The Human Spirit, Volume I

Covering the period from 3500 B.C.E. to the Reformation Era, this book is part of an innovative two-volume primary source anthology that presents some of the greatest ideas and creative expressions of humanity. The anthology features an exceptionally diverse and unique variety of selections reflecting artistic, musical, literary, political, social, religious, intellectual, and scientific issues that encompass the study of Humanities. Chronological in format—with individual units focused on time periods, specific events, and historical questions, it is internally organized around five major themes—The Institution and the Individual; Social and Spiritual Values; Revolution and Transition; The Varieties of Truth; and Women in History and the Humanities. Each piece of literature, poetry or art, each diary entry, philosophical excerpt, or religious proviso is juxtaposed against the tapestry of history so that it can be viewed within the context of its time. Throughout, readers are confronted with basic questions regarding historical development, human nature, moral action, and practical necessity. Major period covered include: Civilization in the Ancient Near East: Mesopotamia, Egypt, and Israel. Ancient Greece. The World of Rome. Icon, Scimitar, and Cross: Early Medieval Civilization (500-1000). The Sword of Faith: The Medieval Synthesis of Western Civilization (1000-1400). The Age of the Renaissance. The Reformation Era. Includes excerpts from drama and literature, short stories, speeches, letters, diary accounts, poems, newspaper articles, philosophical tracts, propaganda flyers, and works of art and architecture. Includes not only the traditional primary documents essential to the study of the Humanities, but also the more unusual which are not found in similar texts. For anyone interested in the great ideas and artistic expressions of humanity.