Ancient History Books

The Age of Stonehenge was originally written in 1980. Colin Burgess subsequently left the field of the early prehistory of the British Isles for work in the Mediterranean on the Phoenicians and the Sea Peoples. The book has subsequently seen new editions in 2001 and 2003, which suggests that the material is both well presented and well researched. If it is any indication of his thoroughness one can only regret his early departure from English pre-history and his early retirement from the academic world in general.

While I found the first few chapters a little difficult to get through because they deal primarily with pottery styles, I enjoyed the book as a whole. It filled in a great deal of information with respect to the culture of the age of Stonehenge, and corrected several misapprehensions I had acquired from other reading. Most importantly, it presents a fine overview of modern archaeology as applied to a period that many people think they already know!

I was particularly impressed with the introduction of more recent information on the character of early settlement and subsequent culture change. Early books on the topic accredit population movements, invasions, and total replacement of one culture by another. Having taken some archaeology classes on European archaeology within the past 5 years, I had become aware of professional doubts on this topic. The tendency of past researchers to think in terms of nations, ethnic groups, etc., probably because we live with these social structures today, had produced a map covered with tribal names and arrows of migration that is now being discredited. As the author notes, it is more likely that culture and populations remained stable for centuries, in contact and exchanging cultural variables among them along shared borders. The archaeology of the British Isles bears little credence to anything like massive invasions. He does note the movements in the period of the Sea Peoples in the Mediterranean and suggests that during this time considerable movement of people may well have occurred in the British Isles as they did elsewhere.

What surprised me particularly was the degree of organization of property and control over land and people. One has the impression of á relatively open society with everyone living much the same as everyone else and of mass efforts to erect major monuments for which the group felt the need. It is abundantly apparent that the building of Stonehenge and other major works required a large labor force, but one does not necessarily carry that idea forward to the conclusions that naturally would arise from shear numbers. What kind of life did these people live? How were they organized on a day to day basis? Was there a cooperative effort across geo-political borders? Etc. The author answers many of these questions.

Among the specific data Burgess provides, I was most surprised by the apparent lack of artistic sense among craftsmen of the day-he noted that most of the artifacts found are very functional with little or no decoration. That pragmatism seems counter intuitive, since evolutionary studies seems to base the very concept of "modern" man on artistic criteria like the cave paintings of Spain and France, the Venus figurines and other artistic products: the difference between "modern humans" and "anatomically modern humans." I was also surprised by the apparent lack of a weaving/spinning tradition in the Isles until the 1st millennium. It seems so basic to the culture of other places, that it's late introduction here is surprising.

This book is the most comprehensive overview of found objects and conclusive evidence that I have read to date. It is old, but that doesn't matter, since the material it covers is much older. Fascinating! A little difficult to get through at times, but factual, and therefore and invaluable resource.

The Ainu: A Story Of Japan's Original People by Kayano Shigeru is an absorbing account of Japan's indigineous people, whose legends and presence stretch back before the coming of the ethnic Japanese population before recorded history from what is now known as the Chinese mainland and the Korean penninsula. Presenting both the unique aspects of Ainu culture and the modern realities of how Ainu live today in a straightforward and friendly tone with soft yet realistic color illustrations, The Ainu: A Story Of Japan's Original People is very highly recommended.

This is an adorable children's book that portrays Ainu culture through the words of notable Ainu activist, Kayano Shigeru. The stories are fascinating and the pictures add a meaningful touch. This book is a prime example of the notion that beauty exists in simplicity. Overall- a wonderful introduction to the Ainu worldview and lifestyle.

I saw a review of this author's series of books by an Egyptology professor which said that they were highly informative and full of accurate information, so I bought them and found that I agreed. There are lots of quotes from the ancient Egyptians themselves which give a real flavor of the times, and the life stories of each pharaoh are described in an exiting and easy to follow way. A really good read for both me and my 13 year old son!

