Ancient Western Civilization textbook?

[foxbridgeacademy]

I'm looking to cover Mesopotamia (a little), Egypt, Greece, and Rome.  This needs to be brief, prefer around/under 300 pages. Or even a couple shorter books? I have the OUP WIAT series, way to young, I would LOVE to use SWB H.S./Adult series, but it's much to long for this kid.  I looked at the Strayer book and the amount given to the Western Hemisphere during the Ancient times is lacking. Must be secular.

 

Never mind found something, Thanks!

 

 

Edited August 26, 2016 by foxbridgeacademy

[nansk]

Have you looked at Spielvogel's Western Civilization?

[foxbridgeacademy]

Have you looked at Spielvogel's Western Civilization?

Yes, I have it and don't really like it..... but I think I found what I wanted, Thanks!

[Janeway]

Yes, I have it and don't really like it..... but I think I found what I wanted, Thanks!

 

What did you find?

[nansk]

Yeah, do tell.

[foxbridgeacademy]

Sorry, not as great as it sounds. I decided to shift my focus. This is for DN who is all but refusing to do US History (he is aware he'll have to do it eventually).  Rick Riordan Made him a huge fan of Egypt/Greece/Rome so.....  My main hassle was finding a shortish textbook that covered all 3 periods. I was not successful, sorry. Instead I decided we'd focus on the Greeks and lightly cover Egypt and Rome.

 

 

 

I'll use a few lectures from these TGC courses

Egypt (he's rather boring)

Etruscans 

Mythologies of the World

 

All of these TGC courses

Greeks

Other Side

 

I'll also use this book on Greece written by the Prof. from TGC "The Other Side..."   (there's an Egypt one written by the kind of boring Prof but I didn't get it, but I probably will, and I already own the Middle Ages one, for next year?)

 

And this book is pretty but not very thorough I think, here's a YT review of it. Also another version, US vs. UK?

 

We'll use some DBQ's from College Board and Stanford's Read Like a Historian. We'll also read Gilgamesh, Illiad, Odyssey (if I don't gouge my eyes out) and what ever else I can come up with that doesn't make me HATE Ancient Literature more than I already do.

Edited August 27, 2016 by foxbridgeacademy

[Emerald Stoker]

Not a history book, but since you also mentioned literature...ancient literature can really be fun!

 

When we did ancients, all of my kids loved (LOVED) this book: http://www.iupress.indiana.edu/product_info.php?products_id=20677 It's full of jokes, fortune-telling manuals, racy novels, National Enquirer-type tall tales--it was a blast, I tell you!

 

Also really fun--Theophrastus's Characters (we had the Loeb edition, but there are others, including a freebie on archive.org); my kids had the best time making up their own stock characters, and also got very good at identifying them in other things we read or plays/operas/movies we saw. We go to a lot of opera, in particular, and of course the stock character is a staple of opera in certain periods, and they liked knowing the roots of that theatrical tradition.

 

More fun stuff: Lucian's Satires https://www.amazon.com/Selected-Satires-Lucian-Norton-Library/dp/0393004430 ; and plays by Menander, Aristophanes, Plautus (we mounted family productions of several of these and did them for our friends)...

 

It doesn't all have to be philosophy or history or theology--it is a legitimate window into an era to examine its comedy and popular literature as well! We did several other works in addition to the ones I mention above (and really, the Odyssey especially is a ripping yarn!), but the foundation of our year was comedy and satire, and I think it served us well--all of my kids have very fond memories of that year, remembering our readings vividly and discussing them still. What surprised them most, and me too, really, was how modern the sensibilities of the ancient Greeks in particular seemed to us--it didn't feel remote or strange at all. I don't know if these kinds of things will work for you, but I hope so!