Скачать или смотреть The Forbidden Books of the Ancient World

This comprehensive exploration covers the religious, political, and philosophical texts that ancient authorities tried to erase from history—and the remarkable ways these forbidden works survived despite centuries of suppression. We'll examine why books were banned, who banned them, and what we've lost forever to ancient censorship.

📚 Book Recommendation: "The History and Practice of Ancient Astronomy" by James Evans

SOURCES AND REFERENCES

Ancient Primary Sources:
1. Sima Qian. "Records of the Grand Historian" (Shiji).
Primary source for the Chinese book burning of 213 BCE
Multiple translations available, including Burton Watson's edition
2. Tacitus. "Annals." Books 4-6.
Roman historical censorship and the Cremutius Cordus case
Penguin Classics and Oxford World's Classics editions
3. Diogenes Laertius. "Lives of Eminent Philosophers."
Information on banned Greek philosophers
Cambridge University Press edition
4. Plato. "Apology."
Trial and defense of Socrates
Multiple editions available

Gnostic and Early Christian Texts:
5. Robinson, James M. (editor). "The Nag Hammadi Library in English." HarperOne, 1990. - Complete English translation of the Nag Hammadi texts
6. Ehrman, Bart D. "Lost Christianities: The Battles for Scripture and the Faiths We Never Knew." Oxford University Press, 2003. - Accessible overview of early Christian diversity and suppression
7. Pagels, Elaine. "The Gnostic Gospels." Random House, 1979. - Classic study of Gnostic texts and their suppression
8. Brakke, David. "The Gnostics: Myth, Ritual, and Diversity in Early Christianity." Harvard University Press, 2010.

Book Burning and Censorship Studies:
9. Knuth, Rebecca. "Burning Books and Leveling Libraries: Extremist Violence and Cultural Destruction." Praeger, 2006. - Includes ancient examples in broader historical context
10. Berti, Monica and Virgilio Costa (editors). "La Biblioteca di Alessandria: Storia di un paradiso perduto." Edizioni di Storia e Letteratura, 2010. - Academic study of the Library of Alexandria
11. MacLeod, Roy (editor). "The Library of Alexandria: Centre of Learning in the Ancient World." I.B. Tauris, 2000.

Magic and Mystery Texts:
12. Betz, Hans Dieter (editor). "The Greek Magical Papyri in Translation, Including the Demotic Spells." University of Chicago Press, 1986. - Scholarly translation of the Greek Magical Papyri
13. Dickie, Matthew W. "Magic and Magicians in the Greco-Roman World." Routledge, 2001. - Academic study of ancient magic and its persecution
14. Graf, Fritz. "Magic in the Ancient World." Harvard University Press, 1997.

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