Best Ancient History Books

A sweeping narrative history of Homo sapiens from the Cognitive Revolution to the present. Harari argues that what makes humans dominate the planet is not physical strength but collective myths: shared fictions like money, religion, and nations that allow millions of strangers to cooperate. The book moves fast through 70,000 years, making big, debatable claims about agriculture, empire, capitalism, and happiness. It is less a history textbook than a provocative essay in chronological form, and best read as an argument rather than a reference.

One of the oldest extant works of Western literature, the Iliad is a timeless epic poem of great warriors trapped between their own heroic pride and the arbitrary, often vicious decisions of fate and the gods.

Into the 'autobiography' of ClauClauClaudius, the pitiful stammerer who was destined to become Emperor in spite of himself, Graves packs the everlasting intrigues, the depravity, the bloody purges and mounting cruelty of the reigns of Augustus and Tiberius, soon to culminate in…

The creator of the awardwinning podcast series The History of Rome and Revolutions brings to life the bloody battles, political machinations, and human drama that set the stage for the fall of the Roman Republic.

Stewart Brand recommended this book on his "Selected Books for the Manual for Civilization" blog post.

A fascinating discussion on sex, gender, and human instincts, as relevant today as ever.In the course of a lively drinking party, a group of Athenian intellectuals exchange views on eros, or desire.

"Tries to suggest that Greeks as we know them now were not the people that existed in Plato, and Artistophenes, and Socrates' times, but that those folks had a Black African component to them." - Dan Carlin

In SPQR, an instant classic, Mary Beard narrates the history of Rome "with passion and without technical jargon" and demonstrates how "a slightly shabby Iron Age village" rose to become the "undisputed hegemon of the Mediterranean" (Wall Street Journal).

This is the first volume in a bold new series that tells the stories of all peoples, connecting historical events from Europe to the Middle East to the far coast of China, while still giving weight to the characteristics of each country.