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The implied assumption about Ancient History, which in the present discussion will comprise mainly Graeco–Roman history, is that 'relevance' obtains. What this will chiefly mean is that in some sense history does teach lessons, and that specifically Ancient History has lessons to teach students of international affairs at the present day. A massive assumption, it may be thought. Some suggestions towards a defence of the proposition appear later. What might seem more readily defensible is the view that it is the present which may illuminate the past. Here the lessons of history, if we admit them, become retrospective. If Winston Churchill in certain aspects of his career in the 1930s resembled the orator Demosthenes in the fourth century B.C. pronouncing his Anti-Philippics, even more revealingly, perhaps, in enhancing contemporary understanding of the latter period, did Demosthenes fulfil the role of Winston Churchill in his "wilderness years".

"This exciting new volume examines the development of market performance from Antiquity until the dawn of the Industrial Revolution. Efficient market structures are agreed by most economists to serve as evidence of economic prosperity, and to be prerequisites for further economic growth. However, this is the first study to examine market performance as a whole, over such a large time period. Presenting a hitherto unknown and inaccessible corpus of data from ancient Babylonia, this international set of contributors are for the first time able to offer an in-depth study of market performance over a period of 2,500 years.The contributions focus on the market of staple crops, as they were crucial goods in these societies. Over this entire period, all papers provide a similar conceptual and methodological framework resting on a common definition of market performance combined with qualitative and quantitative analyses resting on new and improved price data. In this way, the book is able to combine analysis of the Babylonian period with similar work on the Roman, Early-and Late Medieval and Early Modern period. Bringing together input from assyriologists, ancient historians, economic historians and economists, this volume will be crucial reading for all those with an interest in ancient history, economic history and economics. "--

This study analyses features of Islamic historical facts and inspiring storytelling, highlights important aspects of ancient Islamic history, and is best understood as a religious tale with some room for creative interpretation. It will look at the historical circumstances surrounding the founding of Islam, including the caliphates that were chosen at the time because, as many accounts imply, they served as the cornerstone of the Muslim community. The article makes an effort to understand the inspiring Islamic history in this light, with a focus on elucidating those components that do not naturally correspond with the recorded tale. The research also makes an effort to accomplish these goals while placing a special emphasis on the Ottoman Empire and the history of Ertugrul.

This article presents a philosophical and methodological remark on the paper of A. Krushinskiy "Subject, Space, Time: How to Read Ancient Chinese Text" at the Round Table on the project "Geography of Rationality" (Moscow, RAS Institute of Philosophy, March 31, 2020), which gives an alternative explanation for the appearance of translations and studies of unsatisfactory quality in modern Russian sinology. A. Krushinskiy attributes this to the fact that authors of these unsatisfactory works do not take into account the specifics of reading ancient Chinese texts, namely, ignoring the methodological theory of V. Spirin according to which ancient Chinese texts reveal additional semantic content, if read nonlinearly. The present article points that this is not due to ignoring the particular methodological achievements of V. Spirin, but because of the general methodological attitudes of authors writing about ancient Chinese philosophy. The article distinguishes three types of general methodological attitudes: "sophistic" (when material from the history of philosophy is used for the author's self-realization), "philosophical" (when material from the history of philosophy is used to solve a particular philosophical problem) and "historical" (when the description of material from the history of philosophy is the end in itself). It also shows methodological differences between these types that affect the style and methodology of scholars. The article pays special attention to the description of the general regulatory principles of the historian of philosophy, i.e. 1) accuracy in 'modernization', 'actualization' and 'comparative method'; 2) moderation in 'universalizations' and 'author's interpretations'; 3) distinction between 'subjects' of historical philosophical material (author/s, text, tradition); 4) special attention to contradictions and uncertainties in it; and 4) understanding that for a historian of philosophy 'true" is 'admissible'. It is concluded that problems with translations and studies of unsatisfactory quality arise mainly when authors consciously or unconsciously confuse these three general methodological attitudes in their texts and thereby mislead readers.

"The witch came to prominence--and often a painful death--in early modern Europe, yet her origins are much more geographically diverse and historically deep. In this landmark book, Ronald Hutton traces witchcraft from the ancient world to the early-modern stake. This book sets the notorious European witch trials in the widest and deepest possible perspective and traces the major historiographical developments of witchcraft. Hutton, a renowned expert on ancient, medieval, and modern paganism and witchcraft beliefs, combines Anglo-American and continental scholarly approaches to examine attitudes on witchcraft and the treatment of suspected witches across the world, including in Africa, the Middle East, South Asia, Australia, and North and South America, and from ancient pagan times to current interpretations. His fresh anthropological and ethnographical approach focuses on cultural inheritance and change while considering shamanism, folk religion, the range of witch trials, and how the fear of witchcraft might be eradicated"--

1. The rise and fall of the system of rites and music and the evolution of the Zhou army / Huang Pumin -- 2. Military codes of virtue : aspects of wen and wu in China's Warring States Period / Kai Filipiak -- 3. The master of works (sikong) in the armies of the Qin and Han dynasties / Song Jie -- 4. Re-thinking the civil-military divide in the southern dynasties / Andrew Chittick -- 5. Changes in the title systems for generals in ancient China / Zhang Jinlong -- 6. Origins and selection criteria of soldiers in different stages of the Tang dynasty (618-907) / Sun Jimin -- 7. The drum and wind palace music of the Tang and Song dynasty / Yu Filipiak -- 8. The rise of the martial : rebalancing wen and wu in Song dynasty culture / Peter Lorge -- 9. Postcards from the edge : competing strategies for the defense of Liaodong in the late Ming / Kenneth M. Swope -- 10. The adaptation of Chinese military techniques to Choson Korea, their validation, and the social dynamics thereof / Felix Siegmund -- 11. Craftsmen and specialist troops in early modern Chinese armies / Ulrich Theobald -- 12. Military atrocities in warlord China / Edward McCord -- 13. The military ascendant : the ascendancy of the Chinese military during the Resistance War 1937-1945 (and afterwards) / Diana Lary.

Micheline Ishay recounts the dramatic struggle for human rights across the ages in a book that brilliantly synthesizes historical and intellectual developments from the Mesopotamian Codes of Hammurabi to today's era of globalization. As she chronicles the clash of social movements, ideas, and armies that have played a part in this struggle, Ishay illustrates how the history of human rights has evolved from one era to the next through texts, cultural traditions, and creative expression. Writing with verve and extraordinary range, she develops a framework for understanding contemporary issues from the debate over globalization to the intervention in Kosovo to the climate for human rights after September 11, 2001. The only comprehensive history of human rights available, the book will be essential reading for anyone concerned with humankind's quest for justice and dignity. Ishay structures her chapters around six core questions that have shaped human rights debate and scholarship: What are the origins of human rights? Why did the European vision of human rights triumph over those of other civilizations? Has socialism made a lasting contribution to the legacy of human rights? Are human rights universal or culturally bound? Must human rights be sacrificed to the demands of national security? Is globalization eroding or advancing human rights? As she explores these questions, Ishay also incorporates notable documents—writings, speeches, and political statements—from activists, writers, and thinkers throughout history