Epic

Explore some of the greatest things on the planet, natural or man-made, and discover how events and creations have occurred on an epic scale.

Epic: Empires focuses on 12 of the biggest and most incredible empires in the history of the world, from the first Babylonian Empire, founded in 1792 BCE, to the British Empire, which ended formally in 1997. On the way, it takes in ancient Egypt, ancient Persia, the early Indian empires, Imperial China, ancient Rome, the Mongols, the Ottoman empire, the Aztecs, the Inca, the Spanish empire and the British empire.

The book details the dates, location and extent of each empire, along with its most famous rulers. A timeline on every spread gives the key dates from each empire, and what happened when. Additional background information to each empire is also provided, including how each one came into being, who its enemies were, the gods its people worshipped, and how it met its downfall.

Epic: Empires also looks at the technology, advances and inventions that came out of each empire, from the paper, fireworks and compasses of imperial China to the sewers, roads and aqueducts of ancient Rome.

Infographic elements on each spread present information in a simple and highly visual way. Clear, concise text and a bright, appealing design make the book the perfect resource for project work on geography or history, or simply a great leisure read, for children aged 9 and above.

For more epic events, try reading the other titles in the Epic series: Animal Migrations, Battles and Explorers.

About the Author

Philip Steele is a leading writer of children's non-fiction books. He was born in Surrey, graduated from University College Durham and worked in London publishing houses. He then freelanced as a project manager, publishing consultant and author. He has written a wide range of books for Wayland, Watts, Dorling Kindersley, Kingfisher/Macmillan, Walker Books and many other publishers worldwide. History, biography, lands and peoples, the natural world, current affairs and social issues all feature prominently in his backlist.

Philip has backpacked around Africa, Europe, Asia, North America and Australia. For many years he has been settled very happily amidst the mountains, beaches and green fields of North Wales. His wife (as a teacher) and his teenage daughter (as a secondary school pupil) are ideally suited to cast a critical eye over his work!