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Biographies

Ancient

Civilizations

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Biographies

Judson Knight

Stacy A. McConnell and

Lawrence W. Baker, Editors

Ancient

Civilizations

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Judson Knight

Staff

Stacy A. McConnell, Lawrence W. Baker, U•X•L Editors

Carol DeKane Nagel, U•X•L Managing Editor

Tom Romig, U•X•L Publisher

Rita Wimberley, Senior Buyer

Evi Seoud, Assistant Production Manager

Mary Beth Trimper, Composition Manager

Margaret A. Chamberlain, Permissions Specialist (pictures)

Martha Schiebold and Michelle DiMercurio, Senior Cover Art Directors

Pamela A.E. Galbreath, Senior Page Art Director

Cynthia Baldwin, Product Design Manager

Barbara J. Yarrow, Graphic Services Supervisor

Linda Mahoney, LM Design, Typesetting

Front cover: Cleopatra, drawing. Archive Photos. Reproduced by permission.

Back cover: Confucius, drawing. Library of Congress.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Knight, Judson

Ancient Civilizations: Biographies / Judson Knight; edited by

Stacy A. McConnell and Lawrence W. Baker

p. cm.

Includes biographical references and index

ISBN 0-7876-3985-0

Civilization, Ancient–Juvenile literature. 2. Biography–To

500–Juvenile literature.

[1. Civilization, Ancient–Biography.] I. McConnell, Stacy A. II.

Title

CB311 .K595 2000

930–dc21 99-045751

[B]—DC21 99-20707

CIP

This publication is a creative work copyrighted by U•X•L and fully pro￾tected by all applicable copyright laws, as well as by misappropriation,

trade secret, unfair competition, and other applicable laws. The authors

and editors of this work have added value to the underlying factual mate￾rial herein through one or more of the following: unique and original

selection, coordination, expression, arrangement, and classification of the

information. All rights to this publication will be vigorously defended.

Copyright © 2000 U•X•L, An Imprint of The Gale Group

All rights reserved, including the right of reproduction in whole or in part

in any form.

Printed in the United States of America

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Ancient Civilizations: Biographies

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v

To Tyler, from her ancient daddy;

and to Deidre, from her modern husband.

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Advisory Board . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ix

Reader’s Guide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xi

Words to Know.................... xiii

Timeline . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xix

Biographies

Akhenaton ...................1

Alexander the Great ...............8

Aristotle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

Asoka . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

Marcus Aurelius . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

Boadicea . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38

Buddha . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45

Julius Caesar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52

Cleopatra . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60

Confucius . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68

Constantine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76

vii

Contents

Akhenaton attempted to

completely reshape

Egyptian religion.

(Reproduced by permission.

Corbis-Bettmann.)

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David . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83

Hannibal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90

Hatshepsut . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97

Herodotus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104

Imhotep . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111

Jesus Christ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117

Moses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123

Nebuchadnezzar II . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131

Paul . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 138

Pericles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144

Piankhi . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151

Plato . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157

Sargon of Akkad . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 164

Scientists and Mathematicians . . . . . . . . . 169

Sculptors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 177

Ch’in Shih Huang Ti . . . . . . . . . . . . . 183

Vergil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 189

Wu Ti . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 196

Xerxes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 202

Index ....................... xxxix

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Special thanks are due to U•X•L’s Ancient Civilizations Ref￾erence Library advisors for their invaluable comments and

suggestions:

• Jonathan Betz-Zall, Children’s Librarian, Sno-Isle Regional

Library, Edmonds, Washington

• Nancy Guidry, Young Adult Librarian, Santa Monica Pub￾lic Library, Santa Monica, California

• Karen Shugrue, Junior High Media Specialist, Agawam

Junior High School, Feeding Hills, Massachusetts.

ix

Advisory Board

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Ancient Civilizations: Biographies presents the life stories of

thirty-eight individuals who had a great influence on the

ancient civilization in which they lived. The biographies span

from the beginning of Sumerian civilization in 3500 B.C. to

the decline of the Teotihuacán around A.D. 750. Well-known

historical figures, such as Greek philosopher Aristotle and Per￾sian emperor Xerxes, are featured, as well as lesser-known fig￾ures, such as Celtic queen Boadicea and Egyptian ruler Hat￾shepsut. More than 50 black-and-white illustrations and

photographs enliven the text, while cross references provide

easy access to related figures. Sidebars in every entry focus on

high-interest topics, and a “For More Information” section

guides the researcher to other reference sources. Ancient Civi￾lizations: Biographies also features a glossary of terms used

throughout the volumes, a timeline containing significant

milestones within the lives of the individuals profiled, and an

index covering the people, places, and events discussed

throughout Ancient Civilizations: Biographies.

xi

Reader’s Guide

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Comments and Suggestions

We welcome your comments on Ancient Civilizations:

Biographies, as well as your suggestions for persons to be fea￾tured in future editions. Please write, Editors, Ancient Civiliza￾tions: Biographies, U•X•L, 27500 Drake Rd., Farmington Hills,

Michigan, 48331-3535; call toll-free: 1-800-877-4253; fax to

(248) 699-8097; or send e-mail via-http://www.galegroup.com.

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A

Acropolis: An elevated fortress in Greek cities.

Ancestor: An earlier person in one’s line of parentage, usually

more distant in time than a grandparent.

Anoint: To pour oil over someone’s head as a symbol that God

has chosen that person to fill a position of leadership.

