History: Prehistoric and Ancient World Library

Ancient Classical Greece

This collection includes books, readings, publications, and tutorials devoted to Ancient Greece. It covers Greek philosophy and the major philosophers; the economy and social structure of the classical period; the city-states (poleis) and their organisation; the Hellenistic world and the geographical perception of the Greeks. The collection also contains publications on Greek standardisations, democratic principles, and the wider intellectual foundations of Greek civilisation. These materials comprise encyclopaedic-level overviews as well as deep, research-oriented studies.

Ancient Rome

This collection includes books, readings, publications, and tutorials devoted to Ancient Rome. It covers the Roman Republic and Empire; political institutions and legal culture; the Roman military system; the economy, social hierarchy, and civic organisation; and Rome’s influence across the Mediterranean. The collection also contains publications on Roman standardisations, administration, engineering, and the intellectual and cultural foundations of Roman civilisation. These materials comprise encyclopaedic-level overviews as well as deep, research-oriented studies.

Sumer and Early Mesopotamia

This collection includes books, readings, publications, and tutorials on Sumer and the earliest Mesopotamian civilisations. It covers the emergence of urban life; temple economies; early kingship; writing systems; administrative practices; and the socio-cultural evolution of the city-states. The collection also offers publications on Sumerian religion, law, scientific knowledge, and the wider intellectual foundations of early Mesopotamia. Materials include encyclopaedic overviews and research-level studies.

Kingdom of Judah (House of David)

This collection includes books, readings, publications, and tutorials concerning the Kingdom of Judah and the House of David. It covers the political and dynastic history of Judah; its administrative systems; religious and legal traditions; and its cultural interactions within the ancient Near East. The collection also contains publications on epigraphy, archaeology, and the intellectual and societal structures associated with Judah. Materials include encyclopaedic-level summaries and advanced research studies.

Akkadian Empire

This collection includes books, readings, publications, and tutorials devoted to the Akkadian Empire. It covers the formation of the world’s first territorial empire; the administration of Sargon and his successors; imperial infrastructure; military organisation; and cultural synthesis across Mesopotamia. The collection also offers publications on Akkadian language, law, religion, and the broader intellectual foundations of early imperial rule. Materials include encyclopaedic overviews and research-oriented studies.

Ancient Persia (Achaemenid Empire)

This collection includes books, readings, publications, and tutorials devoted to Ancient Persia, especially the Achaemenid Empire. It covers imperial administration; the satrapy system; royal ideology; multilingual governance; military structure; and Persia’s influence from the Mediterranean to Central Asia. The collection also contains publications on Persian religion, law, cultural exchange, and the intellectual frameworks underlying Achaemenid statecraft. Materials range from encyclopaedic-level surveys to research-driven analyses.

Ancient Egypt

This collection includes books, readings, publications, and tutorials dedicated to Ancient Egypt. It covers state formation; pharaonic administration; religion and funerary culture; artistic and architectural traditions; economic systems; and Egypt’s interactions with neighbouring regions. The collection also contains publications on Egyptian writing, science, and the intellectual foundations of its long-lasting civilisation. Materials provide encyclopaedic overviews as well as deep, research-level studies.

Indus Valley (Harappan Civilisation)

This collection includes books, readings, publications, and tutorials concerning the Indus Valley, or Harappan Civilisation. It covers urban planning; craft production; economic systems; environmental context; and interregional exchanges across Bronze Age South Asia. The collection also contains publications on writing traditions, social organisation, scientific knowledge, and the intellectual frameworks inferred from archaeological evidence. Materials include encyclopaedic studies and advanced research contributions.

Ancient China

This collection includes books, readings, publications, and tutorials devoted to Ancient China. It covers state formation; early dynastic systems; legal, ritual, and philosophical traditions; economic organisation; military structures; and cultural development through the Shang, Zhou, Qin, and early imperial periods. The collection also contains publications on standardisation, writing systems, science, and the intellectual foundations of Chinese civilisation. Materials range from encyclopaedic summaries to deep research studies.

Ancient Korea

This collection includes books, readings, publications, and tutorials concerning Ancient Korea. It covers early polities; cultural and technological development; interactions with China and Japan; state formation in the Three Kingdoms period; and the social, political, and intellectual traditions of early Korean civilisation. Materials range from encyclopaedic surveys to research-oriented studies.

Babylonia

This collection includes books, readings, publications, and tutorials devoted to Babylonia, from the Old Babylonian period to the Neo-Babylonian empire. It covers law and administration; religion and temple institutions; economic systems; urban life; scientific and astronomical traditions; and Babylon’s cultural influence across Mesopotamia. Materials include encyclopaedic overviews and deep, research-based studies.

Ancient Japan

This collection includes books, readings, publications, and tutorials devoted to Ancient Japan. It covers prehistoric and early state periods, including Jōmon, Yayoi, and Kofun; social and political development; material culture; regional interactions; and the formation of early Japanese institutions. Materials range from encyclopaedic summaries to research-level studies.

Western Europe (Ancient Period)

This collection includes books, readings, publications, and tutorials on the ancient history of Western Europe. It covers Bronze Age societies; Iron Age cultures; Celtic polities; Roman expansion and provincial structures; and the transition into Late Antiquity. The collection also contains publications on social organisation, economic systems, warfare, religion, and the intellectual traditions of ancient Western Europe. Materials include encyclopaedic surveys and specialist research studies.

Eastern Europe (Ancient / Protohistoric Period)

This collection includes books, readings, publications, and tutorials on the ancient and protohistoric societies of Eastern Europe. It covers early Bronze- and Iron-Age cultures; forest-steppe and steppe communities; and major Chalcolithic and Neolithic settlement systems — among them the large clustered communities of the Cucuteni–Trypillia cultural complex. Attention is given to settlement systems ranging from small hamlets to vast ‘mega-sites,’ showing sustained habitation, craft production, agriculture, and economic networks long before classical states emerged. The collection includes recent archaeological research indicating that Trypillia mega-sites may have maintained relatively low household inequality despite large population aggregates, suggesting a form of proto-urban social organisation without rigid hierarchy. In addition, later tribal confederations, evolving socio-political structures, and interactions with neighbouring cultures are covered. Materials include encyclopaedic-level surveys, archaeological site monographs, sociocultural analysis, and advanced research studies — always contextualising the debated nature of early statehood in the region.

Prehistory and Ancient World