A forgotten work by the German historian Walter Otto (1878-1941), namesake of the most renowned scholar of ancient religion, first published in 1925 and still unpublished in Italy, the book is a grand fresco of past civilizations. From ancient Egypt to Mespotamia, passing through Iranian and Aegean cultures, and finally arriving at the Alexandrian era and Roman hegemony, Otto recounts the alternating developments of the ancient world. Following the ebb and flow of culture, Otto traverses the millennia of ancient history with a keen eye on modern civilization, its mirages of linear progress or inevitable decline. And he tells us how the many ancient European roots have contributed to shaping our idea of ​​culture. A fascinating and vivid journey that anticipates numerous advances in historical research, it demonstrates the clear osmosis between ancient cultures, their limitations, and their great achievements. The book is a hidden masterpiece of historical narrative, whose depth and usefulness remain effective even a century later for both the avid reader and the scholar.