The New Penguin Atlas of Ancient History: Revised Edition

I just love the way everyone criticises this book and still gives it 5 stars. Yes , the maps do not even show the major rivers which were often the tribal frontiers; and yes many important early sites are not shown on the map at all - so you can not use the atlas to plan your vacation! I note that knowledgeable historians nit-pick the accuracy from time to time but, for myself, the ordinary punter, the book is simply stunning. Firstly the scope covers a mere 40,000 years of mainly European and Middle Eastern history. From the stone age to Byzantium. Secondly you get a swift and understandable summary of all those peoples you should know about but don't; the Medes, the Cimmarians, the Ostrogoths and hundreds of others. Thirdly, as well as the military and political history which helped create the world of today, for just a few quid you get a history of population developement, a history of trade and the story of the development and spread of both language and literacy. Wow! On top of all this, the book is written in witty and self-depreciating style, explaining carefully where the evidence may be contradictory or simply absent. The book is even updated to include some DNA evidence and doubtless there will be a lot more in future editions. So 5 stars plus it is.

This is such a great book. The author does a phenomenal job of providing a bird's eye view of the overall historical trends with excellent maps. I had already purchased the medieval version of this which is also GREAT! Highly recommended!

Good quick reference, and makes interesting browsing. Probably good for getting middle- or high-school students interested in ancient history (though it does not cover the whole world - the focus is on western Eurasia and North Africa). It has been updated since the 1967 original, but looks like it's mostly the same, so I wonder whether some of the information is dated. The author's timeframe for the early expansion of the Indo-European languages (9000BCE) is nonsense by the reckoning of most scholars, so I find myself taking the rest with a grain of salt. However, it's great for big-picture and context, and you can always zoom in through other sources if you need confirmation. I often find myself wishing for finer granularity of time between maps, but I don't think I've ever seen another atlas as fine-grained as this one for the period. I've read this (and the earlier edition) repeatedly, and used it as a reference countless times.

The maps are not full color, which has some advantages for people like me who are colorblind and often cannot distinguish the colors used to indicate things on graphics, but may be annoying for others, and the print is too small, but this is a book that has inspired many people to study history more deeply. It gives a kind of overview of the whole history of the Mediterranean world that I have not seen anywhere else. I teach 9th grade ancient history and, instead of using a textbook, am writing my own slideshows and have given this atlas to my students for reference, enrichment, and inspiration.

Wow! What a great historical perspective this atlas has! We bought it after visiting Turkey (actually saw it for sale in eastern Turkey where we were visiting some very ancient sights. but quite expensive. Ordered it when we returned home and are enjoying the information it contains. A must read!

Very small print right throughout the book, about 11 pt for the main text and perhaps 9 pt for the side bars so it's hard on the eyes. And i got caught again by the description, 'Atlas', not checking the books physical size before purchasing, it is only 7 x 9 inches. The maps are not in color. The sea's are blue but everything else illustrated on the maps, the varying ethnic groups for instance, is some arrangement of gray cross hatching. I suppose this wouldn't matter if you are using the book for academic purposes but as a general reader this is disappointing as on first impression the scholarship seems to be first class, the writing style engaging and the time period is covered in unusual detail. but unfortunately the format makes for an unlikely read and i would probably go blind if i attempted it. Why would anyone do this to such a potentially great book ???

This revised edition is lengthier than the original (which I also own), with 30 more pages. The maps have been redrawn, and the printing is on higher quality paper. The accompanying text explains the transitions between each map. No historical atlas will satisfy everyone, but it is a useful resource.

I come back to this atlas and its partner, The New Penguin Atlas of Medieval History, again and again to anchor my understanding of where language groups, cultures, cities, nations and empires were located through history. Many histories I read, fail at providing useful maps. This is particularly true of those marketed through Kindle. This provides a large scale perspective of where things happened.

Arrived next day, great quality and exactly what I need.

Está atualizado, o que é maravilhoso.

Mapas sinopticos de la Historia Antigua. Buenos resúmenes en idioma inglés; quizá la letra un poco pequeña. Excelente complemento para los libros, o series de televisión, de ámbito histórico o como repaso de la Historia Antigua.

molte mappe di vario interesse (popolazione, lingue, alfabeti, città, commerci). Per il periodo degli imperi antichi (centrale quello Romano) molto bello avere mappe intervallate di pochi anni in modo da poter seguire i cambiamenti dei confini degli imperi e delle nazioni

I purchased this and the Atlas of Medieval History, expecting them to be dry but useful reference material. What I didn't expect is that the writing is really excellent and I've found myself reading both books cover to cover. They really capture what was happening and tie it all together into a compelling narrative, supported by a range of useful maps on different topics that support the writing.