The Human Story: Our History, From the Stone Age to TodayHarper Collins, 29.06.2004 г. - 466 страници Has there ever been a history of the world as readable as this? In The Human Story, James C. Davis takes us on a journey to ancient times, telling how peoples of the world settled down and founded cities, conquered neighbors, and established religions, and continues over the course of history, when they fought two nearly global wars and journeyed into space. Davis's account is swift and clear, never dull or dry. He lightens it with pungent anecdotes and witty quotes. Although this compact volume may not be hard to pick up, it's definitely hard to put down. For example, on the death of Alexander the Great, who in a decade had never lost a single battle, and who had staked out an empire that spanned the entire Near East and Egypt, Davis writes: "When they heard how ill he was, the king's devoted troops insisted on seeing him. He couldn't speak, but as his soldiers -- every one -- filed by in silence, Alexander's eyes uttered his farewells. He died in June 323 B.C., at the ripe old age of thirty-two." In similar fashion Davis recounts Russia's triumph in the space race as it happened on an autumn night in 1957: "A bugle sounded, flames erupted, and with a roar like rolling thunder, Russia's rocket lifted off. It bore aloft the earth's first artificial satellite, a shiny sphere the size of a basketball. Its name was Sputnik, meaning 'companion' or 'fellow traveler' (through space). The watchers shouted, 'Off. She's off. Our baby's off!' Some danced; others kissed and waved their arms." Though we live in an age of many doubts, James C. Davis thinks we humans are advancing. As The Human Story ends, he concludes, "The world's still cruel; that's understood, / But once was worse. So far so good." |
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... cities conquered smaller ones so that they were no longer merely cities but city - states . Along their borders they dug ditches and planted markers . Bigger states and warfare called for tougher rulers , so the " big men " gave way to ...
... city - states was near its end . The first Sumerian to govern more than several of them may have been King Etana of Kish . In about 2800 B.C. he " stabilized all the lands . " Several cen- turies later a people from what is now Iran ...
... city - states of Canaan took up much of Palestine , the strip of land along the Mediterranean's eastern shore . ( See the map on p . 16. ) They therefore lay astride the route from Egypt to Mesopotamia . Compared to the Hebrews , at ...
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11 | |
31 | |
Two ancient cities follow diverse paths | 48 |
China excels and endures | 68 |
Some attempt to rule us all | 87 |
We found the worldwide faiths | 107 |
Europe prepares for its big role | 127 |
A Leader tries to shape a master race | 311 |
We wage a wider crueler | 323 |
The Asian giants try to feed their poor | 351 |
Some of us do well | 372 |
We walk along the brink | 398 |
We do the unbelievable | 420 |
So Far So Good | 441 |
Recommended Reading | 443 |
We find each other | 147 |
The New World falls to the Old one | 167 |
We suffer famine war and plague | 182 |
We discover who we are and where we live | 195 |
Here and there the people rule | 215 |
We make more and live better | 235 |
The richer countries grab the poorer | 248 |
We multiply and shrink the earth | 263 |
We wage a war to end | 277 |
A utopia becomes a nightmare | 295 |
Permissions | 451 |
Index | 453 |
235 | 456 |
277 | 457 |
311 | 458 |
ླ ིི ླ ཌ ླཆ + 351 | 459 |
398 | 461 |
441 | 462 |