Now available! The Light of Alexandria by James Maynard

[jgmaynard]

Hi folks!

I just wanted everyone to know that work is nearly complete on my first book, The Light of Alexandria.

It is a history of the first 1,000 years of science, and how it changed the Greco-Roman world, and our world today.

But more than just the biographies of the ancient scientist/philosophers, it also covers the important events and people of the era, and daily life such as dress, home furnishings, music, poetry and art. Moreover, it discusses the rise of woman's liberation, wars, and the fall of the Roman Republic.

Libertarian lessons throughout history are also shown, including how Hannibal was defeated not so much by the Romans, as by the bureaucracy of the Carthaginian Senate.

Check out the website now, and get on the mailing list to be informed when the book is ready for sale (likely the beginning of September).

JM

[Michael Fisher]

Nice!!!

It's amazing to me how Rome became a republic that lasted for about 460 years until it collapsed into an empire.? ?

In Athens, leaders were selected at random from the population, and there were almost no schools.? In Hella, there was nothing at all resembling what we call school.? Children were fully integrated into society and learned mostly by experience.  They were taught from birth that it is their condition that they must learn to be fully responsible adults.

Rome almost conquered the entire known world before it collapsed.? Sound familiar?? ?

I never cared about the history of Rome until I learned these facts.? Now I find it absolutely fascinating!

[GCG199]

Sounds like a very interesting book. I will look into getting a copy of it when it is available. I am currently rereading the book The Mainspring Of Human Progress. Which is by Henry Grady Weaver. He borrows a lot from Rose Wider Lane's book The Discovery Of Freedom. It is a good overview of human progress throughout history.

[jgmaynard]

It is pretty amazing......

A little known fact is that Brutus, one of the main conspirators in the assassination of Caesar, was decended from another Brutus, who led the overthrow of the Roman monarchy, establishing the Republic!

Cicero, who lived in the time of Caesar, wrote "Caesar deserved assassination".

There seems to be a lot of interest in the book, I hope it sells well! LOL

JM

[mikefam]

Nice!!!

It's amazing to me how Rome became a republic that lasted for about 460 years until it collapsed into an empire.? ?

In Athens, leaders were selected at random from the population, and there were almost no schools.? In Hella, there was nothing at all resembling what we call school.? Children were fully integrated into society and learned mostly by experience.? They were taught from birth that it is their condition that they must learn to be fully responsible adults.

Rome almost conquered the entire known world before it collapsed.? Sound familiar?? ?

I never cared about the history of Rome until I learned these facts.? Now I find it absolutely fascinating!

those that don't know and understand history are doomed by it ,, i believe the old saying goes

[jgmaynard]

The paralells between the fall of the Roman Republic, then the Empire, and today's America are just astounding.

For instance, Galen of Pergamum, possibly the greatest physician of the ancient world, kept making mistakes because he was never allowed to dissect bodies. The society which condoned gladitorial fights, refused to let cadavers be cut into.

Now, we have the movement against stem cell research that is holding back medicine for the same type of twisted mentality.  We'll blow up a restaurant full of women and children trying to get to the sons of Saddam, but don't you dare touch that fertilized cell! 

The Roman constitution talked about the rise and fall of societies, stating that ALL republics fall into oligarchies, then aristochricies, then are violently overthrown by the people, and then the republic returns.

I doubt there's anyone here who doesn't see how we've already become an oligarchy.

JM

[mikefam]

The paralells between the fall of the Roman Republic, then the Empire, and today's America are just astounding.

The Roman constitution talked about the rise and fall of societies, stating that ALL republics fall into oligarchies, then aristochricies, then are violently overthrown by the people, and then the republic returns.

I doubt there's anyone here who doesn't see how we've already become an oligarchy.

JM

2/3's the way to aristochricy i'd say. Did anyone else notice how former holders of elected offices still use their former titles :ie senator,prisident on tv news shows

[jgmaynard]

Yes, but hasn't that always gone on? Maybe I"m wrong, but was Washington still called President after he left office?

I mean things like the fact that Bush and Kerry are actually relatives, as were Caesar, Marc Antony and Octavian.....?

I now have ancient Greek and Roman music on my website, showing what music actually sounded like in that time......

Check it out!

http://www.lightofalexandria.com

JM

[Russell Kanning]

Now, we have the movement against stem cell research that is holding back medicine for the same type of twisted mentality.? We'll blow up a restaurant full of women and children trying to get to the sons of Saddam, but don't you dare touch that fertilized cell!?

I think a fertilized cell is different than say ... a cadaver that you have permission to cut.

I am not sure if they are tiny babies, but I am cautious ... since I do not want to face God having killed innocent people.

[jgmaynard]

Did anyone check out the music on the site? It's pretty cool!

JM

[Michael Fisher]

The music is awesome!  I wonder how they know what it sounded like back then.   ???

[jgmaynard]

Well, neither the Romans or Greeks had any way of writing music, so I think the songs may have been passed down person to person. The instruments were reconstructed from pictures of ancient woodcuts and mosaics (many found in Pompeii).
What amazes me is the fact that people who played the tibia (a forerunner to the clarinet and bagpipes) would actually often play TWO of them at the same time..... Stunning. Can you imagine trying to play two clarinets at the same time? LOL.
The woman I got the music from is a music history professor at U Mass Lowell. This is the sort of stuff she does research on, and has friends of hers play the music.
It's so cool actually listening to these sounds from ancient days. I love how Ken Burns puts period music in his documentaries, but obviously, I can't have music in a book, so I decided to put it on the website for the book...

JM

[JonM]

The paralells between the fall of the Roman Republic, then the Empire, and today's America are just astounding.

For instance, Galen of Pergamum, possibly the greatest physician of the ancient world, kept making mistakes because he was never allowed to dissect bodies. The society which condoned gladitorial fights, refused to let cadavers be cut into.

Now, we have the movement against stem cell research that is holding back medicine for the same type of twisted mentality.? We'll blow up a restaurant full of women and children trying to get to the sons of Saddam, but don't you dare touch that fertilized cell!?

Stem cell research isn't illegal.  If you've got a few million dollars you want to put towards it, more power to you.  The only thing up for debate is how much of your tax money should be spent on it, and I'd think most of the people here would side with "none" as the answer.

[Russell Kanning]

Well, neither the Romans or Greeks had any way of writing music
JM

who started that and when?

[AlanM]

Well, neither the Romans or Greeks had any way of writing music
JM

who started that and when?

Shorty Dawkins?