Long sources of mystery, imagination, and inspiration, the myths and history of the ancient Mediterranean have given rise to artistic, religious, cultural, and intellectual traditions that span the centuries. In this unique and comprehensive introduction to the region's three major civilizations, Egypt, Greece, and Rome draws a fascinating picture of the deep links between the cultures across the Mediterranean and explores the ways in which these civilizations continue to be influential to this day. Beginning with the emergence of the earliest Egyptian civilization around 3500 BC, Charles Freeman follows the history of the Mediterranean over a span of four millennia to AD 600, beyond the fall of the Roman empire in the west to the emergence of the Byzantine empire in the east. In addition to the three great civilizations, the peoples of the Ancient Near East and other lesser-known cultures such as the Etruscans, Celts, Persians, and Phoenicians are explored. The author examines the art, architecture, philosophy, literature, and religious practices of each culture, set against its social, political, and economic background. More than an overview of the primary political or military events, Egypt, Greece, and Rome pays particular attention to the actual lives of both the everyday person and the aristocracy: here is history brought to life. Especially striking are the readable and stimulating profiles of key individuals throughout the ancient world, covering persons from Homer to Horace, the Pharaoh Akhenaten to the emperor Augustus, Alexander the Great to Julius Caesar, Jesus to Justinian, and Aristotle to Augustine. Generously illustrated in both color and black-and-white, and drawing on the most up-to-date scholarship, Egypt, Greece and Rome is a superb introduction for anyone seeking a better understanding of the civilizations of the ancient Mediterranean and their legacy to the West.

古代地中海的神话和历史长期以来一直是神秘、想象和灵感的源泉，产生了跨越几个世纪的艺术、宗教、文化和知识传统。在这本关于该地区三大文明的独特而全面的介绍中，埃及、希腊和罗马为整个地中海文化之间的深刻联系勾勒出一幅迷人的画面，并探索了这些文明至今仍具有影响力的方式。从公元前3500年左右最早的埃及文明的出现开始，查尔斯-弗里曼沿着地中海的历史走了四千年，直到公元600年，从西部的罗马帝国的衰落到东部的拜占庭帝国的出现。除了这三个伟大的文明之外，还探讨了古代近东的人民和其他鲜为人知的文化，如伊特鲁里亚人、凯尔特人、波斯人和腓尼基人。作者研究了每种文化的艺术、建筑、哲学、文学和宗教习俗，并以其社会、政治和经济背景为背景。埃及、希腊和罗马不仅仅是对主要政治或军事事件的概述，还特别关注普通人和贵族的实际生活：这里的历史栩栩如生。特别引人注目的是对整个古代世界关键人物的可读性和激励性的介绍，涵盖了从荷马到贺拉斯、从法老阿肯那顿到奥古斯都皇帝、从亚历山大大帝到凯撒大帝、从耶稣到查士丁尼，以及从亚里士多德到奥古斯丁。埃及、希腊和罗马》以彩色和黑白两色为主要内容，并借鉴了最新的学术成果，对于任何寻求更好地了解古代地中海文明及其给西方带来的遗产的人来说，都是一本极好的介绍。

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