It's the next best thing to being there! Spanning creation to the fall of Rome, and covering Augustine to Zeno, this textbook/timeline/primary source library outlines the major events and personalities from antiquity---through the words of the ancients themselves. Two CD-ROMs include classical texts in English translation, author biographies, and more. Ages 12 and up. 32MB RAM, Windows 95 or Macintosh. 222 pages, softcover from Trivium Pursuit.
Average Rating: 5 out of 5 stars(5 out of 5 stars)
4 of 4 Reviews Showing:
5 out of 5 stars
Reviewed by Rachel Starr Thomson (Ontario, Canada), June 16, 2006
There's a lot of noise being made these days about revisionist history; it's hard to know who to trust. In such an era, the value of primary sources--documents by those who were there--is all the greater. I've always been a proponent of going straight to the source... the trouble is that, with thousands of years of documented history behind us, the paths to the sources can be hard to find.
That's what makes this book so valuable.
The Bluedorns' timeline stretches from Creation to the fall of the Roman Empire in A.D. 427, marking off important events and personalities along the way. Referenced all the way through the timeline are the primary documents that record these events, getting as close as possible to them. Not only that, but the book comes with a CD-ROM that contains these pieces of primary literature themselves!
Ancient History From Primary Sources is a great reference book, laying out the history of the ancient world in easy-to-follow format. It includes the Bible throughout the timeline, helping connect the sometimes disjointed view of history that those of us who've grown up with the Scriptures are prone to. Moreover, the book contains lengthy chapters overviewing the Bible, the literature of Egypt, the Hebrews, Mesopotamia, Greece, and Rome.
As is the case with the rest of their books, the Bluedorns write from a conservative Christian viewpoint. Folks who share their worldview will appreciate the head's-up they give on various moral issues in ancient literature, and the heavy attention they give to understanding all things through the framework of Scripture.
5 out of 5 stars
Reviewed by Kris (Forest Lake, Minnesota), March 28, 2006
Excellent! This orderly compilation of rich historical sources is a breath of fresh air. It is for those preparing for or in process of teaching/studying ancient history. This refreshing book with accompanying cds are purposed to “make it much easier for anyone to study history from real sources of history.” Simply stated...it does just that. This book covers Creation through A.D. 476 and includes a rich supply of well organized literature and a brief explanation of the historical figures.
What I appreciate most is the clear explanations of the contents to speed my searches in both the book and the cds. It is thrilling to discover on the cds the literary works written in their original language as well as in English. The Bluedorns have also given us the permission to make personal copies for our convenience in teaching or studying.
The Bluedorns clearly state that they did not intend for this work to be a curriculum in itself but an aid in diving deeper into the study of ancient history. Well done, I say...Again, they have handed the Classical Christian Homeschooling community a gem that will save us hundreds of hours of research, as we try to give our children the most thorough education possible.
5 out of 5 stars
Reviewed by Dawne (Michigan), February 08, 2006
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 f
5 out of 5 stars
Reviewed by Clara (in Miami), June 15, 2005
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 copy work 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.
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