Apostle: A religious figure who is sent out to teach, preach,

and perform miracles.

Archaeology: The scientific study of past civilizations.

Architect: Someone who designs a building or other structure.

Aristocrat: A very wealthy and/or powerful person.

Assassination: Killing, usually of an important leader, for

political reasons.

B

Baptism: To be lowered into water as a symbol of death and

rebirth.

xiii

Words to Know

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Bureaucracy: A network of officials who run a government.

Bust: A sculpture of a human head, neck, and shoulders.

C

Caravan: A company of travelers, usually with pack animals,

through a desert or other forbidding region.

Caste system: A system of ranking people into very social

groups, which prevailed in India from ancient times to

the modern day.

Census: A count of the people living in a country.

Civil servant: Someone who works for the government.

Civil war: A military conflict that occurs when a group of cit￾izens within a nation attempts to break away from the

rule of the government.

Commoner: Someone who is not a member of a royal or noble

class.

Concubine: A woman whose role toward a man is like that of

a wife, but without the social and legal status of a wife.

Constitution: A set of written laws governing a nation.

Contemporary (n.): Someone who lives at the same time as

another person.

Cremation: The burning, as opposed to burial, of a dead body.

Crucifixion: A Roman punishment in which the victim was

nailed up to a cross until he died.

Cult: A small religious group, most often with highly unusual

beliefs.

D

Deify: To turn someone or something into a god.

Deity: A god.

Democracy: A form of government in which the people, usu￾ally through elected representatives, rule.

Descendant: Someone who is related to an earlier person, or

ancestor.

Disciple: A close follower of a religious teacher.

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E

Edict: A command.

Epic: A long poem that recounts the adventures of a legendary

hero.

Epistle: A letter.

Eunuch: A man who has been castrated, thus making him

incapable of sex or sexual desire.

F

Famine: A period when there is not enough food in a region

to feed all its people.

Fasting: Deliberately going without food, often but not always

for religious reasons.

G

Gentile: Someone who is not a Jew.

H

Hellenic: Greek.

Hellenistic: Influenced by Greece.

Heresy: Something that goes against established religious doc￾trine.

Hoplite: A heavily armed foot soldier.

I

Islam: A faith that arose in Arabia in the 600s A.D., led by the

prophet Muhammad (A.D. 570?–632.)

L

Legacy: Something that is left to a later generation.

Legitimacy: The right of a ruler to hold power.

Words to Know xv

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M

Martyr: Somebody who dies for their faith.

Medieval: Relating to the Middle Ages.

Mercenary: A professional soldier who will fight for whoever

pays him.

Middle Ages: The period from the fall of the Roman Empire

to the beginning of the Renaissance, roughly 500 to

1500 A.D.

Middle Class: A group in between the rich and the poor, or the

rich and the working class.

Millennium: A period of a thousand years.

Mint (v.): To produce currency.

Missionary: Someone who goes to other lands to convert oth￾ers to their religion.

Moat: A trench, filled with water, which surrounds a castle or

city.

Monarch: A king.

Monotheism: Belief in one god.

Muslim: A believer in Islam.

N

Noble: A ruler within a kingdom who has an inherited title

and lands, but who is less powerful than the king or

queen.

O

Obelisk: A tall, free-standing column of stone.

Oligarchy: A government ruled by a few people.

P

Pagan: Someone who worships many gods; also used as an

adjective.

Papyrus: A type of reed from which the Egyptians made the

first type of “paper.”

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Peasant: A farmer who works a small plot of land.

Phalanx: A column of hoplites designed for offensive warfare.

Pharisee: A member of a group of Jewish religious scholars

who demanded strict adherence to religious law.

Philosophy: A discipline which seeks to reach a general under￾standing of values and of reality.

Plague: A disease or other disaster that spreads among a group

of people.

Proportion: The size of one thing in relation to something else,

and the proper representation of their relationship.

R

Rabbi: A Jewish teacher or priest.

Radical (adj.): Thorough or sweeping changes in society; used

as an noun for a person who advocates such changes.

Regent: Someone who governs a country when the monarch

is too young, too old, or too sick to lead.

Reincarnation: The idea that people are reborn on earth, and

live and die, again and again.

Relief: In sculpture, a carved picture, distinguished from regu￾lar sculpture because it is two-dimensional.

Renaissance: A period of renewed interest in learning and the

arts which began in Europe in the 1300s and contin￾ued to the 1700s.

Revolution: In politics, an armed uprising against the rulers of

a nation or area.

S

Sack (v.): To destroy a city.

Satrap: A governor in the Persian Empire.

Scribe: A small and very powerful group in ancient society

who knew how to read and write.

Siege: A sustained military attack against a city.

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xviii Ancient Civilizations: Biographies

Stele (or stela): A large stone pillar, usually inscribed with a

message commemorating a specific event.

Stupa: A dome-shaped Buddhist temple.

T

Theorem: A statement of fact in logic or mathematics, derived

from other formulas or propositions.

Totalitarianism: A political system in which the government

exerts total, or near-total, control.

U

Usurp: To seize power.

Utopia: A perfect society.

V

Vassal: A ruler who is subject to another ruler.

Vineyard: A place where grapes are grown for making wine.

Vizier: A chief minister.

W

West (cap.): The cultures and civilizations influenced by

ancient Greece and Rome.

Z

Ziggurat: A Mesopotamian temple tower.

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