This book recounts some of the most horrifying episodes of the past, from ancient times to our own, in searing detail, while rigorously investigating their causes - from religious fanaticism and ethnic rivalry to political power struggles and hunger for vengeance -- and their consequences.  Engrossing in their descriptions of diverse historical periods and cultures, intriguing in their insights into human impulses and motivations, perplexing in their implications, these are stories that lead us to reflect on our own character and strength of will, and to question, at the most basic levels, what it means to be human. Handsomely illustrated with striking, sometimes shocking, often poignant images, this book combines the depictions of momentous events with fascinating character portraits and arresting eyewitness accounts to create an absorbing, multifaceted chronicle of a sobering all too human legacy. .