Pearl of the Desert
A History of Palmyra
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Pearl of the Desert
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Narrated by:
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Christopher Hallett
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By:
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Rubina Raja
About this listen
Palmyra has long attracted the attention of the world. Well before its rediscovery in the 17th century, the ancient city gained legendary status because of its Queen Zenobia, who in the third century CE rebelled against Rome and expanded Palmyra's territory into what is now modern Turkey and Egypt.
Pearl of the Desert is the most comprehensive history of this fabled ancient city in English. Assimilating the rich archaeological and literary evidence, Rubina Raja unfolds the story chronologically, from the earliest evidence of settlement in the Bronze Age to Palmyra's rise as an urban center in the late Hellenistic and Roman periods, its destruction by Rome in 273 CE, and its survival in the Byzantine and medieval Islamic periods. The book ends with a discussion of Palmyra's modern rediscovery and, more recently, its chaotic misfortunes during the Syrian civil war when it was used as a symbol of, alternately, the resistance of the rebels, the power of ISIS, and the supremacy of the Syrian state.
After several years of destruction and looting, securing of the site has begun as well as planning for its restoration. At this turning point in Palmyra's long history, there is no better time to assess the past, present, and future of this remarkable city.
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- Unabridged
-
Overall3.5 out of 5 stars 18
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Performance4 out of 5 stars 15
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Story4 out of 5 stars 15
This audiobook is about the city which houses the mighty Ziggurat - the Biblical “Ur of the Chaldees” where Abraham was supposedly born. The site near which the earliest human cultures were found. The site which held the most glorious Sumerian Dynasty in ancient history. This is the story of the city that was destined to die and be reborn every millennium or so, a city full of intrigue, magnificence, tragedy, and glory.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Highly Recommended
- By Wsil Ali on 12-09-18
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The Etruscans
- A Captivating Guide to the Etruscan Civilization of Ancient Italy that Preceded the Roman Republic
- By: Captivating History
- Narrated by: Richard L. Walton
- Length: 3 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 7
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 7
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 7
The Roman Republic, and later the Roman Empire, was an unusual conqueror because it would absorb and assimilate elements of the cultures it dominated. A standing practice was to allow the defeated to continue practicing their culture and religion so long as they paid their taxes on time. Such a procedure was part of why Christianity would seep into the Roman Empire around the 1st century CE, for example. For the Etruscans, this meant they influenced aspects of Roman civilization, one of the most powerful cultures in the history of the Western world.
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Palestine
- A Four Thousand Year History
- By: Nur Masalha
- Narrated by: Fajer Al-Kaisi
- Length: 16 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 81
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 73
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 74
This rich and magisterial work traces Palestine's millennia-old heritage, uncovering cultures and societies of astounding depth and complexity that stretch back to the very beginnings of recorded history.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Comprehensive and valuable
- By Buretto on 01-31-22
By: Nur Masalha
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The Sumerians
- The History and Legacy of the Ancient Mesopotamian Empire That Established Civilization
- By: Charles River Editors
- Narrated by: Neil Holmes
- Length: 1 hr and 15 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4 out of 5 stars 140
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Performance4 out of 5 stars 117
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Story4 out of 5 stars 118
When American archaeologists discovered a collection of cuneiform tablets in Iraq in the late 19th century, they were confronted with a language and a people who were at the time only scarcely known to even the most knowledgeable scholars of ancient Mesopotamia: the Sumerians.
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5 out of 5 stars
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love these
- By amy on 12-14-16
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Lost Civilizations
- 10 Societies That Vanished without a Trace
- By: Michael Rank
- Narrated by: Kevin Pierce
- Length: 3 hrs and 37 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4 out of 5 stars 50
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Performance4 out of 5 stars 48
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Story4 out of 5 stars 48
Whether it is Plato's lost city of Atlantis, a technological advanced utopia that sank into the ocean "in a single day and night of misfortune"; the colony of Roanoke, whose early American settlers were swallowed up in the wild forest lands of the unexplored continent, or the Ancient American Explorers, who managed to arrive to the New World 2,000 years before Columbus, the disappearance of these societies is as cryptic as it is implausible. This book will look at cultures of the 10 greatest lost civilizations in history.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Another Great Book from Michael Rank
- By MICHAEL H on 07-17-14
By: Michael Rank
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The Sumerians: A History from Beginning to End
- By: Hourly History
- Narrated by: Stephen Paul Aulridge Jr.
