played out in the story. The plot and characters were interesting enough to keep me reading. It is less "G-rated" than many stories based on the Joseph tale or almost any modern fictional retelling of a society that readily embraced slavery -- still not as accurate as it could be but is our society truly ready for such accuracy?

WOW!!.......2001-05-21

It was hard to put this book down!! I had read the Old Testament account of the life of Joseph before, but this book brought it vividly to life. It's believable as well as fascinating. Hunt's portrayal of ancient Eygpt is stunning. All of Hunt's books have been wonderful, but this is definately one of the best!!

Humanities In Western Culture, Volume Two

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PERFECT!

Humanities In Western Culture, Volume Two
Robert C. Lamm
Manufacturer: McGraw-Hill Humanities/Social Sciences/Languages
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Frankenstein (Norton Critical Editions)

ASIN: 0697254291

Book Description

Based on the popular two-volume Humanities in Western Culture: A Search for Human Values, this brief edition contains all of the chapters from Volumes I and II with abridged literary selections. The lavishly produced artwork that is a hallmark of the larger books is faithfully reproduced in the pages of the brief edition.

For use in one-semester Western humanities courses.

Customer Reviews:

PERFECT!.......2007-05-13

More than what I expected! Every artist should have one - it relates history periods to cultures then units all the arts together so you can have perfect understanding of it as a whole. Really fantastic! Full of information!

The Voice of the Poor in the Middle Ages: An Anthology of Documents from the Cairo Geniza (Jews, Christians, and Muslims from the Ancient to the Modern)

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The Voice of the Poor in the Middle Ages: An Anthology of Documents from the Cairo Geniza (Jews, Christians, and Muslims from the Ancient to the Modern)
Mark R. Cohen
Manufacturer: Princeton University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Poverty and Charity in the Jewish Community of Medieval Egypt (Jews, Christians, and Muslims from the Ancient to the Modern World)
A Short History of the Jewish People: From Legendary Times to Modern Statehood
The Jew in the Modern World: A Documentary History

ASIN: 0691092710

Book Description

They are voices that have been silent for centuries: those of captives and refugees, widows and orphans, the blind and infirm, and the underclass of the "working poor." Now, for the first time, the voices of the poor in the Middle Ages come to life in this moving book by historian Mark Cohen. A companion to Cohen's other volume, Poverty and Charity in the Jewish Community of Medieval Egypt, the book presents more than ninety letters, alms lists, donor lists, and other related documents from the Geniza, a hidden chamber for discarded papers, situated inside a wall in a Cairo synagogue. Cohen has translated these documents, providing the historical context for each.

In the past, most of what we knew of the poor in the Middle Ages came from records and observations compiled by their literate social superiors, from tax collectors to the inquisitor's clerk, from criminal judges to the benefactors of the helpless, from makers of Islamic waqf deeds to authors of Arabic chronicles, and in Judaism, from Rabbis who wrote responsa to compilers of Jewish-law codes.

What distinguishes this book is that it contains the voices of the poor themselves, found in documents heretofore largely ignored. Because an ancient custom in Judaism prohibited the destruction of pages of sacred writing, the documents were preserved, largely unharmed, for as many as nine centuries.

The Voice of the Poor in the Middle Ages provides access to the attitudes and philanthropic activities of the charitable, alongside the dramatic writings of the poor themselves, whether penned in their own hands or dictated to a scribe or family member. The book also allows a rare glimpse into the women of the Middle Ages, as well as into the world of private charity--an area long elusive to the medieval historian. For researchers and students alike, this book will be an invaluable social history source for years to come.

