Clive Foss - Böcker

The Ottoman Empire ruled the near East, dominated the Mediterranean, and terrorized Europe for centuries. However, its origins are obscure. The Beginnings of the Ottoman Empire illuminates the founding of the Empire, drawing on Turkish, Greek, Arabic, and Latin sources as well as coins, buildings, and topographic evidence. Clive Foss takes the reader through the rugged homeland of Osman, the founder of the Ottomans, placing his achievement in the context of his more powerful neighbours, most notably the once mighty Byzantine Empire, then in the terminal stages of its decline. Foss then charts the progress of Osman's son Orhan, until the fateful moment in 1354 when his forces crossed into Europe and began their spectacular conquests.

Ephesus has had a fascinating and eventful history. Famous for its connections with Artemis, Heraclitus and St Paul, it is also one of the richest archaeological sites in the Mediterranean. Founded in the tenth century BC, it became, in the Hellenistic and Roman periods, the largest city and most important commercial centre in Asia Minor and continued in this role into Late Antiquity, where Professor Foss takes up its story. Professor Foss charts the fluctuations of Ephesus in all their aspects, religious, social, political and geographical, with extensive reference to many sources - historians, hagiographers, and travellers, as well as the rich archaeological evidence. The author's ability to visualise and convey what the city must have looked like at each stage, coupled with his strong narrative sense and varied choice of illustrations, will appeal to the general reader interested in Ephesus and to archaeologists, historians and those interested in church history.

Cyriac of Ancona (1391–1452) was among the first to study the physical remains of the ancient world in person and for that reason is sometimes regarded as the father of classical archaeology. This volume contains a life of Cyriac to the year 1435 by his friend Francesco Scalamonti, which relies on Cyriac’s own records, along with several letters to and from Cyriac, and other texts illustrating his early life. These include Cyriac’s letter-treatise in praise of Julius Caesar, countering the attacks on the founder of the Roman Empire made by Renaissance republicans. A number of the texts included have been freshly edited and translated for the first time in this volume.

Fidel Castro was a dynamic and charismatic leader, who led Cuba through success and failures from 1959. Son of a rich landowner, he became a radical revolutionary who attempted to overthrow the government in 1956 with a tiny band of followers. Using propaganda and subversion as much as sudden attacks from his mountain hideout, he gained victory in 1959. He liberated his country from one dictator and the overwhelming influence of the United States, only to turn it into another dictatorship firmly under the control and patronage of the Soviet Union. The failure of the American attack at the Bay of Pigs in 1961 added to his reputation, while the missile crisis of 1962 put Cuba right at the centre of the Cold War. Later, by sending his army to Africa and supporting guerrilla movements in Latin America, he made Cuba a signficant player on the world stage. Despite many attempts to remove him and the economic collapse of the USSR, Castro survived and in 1999, celebrated 40 years of his regime.

Juan and Eva Peron formed a charismatic partnership, arousing passionate emotions in Argentina during the 1940s and '50s. Juan Peron's rise to power began in 1943 when he helped organise the successful coup of pro-Axis army officers. Eva, a former actress and subject of scandal, became increasingly influential, securing the vote for women.