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For almost three thousand years, The Iliad and The Odyssey have thrilled people with tales of adventure in ancient Greece. The stories of Helen and Paris, the Greek gods, the Trojan War, Achilles and of Odysseus ten year quest to return home after the war are known all over the world among all cultures. But so much about the life of the man responsible for those epic poems remains a mystery that for a while some scholars doubted he even really
...Few people recall the name of Eirik Thorvaldsson, who began life in Jaederen, Norway, around 950. When he was nine years old, his father killed a manor maybe twoand was forced to flee with his family to Iceland. Young Eirik grew up in the harsh environs of that wind-swept isle in the North Atlantic. Harsh lands breed harsh men, and Eirik fit the mold. Like his father before him, he battled with neighbors and killed several men in blood feuds. Banished
...Few people in history have incited such debate and further examination as the French prophet known as Nostradamus. What manner of man was he? Was he really able to part the mists of time and see into the future? Was it possible that he could predict events and identify people separated hundreds of years from his own time? Or are his predictions just vague and ambiguous enough that they can be made to fit almost any occasion? Perhaps one way to
...Acclaimed as the most beautiful woman of her time, Eleanor of Aquitaine uniquely shaped 12th-century Europe. As the wife of two kings and the mother of three others, her beauty, grace, style, and intellect captivated a continent. At a time when men regarded women as little more than personal property to be owned and exploited, Eleanor threw off the shackles of male dominance and scribed an indelible mark on the history of France and England. As
...Until she was thirteen, Joan of Arc led a normal life. Then she began hearing voices. She believed these voices spoke for God. At first, they told her to be a good girl. A few years later, they told her that her destiny was to save France from its English invaders. Joan s inspirational leadership helped the French to defeat the English at the city of Orleans. Soon afterward, she persuaded the crown prince Charles to become King of France. A few
...Marco Polo, the first European to travel to China and return to write about his adventures, was born in Venice in 1254. Marco s father had left on a journey to Asia before the boy was born. Marco did not see his father and uncle, Niccolo and Maffeo Polo, until fifteen years later. In 1271 the three Polos left Venice and headed for the court of Kublai Khan in eastern China. The journey took them more than three years—they arrived in 1275.
...Constantine is considered one of the most influential leaders of the Roman Empire. He spent his childhood in humble surroundings raised by a single mother before reuniting with his father Constantius, a powerful military leader who eventually co-governed the Empire. Known as a brave soldier, Constantine followed in his father s military footsteps and earned a reputation as a natural leader. His victory at Milvian Bridge against Emperor Licinius
...Greek soldiers defeated numerically superior Persian armies in several battles near the beginning of the fifth century BCE. That set the stage for what is known as the Golden Age of Greece, several decades of almost unparalleled accomplishments in art, politics, and civil affairs. The leader during this inspired era was a citizen of Athens named Pericles. He led many important political changes in the city. He was also largely responsible for the
...Julius Caesar is one of the most famous figures in ancient Rome. He was born into a turbulent era, when different factions were trying to control the government. He survived and began a steady rise in importance. He became a very successful military commander who added more than 200,000 square miles to the territories under Rome s control. But his triumphs created powerful enemies in Rome. They wanted to strip him of his power. He defeated those
...Centuries ago, when the earth was still young and sorcerers and fairies were believed to roam the misty forest, a mortal man changed history. Arthur, born into a dark world of savage violence, united the Britons against their enemies at the battle of Mount Badon. For centuries, Britons shared Arthur s story around their campfires. Eventually, the story passed out of the Dark Ages and into modern literature. Follow Arthur, his wife Guinevere, and
...Socrates, the great Athenian philosopher, was born during the Golden Age of Greece, one of the most glorious periods in human history. He grew up during the exciting days of Pericles in Athens, in the midst of the flowering of drama and poetry, the creation of magnificent architecture and sculpture, the writing of literature that has inspired mankind for 2,500 years. The glory of Athens, inspired by the Athenians victory over the Persians against
...William the son of a duke and a peasant spent his childhood in hiding raised among the Norman peasantry. Lords owing fealty to him would have murdered him if they had found him. He spent his early adult years fighting rebel lords for his birthright. As Duke of Normandy he claimed the throne of England after the death of Edward the Confessor King of England who William said had promised to name him heir. When England refused him he built a huge
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