Who Killed King Tut?: Using Modern Forensics to Solve a 3300-Year-Old Mystery

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Fun, fun, fun--but don't be overly credulous
Using Modern Forensics To Solve a 3300-Year-Old Mystery

Who Killed King Tut?: Using Modern Forensics to Solve a 3300-Year-Old Mystery
Michael R. King , Gregory M. Cooper , and Don DeNevi
Manufacturer: Prometheus Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Egypt | Ancient | History | Subjects | Books

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The Murder of Tutankhamen
The Search for Nefertiti : The True Story of an Amazing Discovery
The Complete Tutankhamun: The King, the Tomb, the Royal Treasure (King Tut)
Who Was King Tut? (Who Was...?)
Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs: Official Companion Book to the Exhibition sponsored by National Geographic

ASIN: 1591021839

Book Description

Perhaps the greatest archaeological find of all time, the 19922 discovery of the Egyptian pharaoh Tutankhamen's tomb by Howard Carter has stimulated the imagination of many. Untouched for 3,300 years, the ancient tomb, filled with spectacular treasures, raised many questions about the legendary reign of this boy king, especially the circumstances of his premature death sometime in his late teens. Theories about the cause of his untimely demise have included an infected mosquito bite and a bash on the head, either inflicted intentionally or the result of a fatal chariot accident. Without any obvious evidence, Egyptologists have left the question unsettled.

Now two law enforcement specialists in forensics and the psychology of criminal behavior have applied sophisticated crime-solving techniques used in the investigation of contemporary murders to this ancient mystery. With their unique perspectives, detectives Michael R. King and Gregory M. Cooper evaluate evidence that specialists in Egyptology and archaeology have long overlooked. After considering death by natural causes, accident, and suicide, the authors conclude that Tut died at the hands of a murderer.

The detectives' investigation becomes more intriguing as they focus on Tut's inner circle - his wife, Ankhesenamun; his closest advisors, prime minister Ay and treasurer Maya; and the powerful general of the Egyptian army, Horemheb. One by one, Cooper and King eliminate the suspects based on the evidence or probabilities. In conclusion, they draw up a modern affidavit formally charging their suspect with murdering the pharaoh.

For readers who enjoy mysteries, true crime, and history, WHO KILLED KING TUT? is an entertaining and educational read.

Customer Reviews:

Fun, fun, fun--but don't be overly credulous.......2006-05-13

Who Killed King Tut? What a title! And who hasn't wanted to know? More importantly, who doesn't already have a theory?
The book is a wonderfully entertaining "who dunnit" cum travel documentary; in fact it was originally filmed by a British production company as a feature for the Discovery Channel.

The two super sleuths certainly have impressive credentials, Michael King is State Regional Intelligence Supervisor for the Department of Homeland Security in Utah, and Gregory Cooper his partner in this investigation is Assistant Federal Security Director for Law Enforcement, also a former profiler for the FBI's Criminal Profiling Unit. Given the vita of both individuals, it should come as no surprise that what they add to the much-discussed conundrum of King Tut's demise, is their capacity as profilers.

As the preface by Harold J. Bursztajn (Co-director of the Harvard Medical School Program in Psychiatry and the Law at Massachusetts Mental Health Center) notes, the authors are able to look at the situation as professional homicide investigators. They avoid premature commitment to any theory and instead examine the situation in terms of "risk profile." From low risk to high risk, is the individual likely to have been a victim of murder, suicide, natural causes or accident? And if murder is suspected, who is likely to have been the perpetrator at the victim's risk level? If high risk, it is more likely to be a crime of opportunity by an assailant unknown to the victim; if low risk, it is more likely to be someone known to the victim. The commentator also points out that unlike many historians investigating the case, the authors approach the victim's profile as an evolving situation, looking at a more dynamic profile of risk over the individual's lifetime.

From my own perspective, I found the book a marvelous trip through memory lane. Much of the book is dedicated to the first impressions of the two gentleman with respect to Egypt: it's modern culture, it's impressive monuments, it's exotica. With trips to the various tombs, visits to Khan el Khalili Suq for tea in the city's oldest tea shop, a visit to (probably) the famous Groppy's ice cream parlor for coffee and treats, the smiling children trying to sell you anything they can at exorbitant prices, their demands for "pens," the two authors reminded me of myself when I first visited the country. There is so much to see and experience, your mind goes into overdrive, and you find yourself exhausted beyond belief at the end of every day. For anyone who has not had the experience, this is a good way to enjoy it vicariously, as the men's experiences are very common, and their assessments very astute. I'd read the book before I visited for the first time; it will prepare you for the experience better than any travel book.

