The preparation of this volume began as a revision of my Ancient History, but the expansion and alterations have been so extensive as to produce a substantially new book. It is to serve mainly as a practical text-book for meeting new demands in the study of ancient history in secondary schools. In its preparation the advice of educators throughout the country has been obtained; the reports of the Committee of Seven and Committee of Five have been kept in mind; and account has been taken of requirements for admission to college and for state examinations. In brief, every effort has been made to bring the work up to present educational standards. In the labor of preparation I have enjoyed the cooperation of Miss Antoinette Holbrook, Head of the History Department, Chelsea High School, Chelsea, Massachusetts, who has contributed to all parts of the book her experience as a teacher. The proofs have been read, and corrections made, by Professor Eugene Fair, department of Ancient History, State Normal School, Kirksville, Missouri. It gives me pleasure to express my high appreciation of such aid. For the choice and arrangement of topics I am especially indebted to “A History Syllabus for Secondary Schools,” prepared under the auspices of the History Teachers’ Association of New England. This outline is the one used in the Syllabus of the New York State Education Department.
The newer educational movement rightly lays stress on the causal relations and the significance of events and on culture and social life. My “History of Greece” (1899) did pioneer work in this field; and I now cherish the hope that educators will soon see their way clear to the elimination of many minor persons and events from the study of ancient history to make room for a larger treatment of social and cultural activities.
I have aimed also to bring the book up to date from the point of view of scholarship. In the chapters on the Orient, for instance,
advantage has been taken of such recent and authoritative publications as the new edition of Breasted’s “History of Ancient Egypt” and of Meyer’s “Geschichte des Altertums,” Vol. I. Other examples of improvement in this direction may be found in the treatment of the early Greek and Italic civilizations, in the growth and decline of the Roman Empire, and in the period of transition to the Middle Ages.
Great pains have been taken to furnish the volume with an abundance of useful maps and illustrations. All the maps have been drawn especially for this book or have been transferred, with improvements, from my earlier works. The pictures in each chapter are of objects or persons contemporary with the period treated, and have for that reason a great value as a means of instruction. For the use of some of this material my thanks are due to the authorities of the British Museum, to the Ministry of Public Instruction of Italy, and to my colleague, Professor George N. Olcott.
It seems to me to be due to myself now to say that no one of my text-books has been a compilation of modern writings. The present volume, for example, is a product of more than a quarter century of a life earnestly devoted to the study and interpretation of Greek and Roman historical sources. On most of the topics presented within this field I have examined the sources with sufficient care to enable me to express an opinion of my own. But only in a few instances, as on the composition of the Roman assemblies or on the value of Alexander’s conquests, do I depart materially from the current view. I understand, however, the difficulty of compressing all ancient history within so few pages. The greater the condensation, the more liable becomes the work to incomplete statements and to errors arising from inattention to details. I shall be grateful to the Reader who will inform me of such defects or offer suggestions for the improvement of the book.
GEORGE WILLIS BOTSFORD.
Mount Vernon, New York, June i, 1911.
SUGGESTIONS TO TEACHERS
Chapters VI and XXVIII owe their existence in their present form to the requests of teachers. Many, however, will find it preferable, with classes beginning the subject, to omit all of chapter VI excepting § 70, the second half of § 79, and § 80, and in chapter XXVIII to omit § 354; to teach the geography in connection with the events; to have the location of every place carefully described from the maps on its first occurrence in the narrative; and to use these two chapters in a review of the geography. One or two myths may be selected for recitation and the rest left to the pupils merely to read. Similarly in the first progress of the class through the book the teacher may find it advisable to touch but lightly on government, and then by way of review to take up as separate topics the constitutional history of Sparta, Athens, and Rome respectively, that the pupils may learn to appreciate the evolution of the government as a whole and of its individual institutions. The teacher will save time and energy by looking carefully over every lesson with the class at the moment the assignment is made, in order to explain difficulties and to indicate what may be omitted or what topics may profitably be expanded by collateral reading. Many proper names and minor events, for example, could be omitted without injury to the pupils’ intelligence. In fact the process of elimination has a high educational value. The readings are given merely as illustrations. Generally the teacher will prefer to make his own selections from books accessible to the class. The questions, too, are intended as examples. Many more questions may profitably be asked, not only on the text, but also on the maps and illustrations. Abstracts or topical outlines of periods are strongly recommended. Fortunately no all-sufficing text-book in history has ever been written, or can be written. From the very nature of historical study any effort to avoid the routine work of learning everything in given order in the book and nothing more — to study the subject in hand rather than the book itself — will be amply rewarded by the results.
