Ancient History & Archaeology

The foundational anthology of the Orthodox Church The Philokalia is the most influential book in the recent history of the Orthodox Church, aside from the Bible. It is an anthology...

A masterful translation of Suetonius' renowned biographies of the twelve Caesars, by the award-winning historian and The Rest Is History podcaster Tom Holland The ancient Roman empire was the supreme...

Bestselling author Harry Sidebottom takes readers on a thrilling journey through a day in the life of the best-known figure of the ancient world- the Roman gladiator Bestselling author Harry...

A brilliant reappraisal of the medieval women whose lives have been misrepresented and co-opted over centuries for political, nation-building ends. By Professor Janina Ramirez, bestselling historian and author of FEMINA...

A window onto the past, full of fire and life- two immortal traditions as the English language has never seen them before SHORTLISTED FOR THE LONDON HELLENIC PRIZE LONGLISTED FOR...

One of the greatest classics of Chinese literature One of China's Four Great Classical Novels, Monkey King was written anonymously during the Ming dynasty and is most commonly attributed to...

90 classic titles celebrating 90 years of Penguin Books On the fields of Troy, war is raging. At its centre is Achilles- godlike, swift-footed, the greatest champion of the Greeks....

'It is impossible to live the pleasant life without also living sensibly, nobly and justly' Being Happy contains all of the extant writing by Epicurus - one of the most...

A new translation of Simone Weil's best-known work- a political, philosophical and spiritual treatise on what human life could be An icon of twentieth-century French philosophy, Simone Weil was described...

From the award-winning translator ofThe IliadandThe Odyssey comes a brilliant new translation of Virgil's great epic Fleeing the ashes of Troy, Aeneas, Achilles' mighty foe in theIliad, begins an incredible...

Brimming with life and drama, this is a magnificent journey into two thousand years of history, from the acclaimed and beloved historian of Europe 'All roads lead to Rome.' It's...

How to live happily in the modern world, guided by the ancient ideas of Aristotle 'Wonderful and timely ... Hugely recommended' STEPHEN FRY What do you and an ancient philosopher...

An intoxicating excursion into ancient history, this captivating tale charts the rise to power of the Assyrian empire's only female ruler, Semiramis Ancient Assyria, 9th century BC. An orphan is...

'Brings war in the ancient world to vivid life...I'm blown away' - Anthony Riches. From the nation's finest historical novelist comes the second instalment in the Athenian series Themistocles stands...

'One of the most original and brilliant debuts in years' Irish Times An exhilarating and fiercely original story of brotherhood, war and art, set in ancient Sicily Ancient Sicily. Enter...

The exhilarating follow-up to Pat Barker's The Women of Troy and The Silence of the Girls After ten blood-filled years, the war is over. Troy lies in smoking ruins as...

An inventive translation of a great historical epic, recounting the turbulent life and times of Chinggis Khan 'By the Power of Eternal Heaven; By the Protection of the Majestic Imperial...

A History of the World in 100 Objects meets Sapiens- the first archaeological history of humanity's musical heritage Wonderfully engaging, expansive and ambitious, Sound Tracks tells the history of our...

90 classic titles celebrating 90 years of Penguin Books Wu Cheng'en's 16th-century novel Journey to the West is widely regarded as one of the most important Chinese novels ever written....

90 classic titles celebrating 90 years of Penguin Books 'I must die. But must I die bawling?' What does it mean to live a virtuous life? How can we rise...

90 classic titles celebrating 90 years of Penguin Books Composed in Iceland in the 13th Century, The Prose Edda is the most renowned of all works of Scandinavian literature, taking...

90 classic titles celebrating 90 years of Penguin Books Plagued by ill-health, violently sick at sea, irritated by renovation costs- Seneca is never less than sympathetically human. In these letters...

Percy Jackson is back in this highly anticipated, brand-new adventure and faces his biggest challenge yet- getting into college - out now in paperback! THE NUMBER ONE BESTSELLER - OUT...

