Riches and knowledge of India have attracted many foreign invasions. Each time, Indian culture has emerged stronger. Like a great melting pot, India has assimilated invading cultures and yet maintained its glorious core.

What are the strengths of Indian culture that have enabled it to survive for thousands of years? Were there persistent scientific endeavors that shaped Indian society? What kind of discoveries were Indians trying to make when three thousand years ago they were dealing with such large numbers as "1,971,956,574 years"?

How did ancient Indians figure out that if you pierced the globe and emerged on the opposite side of the globe from India, you would find an advanced culture (Americas)? What is the driving force behind the predominance of vegetarianism in India? What enabled them to perform plastic surgery more than two thousand years ago?

Did they know the role of the spleen in driving the characteristic red pigmentation of blood? Has the Om (ॐ) symbol been discovered in the ancient Americas?

For millennia we've caught only glimpses of the lives and loves of the gods and goddesses on Olympus. Now, Aimée Carter pulls back the curtain on how they became the powerful, petty, loving, and dangerous immortals that Kate Winters knows.

Calliope/Hera represented constancy and yet had a husband who never matched her faithfulness.

Ava/Aphrodite was the goddess of love and yet commitment was a totally different deal.

Persephone was urged to marry one man, yet longed for another.

James/Hermes loved to make trouble for others - but never knew true loss before.

Henry/Hades's solitary existence had grown too wearisome to continue. But meeting Kate Winters gave him a new hope.

Five original novellas of love, loss, and longing and the will to survive throughout the ages.

As private secretary to the Emperor Hadrian, Suetonius gained access to the imperial archives and used them (along with eye-witness accounts) to produce one of the most colorful biographical works in history. The Twelve Caesars chronicles the public careers and private lives of the men who wielded absolute power over Rome, from the foundation of the empire under Julius Caesar and Augustus, to the decline into depravity and civil war under Nero, and the recovery that came with his successors.

A masterpiece of anecdote, wry observation and detailed physical description, The Twelve Caesars presents us with a gallery of vividly drawn — and all too human — individuals.

Banished to the Empire's farthest outpost, veteran warrior Paulinus Maximus defends The Wall of Britannia from the constant onslaught of belligerent barbarian tribes. Bravery, loyalty, experience, and success lead to Maximus' appointment as "General of the West" by the Roman emperor, the ambition of a lifetime.

But with the title comes a caveat: Maximus needs to muster and command a single legion to defend the perilous Rhine frontier. On the opposite side of the Rhine River, tribal nations are uniting; hundreds of thousands mass in preparation for the conquest of Gaul, and from there, a sweep down into Rome itself. Only a wide river and a wily general keep them in check.

With discipline, deception, persuasion, and surprise, Maximus holds the line against an increasingly desperate and innumerable foe. Friends, allies, and even enemies urge Maximus to proclaim himself emperor. He refuses, bound by an oath of duty, honor, and sacrifice to Rome, a city he has never seen. But then circumstance intervenes. Now, Maximus will accept the purple robe of emperor, if his scrappy legion can deliver this last crucial victory against insurmountable odds. The very fate of Rome hangs in the balance.

High drama and ancient history combine in this novel of the early life of Egypt's infamous queen, at once a beautiful seductress, brilliant politician, and the most powerful ruler of her time.

Even as a child, Kleopatra demonstrates the charisma and intelligence that will ensure her destiny. During an Egyptian coup, she and the King are banished to the worldly capital of Rome, where she accepts the terms of her rightful ascent to power.

But the return to Egypt proves less than glorious when her father falls ill and dies, leaving her vulnerable to banishment, once again. This time, however, Kleopatra, who has blossomed into a shrewd politician, is undaunted. With a warrior’s heart, she charges her handsome kinsman and lover, Archimedes, to gather an army, while she readies herself for her most royal challenge yet: to reclaim her throne by forming an alliance with the renowned Julius Caesar.

The Conquest of Gaul is a captivating account of Julius Caesar's military campaigns between 58 and 50 BC. During this period, Caesar conquered most of the regions now known as France, Belgium, and Switzerland, and ventured twice into Britain.

This narrative provides deep insights into Caesar's military strategy and paints a vivid picture of his encounters with the inhabitants of Gaul and Britain. It offers lively portraits of key characters, such as the rebel leaders and Gallic chieftains.

Moreover, this work can be read as a piece of political propaganda, as Caesar presents his version of events to the Roman public, aware of the impending civil war he would face upon his return to Rome.

Plutarch's Parallel Lives is a series of biographies, arranged in pairs, illuminating virtues and vices. The surviving Lives contain 23 pairs, each with a Greek and a Roman Life, and 4 unpaired Lives.

As explained in the opening of his Life of Alexander, Plutarch wasn't concerned with history so much as the influence of character on life and destiny. While he sometimes barely touched on great events, he devoted much space to anecdotes and incidental triviality, often revealing more about his subjects than their famous accomplishments.

He sought to provide rounded portraits, likening his craft to painting. Indeed, he went to great, often tenuous, lengths to draw parallels between physical appearance and character.

Amongst the earliest moral philosophers, some of the Lives, like those of Heracles, Philip II of Macedon, and Scipio Africanus, are lost. Many remaining Lives are truncated, contain lacunae, or have been tampered with. Extant are those on Solon, Themistocles, Aristides, Pericles, Alcibiades, Nicias, Demosthenes, Pelopidas, Philopoemen, Timoleon, Dion of Syracuse, Alexander the Great, Pyrrhus of Epirus, Romulus, Numa Pompilius, Coriolanus, Theseus, Aemilius Paullus, Tiberius Gracchus, Gaius Gracchus, Gaius Marius, Sulla, Sertorius, Lucullus, Pompey, Julius Caesar, Cicero, Cato the Younger, Mark Antony, and Marcus Junius Brutus.

Herodotus 7-9 is a significant historical work that delves into the rich tapestry of ancient events and chronicles the fascinating world of the past. This book is a part of the Loeb Herodotus series, offering insight into the intricate details and narratives that have shaped our understanding of history.

Despite being a reproduction of a book published before 1923, it has been carefully preserved and reprinted to maintain its cultural importance. Readers will appreciate the dedication to maintaining the integrity of historical documentation, ensuring that the stories of the past continue to enlighten and educate future generations.