/lit/ - Literature

[Anonymous No.4925623]

How do i into ancient history?

[Anonymous No.4925628]

bump

[start No.4925634]

greeks

[Anonymous No.4925638]

>>4925623
Thucydides' History of the Peloponnesian War. It marks the beginning of objective historical records - at least in the West - as opposed to Herodotus-style history (full of fate, Gods, and emotion which reads a lot like modern bullshit about how wonderful the U.S. "democracy spreading program" is).

The Melian Dialogue is still the way the world works, but it doesn't have to be....

[Anonymous No.4925639]

>>4925634

>unbiased ancient history
>greeks

[Anonymous No.4925644]

Story of Civilization vol1-3

[Anonymous No.4925651]

>>4925623
>>4925638
Also, they aren't ancient history, but more Medieval history, but Procopius' Secret History and Psellos' Chronographia are great pieces of largely objective Byzantine (East-Roman) history.

Procopius gets a little tied up in personal vendettas and his belief that Justinian was an actual demon (his shit about Theodora is hilarious though) whereas Psellos wanks himself a bit much and isn't hard enough on his subjects, but both are definitely worth reading

[Anonymous No.4925656]

>>4925639
>unbiased history
>any period ever

kek

[Anonymous No.4925668]

>>4925638

this looks promising. more like this. thanks, anon

[Anonymous No.4925799]

>>4925623
Some kind of time machine.

[Anonymous No.4925815]

>>4925623
Ancient Aliens on history channel is probably the most accurate account of history.

[Anonymous No.4925846]

>>4925638
>recommending Thucydides to someone as a starter material

Shit's HARD yo:
"Immediately afterwards an Elean embassy arrived, and first making an alliance with Corinth went on from thence to Argos, according to their instructions, and became allies of the Argives, their country being just then at enmity with Lacedaemon and Lepreum. Some time back there had been a war between the Lepreans and some of the Arcadians; and the Eleans being called in by the former with the offer of half their lands, had put an end to the war, and leaving the land in the hands of its Leprean occupiers had imposed upon them the tribute of a talent to the Olympian Zeus. Till the Attic war this tribute was paid by the Lepreans, who then took the war as an excuse for no longer doing so, and upon the Eleans using force appealed to Lacedaemon. The case was thus submitted to her arbitrament; but the Eleans, suspecting the fairness of the tribunal, renounced the reference and laid waste the Leprean territory. The Lacedaemonians nevertheless decided that the Lepreans were independent and the Eleans aggressors, and as the latter did not abide by the arbitration, sent a garrison of heavy infantry into Lepreum. Upon this the Eleans, holding that Lacedaemon had received one of their rebel subjects, put forward the convention providing that each confederate should come out of the Attic war in possession of what he had when he went into it, and considering that justice had not been done them went over to the Argives, and now made the alliance through their ambassadors, who had been instructed for that purpose. Immediately after them the Corinthians and the Thracian Chalcidians became allies of Argos. Meanwhile the Boeotians and Megarians, who acted together, remained quiet, being left to do as they pleased by Lacedaemon, and thinking that the Argive democracy would not suit so well with their aristocratic government as the Lacedaemonian constitution."

Get landmark if so

OP: just periodise/compartmentalise,
>Before Classical Greece (Egypt/Mesopotamia/Iran)
>Classical Greece
>Rome
Everything fits into/around your simplified chronology, and the bits ("Classical Greece"/"Egypt") are easier to find good single authoritative books or lectures on. Basically, comprehensive uber-histories are all lacklustre, so the best thing you can do is cleanly separate an area/civ to study, so it becomes a great point of reference.

Try this:
>Donald Kagan's Yale Ancient Greece course, including doing the readings on the syllabus (which includes Thucydides)
>Kenneth Harl's Peloponnesian War course (TTC, pirate it)
>optionally read Kagan's PPW book
>Harl's excellent Alexander course
>Garrett Fagan's Rome course (TTC)

Now you have an undergrad background in Classical Greece, and can segue into Rome, which you have good context for (state of the Mediterranean c. 300~).

Also try Kenneth Harl's Origins of Great Ancient Civilisations but its a bit dense. Get a good idea of preGreece West tho.

[Anonymous No.4925853]

>>4925846
Dude probably hasn't read any Thucydides outside of the excerpted Melian dialogue

this is /lit/ baby

[Anonymous No.4925941]

>>4925846

fuck. where do i start with the mesopotamians? are there any good history books about pre-agricultural societies? or should i just study anthropology?

[Anonymous No.4925945]

>>4925941
You won't learn about Mesopotamians in anthropology.

[Anonymous No.4925953]

>>4925941
The origins course is a good starter honestly

[Anonymous No.4927880]

>>4925853

lel

[Anonymous No.4928864]

any book on mesopotamia?

[Anonymous No.4929674]

>>4928864
George Rouxs "Ancient Iraq" is pretty good.

[Anonymous No.4929681]

>>4925638
>objective
…Read Hume, please.

[Anonymous No.4932107]

mmm humes