Page 61 states:
"... The family often appeared together in the Window of Appearance..."
Page 70 indicates:
"A bridge over the Royal Road connected this palace to the King's House.
We don't know if Akhenaten and his family ever lived in this building, but we do know that it was probably the site where the Window of Appearance, which is sometimes show in tomb paintings, was located. The Window of Appearance was a kind of balcony from which Akhenaten and Nefertiti would appear and reward their loyal followers with gold collars, which were the ancient Egyptian version of..."
When I read this I said "oh yeah, I remember that" but I don't recall reading it in the many Egyptian and archaeological books, periodicals, websites, etc. It was a term that I was familiar with from "long ago." I know when we were in Egypt back in 1995 it was not mentioned otherwise I would have had the same reaction. Whatever, I am glad that it was mentioned in this excellent book and I know that I will refer to it with regard to the Window of Appearance periodically as I already have -- and it is the only children's book (and adult, for that matter) in which I know the subject is mentioned.
This is a fine book for adults as well as children, and it was well researched and the subject matter was well executed.
We have a friend living in Cairo and I was lucky to happen upon another copy for her to take back to the school in which she teaches, so the children of Egypt may enjoy
it, as well!

I was able to get a copy of 'Alexander the Great" while visiting England recently and anyone who sees Oliver Stone's Alexander movie should read this book. It offers a scholarly insight into Alexander the Great's life and the power-plays that went on within his court. It is easy to read for the layperson but is extremely well researched. This book should also appeal to those who are looking for a good murder mystery. I don't know how many historians will agree with the author's conclusions, but it is certain to keep them eagerly turning the pages. I give this book top marks.

I'm a great admirer of Alexander the Great, and own practically every book written about him. However, this is the first book that focuses exclusively on studying in depth the mystery of his untimely death. Phillips' book reads like an Agatha Christe muder mystery, only this time it's a real event that changed the course of history. I could not stop reading it, savoring every chapter as the author closes in on his murderer and the reasons behind it. At the end, the author convinces you that Alexander was really mudered and gives you ample reasons to accept the culprit he has uncovered. It's an absolute success of a murder mystery. I highly recommend it to both history and crime mystery buffs.

This book by V.S. Varadarajan gives a broad historical overview of the evolution of algeba as an independent field of mathematics. Varadarajan does an outstanding job of developing complex mathematical concepts in a step-by-step format.

The text begins, naturally, with the early Greek mathematicians and the first few chapters are about Euclid, Archimedes, counting principles of the ancient Egyptians, etc. Although the author does not devote much space to this early history, enough detail is provided to use this book as a reference in a mathematical classroom.

Section one then proceeds to the period of Cardano, Tartalegia, Ferrari and the mathematical competitions that have become so famous. Not only does the author give a standard account of the conflicts that arose over the publication of Cardano's Ars Magna, he also writes tremendous detail on the supporting equations and terms. Terms such as quadratic, multiple roots, polynomial and others are defined for the high school scholar, yet the text does not seem depreciating to students studying higher level college mathematics.

The third and final section of Algebra in Ancient and Modern Times, is devoted to Guass, whose work the author is obviously enthralled with, and other period four mathematicians. This section develops modern group theory, vector analysis and matrix algebra. The detail is again well written and enough historical content is given that, again, this book becomes a historical reference as well.

Overall, I would reccommend this to any teacher. It would be an excellent addition to a classroom bookshelf for students from high school to graduate students in college. There are additional problems and short notes that could be accessed and referenced as well as using the book for a student material.

I reviewed the book originally for a History of Mathematics course at the University of Lousiville and was quite pleased with my selection.

This book by V.S. Varadarajan gives a broad historical overview of the evolution of algeba as an independent field of mathematics. Varadarajan does an outstanding job of developing complex mathematical concepts in a step-by-step format.

The text begins, naturally, with the early Greek mathematicians and the first few chapters are about Euclid, Archimedes, counting principles of the ancient Egyptians, etc. Although the author does not devote much space to this early history, enough detail is provided to use this book as a reference in a mathematical classroom.

