CONTENTS
Prehistoric Times. Prehistoric archæology — Prehistoric remains; their antiquity — Prehistoric science — The four ages.
The Rough Stone Age. Remains found in the gravels — The cave-men.
The Polished Stone Age. Lake-villages — Megalithic monuments.
The Bronze Age. Bronze — Bronze objects.
The Iron Age. Iron — Iron weapons — Epochs of the Iron Age.
Conclusions: How the four ages are to be conceived; uncertainties; solved questions.
History and the Documents. History — Legends — History in general — Great divisions of history — Ancient history — Modern history — The Middle Ages.
Sources for the History of Ancient Civilizations. Books — Monuments — Inscriptions — Languages — Lacunæ.
Races and Peoples. Anthropology — The races — Civilized peoples — Aryans and Semites.
The Egyptians. Egypt — The country — The Nile — Fertility of the soil — The accounts of Herodotus — Champollion — Egyptologists — Discoveries.
The Egyptian Empire. Antiquity of the Egyptian people — Memphis and the pyramids — Egyptian civilization — Thebes — The Pharaoh — The subjects — Despotism — Isolation of the Egyptians.
Religion of the Egyptians. The gods — Osiris — Ammon-râ — Gods with animal heads — Sacred animals — The bull Apis — Worship of the dead — Judgment of the soul — Mummies — Book of the Dead — The arts — Industry — Architecture— Tombs— Temples— Sculpture— Painting— Literature — Destinies of the Egyptian civilization.
The Assyrians and Babylonians. Chaldea — The land — The people — The cities.
The Assyrians — Assyria — Origins — Ancient accounts — Modern discoveries — Inscriptions on bricks — Cuneiform writing — The Assyrian people — The king — Fall of the Assyrian Empire.
The Babylonians. The second Chaldean empire — Babylon — The Tower of Babylon.
Customs and Religion. Customs — Religion — The gods — Astrology — Sorcery — The sciences.
The Arts. Architecture — Palaces — Sculpture.
The Aryans of India. The Aryans — Aryan languages — The Aryan people.
Primitive Religion of the Hindoos. The Aryans on the Indus — The Vedas — The gods — Indra — Agni — The cult — Worship of ancestors.
Brahmanic Society. The Hindoos on the Ganges — Castes — The Impure — The Brahmans — The new religion of Brahma — Transmigration of souls — Character of this religion — The rites — Purity — Penances — The monks.
Buddhism. Buddha — Nirvana — Charity — Fraternity — Tolerance — Later history of Buddhism — Changes in Buddhism — Buddha transformed into a god — Mechanical prayer — Amelioration of manners.
The Persians. The religion of Zoroaster — Iran — The Iranians — Zoroaster — The Zend-Avesta — Ormuzd and Ahriman — Angels and demons — Creatures of Ormuzd and Ahriman — The cult — Morality — Funerals — Destiny of the soul — Character of Mazdeism.
The Persian Empire. The Medes — The Persians — Cyrus — The inscription of Behistun — The Persian empire — The satrapies — Revenues of the empire — The Great King — Services rendered by the Persians — Susa and Persepolis — Persian architecture.
The Phœnicians. The Phœnician people — The land — The cities — Phœnician ruins — Organization of the Phœnician — Tyre — Carthage — Carthaginian army — The Carthaginians — The Phœnician religion.
Phœnician Commerce. Occupations of the Phœnicians — Caravans — Marine commerce — Commodities — Secret kept by the Phœnicians — Colonies — Influence of the Phœnicians — The alphabet.
The Hebrews. Origin of the Hebrew people — The Bible — The Hebrews — The patriarchs — The Israelites — The call of Moses — Israel in the desert — The Promised Land.
The Religion of Israel. One God — The people of God — The covenant — The Ten Commandments — The Law — Religion constituted the Jewish people.
The Empire of Israel. The Judges — The Hangs — Jerusalem — The tabernacle — The temple.
The Prophets. Disasters of Israel — Sentiments of the Israelites — The prophets — The new teaching — The Messiah.
The Jewish People. Return to Jerusalem — The Jews — The synagogues — Destruction of the temple — The Jews after the dispersion.
Greece and the Greeks. The country — The sea — The climate — Simplicity of Greek life — The people — Origin of the Greeks — Legends — The Trojan War — The Homeric Poems — The Greeks at the time of Homer — The Dorians — The Ionians — The Hellenes — The cities.
The Hellenes Beyond the Sea. Colonization — Character of the colonies — Traditions touching the colonies — Importance of the Greek colonies.
Greek Religion. The gods — Polytheism — Anthropomorphism — Mythology — Local gods — The great gods — Attributes of the gods — Olympus and Zeus — Morality of the Greek mythology.
The Heroes. Various sorts of heroes — Presence of the heroes — Intervention of the heroes.
Worship. Principle of the cult of the gods — The great Feasts — the sacred games — Omens — Oracles — Amphictyonies.
Sparta. The People — Laconia — The Helots — The Periœci — Condition of the Spartiates.
Education. The children — The girls — The discipline — Laconism — Music — The dance — Heroism of the women.
Institutions. The kings and the council — The ephors — The army — The hoplites — The phalanx — Gymnastics — Athletes — Rôle of the Spartiates.
Athens. Origins of the Athenian people — Attica — Athens — The revolutions in Athens — Reforms of Cleisthenes.
The Athenian People. The slaves — The foreigners — The citizens.
The Government. The assembly — The courts — The magistrates — Character of the government — The demagogues.
Private Life. Children — Marriage — Women.
