We've previously discussed King David of Israel and how he initiated the project of the Bible to create legitimacy and authority. We will continue along this theme today. The Traditional Chronology of the Bible In the beginning, there was God. In the Bible, his name is Yahweh. He

The Bible is the most important book ever written. It has driven a lot of history, and it's driving a lot of history today. If you want to fully understand the conflict in the Middle East—what's happening between Israel and Iran, what's happening

We are concluding our study of the Bronze Age with the Indus Valley Civilization. We've done Egypt and Mesopotamia, and now we turn to the Indus Valley. I'm going to look at three questions. First, what is it that makes the Indus Valley Civilization distinct or

Before I begin, I want to make three general points about the study of history and how civilizations develop. Three Lenses for Studying History The first point is this: every culture has a mythology. Mythology is the collective worldview of the people that lets them understand the reality around them.

The Great Pyramid was built around 2500 BC—that's 4,500 years ago—by a pharaoh named Khufu. It was one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World and is the only one that's still standing. From 2500 BC until 1400 CE, a period of

The Romans and the Greeks were very different civilizations. The Greeks were scattered across the Aegean and the Mediterranean, with colonies all over the place. They were primarily focused on maritime trade, especially with the great empires of the Near East: Egypt, Mesopotamia, and Persia. Because the Greeks had colonies

In 44 BCE, Julius Caesar has just been assassinated. There were 60 senators involved in the conspiracy, but the three main conspirators were Marcus Brutus, considered the leader; Cassius; and Decimus Brutus. After they assassinated Caesar, Rome was in turmoil. Mark Antony, who was currently the consul, or the head

Julius Caesar is considered the greatest historical figure of all time; he's also one of the most controversial. Today, we're going to look at three questions about his life and provide an argument about it. The first question we're going to look at is:

Rome was traditionally founded in the year 753 BC, but we don't know for sure; that's just what tradition and the Romans themselves believed. Around this time, Rome was a small, insignificant kingdom in the middle of Italy. It was started on the Tiber River in

Aristotle is a paradox. He is one of the most mysterious figures in world history. He's one of the most famous, but he's one of the most mysterious. He's a paradox for three reasons. * The First Paradox: He is considered to be one of