Section one then proceeds to the period of Cardano, Tartalegia, Ferrari and the mathematical competitions that have become so famous. Not only does the author give a standard account of the conflicts that arose over the publication of Cardano's Ars Magna, he also writes tremendous detail on the supporting equations and terms. Terms such as quadratic, multiple roots, polynomial and others are defined for the high school scholar, yet the text does not seem depreciating to students studying higher level college mathematics.

The third and final section of Algebra in Ancient and Modern Times, is devoted to Guass, whose work the author is obviously enthralled with, and other period four mathematicians. This section develops modern group theory, vector analysis and matrix algebra. The detail is again well written and enough historical content is given that, again, this book becomes a historical reference as well.

Overall, I would reccommend this to any teacher. It would be an excellent addition to a classroom bookshelf for students from high school to graduate students in college. There are additional problems and short notes that could be accessed and referenced as well as using the book for a student material.

I reviewed the book originally for a History of Mathematics course at the University of Lousiville and was quite pleased with my selection.

The American Renaissance 1850-1855 was the time in which American Literature truly came into greatness. Melville( Moby Dick 1851) Whitman ( Leaves of Grass 1855) Emerson, Thoreau, and Hawthorne. Matthiessen identifies the phenomenom understands that this is the real birth- note of American literature not simply as an insular provincial form but as a world- waking work. He writes with great understanding of the works themselves.
It has been many years since I read this work in graduate- school but I have no doubt it holds up , despite the waves of various critical schools that have tried to undermine its authority.
It is as literary criticism a great work which identifies and interprets great creative works.
It is an essential item in the American library , and a real help to anyone who wants to understand one of the great moments in the history of world- literature.

It is hard to find a more seminal work on American Literature than American Renaissance. Until today, any self-respecting American Studies scholar or expert for American Literature has to come to terms with this massive shedding of ink on some of the best American texts ever published.
Though I find myself at times lost in the wealth of Mr. Matthiessen's allusions and remarks, especially when he weaves all too great a narrative from the swatches he collected, I remain fascinated with this genuinely passionate account of a harmony where many believed (and still today believe) to hear only cacophony. Suspiciously quiet about his personal leanings and politics (a fact that, with all due respect, could simply not remain untouched by more recent cultural, gender, and Marxist critics), Matthiessen takes us back to an age that holds more of today than we sometimes think, and that already foreshadows in its depth what more superficial ages would later repeat ad nausea.
It is not a novel, nor a Michener book, but if you are seriously interested in 19th century American literature (and he does give Whitman the respect he deserves), this may very well be one of the most readable studies on the subject. Sadly shortcutting Dickinson, Poe, and other authors that are excavated only today, this book still points calmly and self-assuredly to those novels and poems that stand out. All these dead, white men wrote texts that we simply cannot ignore, and whether we love Cervantes, Joyce, DeLillo, whether Tan, Faulkner, Burroughs, or Lacan, we have to see that the whale's whiteness and Walden's silence are with us always.

By Sir Budge, (1857-1934), curator of the Egyptian Antiquities in the British Museum, who also translated the "Egyptian Book of the Dead." From the book's preface: "I have described the principal amulets which were used by the Semitic peoples of Western Asia, Egypt, Nambia and Ethiopia. I have added a series of short chapters in which I have tried to set forth the principal theories about the powers of 'working' amulets, and the meaning of the inscriptions and symbols inscribed on them, and to indicate the beliefs concerning them which were held by the ancient Babylonian and Egyptian magicians, and by the later Kabbalists, Gnostics, both pagan and Christian, and astrologers. And I have incorporated in the many of the views of the astrologers, makers of horoscopes, casters of nativities, diviners, crystal gazers, palmists and fortune-tellers with who I came in contact in Egypt, the Sudan and Mesopotamia." The author discusses: the Evil Eye, and amulets used by: Arabs, Persians, Babylonians, Coptics, Egyptians, Abyssinians, Gnostic, Hebrew, Mandaeen, Phoenician, Samaritan, Syriac; the Ring amulet; beliefs concerning Divination by water or animal's livers or sand; the Hand of Fatima; Babylonian demon Humbaba, god Khepera, Rd, Thoth; the Seven Seals; and much, much more. Many photographs and illustrations. Originally published in 1930.

