In 1748 the rediscovery of the marvels of Pompeii set Europe’s imagination ablaze, sparking the heroic endeavour that would revolutionise archaeology over the next 150 years, as explorers, adventurers and archaeologists pursued the secrets of lost civilisations:
Petra, the ‘rose-red city half as old as time’;
Knossos, where the legendary King Minos may have once held sway;
Babylon, celebrated for its Hanging Gardens – one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World –
and Troy, on which the Achaean Greeks wreaked vengeance for the abduction of the beautiful Helen.

This superbly illustrated new set reveals not only the vanished glories but the ambition and genius of the people who created these five great cities.
They were the ultimate warriors.
Their conquests, wealth and vision changed the world forever.
These compelling biographies tell their stories.

Troy and the Trojans

Carl Blegen

A citadel surrounded by immense walls, with steep ramparts and a great gateway; a treasure hoard of exquisite jewels, precious metals, carnelian beads and flasks for perfumed oils; – could this be Troy, the legendary city of Priam, Paris and Hector? Breathtaking discoveries during the 1870s at Hissarlik in remote north-west Turkey convinced Heinrich Schliemann that he had indeed unearthed the place celebrated in The Iliad. Following in Schliemann’s footsteps, archaeologists have discovered that Troy holds as many mysteries as answers. Over three millennia, earthquake, fire and warfare destroyed not just one but nine different cities, each new one rising from the ruins of its predecessor. But did the Troy that inspired Homer really exist? Carl Blegen, one of the foremost excavators of Troy, traces the turbulent history of this historic site, from its origins in the Early Bronze Age to its zenith as a superstate that rivalled the power of the Hittites and the Mycenaeans. As reality is sifted from myth, a fascinating story emerges of a kingdom and a people whose conquest was more than worthy of commemoration in Homer’s timeless poem of horror and heroism. Introduced by Donald Easton.

Knossos

Colin F. Macdonald

Crete has always held a special place in Greek mythology for its associations with the Minotaur, half-man, half-bull; the rule of Minos, king and lawgiver; Daedalus and Icarus, and the birth and amorous escapades of Zeus. But in 1900, sensational finds made at Knossos by the great archaeologist Sir Arthur Evans eclipsed the realm of myth. The magnificent palace and stunning artefacts that he unearthed were unparalleled – here was material evidence of a completely new world, which Evans named as Minoan. In terms of sophistication, wealth and purpose, palace culture was an extraordinary phenomenon. The palace at Knossos was a city in itself: its power reflected in its vast and complex structure, richly appointed throne room, labyrinthine storage chambers, exquisite wall paintings depicting priest-kings and cult motifs of double axes and bull heads. It was also the centre of economic success and political cohesion, the thread that wove together the fabric of Minoan society. In a new book specially commissioned for The Folio Society, Colin Macdonald unravels the archaeology of Knossos over 6,000 years, to trace the evolution of the first true civilisation on European soil. Introduced by the author.

Babylon

Joan Oates

Babylon continues to conjure visions of opulence, power and decadence – its celebrated Hanging Gardens; the Tower of Babel, a spectacular ziggurat symbolising heaven and earth; the imposing Ishtar Gate, ornamented with glazed-brick animals and rosettes. But Babylon’s great monuments are not its only legacy. Documents in the form of clay tablets survive in huge numbers, attesting to the city’s role as a centre of great learning. The Babylonians’ achievements in mathematics and astronomy remained unchallenged for a thousand years until the advent of classical Greece; they invented the zodiac, practised herbal medicine and demonstrated their technological prowess in such feats as the hydraulic system that watered its fabled gardens. Scribes toiled to record every aspect of society, from beekeeping to military campaigns and temple rituals, providing a unique insight into the thoughts of kings and merchants, women, slaves and scholars. Joan Oates chronicles the history of Babylon, from its rise under Sargon of Agade and Hammurapi, the famed lawmaker, to its greatest period of empire under the legendary Nebuchadrezzar in the 6th century BC and eventual fall as Persians and Greeks turned Mesopotamia into a battleground. Revised introduction by the author.

Pompeii and Herculaneum

Michael Grant

Preserved for almost 2,000 years beneath a volcanic shroud, Pompeii’s magnificent forum, amphitheatre, lavishly decorated villas, sensuous frescoes and hoards of jewels and precious metals made the city one of the world’s most powerful cultural magnets on their discovery in 1748. But the real miracle of Pompeii lay in the near-perfect representation of daily life preserved beneath the layers of ash, from the altar tables carefully prepared for the priests of Isis and the richly dressed woman who died with the gladiators she was visiting, to the fruit abandoned on market stalls. Pompeii was not the only victim of Vesuvius’ cataclysmic explosion. Nearby Herculaneum, buried by a treacly river of mud, has also yielded many treasures, including the discovery of the largest surviving ancient library at the Villa of the Papyri. Acclaimed for his ability to ‘blow the dust off the classical world’, Michael Grant presents a fascinating portrait of a vibrant, cosmopolitan people – their tastes in art, food, entertainment and, above all, their passionate obsession with love and death. No mirror on the past could provide a more vivid reflection than Pompeii. Introduced by Andrew Wallace-Hadrill.

Petra and the Lost Kingdom of the Nabataeans

Jane Taylor

Of all the marvels of the ancient world, Petra, in present-day Jordan, is the most magical and mysterious. Secure within mountainous terrain, the Nabataean Arabs carved from their roseate sandstone canyon elaborate tombs, temples, palaces and colonnades, whose splendour rivalled those of classical Greece and Rome. Since many of Petra’s streets were dry riverbeds vulnerable to flash floods, water was skilfully diverted into numerous cisterns, a feat of engineering almost as spectacular as the city itself. From the 4th century BC until its conquest by the Emperor Trajan in AD 106, Petra flourished as the centre of a lucrative caravan route. Incense, gold, spices and silks passed through its bazaars as merchants made their way from Asia to Europe. But perhaps the Nabataeans’ most influential legacy was their system of writing, which evolved into the Arabic script now in use across the world. Jane Taylor’s vivid text and marvellous photographs combine to bring alive the remarkable story of a tribe of pastoral nomads that metamorphosed into a mighty civilisation and became the envy of a cavalcade of powerful rulers, from Herod and Julius Caesar to Cleopatra and Augustus. Revised introduction by the author.

Sells for $252.95 with S&H

Steal my MINT CONDITION set for $150.00

.

.

Product SKU: Lost Cities