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"World History" (originally Weltgeschichte) by the German historian Jochen Bleicken, one of the world's leading experts on ancient history, is an exceptionally thorough and professional historiographical work dedicated to the formation and development of ancient civilizations. Although the title suggests a comprehensive overview, the focus of the author's research is focused on the Mediterranean as the cradle of Western civilization — with particular emphasis on the political, social, and cultural development of ancient Greece and the rise and fall of the Roman Empire. Bleicken applies an analytical and synthetic approach in the book, avoiding a mere sequence of chronological facts and rulers. Instead, the author focuses on an in-depth analysis of social structures, legal systems, political institutions (from Athenian democracy to Roman republicanism and the principates) and ideological foundations that enabled the survival and expansion of ancient states. His analyses of Rome's transformation from a city-state to a world empire and the influence of the Greco-Roman heritage on later European history and thought are particularly striking. Written in an accessible, yet scientifically impeccable and precise style, this study is indispensable literature for history students, teachers, and all lovers of antiquity. Bleicken's work remains a superb example of the German historiographical school and a reliable guide to the foundations on which the modern Western world rests.