For all of you who like Ancient Egypt and such please buy this book it is really cool! it is mystical in every way so by it! E.A Wallis Budge is awesome while you're at it by The Egyptian Book of the Dead! that book is also really fascinating.

Anaximander in Context stands to become a very influential book. Most importantly, it allows Hahn to develop further his outstanding and original thesis introduced in Anaximander and the Architects: The Contributions of Egyptian and Greek Architectural Technologies to the Origins of Greek Philosophy. Hahn's thesis urged us to re-consider the importance of cultural context in the origins and early development of Greek philosophy, and in particular the technologies of monumental temple building to the technological elements in Anaximander's early philosophical speculations. Now, Hahn is joined by Naddaf and Couprie to press further the importance of "context" to unfold Anaximander's originality. All three monographs reflect upon the role that Egypt played, as part of the background, but each study reaches deeply into the Greek tradition from which Anaximander's originality emerged. While all three studies breathe a fresh air into a time-worn subject, Hahn's essay is both the boldest and yet most reasonable. The impact of monumental temple projects overwhelmed the archaic communities. A key theme of early Greek philosophy is the search for the "One over Many" and Hahn shows how modular construction of temples succeeded by adopting precisely this technique in building, and how Anaximander made use of this technique. Moreover, in a previously unexplored way, Hahn shows further how Anaximander's vision of the cosmos was "cosmic architecture." The architects wrote prose treatises on their works, presumably to show how to construct the house of the cosmic powers, while Anaximander was something of an architectural historian of the cosmos, explaining in his prose treatise(s) how the cosmic architecture came about, that is, the house that is the cosmos.

For anyone familiar with scholarship on ancient Greek philosophy, Hahn's Anaximander and the Architects is a breath of fresh air. So many of the old studies view the origins of philosophy as if they are exploring brains-in-a-jar, rather than individuals who are motivated and stimulated by practical problems to think abstractly. Hahn reminds us that short of war, monumental temple building was the most overwhelming project that was taken on by archaic Greek communities. The projects required a great variety of technological skills -- planning, quarrying, transporting, installing, and finishing the enormous stones; they demanded vast organization of resources and work forces. And we should not forget that the temples literally transformed the ancient landscapes, and thus affected the mentality of the people who dwelled in these communities. The projects in building gigantic temples offered to these early Greek communities a kind of experimental science; trial and error was displayed for the community like never before. In that cultural environment, the speculative thought of the natural philosophers has its origins. For those studying ancient Greek philosophy, this book is a must-read.

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If you're planning to travel through the American Southwest, Ancient Ancestors will guide you through 33 National Park sites. This book is unique in offering what Indian elders say about these places based on oral history tradition. Author Dr. Gregory Schaaf has served as tribal historian for over 15 years. Supported by scientific data, Ancient Ancestors offers an educational, yet fun way, to learn about Indian country in the American Southwest. Be dazzled by the color illustrations of award winning photographer Lewis Kemper. A great book for a great price.

If anyone likes a "different" kind of tourism, paying a visit to Turkey with the help of this magnificent manual, will be a surprise. Any place and monument of archaeological interest, no matter of how small it is, has its short (although complete) or very detailed description. The merit of Prof. Akurgal was to write a really academic book, that works like a classical "Baedeker" guide. Each chapter leaves to the reader the desire to know even more, and the monumental bibliography gives the best help.
One year ago, I've visited the region of Caria with some friends-archeologists and this book helped me to appreciate this part of the world even more.
Another surprise is that Prof. Akurgal's book is not too huge: actually it can find place in any traveller's bag.

Is a must have. A very organized encyclopedia of almost all the ruins in Anatolia. Including isolated altars and temples, small cities and of course the big capitals of the ancient anatolia.

If you have it with you and you are driving along the Aegean cost of Turkey with and if you love ancient settlements and constructions you will have a lot to see on the way!