- Length: 1 hr and 6 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 60
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Performance5 out of 5 stars 50
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 49
The Sumerians settled in the area known as Mesopotamia, between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers, around 5,000 years ago. They produced many fundamental changes to the way in which human societies developed - these were the first city-builders, the first people to use wheeled vehicles, the first methodical astronomers, and the first people to develop a sophisticated written language. The Sumerians also produced art, music, and literature as well as created some of the first professional soldiers the world had ever seen.
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4 out of 5 stars
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Simple and as best “to the point” as it can be
- By Lona on 08-24-24
By: Hourly History
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Sumerians: A History from Beginning to End
- By: Henry Freeman
- Narrated by: Christopher Boozell
- Length: 2 hrs and 48 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 53
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 47
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 46
A legendary civilization vanished under the Fertile Crescent and escaped a fate worse than death until Sumerologists questioned widely accepted truths. The Sumerians reemerged onto the extraordinary timeline of human history. Their tales of kings and gods, including the Epic of Gilgamesh, and their fearless trade in distant lands, during the remarkable Bronze Age, centered in the world’s first city-states that chronicled ancient rivalries and their enduring impact.
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2 out of 5 stars
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The writing is so poor I could not listen.
- By Erin on 12-04-21
By: Henry Freeman
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The Hyksos
- The History of the Foreign Invaders Who Conquered Ancient Egypt and Established the Fifteenth Dynasty
- By: Charles River Editors
- Narrated by: Colin Fluxman
- Length: 1 hr and 14 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4 out of 5 stars 44
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 38
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Story4 out of 5 stars 38
During Egypt's Second Intermediate Period, a mysterious foreign group of people, known as the Hyksos, conquered Egypt and established the 15th and 16th Dynasties some time shortly after 1700 BCE. For centuries, the Hyksos rule over Egypt was an enigma shrouded in half-truths and myth.
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3 out of 5 stars
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This is more about what the Hyksos is not, this what it is.
- By cpdb on 12-17-19
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African Origin of Civilization - The Myth or Reality
- By: Cheikh Anta Diop
- Narrated by: Frank Block
- Length: 9 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall5 out of 5 stars 264
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 223
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Story5 out of 5 stars 223
This classic presents historical, archaeological, and anthropological evidence to support the theory that ancient Egypt was a black civilization.
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5 out of 5 stars
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History told from an honest point
- By Lee on 12-19-21
By: Cheikh Anta Diop
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Lost Enlightenment
- Central Asia's Golden Age from the Arab Conquest to Tamerlane
- By: S. Frederick Starr
- Narrated by: Kevin Stillwell
- Length: 25 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 502
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 434
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 432
Lost Enlightenment recounts how, between the years 800 and 1200, Central Asia led the world in trade and economic development, the size and sophistication of its cities, the refinement of its arts, and, above all, in the advancement of knowledge in many fields. Central Asians achieved signal breakthroughs in astronomy, mathematics, geology, medicine, chemistry, music, social science, philosophy, and theology, among other subjects.
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2 out of 5 stars
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Subject worthwhile but repetative narrative
- By F-M on 04-10-14
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A Brief History of the Celts
- Brief Histories
- By: Peter Berresford Ellis
- Narrated by: Christopher Oxford
- Length: 8 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 190
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 172
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 172
For centuries the Celts held sway in Europe. Even after their conquest by the Romans, their culture remained vigorous, ensuring that much of it endured to feed an endless fascination with Celtic history and myths, artwork and treasures. A foremost authority on the Celtic peoples and their culture, Peter Berresford Ellis presents an invigoration overview of their world. With his gift for making the scholarly accessible, he discusses the Celts' mysterious origins and early history and investigates their rich and complex society.