The latest gripping instalment in the bestselling Nero trilogy follows empress Agrippina's ceaseless pursuit of absolute power for her son to rule over the Roman Empire Ancient Rome, AD 50...

'Truly marvellous. I cannot think of a better life of Jane Austen than Claire Tomalin's' Philip Hensher Claire Tomalin brings her extraordinary gifts of scholarship, fluent writing and empathy for...

Join Alexander the Great on a journey to the end of the world, in the third book in a thrilling new children's history series 'His mind was clear. It was...

Massmarket edition of the hardback bestseller- In The Story of the World in 100 Moments Oliver presents a remarkable journey through time, curating one hundred moments that shaped our world,...

Winner of the Tasmanian Book Prize, The Age Book of the Year 'James Boyce tells the true history of this country with rare clarity and an eye for the essential...

Discover the rise and fall of the world's greatest empire in the stunning first instalment of The Golden Age, an epic new series from the nation's finest historical novelist After...

Sequel to critically acclaimed bestseller The Silence of the Girls Troy has fallen and the Greek victors are primed to return home, loaded with spoils. All they need is a...

A breathtakingly ambitious retelling of the earliest human societies offers a new understanding of world history For generations, our remote ancestors have been cast as primitive and childlike - either...

Throughout history, some books have changed the world. They have transformed the way we see ourselves - and each other. They have inspired debate, dissent, war and revolution. They have...

Penguin Classics relaunch. The trial and condemnation of Socrates on charges of heresy and corrupting young minds is a defining moment in the history of Classical Athens. In tracing these...

This definitive three-volume Penguin Classics edition provides a complete and unmodernized text, presenting the History as it appeared to its early readers Edward Gibbon's six-volume History of the Decline and...

This is a lightly revised edition of Mattingly's original translation plus a new introduction, new notes, a chronology and further reading, by James Rives The Agricola is both a portrait...

The definitive portrait of the real Socrates Rich in drama and humour, they include the controversial Ion, a debate on poetic inspiration; Laches, in which Socrates seeks to define bravery;...

Penguin Classics relaunch. Virgil's Aeneid, inspired by Homer and inspiration for Dante and Milton, is an immortal poem at the heart of Western life and culture. Virgil took as his...

A revised edition of a classic translation, with completely new editorial material Taking the form of a dialogue between Socrates, Gorgias, Polus and Callicles, GORGIAS debates perennial questions about the...

Livy's brilliant history of the founding and early years of Rome Livy (c. 59 BC-AD 17) dedicated most of his life to writing some 142 volumes of history, the first...

Aristotle's influential treatise on the way to win arguments With the emergence of democracy in the city-state of Athens in the years around 460 BC, public speaking became an essential...

Books VI - X of Livy's monumental History of Rome Books VI-X of Livy's monumental work trace Rome's fortunes from its near collapse after defeat by the Gauls in 386...

Penguin Classics relaunch The Greek statesman Polybius (c.200-118 BC) wrote his account of the relentless growth of the Roman Empire in order to help his fellow countrymen understand how their...

Xenophon's account of the Greek war with Persia through the eyes of a young Athenian searching for his destiny abroad In The Persian Expedition, Xenophon, a young Athenian noble who...

This definitive three-volume Penguin Classics edition provides a complete and unmodernized text, presenting the History as it appeared to its early readers Edward Gibbon's six-volume History of the Decline and...

New to Classics, with a new introduction by one of the best known Egyptologists of our time The Book of the Dead is a unique collection of funerary texts from...

The extraordinary story of Rome told through one of the world's once most ubiquitous objects- coins. The extraordinary story of ancient Rome, history's greatest superpower, as told through humankind's most...

Plutarch traces the fortunes of Athens through nine lives - from Theseus, its founder, to Lysander, its Spartan conqueror - in this seminal work What makes a leader? How does...

The most celebrated historical work in the English language Spanning thirteen centuries from the age of Trajan to the taking of Constantinople by the Turks, DECLINE & FALL is one...