The newer educational movement rightly lays stress on the causal relations and the significance of events and on culture and social life. My “History of Greece” (1899) did pioneer work in this field; and I now cherish the hope that educators will soon see their way clear to the elimination of many minor persons and events from the study of ancient history to make room for a larger treatment of social and cultural activities.
I have aimed also to bring the book up to date from the point of view of scholarship. In the chapters on the Orient, for instance,
advantage has been taken of such recent and authoritative publications as the new edition of Breasted’s “History of Ancient Egypt” and of Meyer’s “Geschichte des Altertums,” Vol. I. Other examples of improvement in this direction may be found in the treatment of the early Greek and Italic civilizations, in the growth and decline of the Roman Empire, and in the period of transition to the Middle Ages.
Great pains have been taken to furnish the volume with an abundance of useful maps and illustrations. All the maps have been drawn especially for this book or have been transferred, with improvements, from my earlier works. The pictures in each chapter are of objects or persons contemporary with the period treated, and have for that reason a great value as a means of instruction. For the use of some of this material my thanks are due to the authorities of the British Museum, to the Ministry of Public Instruction of Italy, and to my colleague, Professor George N. Olcott.
It seems to me to be due to myself now to say that no one of my text-books has been a compilation of modern writings. The present volume, for example, is a product of more than a quarter century of a life earnestly devoted to the study and interpretation of Greek and Roman historical sources. On most of the topics presented within this field I have examined the sources with sufficient care to enable me to express an opinion of my own. But only in a few instances, as on the composition of the Roman assemblies or on the value of Alexander’s conquests, do I depart materially from the current view. I understand, however, the difficulty of compressing all ancient history within so few pages. The greater the condensation, the more liable becomes the work to incomplete statements and to errors arising from inattention to details. I shall be grateful to the Reader who will inform me of such defects or offer suggestions for the improvement of the book.
GEORGE WILLIS BOTSFORD.
Mount Vernon, New York, June i, 1911.
SUGGESTIONS TO TEACHERS
Chapters VI and XXVIII owe their existence in their present form to the requests of teachers. Many, however, will find it preferable, with classes beginning the subject, to omit all of chapter VI excepting § 70, the second half of § 79, and § 80, and in chapter XXVIII to omit § 354; to teach the geography in connection with the events; to have the location of every place carefully described from the maps on its first occurrence in the narrative; and to use these two chapters in a review of the geography. One or two myths may be selected for recitation and the rest left to the pupils merely to read. Similarly in the first progress of the class through the book the teacher may find it advisable to touch but lightly on government, and then by way of review to take up as separate topics the constitutional history of Sparta, Athens, and Rome respectively, that the pupils may learn to appreciate the evolution of the government as a whole and of its individual institutions. The teacher will save time and energy by looking carefully over every lesson with the class at the moment the assignment is made, in order to explain difficulties and to indicate what may be omitted or what topics may profitably be expanded by collateral reading. Many proper names and minor events, for example, could be omitted without injury to the pupils’ intelligence. In fact the process of elimination has a high educational value. The readings are given merely as illustrations. Generally the teacher will prefer to make his own selections from books accessible to the class. The questions, too, are intended as examples. Many more questions may profitably be asked, not only on the text, but also on the maps and illustrations. Abstracts or topical outlines of periods are strongly recommended. Fortunately no all-sufficing text-book in history has ever been written, or can be written. From the very nature of historical study any effort to avoid the routine work of learning everything in given order in the book and nothing more — to study the subject in hand rather than the book itself — will be amply rewarded by the results.
World History
