Andrey Dubrovsky, Sasha Shlyakhtina. 50 Facts from Ancient History

This book is a guide to the past for schoolchildren who haven't yet discovered the fascinating nature of history. 50 fascinating facts about the culture, politics, and religion of the major civilizations of the ancient world! Kings and sages, incredible inventions of the past, the secrets of hieroglyphs, archaeological discoveries—all await you under one cover. Yet this is more than just a collection of curious stories, but a true excursion into ancient history. Carefully selected facts will give the reader a holistic view of the era, allowing them to understand how life was organized thousands of years ago in Ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia, China and India, Ancient Greece and Rome. This book is also easy to carry and take on travels.

Is it possible to tell the history of the ancient world in 50 facts? Fifty seems like a lot (imagine 50 candies or 50 ice cream cones), but compressing history into just 50 events is no easy task. Making these facts more than just amusing anecdotes from the past, but iconic and vivid markers of the era, is even more challenging. But the author of this book, historian Andrei Dubrovsky, has mastered this intricate task.
Of course, we'll primarily focus on the most famous events: the construction of the Egyptian pyramids, the formation of the Greek city-states, the Olympic Games, and so on. But don't be discouraged—this book will reveal many unexpected things about them! Other seemingly well-known facts will suddenly turn out to be full of mysteries. Many people know, for example, that the roofs of Chinese houses are curved, but don't know why. Or they've heard of the Tower of Babel, but not of its real-life counterpart. And finally, there's room for unusual stories: about the shield that brought democracy to Greece or the ancient Indian custom of burning widows.
Kings and sages, incredible inventions of the past, the secrets of hieroglyphs, archaeological discoveries—this book is a truly authentic excursion into ancient history. The author's carefully selected facts will give the reader a holistic view of the era, allowing them to understand how life was organized thousands of years ago in Ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia, China and India, Ancient Greece and Rome.
This book opens a new pocket-sized series from the "On Foot in History" publishing house. These books are easy to take with you on the go or on a trip; you don't have to read them from the first line to the last—you can start with any chapter you like. Despite their light and entertaining format, the quality of their writing and presentation rivals that of the best encyclopedias.