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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Awesome Outline of Primary Sources,
By
This review is from: Ancient history from primary sources: A literary timeline (Paperback)
There is perhaps no better way to make history come alive than to read the actual words of important historical figures. Study of the primary sources is a gratifying and mind-expanding approach to learning history.
Once upon a time, there was virtue and value in being "a well read person" who understood classical literary references such as "crossing the Rubicon" and "the rosy-fingered dawn." In our era of Gameboys and dumbed-down public schools, not many college graduates have read Plato and Aristotle, or Cicero and Augustine. But classical education is making a comeback, in not a little part due to the labors of Harvey and Laurie Bluedorn, the authors of "Ancient History from Primary Sources." This wonderful resource begins with a timeline from Creation through the Fall of Rome (A.D. 476). This unique timeline is divided into five columns to indicate Hebrew & Christian, Egyptian, Mesopotamian, Greek and Roman histories. Each column indicates the years of historical events and major literary works, so that one could see at a glance the contributions of each culture to western civilization. After the timeline, an "Author and Primary Source Index" is provided which gives an outline of the content of each primary source, such as historical events recorded by Herodotus and Tacitus, philosophical works by Plato and Aristotle, and mathematical treatises by Euclid and Archimedes. The "Author and Primary Source Index" includes chapters on The Bible, Literature of Egypt, Literature of the Hebrew People, Literature of Mesopotamia, and Literature of Greece and Rome. Appendices are provided for helping a contemporary reader begin a study of history from the sources, and for bringing a Biblical approach to studying pagan sources. In addition to young scholars of history and the classics, this book would also be helpful to parents seeking to belatedly acquire a "well-educated mind." The value of this magnum opus is further enhanced by the inclusion of a two-CD set, "Primary Literary Sources for Ancient History," which includes the complete text of over 1200 ancient works by 80 classical authors. The sources on this disc include every most important authors from Arrian to Plutarch to Strabo. This CD set alone is worth much more than the asking price. The Bluedorn's sourcebook is an indispensible resource for every serious student of history. It should be used by every student of the classics. And the value is inestimable for every Christian Classical student of "Trivium" approach, homeschooled or otherwise.
15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent Resource For Self Ed and Home Ed,
By Clara in Miami (Miami, FL United States) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Ancient history from primary sources: A literary timeline (Paperback)
Ancient History from Primary Sources
A Literary Timeline If you are a non classically educated parent providing a Christian classical education for your children this is an invaluable resource. It would be wonderful to have copywork from the ancients or recountings of historical events told by those who lived closer to the time period than we do. To do this would require the daunting task of sifting through hundreds of online resources to find ancient historical writings. The problem is not just locating them but then determining what would be appropriate for your children since there is quite a bit of shocking and inappropriate information. If you are educating several children as well as attending to your household it is understandable that you wouldn't even try to seek out such material. With Ancient History from Primary Sources A Literary Timeline the work is all done in a very approachable, logical format. In this volume you will find the names of primary source authors listed in chronological order, with a short bio as well as which of their works are extant. The accompanying CD has the writings that are cited. An actual timeline is in the book paralleling the different cultures with the list of writings placed in their appropriate time period (Hebrew& Christian, Egyptian, Mesopotamia, Greek, Roman). This volume also includes important resources for parents i.e. Using Primary Sources to Study History, Four Approaches to The Study of Ancient Literature, Bible Chronology Puzzle and several other interesting appendices. Once again I enthusiastically thank the Bluedorn family for sharing the insights the Lord has given them over the years, therefore enabling our present journey in home education to be a smoother one.
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Invaluable!,
This review is from: Ancient history from primary sources: A literary timeline (Paperback)
I have thoroughly enjoyed reading through Ancient History from Primary Sources: A Literary Timeline by Harvey and Laurie Bluedorn. This book, which has 3 accompanying CD's is divided into 3 sections, with 6 appendices finishing up the book. The recommended ages for this book are generally 12 and up, but the Bluedorn's also voice that each family will have it's own standards and some may use this with children a bit younger.
The first section begins with some general guidelines where it divides Greek and Roman authors into 3 basic classifications. The three classifications being listed as: useful (but pre-read), mature Christians, and questionable and/or graphic. I found this to be very helpful myself in that choosing my sources will be a bit easier, even though the Bluedorn's state again, that each family will have varying guidelines. The section also covers how to critically evaluate a historical document, including detecting historical fallacies. The information given on what makes a source primary, secondary, or principal was quite enlightening. The second section is the timeline itself covering the period of creation to A.D. 476 (the fall of Rome), and takes up the whole section. The civilizations covered in this timeline are: Biblical, Egyptian, Mesopotamian, Greek, and Roman...with references to the primary sources that fit into the timeline. They even give citations to the section and paragraph in the books to easily find the excerpt in that particular primary source. (These are found on the CD's) Section three is the 'Author and Primary Source Index', and this is what I personally found truly invaluable in this book. Here you get info on each author such as: full name, date of birth and death, a short biographical sketch, list of works available today by this author, and significant excerpts from his works. There is even a nice survey of the scriptures here. Following the above sections, you come to the 6 appendices found in the back of the book. These are: four approaches of studying ancient literature, nothing is neutral, was Paul a classical Greek scholar?, the Bible chronology puzzle, sources consulted, and history curricula and resources. The appendice dealing with the history curricula and resources lists the curricula recommended to use that also mesh well with this great supplement. I would not even think of purchasing this book without the 3 accompanying CD's. These have the complete works of the authors listed in the source index. No more searching for ancient primary sources, or waiting on inter-library loans...your sources are at your fingertips. This book and cd set give you terrific access to the very best of all the primary source material available today.
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