For those who enjoy a good "who-dunnit" and have not read anything about the history of pharonic Egypt, you need not worry. Neither of the authors knew anything at all about ancient Egypt prior to this experience. They were, however, very well coached by specialists hired as historical resources for them. They were also motivated enough by their own curiosity and their professional background to do reading beyond the materials they were given. In short, they showed considerable initiative in preparing themselves for the mission. The reader will find that what the two learned in the progress of their study and from the specialists who assisted them is presented in a clear and coherent manner for the reader. The beginner will be more than able to understand some of the political venue and personalities of the 18th dynasty as they are presented.

This said, I will point out that the period is not nearly as clear cut as the authors present it, and if you have a serious interest in the period beyond the "who-dunnit" presented here, I'd look at other volumes written for the general reading public on the topic of ancient Egypt, the 18th dynasty, or some of the famous personalities of the period.

My only real criticism of the book is that the authors are inclined to paint the events in such a way that they may appear to be literally definite and "true" to the reader. Indeed they may well have been, but the period is much more confused than the authors present it. Unfortunately, they are inclined to take their own picture of the venue and it's events as a "given" and draw conclusions that are not always well founded. For one thing, the "crime scene" as they point out was "cold" at the time of the investigation (2002 A. D.) by some "1,224,575 days (p. 48)." In short, stone cold dead by any definition. The actual site of the mishap-or even if there was one-is unknown, so there is no crime scene from which to gather data. The written documentation is sketchy at best, and all of it represents the official position of the central government-and as the authors point out, those in control, who might well have been responsible for the young king's death. In fact, whatever has been documented is not only fragmentary, official, and vague, its intent is suspect. Unfortunately it's anyone's guess as to who that suspicious individual was and of what he was really guilty. None of the individuals present at the time are available to question, and no swore statements were ever obtained at the time.

Just the identity of the main characters and how they were interrelated is not as well known as is presented here. There have been a number of proposals, for instance, as to "who" King Tut was. It may seem simple to the casual reader that he was "king of Egypt," but the professional historian asks "why?" Who WAS King Tut? No one really knows. He comes out of the shadows of history when a successor is required, and assumes the throne after marrying the heiress, Ankhesenamun. One suggestion would make him a son of Amenhotep IV/Akhenaton by a secondary wife. Recently she has been identified as Kiya, it would appear simply because hers is virtually the only name of a secondary wife of Akhenaton that appears in the extant inscriptions. The beautiful Queen Nefertiti dominates almost every scene in the inscriptions, and it is known that she give birth only to daughters, the third of which became Tut's wife, Ankhesenamun.

That Tut was Kiya's son is not necessarily the case, however. Others have proposed that he was the youngest son of Queen Tiy, Akhenaton's mother, the Great Royal Wife of his father Amenhotep III, and therefore a younger full brother. He would therefore be unquestionably in line for succession. The 18th dynasty was plagued, however, with a succession problem throughout much of its long history. The Great Royal Wives of many of its kings gave birth only to daughters and male successors were taken from secondary lines. This was famously the case with Hatshepsut and Thuthmosis III. It was also the possessor of some of the strongest female personalities in Egyptian history, Hatshepsut being one of them. There is a good reason why Smenkhare, an early co-regent and successor of Akhenaton, is believed by some to have been a throne name for Nefertiti (for whom see, Tyldesley's Nefertiti: Egypt's Sun Queen). That this individual is a total mystery beyond his/her name and a mummy purported to have been his/hers, suggests more clearly than anything else from the period that it is a very confused period in Egypt's history.

