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Table of Contents

Preface 
Introduction: Working with Historical Sources

CHAPTER 1 ​ ​Early Western Civilization, 4000–1000 b.c.e.
1. Defining Humanity: Epic of Gilgamesh (c. 2000 b.c.e.) 
2. Establishing Law and Justice: King Hammurabi, The Code of Hammurabi (Early Eighteenth Century b.c.e.) 
3. Praising the One God: Hymn to the Aten (Fourteenth Century b.c.e.)
4. Sources in Conversation: Writing in Life and the Afterlife: Agricultural scenes, Tomb of Nakhut, (c. 1400-1390 b.c.e.) and Egyptian Scribal Exercise Book (Twelfth Century b.c.e.)
5. Allying for Peace: The “Eternal Treaty” between the Egyptians and Hittites (c. 1259 b.c.e.)
 
CHAPTER 2 ​ ​Empires in the Near East and the Reemergence of Civilization in Greece, 1000–500 b.c.e. 
1. Empires and Divine Right: Inscription Honoring Cyrus, King of Persia (r. c. 557–530 b.c.e.) 
2. Monotheism and Mosaic Law: The Book of Exodus, Chapters 19–20 (c. Tenth–Sixth Centuries b.c.e.) 
3. Concepts of Civilization: Homer, The Odyssey (Eighth Century b.c.e.)
4. Sources in Conversation: Two Visions of the City-State: Tyrtaeus of Sparta and Solon of Athens, Poems (Seventh–Sixth Centuries b.c.e.) 
5. Representations of Difference: Greek Janiform Flask (c. 520-510 B.C.E.)
6. Economics and the Expansion of Slavery: Xenophon, Revenues (Fourth Century b.c.e.)

CHAPTER 3 ​ ​The Greek Golden Age, c. 500–c. 400 b.c.e.
1. The Golden Age of Athens: Thucydides, The Funeral Oration of Pericles (429 b.c.e.) 
2. Sources in Conversation: Movement in Stone: Myron of Eleutherai, Discus Thrower (c. 450 b.c.e.) and Atalanta (c. 300-200 B.C.E.) 
3. The Emergence of Philosophy: Plato, The Apology of Socrates (399 b.c.e.) 
4. The Advance of Science: Hippocrates of Cos, On the Sacred Disease (400 b.c.e.) 
5. Human Commodities: Auction of confiscated slaves (c. 414 B.C.E.)
6. Domestic Boundaries: Euphiletus, A Husband Speaks in His Own Defense (c. 400 b.c.e.) and Overhead Views of a House on the North Slope of the Areopagus (Fifth Century b.c.e.) 
7. Protesting War, Performing Satire: Aristophanes, Lysistrata (411 b.c.e.) 

CHAPTER 4 ​ ​From the Classical to the Hellenistic World, 400–30 b.c.e.
1. The Conquest of New Lands: Arrian, The Campaigns of Alexander the Great (Fourth Century b.c.e.) 
2. Imperial Bureaucracy: Zeno, Egyptian Official, Records (259–250 b.c.e.) 
3. Everyday Life: Funerary Inscriptions and Epitaphs (Fifth–First Centuries b.c.e.) 
4. Sources in Conversation: Modelling Femininity: Terracotta figurines (Second to Third Century B.C.E.)
5. In Pursuit of Happiness: Epicurus, Letter to a Friend (Late Third Century b.c.e.) 
6. Exacting Science: Archimedes, Letter to Eratosthenes (Third Century b.c.e.) and Marcus Vitruvius Pollio, Archimedes’ “Eureka!” Moment (c. 30–20 b.c.e.)
 
CHAPTER 5 ​ ​The Rise of Rome and Its Republic, 753–44 b.c.e. 
1. Formalizing Roman Law: The Twelve Tables (451–449 b.c.e.) 
2. Sources in Conversation: Artistic Influences: Etruscan Statuette of a Rider (c. 434–400 b.c.e.) and Roman Bust of Lucius Junius Brutus (c. 300 b.c.e.) 
3. Status and Discrimination: Roman Women Demonstrate against the Oppian Law (195 b.c.e.) 
4. “Cultivating Humanity”: Cicero, In Defense of Archias  (62 B.C.E.) 
5. Failure and Factionalism: The Gracchan Reforms (133 b.c.e.)
6. Toward Empire: Julius Caesar, The Gallic War (52 b.c.e.) 