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4 out of 5 stars
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A bit dry, but overall interesting
- By Lokkish on 04-13-15
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The Rise and Fall of Ancient Egypt
- By: Toby Wilkinson
- Narrated by: Michael Page
- Length: 18 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 1,090
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 949
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 944
In this landmark work, one of the world's most renowned Egyptologists tells the epic story of this great civilization, from its birth as the first nation-state to its final absorption into the Roman Empire - 3,000 years of wild drama, bold spectacle, and unforgettable characters. Award-winning scholar Toby Wilkinson captures not only the lavish pomp and artistic grandeur of this land of pyramids and pharaohs but for the first time reveals the constant propaganda and repression that were its foundations.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Well Written and Detailed
- By Matthew G. on 01-26-18
By: Toby Wilkinson
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Prehistory
- Making of the Human Mind
- By: Colin Renfrew
- Narrated by: Robert Ian MacKenzie
- Length: 9 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
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Overall4 out of 5 stars 212
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Performance4 out of 5 stars 147
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Story4 out of 5 stars 146
A giant of archaeology, Colin Renfrew has immeasurably improved our understanding of human history. In this passionately argued work, he offers a concise summary of prehistory - human existence that predates the development of written records - while challenging the very definition of prehistory itself.
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5 out of 5 stars
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not for the intellectually challenged
- By Anthony on 07-14-10
By: Colin Renfrew
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The 12th Planet
- The Earth Chronicles, Book 1
- By: Zecharia Sitchin
- Narrated by: Bill Jenkins
- Length: 2 hrs and 21 mins
- Abridged
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Overall4 out of 5 stars 817
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Performance4 out of 5 stars 571
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 571
According to Sumerian scholar Zecharia Sitchin, a superior race of beings once inhabited our world. In The 12th Planet—the product of 30 years of intensive research—Sitchin persuasively argues that humanity sprang from extraterrestrial forebears. In this remarkable account, you'll hear the story of how these ancient visitors traveled to Earth from the stars and planted the genetic seed that would ultimately blossom into a remarkable species—the human being.
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2 out of 5 stars
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Very, VERY abridged!
- By Jill on 06-17-11
By: Zecharia Sitchin
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1177 B.C. (Revised and Updated)
- The Year Civilization Collapsed
- By: Eric H. Cline
- Narrated by: Eric H. Cline
- Length: 10 hrs and 47 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 611
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Performance4 out of 5 stars 530
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 529
This audiobook narrated by acclaimed archaeologist and best-selling author Eric Cline offers a breathtaking account of how the collapse of an ancient civilized world ushered in the first Dark Ages.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Look past the one-star reviews: this is an enlightening and engaging read.
- By Alonzo Nightjar on 03-07-22
By: Eric H. Cline
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The Hidden History of the Knights Templar
- The Church's Oldest Conspiracy
- By: Conrad Bauer
- Narrated by: Charles D. Baker
- Length: 2 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4 out of 5 stars 138
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Performance4 out of 5 stars 120
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Story4 out of 5 stars 120
The Knights Templar existed officially for less than 200 years. Founded to protect pilgrims who were travelling through the Holy Lands, their rise to power was sudden. They became some of the most feared warriors in the region, they had a mandate from God, they controlled perhaps the world's first real banking system, and they waged war against anyone who tried to wrestle Christianity and seize holy grounds from the control of the Catholic Church.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Insightful
- By Tina on 09-11-16
By: Conrad Bauer
What listeners say about Pearl of the Desert
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Jim Kane
- 06-08-24
Very Enjoyable, Scholarly
Excellent subject, well organized and beautifully narrated. Take note that this is a detailed archeological text. I found new things which interested me, like the European poetry about Palmyra. All in all a really great book, lucky that it's available as an audiobook.
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