Antiquity: From the Birth of Sumerian Civilization to the Fall of the Roman Empire

by Norman F. Cantor

Book Overview

"With his characteristic eloquence and lucid insights. . . Cantor offers a splendid and accessible portrait of the cultures of the ancient world."--Publishers Weekly

Bestselling author Norman Cantor delivers this compact but magisterial survey of the ancient world--from the birth of Sumerian civilization around 3500 B.C. in the Tigris-Euphrates valley (present-day Iraq) to the fall of the Roman Empire in A.D. 476...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0060930985
• ISBN13: 9780060930981
• Release Date: September 2004
• Publisher: Harper Perennial
• Length: 272 Pages
• Weight: 0.72 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 5.3" x 8.0"

Customer Reviews

Good overview of the ancient world

_Antiquity_ by Norman F. Cantor is a very readable and useful general introduction to the history and culture of the ancient Mediterranean. Though he wrote in his introduction that this book covers antiquity from earliest humanity (about 2.5 million years ago) to the fall of the Roman Empire (in the west) in the fifth century A.D., the focus is primarily on the cultures of ancient Greece and Rome as well as on ancient Judaism and early Christianity (with Jewish history particularly well covered). Ancient Egypt is fairly well discussed though there is very light coverage on the civilizations of Mesopotamia and some of the other Mediterranean civilizations, such as those of the Minoans, Phoenicians, and the Carthaginians (and generally the latter only in context with Roman history). Having said that though, I still found the book worthwhile as it provided a nice review of ancient history. The book has a somewhat odd format. Part I, which he titled the Basic Narrative, is a series of short chapters laying out basic facts about ancient times that he felt every educated person should know. Most of the chapters in this section are about five to ten pages in length. Part II, which he called Societies and Cultures, is over half the book and goes into much more detail, though also covering again some information mentioned in Part I. Part II had some particularly interesting sections, including a chapter on the legacy of Roman law (and on that of Marcus Tullius Cicero, the greatest Roman lawyer of all time) and on divisions in the early Christian church. This latter chapter was particularly unusual, constructed as an imagined conservation between Saint Augustine (tremendously influential Christian theologian from early fifth century Tunisia), his sister Placida, and a one time friend of Augustine, Bishop Vincent, a leader of a Christian sect called the Donatists, one that Augustine was at odds with. Cantor remarked several times how remarkable it was that the small city-state of Athens (counting farmers in the nearby countryside not more than 200,000 people at any one time) managed to forge an empire and to become for a time the predominant political, military, economic, and most importantly for us today cultural center for not only Greece but for the Mediterranean. This particular culture gave us Aristotle, Socrates, and Plato, incredibly influential thinkers and writers that along with the Hebrew Bible were the foundations for Western civilization. The author compared the Jews and the Athenians on one interesting point; both were cultures grounded in an epic historical myth. The Jews had their Exodus and the Athenians had the Trojan War as described in the epic poem _The Iliad_, both of which were national historical myths that gave "identity and moral authenticity" to their respective peoples. While the Jews were seen as "heroic refugees from slavery" and "righteous conquerors" of a pagan land, the Athenians saw themselves as descended from c

A gem for late-blooming history buffs

As a non-history student embarking on a journey into antiquity, I found Norman Cantor's "Antiquity" irresistibly handy. Packed with nuggets of information ranging from the dawn of civilization in the Nile and Tigris-Euphrates valley, to the rise of the Hellenistic and Roman empires to the development of ancient Judaism and Christianity, the book successfully compressed a year of history's work into a week of enjoyable reading. The book provides food for thought in many aspects. According to Cantor, archaeological finds conducted to date have proven the Exodus in the Bible false. He even suggested that Saint Paul had not seen for himself Jesus in the flesh. Though controversial at times in his statements (which may not be bad after all, since it makes for a more stimulating read), Cantor generally presented the rise of ancient civilization in an objective manner. I personally liked the way the book is organized. The first fifty pages give a general outline of antiquity, with the barest of information that any educated person should know. The second half of the book then delved into something more detailed and specific. Certain chapters, such as Ancient Judaism and the Civil Law, shone with Cantor's comprehensive treatment and novel insights, whereas others such as Christianity paled in comparison. Cantor attempted to use the dialogue between St. Augustine and Vincent to elucidate the essence of Christianity, but he certainly left the reader more bewildered then enlightened. Nevertheless, the straightforward style of Cantor makes "Antiquity" a gem, for it does not assume prior knowledge of the civilization of the ancient world and hence makes it more `digestible' for non-experts. One of its kind in the market, Cantor's "Antiquity" certainly fills up the gap in introductory literature on Antiquity.

A Systemic View of Anitiquity

Norman Cantor successfully provides the reader with a systemic view of antiquity, linking many important concepts through time and relating them to the modern age. His writing style is very accessible for non-historians, yet as a historian I developed new insights from this relatively brief book.History is about developing an image of the past when you do not have all of the pieces of the puzzel, or may not be certain of how accurate certain bits of information may be. I enjoy Cantor's willingness to risk breaking existing paradigms, and while I would need to study certain issues further to be more certain of his conclusions, I enjoy his risk-taking because it requires me to think twice about "facts" that I have accepted for a lifetime such as the exodus from Egypt. If you realize that Cantor has written much more detailed works, for example the Sacred Chain on Judaism, you will understand that his conclusion regarding the exodus is not whimsical, but came through careful consideration.I have always found Cantor's work to be a joy to read, and a stimulant to further studying the subject. I found his chapter on the Civil Law to be truly outstanding, and I have referred a few lawyer friends to this section. I highly recommend this book.Rodney Smith

An absorbing and immensely readable overview

Like all Norman Cantor's work, this book is extremely readable and it allows the mind to relax, and to put in order a wealth of information about immense subjects. My library and study are filled with books on details of ancient history, and how refreshing it is to pick up "Antiquity" and step back from the details and see through Cantor's eyes great patterns and great developments, to see relationships that have eluded me as I drown in specialized studies. The energy in Cantor's writing is always inviting. I don't agree with all Cantor's conclusions, but he teaches me things all the way through. And this book is particularly illuminating now when East and West are at war, and we are being compelled to learn about the East as never before, perhaps, in our lifetimes. We need scholars like Cantor who can and dare to make statements about the big picture. Anne Rice, New Orleans,La