CHAPTER 6 ​ ​The Creation of the Roman Empire, 44 b.c.e.–284 c.e. 
1. An Empire Foretold: Virgil, The Aeneid (First Century b.c.e.) 
2. An Urban Empire: Notices and Graffiti Describe Life in Pompeii (First Century c.e.) 
3. New Influences to the North: Tacitus, Germania (c. 98 c.e.) 
4. Sources in Conversation: The Making of a New Religion: The Gospel According to Matthew: The Sermon on the Mount (28 C.E.) and Paul of Tarsus, Letter to the Galatians (c. 50-60 C.E.)
5. Deadly Beliefs: The Martyrdom of Saints Perpetua and Felicitas (203 C.E.)
6. Private Piety: Household shrine, Pompeii (first century C.E.)

CHAPTER 7 ​ ​The Transformation of the Roman Empire, 284–600 c.e. 
1. Sources in Conversation: The Establishment of Roman Christian Doctrine: Arius, Letter to Alexander, Bishop of Alexandria (c. 320 c.e.) and The Nicene Creed (325 c.e.) 
2. The Struggle of Conversion: Augustine of Hippo, Confessions (c. 397) 
3. The Development of Monasticism: Benedict of Nursia, The Rule of Saint Benedict (c. 540) 
4. Community Worship: The Torah niche, Dura-Europos synagogue (c. 244-245 C.E.)
5. Germanic Law in the Roman Empire: The Burgundian Code (c. 475–525 c.e.) 
6. Emergence of Byzantium: Procopius, Secret History (550 c.e.)

CHAPTER 8 ​ ​The Heirs of Rome: Islam, Byzantium, and Europe, 600–750 
1. The Foundations of Islam: Qur’an, Suras 1, 53, 98 (c. 610–632) 
2. Jihad and Jizya: Islamic Terms of Peace (633–643) 
3. Byzantine Life: The Life of St. Theodore of Sykeon (Early Seventh Century) 
4. A Noblewoman’s Life: The Life of Lady Balthild, Queen of the Franks (Late Seventh Century) 
5. Roman Christian Missions: Pope Gregory the Great, Letters (598–601) 
6. Sources in Conversation: Warrior Kings: Helmet fragment from Sutton Hoo, (Early seventh century C.E.) and Beowulf (c. mid-seventh-late tenth century)

CHAPTER 9 ​ ​From Centralization to Fragmentation, 750–1050 
1. The Rule of Charlemagne: General Capitulary for the Missi (802) 
2. Sources in Conversation: Conflicting Views of Byzantium: The Paris Psalter (c. 950) and Liutprand of Cremona, Report to Otto I (968) 
3. A New Islamic Dynasty: Ahmad al-Ya‘qūbī, Kitāb al-buldān (Ninth Century) 
4. Advances in Medicine: Abū Bakr Muhammad ibn Zakarīyū Al-rāzī, A Treatise on the Small-Pox and Measles (c. 910) 
5. The Faithful Vassal: Fulbert of Chartres, Letter to William of Aquitaine (1020)
 
CHAPTER 10 ​ ​Commercial Quickening and Religious Reform, 1050–1150
1. Medieval Business: Commenda Contracts (Eleventh–Twelfth Centuries) 
2. Sources in Conversation: Sources of the Investiture Conflict: Emperor Henry IV and Pope Gregory VII, Letter and Excommunication (1076) 
3. Calling the First Crusade: Fulcher of Chartres, Pope Urban II’s Speech at Clermont (1095) 
4. Arab Response to the First Crusade: Ibn al-Athīr, A Muslim Perspective (1097–1099) 
5. The Power of William I: The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle (1085–1086) and Domesday Book (1086–1087) 
6. Living Close to the Land: Labors of the Month, Zodiac Column, Souvigny Priory, mid twelfth century

CHAPTER 11 ​ ​The Flowering of the Middle Ages, 1150–1215 
1. New Learning: Peter Abelard, The Story of My Misfortunes (c. 1132) 
2. Scholarly Pursuits and Youthful Frolics: Royal Decrees of Special Privileges for Students and Student Letters (Twelfth–Early Thirteenth Centuries) 
3. Courtly Love: Chrétien de Troyes, Lancelot: The Knight of the Cart (c. 1170s) 
4. Early Bankers: Money Changers Window Panel, Chartres Cathedral (early thirteenth century)
5. Franciscan Piety: St. Francis and St. Clare of Assisi, Selected Writings (Thirteenth Century) 
6. The Sack of Constantinople: Annals of Niketas Choniatēs (1204)
 
CHAPTER 12 ​ ​The Medieval Synthesis — and Its Cracks, 1215–1340
1. Reconciling Faith and Reason: Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologiae (1273) 
2. A Female Mystic: Hadewijch of Brabant, Letters and Poems (1220–1240) 
3. Defining Outsiders: Thomas of Monmouth, The Life and Martyrdom of St. William of Norwich (c. 1173) 
4. Imagining Hell: Dante Alighieri, Divine Comedy (1313–1321) 
5. Sources in Conversation: The New Power of Medieval States: Pope Boniface VIII, Unam Sanctam (1302) and King Philip IV of France, General Assembly of Paris (1303) 
6. Centering the World: Hereford World Map (c. 1290-1300)

