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The Philosophy of the Brahma-Sutra: An Introduction
Book Review ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ by Elton A. Hall

The Philosophy of the Brahma-Sutra: An Introduction

This book is a spectacular addition to the literature on the Brahma-Sutra, a core text in Hindu religious and philosophical thought. Its estimated completion date was between 400 CE to 450 CE, and scholars have believed that some of its materials...
The Archaeology of Iran from the Palaeolithic to the Achaemenid Empire
Book Review ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ by Vineeta Sharma

The Archaeology of Iran from the Palaeolithic to the Achaemenid Empire

The latest title in the Routledge World Archaeology book series, The Archaeology of Iran from the Palaeolithic to the Achaemenid Empire, provides an analysis of the archaeology and early history of Iran from the Lower and Upper Palaeolithic...
The Inner Life of Catholic Reform: From the Council of Trent to the Enlightenment
Book Review ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ by Kyra Sanchez Clapper

The Inner Life of Catholic Reform: From the Council of Trent to the Enlightenment

Ulrich Lehner’s The Inner Life of Catholic Reform: From the Council of Trent to the Enlightenment came into fruition after Lehner published several works on the Catholic Enlightenment, which he defines as a “variety of actors within the fold...
Plagues Upon the Earth: Disease and the Course of Human History
Book Review ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ by Makayla Alderson Fox

Plagues Upon the Earth: Disease and the Course of Human History

At the height of the COVID-19 lockdown in October 2020, Brown University hosted the Pandemics and Plagues in Antiquity webinar lecture series. Kyle Harper, Professor of Classics at the University of Oklahoma, hosted the first session. The...
Hunting: A Cultural History
Book Review ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ by Zhihui Zou

Hunting: A Cultural History

From the Stone Age, hunting had certain functional purposes to bringing food for one's community. The adrenaline and excitement that hunting provides continue to attract people in the modern world to this antique technique. In Hunting: A...
Conquering the Ocean: The Roman Invasion of Britain
Book Review ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ by Brett F. Woods

Conquering the Ocean: The Roman Invasion of Britain

“Why should a distant island beyond the north-western edge of the Roman Empire have become the target of Roman ambitions for conquest?" (1). With this question, historian Richard Hingley encourages us to contemplate the answer in considerably...
Athens After Empire: A History from Alexander the Great to the Emperor Hadrian
Book Review ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ by Georgina Longley

Athens After Empire: A History from Alexander the Great to the Emperor Hadrian

Ian Worthington’s Athens After Empire: A History from Alexander the Great to the Emperor Hadrian shows how there has been a tendency to fixate on the heyday of famous ancient cities while the events before or after have been unfairly and...
Empire of Salons: Conquest and Community in Early Modern Ottoman Lands
Book Review ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ by Gemma Masson

Empire of Salons: Conquest and Community in Early Modern Ottoman Lands

Empire of Salons came from Helen Pfeifer's PhD thesis, which she completed at Princeton University, thus this book is largely targeted to the academic audience, both lecturers and students. It, however, has a concise and organized structure...
India in the Persianate Age: 1000-1765
Book Review ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ by Shankar Chaudhuri

India in the Persianate Age: 1000-1765

Richard Eaton’s India in the Persianate Age: 1000-1765 represents a paradigm shift in the study of Indian history. It debunks the stereotypical interpretation of the middle period of Indian history, first championed by the British and later...
The Currency of Empire: Money and Power in Seventeenth-Century English America
Book Review ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ by Cameron Ruff

The Currency of Empire: Money and Power in Seventeenth-Century English America

Jonathan Barth argues that England expanded its empire overseas throughout the 1600s in order to collect precious metals and wealth. Barth’s thesis is that colonists tolerated economic subordination to England as long as they had political...
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