The relationship of Queen Nefertiti is also up for grabs. It has been suggested that she was a Hittite princess sent to Amenhotep III's court but married instead to Amenhotep IV/Akhenaton. This has always been my belief, based primarily on the fact that Akhesenamun applied to the Hittite King for a prince to take as consort, which if she were descended from a Hittite mother would make her request logically one for a cousin to wed, something not infrequent in the Middle East even today. Others more recently have suggested she was a younger sister of Queen Tiy, whose family was a powerful member of the Nubian aristocracy-and therefore according to these authors, inconsequential (p. 152)!

And who is the much vilified Ay? An upstart? A villain? A murderer? Just where did he come from? Some have suggested he was an important nobleman. He was certainly able; he managed to survive the political ups and downs of three successions, a transfer of power from Thebes to Akhetaton (Armarna) and back to Thebes, and two major religious transformations. If nothing else, he was a survivor of considerable talent. Some have gone so far as to suggest he was a brother of Queen Tiy, also a powerful figure in the dynasty. He apparently showed no signs of having designs on the throne for most of his life, took control during a very problematic time for the dynasty, and left the throne to Horemheb, who left it in turn to another general, Ramses I. All of thus bought Egypt a stable social and political and military world and a smooth transition to dynasty XIX, during a period that was brewing international issues with which Egypt was forced to contend.

Much might be done with mDNA studies, except all of the players have not been identified. Some mummies have been lost, probably destroyed by the opposing ideology, and though we have Queen Tiy's, it has recently been suggested that it isn't her body after all. Furthermore, it would be difficult to say who was related to whom, since there was a great deal of intermarriage between full and half siblings during this dynasty. Almost everyone was related to almost everyone else among the upper ranks of society. With so much confusion, anyone's guess about relationships is as good as anyone elses.

This not only leads to a great deal of confusion among modern historians, it probably also lead to some confusion as to just who had the right to succeed to the throne. As at the end of most of the major dynasties in Egypt, a failure to produce a definite, designated heir-preferably already functioning as a co-regent with the older king-tended to bring about a major free-for-all and a social and political collapse. At the beginning of this period, the New Kingdom, Egypt was recovering from a period of invasion by outsiders, the Hyksos, after just such an indefinite period at the end of the final dynasty of the Middle Kingdom. If guilty of anything, Ay and Horemheb were probably guilty of concern over the collapse of their social order at a very risky point in the history of the 18th dynasty. They had a great deal more to lose by letting things fall apart at Tut's death than just their jobs.

Get the picture? Nothing is as definite as the authors have portrayed it. But it is precisely this lack of definition that makes it such a delightful tale. It has a little of everything: a messianic king who dies mysteriously, a handsome prince who becomes king, a young queen about to be married to an old man, a wicked vizier-(think of Aladdin and his lamp), a brave soldier who saves the kingdom, etc. etc. Who could ask for more?

Using Modern Forensics To Solve a 3300-Year-Old Mystery .......2004-10-10

The collaboration of Michael R. King, Gregory Cooper, Don DeNevi, and Joan Fletcher, Who Killed King Tut?: Using Modern Forensics To Solve a 3300-Year-Old Mystery is a survey of a 3,000 year old mystery and how modern forensics could solve the crime. Two new law enforcement specialists in forensics and the psychological of criminal behavior here use modern crime-solving techniques to add a very different perspective and evidence overlooked by specialists in Egyptology and archaeology. The conclusion: Tut was most likely murdered; the evidence: in Who Killed King Tut?

Words to Live by: Journeys in Ancient And Modern Egyptian Monasticism (Coleccion Semillas)

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These Words are reaching out from their desert to redeem mine

Words to Live by: Journeys in Ancient And Modern Egyptian Monasticism (Coleccion Semillas)
Tim Vivian , Apostolos N. Athanassakis , Magad S. A. Mikhail , Birger A. Pearson , and Maged S. A. Mikhail
Manufacturer: Liturgical Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Egypt | Middle East | History | Subjects | Books

General | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

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Monasticism | Other Practices | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
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Lives of the Desert Fathers: The Historia Monachorum in Aegypto (Cistercian Studies No. 34)
Journeying Into God
Saint Mary of Egypt: Three Medieval Lives in Verse (Cistercian Studies Series)
The Communion of Love
The Sayings of the Desert Fathers (Cistercian studies 59)