CHAPTER 13 ​ ​Crisis and Renaissance, 1340–1492 
1. Demographic Catastrophe: The Black Death (Fourteenth Century) 
2. Crisis and Change: Jean Froissart on the Jacquerie (1358)
3. Satirizing the Church: Geoffrey Chaucer, The Pardoner’s Prologue (1387–1400) 
4. Preaching Reform: Jan Hus, Letters (1408–1415) 
5. Extolling Humanism: Giovanni Rucellai and Leonardo Bruni, Florence in the Quattrocento (1427 and 1457) 
6. Women’s Place in Renaissance Italy: Alessandra, Letters from a Widow and Matriarch of a Great Family (1450–1465) 
7. Sources in Conversation: Artistic Innovation: Jan van Eyck, Arnolfini Double Portrait (1434) and Bartolommeo Fazio, On Famous Men (1456)

CHAPTER 14 ​ ​ Global Encounters and the Shock of the Reformation, 1492–1560 
1. Worlds Collide: Bernal Díaz del Castillo, The True History of the Conquest of New Spain (c. 1567) 
2. Illustrating a Native Perspective: Lienzo de Tlaxcala (c. 1560) 000
3. Defending Native Humanity: Bartolomé de Las Casas, In Defense of the Indians (c. 1548–1550) 
4. Scripture and Salvation: Martin Luther, Freedom of a Christian (1520) 
5. Sources in Conversation: Reforming Christianity: John Calvin, Ordinances for the Regulation of Churches (1547), and Registers of Constitory of Geneva (1542–1543)
6. Responding to Reformation: St. Ignatius of Loyola, A New Kind of Catholicism (1546, 1549, 1553)
 
CHAPTER 15 ​ ​Wars of Religion and Clash of Worldviews, 1560–1648 
1. Legislating Tolerance: Henry IV, Edict of Nantes (1598) 
2. Barbarians All: Michel de Montaigne, Of Cannibals (1580s)
3. Defending Religious Liberty: Apology of the Bohemian Estates (May 25, 1618) 
4. Codifying Poverty: City of Norwich Poor Rolls (1570)
5. The Scientific Challenge: Galileo, Letter to the Grand Duchess Christina (1615) 
6. Sources in Conversation: The Persecution of Witches: The Witch of Newbury (1643) and The Trial of Suzanne Gaudry (1652) 

CHAPTER 16 ​ ​Absolutism, Constitutionalism, and the Search for Order, 1640–1715 
1. The Sun King: Louis de Rouvroy, Duke of Saint-Simon, Memoirs (1694–1723) 
2. Sources in Conversation: Regime Change: The Trial of Charles I and The Confession of Richard Brandon the Hangman (1649) 
3. Civil War and Social Contract: Thomas Hobbes, Leviathan (1651) 
4. The Consent of the Governed: John Locke, The Second Treatise of Government (1690) 
5. Opposing Serfdom: Ludwig Fabritius, The Revolt of Stenka Razin (1670) 
6. Genre Painting: Pieter Bruegel the Younger, A Village Kermis (1628)

CHAPTER 17 ​ ​The Atlantic System and Its Consequences, 1700–1750 
1. Captivity and Enslavement: Olaudah Equiano, The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano Written by Himself (1789) 
2. Sources in Conversation A “Sober and Wholesome Drink”: A Brief Description of the Excellent Vertues of That Sober and Wholesome Drink, Called Coffee (1674) and The Coffee House Mob (1710) 
3. A Domestic Drink: Richard Collins, “A Family at Tea” (c. 1726)
4. Westernizing Russian Culture: Peter I, Decrees and Statutes (1701–1723) 
5. Early Enlightenment: Voltaire, Letters concerning the English Nation (1733) 
6. Questioning Women’s Submission: Mary Astell, Reflections upon Marriage (1706)

Authors

Katharine J. Lualdi

Katharine J. Lualdi (Ph.D., University of Pennsylvania) is a scholar and educator whose passion is supporting student success within and beyond the classroom. As a scholar she has coedited Penitence in the Age of Reformations (Ashgate, 2000) and Handbook for Curates: A Late Medieval Manual of Pastoral Care (The Catholic University of America Press, 2011). She has also authored numerous articles and book chapters on sixteenth-century French Catholicism. After teaching history and religion at the University of Southern Maine for many years, she is now the director of TRIO student support services at Southern Maine Community College, a federally funded grant-based program serving low-income, first generation, and disabled college students with the goal of increasing their retention and graduation rates and helping them make the transition from one level of higher education to the next.

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