Ancient Archaeology

Over more than 25 years of teaching and research, Christine Desdemaines-Hugon has become an unrivaled expert in the cave art and artists of the Dordogne region. In Stepping-Stones she combines her expertise in both art and archaeology to convey an intimate understanding of the "cave experience." Her keen insights communicate not only the incomparable artistic value of these works but also the near-spiritual impact of viewing them for oneself.

Is the archeologist who discovers a lost tomb a sort of hero - or a villain? If someone steals a relic from a museum and returns it to the ruin it came from, is she a thief? Craig Childs's riveting new book is a lyrical ghost story - an intense, impassioned investigation into the nature of the past and the things we leave behind. We visit lonesome desert canyons and fancy Fifth Avenue art galleries, journey throughout the Americas, Asia, the past and the present. The result is a brilliant book about man and nature, remnants and memory, a dashing tale of crime and detection.

This first comprehensive work on women in pre-Columbian cultures describes gender roles and relationships in the Americas from 12,000 B.C. to the A.D. 1500s. Utilizing many key archaeological works, Karen Olsen Bruhns and Karen E. Stothert redress some of the long-standing male bias in writing about ancient Native American lifeways. The authors pay particular attention to the problems of interpreting archaeological remains and the uses of historic and ethnographic evidence in reconstructing the past.

The Minoan-Mycenaean Empire is one of the most compelling of the lost civilizations, so how does an advanced civilization vanish as if into thin air? This kingdom wasn’t limited to Greece and its Mediterranean tributaries, the Mycenaean Empire of Greek gods extended around the world, even into the Americas. Their technology included analog computers, humanoid robots, talking oracles, flying machines, transparent windows, hot and cold running water, flushing toilets, sewer systems, loose-stone pyramids that pulled water out of the air, and transcontinental ships with voice navigation.

A wonderful journey through the splendors of the Pharaoh's Kingdom: Alexandria, Giza, Saqqara, Dendera, Deir El-Bahari, Deir El-Medina, Medinet-Habu, Karnak - Luxor, Elephantine, Assuan, Phile, Abu-Simbel and The tomb of Nefertari.

Palmyra has long attracted the attention of the world. Well before its rediscovery in the 17th century, the ancient city gained legendary status because of its Queen Zenobia, who in the third century CE rebelled against Rome and expanded Palmyra's territory into what is now modern Turkey and Egypt.

The Inka empire was the largest pre-Columbian polity in the New World. Its vast expanse, its ethnic diversity, and the fact that the empire may have been consolidated in less than a century have prompted much scholarly interest in its creation. In this study, Besom explores the ritual practices of human sacrifice and the worship of mountains, attested in both archaeological investigations and ethnohistorical sources, as tools in the establishment and preservation of political power.

The two great Persian invasions of Greece, in 490 and 480-79 B.C., both repulsed by the Greeks, provide our best opportunity for understanding the interplay of religion and history in ancient Greece on a large scale. Using the Histories of Herodotus as well as other historical and archaeological sources, Jon Mikalson shows how the Greeks practiced their religion at this pivotal moment in their history.

Find out how metal working developed during the Bronze Age. Find out what changes occurred and how methods and techniques developed in metal working. The Bronze Age is defined by the three-age system dates from 2500 BC to 600 BC and originally provided a convenient chronology of the subdivision of technological advances. The period is important in that it sees the spread of the use of metals and witnesses the development of metallurgy techniques to make the most of these new resources.

In this thrilling story of intellectual and archaeological discovery, David Roberts recounts his last 20 years of far-flung exploits in search of spectacular prehistoric ruins and rock art panels known to very few modern travelers. His adventures range across Utah, Arizona, New Mexico, and southwestern Colorado, and illuminate the mysteries of the Ancestral Puebloans and their contemporary neighbors the Mogollon and Fremont, as well as of the more recent Navajo and Comanche.

It may be the most interesting and yet loneliest spot on Earth: a volcanic rock surrounded by a million square miles of ocean, named for the day Dutch explorers discovered it, Easter Sunday, April 5, 1722. Here, people created a complex society, sophisticated astronomy, exquisite wood sculpture, monumental stone architecture, roads, and a puzzling ideographic script. And then they went about sculpting amazing, giant human figures in stone.

A wonderful journey through the splendors of the Eternayl City: Forum Romanum, Pantheon, Baths of Caracalla, Theater of Pompey, Forum of Augustus, Colosseum and Palatine.

Hannibal (247-183 v. Chr.) war einer der begabtesten Militärs der Antike und Angstgegner der Römer. Karl Christ porträtiert in seiner Biographie den Feldherrn, der an der Spitze seines Heeres Pyrenäen und Alpen überquerte, und den Sieger von Cannae, der zu allen Zeiten die Menschen faszinierte. Der Autor entwirft das Bild einer Persönlichkeit, ihrer Leistungen und Siege. Er führt uns einen Mann vor Augen, der die äußersten Höhen und Tiefen menschlicher Existenz durchlebte und dabei konsequent und kompromisslos immer derselbe blieb: eine in jeder Hinsicht große Gestalt.

Una ciudad tan majestuosa como Atenas o Roma pero absolutamente desconocida. Es poco lo que se sabe de Babilonia a parte de unas cuantas anécdotas, este audio libro es fundamental para comprender poemas épicos como Gilgamesh, figuras bíblicas y de la música clásica como Nabucodonosor o auténticos enigmas arquitectónicos como la Torre de Babel sobre la que se conocen no pocas leyendas.

Metrópolis autenticas, casi siempre desconocidas, desde las que se gestionaron los mayores imperios de la antigüedad. Existen pocos trabajos que nos enseñen cómo eran las grandes metrópolis del mundo antiguo, y muchos menos que nos las recreen y que nos den una imagen total que englobe el urbanismo, la arquitectura, el arte, la política o la religión.

A lo largo del occidente del Mediterráneo se han descubierto gran número de objetos cuya apariencia o materiales son extraños a las culturas locales, ya sea un amuleto egipcio en Grecia, un vaso griego en África, o miles de extraños amuletos en Gibraltar. Los restos son evidencia de que una gran cantidad de productos fueron alguna vez movidos de un lugar a otro, transportados sistemáticamente y comerciados a lo largo del Mediterráneo por la antigua red comercial de los fenicios.

When did the human species turn against the planet that we depend on for survival? Human industry and consumption of resources have altered the climate, polluted the water and soil, destroyed ecosystems, and rendered many species extinct, vastly increasing the likelihood of an ecological catastrophe. How did humankind come to rule nature to such an extent? To regard the planet's resources and creatures as ours for the taking? To find ourselves on a seemingly relentless path toward ecocide?

North America boasts a rich history of dinosaurs, with a diverse array of species that once roamed its ancient landscapes. From fearsome predators to gentle herbivores, these creatures left an indelible mark on the continent's geological and paleontological record.

Airplanes that soared through ancient skies? An underwater city? Could these unbelievable things ever have existed? Learn about the top 10 ancient mysteries and investigate for yourself.

Sobresaliendo de las llanuras desérticas del sur de Iraq se pueden ver los restos de un montículo largo, de un tamaño aproximado de 1.750 x 1.750 pies, rodeado de varios montículos más pequeños. Conocido hoy en día como Tell Abu Shahrain y en el mundo antiguo como Eridu, el sitio contiene algunos de los mejores ejemplos de la cultura Obeid, y fue uno de los primeros, si no el primer centro urbano de la civilización en el sur de Mesopotamia.