ASIN: 0879076577

Customer Reviews:

These Words are reaching out from their desert to redeem mine.......2007-04-22

"To paraphrase Henry David Thoreau, I would not write about Egypt so much if I knew any place better. My hope is that Egyptian monasticism will be or become familiar enough that the reader will see in these chapters both his or her own journey and monasticism in general." Tim Vivian, Introduction

Tim Vivian adds one:
I take the Rev. Dr. Tim Vivian very seriously, for he is a highly regarded Coptologist, who explores within his profuse work, combining to his amazing 'philoponoic' potential, the fine tools of scholarly distinction and a mystical insight. In his book dedication of, 'Four Funerals and a Wedding,' he adds one, which one, I have no clue. For a contemporary Coptic monk, Al Manahry, a rare fool for Christ, who kept uttering, "I wish to be wedded," the common life of the wedded, is to bear witness to Christ in their lives and in the world. In the ancient Church of Alexandria, crowns symbolized martyrdom. A 'martyr' means a witness, and martyrdom is usually associated with death.
But Fr. Tim added one, a sanctifying work, reading into the cenobitic mind and heart of the Desert fathers, who would be smiling to him from eternity, where he takes the readers, on a mystical tour, this time. Abba Vivian, defines the rules of spiritual engagement, and offer thanks to a distinguished group of experts, of whom stands out two Coptologists, Tito Orlandi and Birger Pearson. He then acknowledges a decem of articles of which "Standing up to Leo," is part of the Life of Longinus. He finishes his book on Ash Wednesday, in a Coptic patristic tradition.

A Journey to the Interior:
Following a brief but informing Coptic glossary of seven pages, his introduction which reflect on our daily encounter with violence acknowledging our illusions of peace, contrasting with spiritual warfare, a main theme of early Christian monastic life. Advocating and promoting the attentive reading of those Abbas and Ammas, he notes, "..., our relief will be short-lived, because for them the spiritual world is more real than the temporal, more holy and more deadly. That fact alone makes these monks worth reading still today: they remind us that evil is very real. ... We have met the enemy and he is US." Grieving with Virginia Tech victims' families, I feel Sun-Kyung agony, "We are humbled by this darkness. We feel hopeless, and lost."

A monastic and Personal Journey:
Through Tim Vivian own personal experience two decades past, we are introduced to the Monastic vocation in the place of its birth in the holy monastic triangle, Nitria, Kellia, and Scetis. As an American archeologists team member, to excavate the monastery of Saint John the little, "living just outside a Coptic monastery and digging in the ruins of an ancient monastic settlement, ..with manual labor, study, and prayer." Later on, Fr. Vivian, connected the spirituality of the early desert fathers with his own students, and a gradual but rich and fruitful career of patristic scholarship in Coptic manuscripts translations and desert fathers biographical and theological studies has taken a steady course.

The Life of Longinus:
"The soldiers stood and shot their arrows at the chorus of monks and not one of them was harmed! And all of them said this hymn in unison: ' My trust is in the Lord; how will you say to our soul, "Flee to the mountains like a sparrow, for look, the wicked bend their bows, they have fitted their arrows to the string, to shoot their arrows secretly at the upright in heart," ... that mighty soldier, Apa Longinus, who fought to the death for the truth, who showed that he dwelled under the shadow of the Almighty, was not afraid to face the arrows flying through the air but made his profession of faith like a conscript, saying, 'His truth will surround you like these weapons, you shall not fear an arrow that flies by day." (the Miracle on the battlefield, pp 270)

Words to live by, in a nutshell:
"What I, in Los Angeles, today, experience in these writings are people reaching out from their desert to redeem mine. If I can listen to what they have to say, maybe I can live in the world in a different way and, to some tiny extent, see the world -like an icon covered with dust and neglect- restored to its original nature, as each person is restored by taking up the work of restoration." Gary Commins, Forward

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