5 comments about The Ancient Maya, 6th Edition.

1. By far the most thorough book on the Ancient Maya I have ever seen. It covers all the history and gives a great deal of arceological information. There is also a lot of information on the religious, social, and economic life of the Maya. The book covers in great deal the history of each Mayan polity and it is very well organized. If there is anything you want to know about the Maya it will be in this book.



2. Had this book been less than half its size readers would end up learning much more about the Maya from it. Unfortunately, there's much too much that belongs in an Archeology 101 class here and by the time you get to some discussion of the Maya, you're half asleep. Those of us who are not reading archeology for the first time will wish the author had just kept his discussion to the Maya, as the title suggests he will, and assumed we understood the basics.
   
   Personally, I'm still looking for a book on the Maya so that as I travel from site to site in Quintanaroo, Yucatan, Guatemala and Honduras, I will have a basic understanding of the site I'm driving to. I just booked a trip that will book me in the area of Chac Mool soon. I'll see what I can find.



3. This is by far the most comprehensive book about the ancient Maya. There are several excellent shorter ones; this is the go-to book for thorough reference. It has become almost as "classic" as Maya civilization. Sharer reminisces about being "hooked on" Maya studies by the third edition (by Morley and Brainerd, 1956); so was I, back when it was newly minted. How much has changed since. Scholars can now read Maya. We now can match written history, sculptured portrayals, and archaeological findings to identify the actual skeletons of some of the greatest and most famous Maya kings, such as Yax K'uk' Mo' of Palenque. We have entire dynastic lists covering centuries, for many of the major cities. We can use bone chemistry to find out what the Maya ate. All of this was almost beyond the wildest dreams of the 1950s.
   The Maya turn out to have been as brilliant, original and creative as anyone ever thought, a truly homemade civilization, one of the few in a tropical forest environment. They are said to have "collapsed" due to ecological maladjustment, but this book notes that modern research shows the civilization lasted well over 1,000 years before the "collapse" around 900 AD, and it was a fairly local phenomenon. This local collapse was due to drought, warfare, and some ecological overshoot--too many people doing too much (including burning too many trees to make lime for stucco and cement). The Maya kept on. They took on the Spanish and often won. The last independent state held out till 1697, and Maya continued holding out in remote backlands; in 1846 the Mexican Maya rebelled again, and created an independent state, finally reconquered after 1900 and turned into the Mexican state of Quintana Roo. As for what has happened since, suffice it to say that 3 days ago I saw an election sign painted in huge letters on a wall in central Quintana Roo: "PRESERVE YOUR PRIDE IN BEING MAYA!"
   There are very few errors in this book, but some need correcting in the 7th edition. Most are in the very early sections, and are often left over from previous editions. Page 5, 16th-century Europeans are said to be "secure in the knowledge that they alone represented civilized life...." No, they revered China, and knew plenty about India, Persia and Arabia. P. 9, coffee is said to have come "soon" with the Europeans; not till the 19th century, at least as a major crop. 23, Nahuatl loanwords reflecting rise of central Mexico in the Postclassic: Well, a lot of those Nahuatl loanwords came with the Spanish (who had Nahuatl soldiers with them). Page 33, caiman: The book confuses the animal called "caiman" in English, an alligator-like creature not found within hundreds of miles of Mayaland, with the crocodile, which is called "caiman" in Mexican Spanish; also, pythons are claimed as native to Mayaland! The nearest they get is Africa; evidently "boa constrictors" are meant. Then nothing till page 640, where a typo (apparently two decimal places missed) has given us a preposterous yield figure for beans (in the table at the top of the page). The yields of maize are also pretty high, though not ridiculous. There are a few other errors in the book, but nothing of consequence that I can pick up.
   The book uses the "new" transcription system for Maya languages, but sometimes slips and uses the "old" system, and sometimes mixes them up in the same word (e.g. "dz'onot" on p. 52). One related annoyance--not Sharer's fault; alas, it is becoming standard--is respelling "Yucatec" in the new transcription system. "Yucatec" is a SPANISH word, with no excuse in Maya, and should not be respelled. (For the record, the Spanish coined "Yucatec" from a misunderstood Maya phrase and a Nahuatl ending. They also popularized some Nahuatl ethnic names for Maya peoples. These names, like Huastec and Aguacatec, should be spelled in whatever system in now standard for Nahuatl--not in a Maya system. Better yet, they should be replaced with the actual Mayan names, like Teenek for Huastec.)
   The one place I would respectfully disagree with this book is on ancient Maya population. Sharer has "tens of millions" of Maya in the 700s AD and around then. On the basis of some years of field experience with (mostly modern) Maya agriculture, I don't think this is possible. Granted that the old myth of purely-swidden agriculture is long dead, "tens of millions" would require agricultural intensity of a sort found, in preindustrial times, only in the wet-rice lands of east and southeast Asia. Mayaland is small, and only some of it is at all fertile. Sharer's evidence is a couple of surveys showing high densities of settlement in particularly favored areas; not only are they atypical, there is no guarantee the houses discovered were all occupied at once. I would guess the peak total for Mayaland was between 5 and 10 million; at least, the agriculture I know would support that many, if it had some additional intensification of the sort well documented. Beyond that, all is speculative.
   One more thought. The Maya were supposed to be "peaceful" back in my student days. Then, with reading the Classic Period texts, scholars found they were pretty warlike. This led to some exaggeration the other way. Fortunately, Sharer is far too careful and comprehensive a scholar to fall for either the "peaceful" or the "warlike" view. The "warlike" view was justified by the big monuments in the Maya city squares. These commemorated wars and victories, just as do those in town squares in the midwestern US. Alas, we lack the ordinary writings--the equivalent of midwestern newspapers, with their record of marriages, births, corn and hog prices, store openings, and the like. Surely the Maya had their equivalents. What interests me here is the incredibly long life spans of Maya kings. Many lived, and even reigned, for 50, 60, even 70 years. Compare that with the Roman or Chinese emperors or the kings of France. Clearly, Mayaland in its glory days was a pretty peaceful, healthy place--though, indeed, not the paradise dreamed by romantic archaeologists of the early 20th century!
   The ancient Maya are still a pretty mysterious lot in many ways, and there is a huge amount to learn. We had better do it soon. Sharer provides a long, excellent, very disturbing account of the looting that has destroyed much of the Maya heritage and will destroy all of it (at least in Guatemala) if a massive effort isn't mounted soon.
   On the other hand, nothing is more heartening than the number of Maya who are becoming archaeologists and ethnographers, and studying their own past. More power to them.



