AncientWorldsisaboutpeopleandplaces,politicsandeconomics,artandwar,tradeandtechnology,butaboveallit’sthestoryofthepainfulbirthanddifficultgrowthofaradicalideafirsttriedandtestedsomesixthousandyearsago,andwhichwearestillstrugglingwithtoday;civilisation.Civilisationhasnotcomeeasily;it’ssomethingwe’vehadtofighthardtoachieve,andevenhardertomaintain,andthegreatestthreatstoithavecomefromourowntalentsfordestruction.Butwhenwe’vemanagedtogetitright,thebenefitshavebeenenormous. Whenwetalkabouttheancientworldwetendtothinkofrareandexoticartefactsorthemonumentalremainsofepicarchitecture;butthesearejusttheemptyshellsthatgotleftbehindwhenthetideofhistoryturned!Thelivingcreatures,thecivilisations,thatonceinhabitedtheseshellswererarelyifeverstaticorstately;theyweredynamic,chaotic,andalwaysthreateningtospinoutofcontrol,becausecivilisationisbasedonanimprobableidea;thatstrangerscanliveandworktogetherindenseurbansettings,forgingnewallegiancesthatreplacethenaturaltiesoffamily,clanortribe.It’sanideawe’restillcomingtotermswithtoday,butoneofthebestwaystounderstandthechallengesthatareinvolvedistolookathowourancestorstackledthemthefirsttimearound. FromancientIraqtoImperialRome,AncientWorldsexamineshowourancestorsstruggledwiththeleversofreligionandpolitics,artandculture,waranddiplomacy,technologyandtradeinordertokeepthecomplexmachineryoftheircivilisationsturningover.Theirinsightsandblind-spots,theirbreakthroughsanddeadends,theirtriumphsanddisastersarethemilestonesonthelongandwindingroadthatleadsdirectlyfromtheirancienttoourmodernworld.
