Designed for those seeking a simple, short summary of the greatest figures and events of antiquity, this book is a lively and breezy treatment of a vast span of history. M. B. Synge was a travel writer by profession, with a style fluent and informative - his treatment of the famous generals and leaders of ancient times, of the gradual flourishing of civilization around the Mediterranean Sea, carries the attractive aspects of a civic tour. The essential events that shaped the ancient world are told in sequence, feeding into the narration of a world growing in sophistication and culture.

Beginning with the life of Abraham, we hear several tales from the Old Testament, including Moses' Exodus from Egypt and the emergence of the Phoenicians as an early maritime power. The glories of the Greek civilization, and later the Greco-Roman culture, are described gradually - we hear of the great military battles and conquests of both Greece and Rome. For Greece there is Alexander the Great, a general whose campaign led all the way to the uncharted lands of India, while for Rome we hear of Julius Caesar and Pompey the Great. Synge concludes on a high note: the Pax Romana, the Roman Peace, wherein the height of ancient culture and achievement was secured.