Wars. The Persian wars — Origin of these wars — Comparison of the two adversaries — First Persian war — Second Persian war — Reasons for the victory of the Greeks — Results of the wars.
Wars of the Greeks among Themselves. The Peloponnesian war — War with Sparta — Savage character of the wars — Effects of these wars.
The Arts in Greece. Athens in the time of Pericles — Pericles — Athens and her monuments — Importance of Athens.
Letters. Orators — Sages — Sophists — Socrates and the philosophers — The chorus — Tragedy and comedy — Theatre.
Arts. The Grecian temples — Characteristics of Grecian architecture — Sculpture — Pottery — Painting.
The Greeks in the Orient. Asia before Alexander — Decadence of the Persian empire — Expedition of the Ten Thousand — Agesilaus.
Conquest of Asia by Alexander. Macedon — Philip — Demosthenes — The Macedonian supremacy — Alexander — The phalanx — Departure of Alexander — Victories of Granicus, Issus, and Arbela — Death of Alexander — Projects of Alexander.
The Hellenes In The Orient. Dismemberment of the empire of Alexander — The Hellenistic kingdoms — Alexandria — Museum — Pergamum.
Later Period of Greek History. Decadence of the cities — Rich and poor — Strife between rich and poor — Democracy and oligarchy — The tyrants — Exhaustion of Greece.
The Roman Conquest. The leagues — The allies of the Romans — The last struggles.
The Hellenes in the Occident. Influence of Greece on Rome — Architecture — Sculpture — Literature — Epicureans and Stoics.
Ancient Peoples of Italy. The Etruscans — Etruria — The Etruscan people — The Etruscan tombs — Industry and commerce — Religion — The augurs — Influence of the Etruscans.
The Italian People. Umbrians and Oscans — The Sacred Spring — The Samnites — The Greeks of Italy.
Latins And Romans. The Latins — Rome — Roma Quadrata and the Capitol.
Religion and the Family. Religion — The Roman gods — Form of the gods — Principle of the Roman religion — Worship — Formalism — Prayer — Omens — The priests.
Worship of Ancestors. The dead — Worship of the dead — Cult of the hearth.
The Family. Religion of the family — Marriage — Women — Children — Father of the family.
The Roman City. Formation of the Roman people — The kings — The Roman people — The plebeians — Strife between patricians and plebeians — The tribunes of the plebs — Triumph of the plebs.
The Roman People. Right of citizenship — The nobles — The knights — The plebs — Freedmen.
The Government of the Republic. The comitia — Magistrates — Censors — Senate — The course of offices.
Roman Conquest. The Roman army — Military service — The levy — Legions and allies — Military exercises — Camp — Order of battle — Discipline — Colonies and military roads.
Character of the Conquests. War — Conquest of Italy — Punic wars — Hannibal — Conquest of the Orient — Conquest of barbarian lands — The triumph — Booty — Allies of Rome — Motives of conquest.
Results of the Conquests. Empire of the Roman people — The public domain — Agrarian laws.
The Conquered Peoples. The provincials — Provinces — The proconsuls — Tyranny and oppression of the proconsuls — The publicans — Bankers — Defencelessness of the provincials.
Slavery. Sale of slaves — Condition of slaves — Number of slaves — Urban slaves — Rural slaves — Treatment of slaves — Ergastulum and mill — Character of the slaves — Revolts — Admission to citizenship.
Transformation of Life in Rome. Influence of Greece and the Orient.
Changes in Religion. Greek gods — The Bacchanals — Superstitions of the Orient — Sceptics.
Changes in Manners. The old customs — Cato the Elder — The new manners — Oriental luxury — Greek humanity — Lucullus — The new education — New status of women — Divorce.
Fall of the Republic. Causes of the decadence — Destruction of the peasant class — The city plebs — Electoral corruption — Corruption of the Senate — Corruption of the army.
The Revolution. Necessity of the revolution — Civil wars — The Gracchi — Marius and Sulla — Pompey and Cæsar — End of the Republic — Need of peace — Power of the individual.
The Empire at its Height. The twelve Cæsars — The emperor — Apotheosis — Senate and people — The prætorians — Freedmen of the emperors — Despotism and disorder.
The Century of the Antonines. Marcus Aurelius — Conquests of the Antonines.
Imperial Institutions. Extent of the empire in the second century — Permanent army — Deputies and agents of the emperor — Municipal life — Imperial regime.
Social Life Under the Empire. The continued decadence at Rome — The shows — Theatre — Circus — Amphitheatre — Gladiators — The Roman peace — Fusion of the peoples — Superstitions.
Arts and Sciences in Rome. Letters — Imitation of the Greeks — The Augustan Age — Orators and rhetoricians — Importance of the Latin literature and language — Arts — Sculpture and painting — Architecture — Characteristics of Roman architecture — Rome and its monuments.
Roman Law. The Twelve Tables — Symbolic process — Formalism — Jurisprudence — The prætor's edict — Civil law and the law of nations — Written reason.
The Christian Religion. Origin of Christianity — Christ — Charity — Equality — Poverty and humility — The kingdom of God.
First Centuries of the Church. Disciples and apostles — The church — Sacred books — Persecutions — Martyrs — Catacombs.
The Monks of the Third Century. Solitaries — Asceticism — Cenobites.
The Later Empire. The revolutions of the third century — Military anarchy — Worship of Mithra — Taurobolia — Confusion of religions.
Regime of the Later Empire. Reforms of Diocletian and Constantine — Constantinople — The palace — The officials — Society of the later empire.
Church and State. Triumph of Christianity — Organization of the church — Councils — Heretics — Paganism — Theodosius.