Outros livros que poderiam interessá-lo

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  Mali Empire - Gold Mansa Musa...

  Rolf Hedger

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  The Mali Empire emerged in the early 13th century, rising from the remnants of the Ghana Empire and the consolidation of the Malinke people under a visionary leader, Sundiata Keita. The region that would become Mali was already a center of commerce, culture, and political organization, benefiting from its strategic position along the trans-Saharan trade routes. However, it was the collapse of Ghana and the subsequent struggle for power that allowed Mali to emerge as a dominant force in West Africa. 
  The Ghana Empire, which had once controlled vast gold reserves and major trade routes, began to decline due to internal conflicts, overexpansion, and pressure from external forces such as the Almoravid invasions. As Ghana weakened, many of its vassal states and ethnic groups, including the Malinke people, sought independence and new opportunities for leadership. The Malinke, a subgroup of the Mande-speaking people, inhabited the area along the upper Niger River and had long engaged in trade and farming. Their political organization had been fragmented, but under Sundiata Keita, they would come together to form a unified and powerful state. 
  Sundiata Keita’s rise to power is deeply rooted in legend and oral tradition, preserved in the Epic of Sundiata. According to the narrative, Sundiata was born into the Keita royal family but faced exile due to political rivalries. During this time, the Sosso Kingdom, under the rule of Sumanguru Kanté, expanded its influence and sought to dominate the Malinke. Sundiata, gathering allies among different clans and neighboring groups, returned from exile to lead a coalition against Sumanguru at the Battle of Kirina around 1235. His victory in this decisive conflict not only ended Sosso rule but also laid the foundation for the Mali Empire.

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  The Tangut Kingdom - And Its...

  Rolf Hedger

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  The Tangut people, an ethnic group of uncertain origins, gradually emerged as a distinct force in northwestern China. They are believed to have descended from the Qiang tribes, a collection of nomadic and semi-nomadic groups that roamed the Tibetan Plateau and the Ordos region. Over centuries, they migrated and settled in what is now modern-day Ningxia and parts of Gansu and Inner Mongolia, where they established communities and developed a unique cultural identity. Their position between the Tibetan Plateau, the Central Asian steppes, and the Chinese heartland made them an important intermediary in regional affairs. 
  The Tangut rise to prominence was influenced by their interactions with the dominant powers of the region. The Tibetan Empire, which controlled vast areas of western China until its decline in the ninth century, played a significant role in shaping early Tangut culture and governance. The collapse of the Tibetan Empire created a power vacuum that allowed smaller groups like the Tangut to assert their independence. At the same time, the weakening of the Tang Dynasty left northern China vulnerable to fragmentation, further enabling the Tangut to carve out a space for themselves. 
  By the tenth century, the Tangut had developed into a formidable military and political entity, leveraging their strategic location along trade routes to establish economic and diplomatic ties with neighboring states. They maintained relations with the Song Dynasty to the east, the Tibetan remnants to the south, and the nomadic Khitan Liao Empire to the north. These interactions not only enriched Tangut society but also introduced them to a variety of political models, from the bureaucratic governance of the Chinese dynasties to the tribal confederations of the steppe.

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  Mystics of the Empire - Magic...

  Davis Truman

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  In Mystics of the Empire, this groundbreaking study delves into the often-overlooked relationship between Roman emperors and magic, offering a fresh perspective on how sorcery and power intersected in the ancient world. While the lives and reigns of emperors have long captivated scholars, the fascinating role of magic in their rule remains a largely unexplored area of historical inquiry. This book examines how emperors were depicted as patrons of magical practices and as victims and persecutors of sorcery, revealing the complex political, social, and religious ramifications of magic in the Roman Empire. 
  From the mystical associations of the early emperors to the later, more controversial reigns of figures like Elagabalus, Mystics of the Empire analyzes the twofold nature of magic’s role — whether it was used as a tool for imperial authority or as a threat to Roman stability. The book explores how emperors employed magicians for their own purposes and how their engagement with magic could be a source of political intrigue and downfall. Drawing on ancient sources and case studies, the narrative illuminates how these magical associations shaped the representation of emperors while also addressing the motivations behind these portrayals. 
  By offering a detailed examination of the magical context from the establishment of the Principate to the end of the Severan dynasty, Mystics of the Empire reveals the intricate interplay between the mystical and the political in ancient Rome. This work challenges traditional understandings of Roman governance, providing readers with a deeper appreciation of how magic was used as a tool of power, control, and subversion in one of history’s most enduring empires.

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  Jean-Honoré Fragonard

  Edmond Goncourt, Jules Goncourt,...

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  Jean-Honoré Fragonard (1732-1806) punctuates the eighteenth century with a burst of fireworks, closing the arc opened by Watteau with his enchanting poems of love and melancholy. While Watteau was ethereal and profound, Fragonard was delightfully light. He captivates us even as he amuses himself, his emotional distance ever apparent. Specialising in “fêtes galantes” executed in the Rococo style, Fragonard was a pupil of François Boucher and also studied under Chardin. Heeding Boucher’s advice, he portrayed romantic gardens replete with fountains, grottos, temples, and terraces—settings that also reveal the influence of Tiepolo. With King Louis XV as his patron, Fragonard shifted his focus towards depicting the pleasure-seeking and licentious court, offering scenes rich in love and voluptuousness.

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  Black Queer & Untold - A New...

  Jon Key

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  A look at the many Black and Queer contributions to Design and Art 
    
  Growing up in Seale, Alabama as a Black Queer kid, then attending the Rhode Island School of Design as an undergraduate, Jon Key hungered to see himself in the fields of Art and Design. But in lectures, critiques, and in the books he read, he struggled to see and learn about people who intersected with his identity or who GOT him. So he started asking himself questions: 
    
  What did it mean to be a graphic designer with his point of view? What did it mean to be a Black graphic designer? A Queer graphic designer? Someone from the South? Could his identity be communicated through a poster or a book? How could identity be archived in a design canon that has consistently erased contributions by designers who were not white, straight, and male? 
    
  In Black, Queer & Untold, acclaimed designer and artist Jon Key answers these questions and manifests the book he and so many others wish they had when they were coming up. He pays tribute to the incredible designers, artists, and people who came before and provides them an enduring, reverential stage—and in so doing, gifts us a book that takes its place among the creative arts canon. 

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  The Bob Dylan Quiz Book - 1000...

  Mart Matthews

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  How much do you really know about the man from Minnesota? You can find out by exploring the 1,000 questions set out in 100 categories that make up the Bob Dylan Quiz Book.
  Bob Dylan's work is chock-full of references. It's one of the things that puts him in front of the rest, where he's always been. All the usual suspects are inside, but how many books on Dylan include references to War and Peace, Maigret, Proust, Moby-Dick, Boardwalk Empire, Kafka, Charlie Chaplin, Paradise Lost, Trotsky and Regent's Park Zoo? This one does!
  Try these for size:
  1. The first four words of Bob's response to the 'Judas' heckler in 1966 also formed the title of one of his songs. Which one was it, and from which album did it come?
  2. Not counting words that form parts of larger words, can you name the four Beatles singles that can be found in the lyrics of Dylan's Tangled Up in Blue?
  3. On Maggie's Farm, the eponymous Maggie's Ma is less than straight about
  her age. How old does she claim to be and how old is she in reality?
  4. Which innovative guitarist who died in 2024 produced in 1965 a very rare beast, namely an album of Dylan's songs minus the words?

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