HISTORY OF WORLD CIVILIZATION
A Collection of Readings

The Laws of Manu

• Manu: An Introductory Article from the Encyclopedia Britannica
• Short Iintroduction to the Laws of Manu from Columbia University (Includes two videos with commentary about the relevance and implications of the Laws of Manu)
• Laws of Manu or Manu-Smrti from the Encyclopedia Britannica
• Laws of Manu or "Manava Dharma Shastra" from About.com section on Hinduism
• The Laws of Manu: Read Chapter 1
• The implications of the Laws of Manu in modern times. Read the article Caste out from the New Internationalist; Jul2005 Issue 380, p14-16.

The Book of the Dead (Book of Going Forth by Day)

• Article about the Book of the Dead from the Encyclopedia Britannica
• Detailed introduction to the Book of the Dead from Digital Egypt for Universities
• Illustrated introduction to the Book of the Dead from Egyptologyonline.com
• The Gods of the Book of the Dead
• Short selection from the Book of the Dead (Skip the middle section of the page)
• Pictures from the Book of the Dead. Image 1, image 2, image 3.

The Code of Hammurabi

• Introduction the the Code of Hammurabi from sacred-texts.com
• Short overview of the Code for Hammurabi from the Encyclopedia Britannica
• Introduction to and explanations about Hammurabi's Code from the University of Central Florida
• Hammurabi's Code of Laws: Paragraphs 1-65 from sacred-texts.com

The Epic of Gilgamesh

• Introductory article about the Epic of Gilgamesh from the Encyclopedia Britannica
• Essay on the Epic of Gilgamesh from University of Evansville
• Notes on the Epic of Gilgamesh from Montclair State University
• The Babylonian Story of the Deluge and the Epic of Gilgamish from sacred-texts.com
• Synopsis of the Gilgamesh Epic from the University of Illinois at Chicago
• Introduction and Overview of the Epic of Gilgamesh from Utah State University
• The Epic of Gilgamesh from Washington State University
• The Epic of Gilgamesh and the Biblical Record:

  • Ancient texts and the Bible's account of creation - Article from Shabbat Shalom  2000, v47 Spr p20-22.
  • Gilgamesh and Genesis: the flood story in context - Article from the Catholic Biblical Quarterly 32 no 3 Jl 1970, p 392-403 (Please click on the PDF Full Text icon).
  • Overview of the Epic of Gilgamesh from Utah State University (See Section II. B.: The Epic of Gilgamesh and the Bible)
  • Comparison of Genesis and Gilgamesh Floods from the University of Colorado at Boulder

  • Comparing the Floods of Genesis and Gilgamesh from Kennesaw State University, GA

• The Persians Reject Democracy, from the Internet Ancient History Sourcebook at Fordham University, New York.

Plutarch

• The Life of Alexander, from Plutarch's Lives of Noble Greeks and Romans

Einhard

• The Life of Charlemagne, from from the Internet Medieval Source Book at Fordham University, New York.

Saint Francis of Assisi

• The Rule of the Franciscan Order, from the Internet Medieval Source Book at Fordham University, New York.
• The Rule of the Friars Minor, from the Capuchin Friary of Sardinia and Corsica