Cool periods of (ancient) history/empires/cultures/people to read about?

[ManBearPig]

any ideas? i think reading about the Mongols or Timurids or something would be cool. I wanted to read about augustur caesar or hannibal but all the biographies on them seem crappy.

 

[nageov3t]

I highly, highly recommend the History of Rome podcasts.

 

[Nik]

http://www.cracked.com/article/18368_7-books-we-lost-to-history-that-would-have-changed-world/

http://www.cracked.com/article/18351_6-rulers-who-abused-their-power-in-hilariously-insane-ways/

 

[rudeguy]

Damn it loki....I already have too many podcasts to listen to and I can't get them to play in my car! Those podcasts sound just nerdy enough for me to find time for them.


For the OP: There are tons of documentaries to watch about all the things you mentioned. I wish I had time to read stuff like that

 

[JMapleton]

I like medieval european history, particularly, the earlier period and the early kings of England before one individual king ruled all of England.

 

[KMFJD]

Hernan Cortez and Francisco Pizzaro's conquests are very interesting reading

 

[TehMac]

I study everything. I mean everything. It's why I am so awesome.

From the dawn of Mesopotamian civilization to the Arab Caliphates, to the Yuan Dynasty in China, to the Kushites in Egypt, the Visigoths in Spain, the Mexica/Aztecs in Mexico, the Lombards in Italy, the Magyars in Hungary, and the Bretons in...well...Brittany (they're closet celts).

All these periods and people coalesce into each other, but of course it is awesome to study them in isolation as well.

Favorite period is the "transitional" period known as the Dark Ages. Essentially, the lack of centralized government, the fall of Roman Engineering and infrastructure and the rise of a new sort of cultural values that would eventually blend with those of the Romans.

On the flipside, studying the surviving Roman Empire in this period is truly rewarding (remember, Rome never fell, it just switched continents).

any ideas? i think reading about the Mongols or Timurids or something would be cool. I wanted to read about augustur caesar or hannibal but all the biographies on them seem crappy.

Julius Caesar is a good guy to study.

This book is an excellent place to start. Adrian Goldsworthy is one of the premier classicists and military historians.

The Byzantines/East Romans are always good as well, if you want a general/relevant history, this book does a great job tying it all together. The author draws parallels between the East Romans and the U.S. which everyone likes doing, but he does it in a fairly balanced way.

Essentially, his book is very constructive and enlightening.

Hadrian has a good biography, not read it yet, but it's been highly praised.
link

Same author has a bio on Augustus here

I recommend Goldsworthy because I have read him and he is awesome. He does a great job telling a good tale, but doing so accurately and making scholarly concessions along the way.

 

[IronWing]

The Secret History of the Mongols

 

[Oceandevi]

The history of Russia.
Also southeast asia.

 

[IronWing]

Also, does any one have a pointer for good books about the history of ancient through medieval Persia/Iran?

 

[TehMac]

Also, does any one have a pointer for good books about the history of ancient through medieval Persia/Iran?

Click

Fairly recent release, only one rating but it isn't that bad. Depends what you want. In terms of military history, Osprey has a good release on the Sassanids.


See here

 

[nageov3t]

Damn it loki....I already have too many podcasts to listen to and I can't get them to play in my car! Those podcasts sound just nerdy enough for me to find time for them.


For the OP: There are tons of documentaries to watch about all the things you mentioned. I wish I had time to read stuff like that

http://thehistoryofrome.typepad.com/the_history_of_rome/2008/11/index.html

the podcasts can be downloaded in MP3 format, which I assume can be burned to any cd as an audio track.

 

[Dumac]

China from late 18th century into the 20th century. It is interesting to see how China's developing diverged from that of the western world.

 

[ManBearPig]

bump