{"title":"Paul Collins","description":"\u003cp\u003ePaul Collins explores ancient civilisations and their enduring legacies through meticulously researched works that blend history, art, and spirituality. His books offer insightful perspectives on cultures such as the Assyrians and Sumerians, illuminating their art, beliefs, and social structures with scholarly yet accessible prose.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eReaders interested in the crossroads of \u003cem\u003ehistory\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003ereligion\u003c\/em\u003e, and \u003cem\u003eculture\u003c\/em\u003e will appreciate Collins’ thoughtful approach to complex topics, from palace sculptures to profound spiritual questions. His narratives invite reflection on how ancient worlds continue to shape our understanding of human civilisation.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"the-assyrians-by-paul-collins-9781789149234","title":"The Assyrians","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAt the height of its power around 660 BC, the Assyrian empire, centred in northern Iraq, wielded dominance from Egypt to Iran. This vast region was ruled by a series of kings who showcased their power by constructing magnificent palaces adorned with superlative sculptures depicting royal rituals, battles and hunts.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eEstablished by military might, the empire thrived under administrators who relocated tens of thousands of people to serve the state, and scholars who interpreted divine will. \u003cem\u003eThe Assyrians\u003c\/em\u003e relates the history of Assyria through the lens of its royal family and the officials who commissioned its superb buildings, art and literature, and laid the foundations for the later empires of Babylon and Persia.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eA concise but never superficial account of the fascinating world of ancient Assyria. Beautifully illustrated, accessible and lively, this is a great introduction to an empire that left a lasting impact on the history of the Middle East and the cultural memory of the West.\u003c\/strong\u003e – Eckart Frahm, author of \u003cem\u003eAssyria: The Rise and Fall of the World's First Empire\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"NewSouth Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46849990721772,"sku":"9781789149234","price":44.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/28021383482824.jpg?v=1759072936"},{"product_id":"the-sumerians-by-paul-collins-9781789144154","title":"The Sumerians","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eThe Sumerians\u003c\/em\u003e are widely believed to have created the world's earliest civilisation on the fertile floodplains of southern Iraq from about 3500 to 2000 BC. They have been credited with the invention of nothing less than cities, writing, and the wheel, and therefore hold an ancient mirror to our own urban, literate world. But is this picture correct?\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003ePaul Collins reveals how the idea of a Sumerian people was assembled from the archaeological and textual evidence uncovered in Iraq and Syria over the last 150 years. Reconstructed through the biases of those who unearthed them, the Sumerians were never simply lost and found, but reinvented a number of times, both in antiquity and in the more recent past.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"NewSouth Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46851141861612,"sku":"9781789144154","price":39.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/27970583482824.jpg?v=1759099125"},{"product_id":"beyond-priests-by-paul-collins-9798881802608","title":"Beyond Priests","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eBeyond Priests\u003c\/em\u003e contends that the requirements of the clerical priesthood of the Catholic Church—that all priests must be male, and that all priests must be celibate—is a gross distortion of scripture and the church’s early history that must be changed.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eWhile the roots of the modern priesthood go back to the fourth century and even more remotely to the presbyters or elders who advised local bishops in the early church, the contemporary priestly model is very much the product of seventeenth-century French reformers acting to apply a 1563 decree on the priesthood of the Council of Trent.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe present-day priestly model has increasingly become harmful, even toxic, not only to priests themselves, but to the ministry and the Catholic community. Based on historical analysis, \u003cem\u003eBeyond Priests\u003c\/em\u003e outlines a whole new way of approaching ministry and leadership that is in tune with contemporary needs, is inclusive of women and men, and is more authentically derived from the New Testament and the early church.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Unknown","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47423836815596,"sku":"9798881802608","price":58.93,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/9798881802608.jpg?v=1774769814"},{"product_id":"assyrian-palace-sculptures-by-paul-collins-9780714111674","title":"Assyrian Palace Sculptures","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBetween the ninth and seventh centuries BC, the small kingdom of Assyria in northern Iraq expanded through conquest to dominate the region from Egypt to Iran. The power of the Assyrian kings was reflected in the creation of a series of magnificent palaces in which the walls of principal rooms and courtyards were lined with huge panels of alabaster carved with images of the monarch as priest, victorious warrior, and hunter.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eTogether, the sculptures constitute some of the most impressive and eloquent witnesses of the ancient Middle East. \u003cem\u003eAssyrian Palace Sculptures\u003c\/em\u003e serves as a superb visual introduction to what are undoubtedly some of the greatest works of art from the ancient world, showcasing a series of specially taken photographs of the British Museum's unrivalled collection of Assyrian sculptures.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThese stunning images capture the majesty of the Assyrian king, his magnificent court, and its protecting divinities, through individual panels or extraordinary, often overlooked details, such as incised embroidery on robes, the contours of flesh and musculature, the turn of a horse's head, or the order within the apparent chaos of battle.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eAn introduction sets the sculptures in their cultural and art-historical context. A brief history of Assyria and the royal palaces is followed by an overview of their discovery, reception, and understanding. These are the earliest examples of complex narrative art, and their multilayered meanings occupied entire rooms in which the raw emotion and energy of animals and humans was captured with remarkable vitality.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eMany of these exceptional carvings rank among the greatest achievements in the history of art.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Thames and Hudson (Australia) Pty Ltd","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47595716411628,"sku":"9780714111674","price":60.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/9780714111674-assyrian-palace-sculptures.jpg?v=1777904696"},{"product_id":"hells-gates-by-paul-collins-9781742708652","title":"Hell's Gates","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eHell's Gates\u003c\/em\u003e by Paul Collins presents the gripping tale of Alexander Pearce and seven of his fellow convicts who, in 1822, dared to escape from gaol into the Tasmanian wilderness, one of the most unique and beautiful places on earth.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThis classic Australian story details the men’s attempt to free themselves from the most isolated penal settlement in the world, only to encounter hostile natives, an impenetrable landscape, and a harrowing fate of violence, murder, and cannibalism. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003ePaul Collins’ riveting narrative captures the hardship and desperation of these events, vividly reconstructing this amazing story with a keen eye for the follies of human nature.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eNow also an award-winning Australian film with a tie-in cover.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Arotahi Agency","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48242286067948,"sku":"9781742708652","price":41.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/9781742708652-hell-s-gates-1.jpg?v=1787970218"}],"url":"https:\/\/bookhero.live\/collections\/paul-collins.oembed","provider":"Book Hero","version":"1.0","type":"link"}