Religions of the Hellenistic-Roman Age is a superb introduction to the principal Western religions and their philosophical counterparts from the beginnings of Alexander the Great's empire in 331 B.C.E. to the emergence of the Christian world in the fourth century C. E. Anton?a Tripolitis; a noted scholar of Late Antiquity; examines the rise of the Hellenistic-Roman world and presents a comprehensive overview of its beliefs and practices; their socio-psychological and historical development; and the reasons for their success or failure. Her work explores Mithraism; Hellenistic Judaism; Christianity; Gnosticism; and the philosophies of Stoicism; Epicureanism; and Middle Platonism. It also includes a review of the principal mystery cults; Demeter in Eleusis; Dionysus; Isis; and Cybele or Magna Mater. Based on the most reliable and up-to-date research on the ancient world; this volume is valuable both as a general guide to ancient Western religion and as essential background reading for the study of early Christianity.
#28954 in Books Mark Bowden 2010-04-13Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 8.30 x 1.20 x 5.50l; .80 #File Name: 080214473X400 pagesBlack Hawk Down A Story of Modern War
Review
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. It was riveting; and it is a true story ...By BumbleBear10It was riveting; and it is a true story. I just about couldn't stop reading it so as to get my other daily things done. It is very well written. This should be required reading for anyone in the U.S. government; about what can go wrong when the U.S. gets involved in places that can't be fixed.1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Engaging and InformativeBy D. WittI read Black Hawk Down with a group of four other people as a part of a literature discussion. Most; if not all; of them had seen the film already; but I had not. I had a little trouble keeping up with the many character names at the beginning of the book; but I settled in about a third of the way through. This is; of course; a violent book; made more intense because of the fact that it all really happened; and the language and subject matter of fighting men under stress is a constant. I can't imagine being in the situation in which these soldiers found themselves. Bowden also goes beyond the battlefield to look at the politics involved before; during; and after the situation: if you are interested in that subject; the material after the end of the story (author interview; etc.) is worth reading.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Especially relevant to our pursuit of bin Laden.By mckossThe amazing story of the 1993 battle in Mogadishu; Somalia in which 18 US soldiers were killed; along with many 100's of Somali's presumed dead. This story is very relevant to the current situation (in October 2001) where we are trying to use traditional military action to capture a single person. In 1993; we were trying to apprehend "warlord" Mohamed Farrah Aidid - and today we are going after Osama bin Laden.Our critical mistake in this episode was drastically underestimating the enemy. While we had every advantage in terms of technology and military hardware; the Somali's had on their side sheer numbers of fighters as well as their determined willingness to fight regardless of the dangers to their own lives. Time and again; Somali fighters would put themselves in direct fire of the US forces to attack; usually being killed in the process. Another Somali fighter would then pick up their weapon and take their place. This went on for 12 to 18 hours in a house-to-house street battle that kept the relatively small force of Americans pinned down all night.Like the movies Saving Private Ryan and Three Kings this book depicts a very graphic image of war and battle. While I do believe that there are things we need to be willing to fight for; every one of us needs to understand the type of situation we are asking our military to go in to.