4. This book must have taken a life time of research and work. It is the most comprehensive and complete work on the Maya I have read. I was particulary interested in the Maya Calendar history and their methods of working the calendar.



5. It's worth picking up a copy, alot of information in there. Good thick book. Glad i bought it.

5 comments about Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs: Official Companion Book to the Exhibition sponsored by National Geographic.

1. Beautiful book, great pictures. Great to have with you if you get to see exhibit.



2. I bought the book before seeing the tour in Philly. The book is very well done, and very good representation of the tour. Beautiful photographs, plus good rich text around the history of the 18th dynasty.
   
   Other reviews talk about the tour, which isn't really what the book is about. The tour was rather crowded, and I was somewhat disappointed that all the objects were small, and no Tut sarcophagus. Very little explanation of the layout, so my son was complaining about the lack of Tut objects; they included many from the 18th dynasty.
   
   I recommend the official DVD, its great; bought it at the show.



3. Fantastic book; saved money by purchasing it through Amazon. Shows all the exibits. Very pleased with the book. A fine edition to anyones collection.



4. I absolutely adore this book. The pictures are so beautiful and layed out perfectly. The book also provides the history of Tutankhamun and other pharaohs of the golden age. I highly recommend this book for those that are not able to attend the exhibition.



5. This stunning comapnion book is a must for all King Tut fans. We JUST returned from the exhibit in Dallas, Texas (Dallas Museum of Art). Missed it in LA in 1978, but was NOT going to let this exhibit get away.
   Fabulous book.....

5 comments about Flintknapping: Making and Understanding Stone Tools.

1. Pick this book up and you'll be able to start flintknapping immediately. This guide is entertaining while being informative.



2. This is another five star pick, a must have if you are learning to flintknap or just studying primitive skills. Full of information for the beginner to expert.



3. I bought this as a gift for my husband who is an avid arrowhead collector. He was very impressed!!!



4. This book is without a doubt, one of the best books I have ever read on flintknapping! The black and white photos and drawings show the exact methods of making stone tools, and how they were probably used by Native Americans.



5. This is an excellent book for the novice or the expert. Everything you need to know about making stone tools the way neolithic man did is easily explained using simple very clear language. The author has done an excellent job explaining the methods, history and reasons behind a very fascinating, little known subject. Those who are interested in the history of technology will love this book.

5 comments about Discovering the Mysteries of Ancient America: Lost History And Legends, Unearthed And Explored.

1. Finally, people aren't ignoring the evidence of pre-Columbus voyages to America. This change in thinking has been a long time coming. This book presents some of the most compelling evidences for the voyages and visits. Even skeptics will have a hard time putting this book down. See also: Columbus Was Last: From 200,000 BC to 1492, A Heretical History of Who Was First & The Island of Seven Cities: Where the Chinese Settled When They Discovered America



2. This book is a compilation of articles that take facts and add conjecture or speculation to arrive at a possible thesis.
   The articles in this book are generally based on large leaps of faith which have little or no basis.
   The editor, Frank Joseph, is from a historical conspiracy theory type magazine called Ancient American.
   The book is a collection of articles from the magazine, printed in book form for a quick buck.
   If you looked for this book in your local bookstore, you would most likely find it in the "new age" or "alternative history" section.
   It is not possible to read this book as non-fiction because some of it is based on guesswork or patchwork history.
   If fact and fiction are mixed, you have fiction, no matter how much fact is involved.
   Unless you are a conspiracy theorist or you are looking for a book full of magazine articles of historical fiction, you can probably skip this one.
   Some of the stories are interesting, but all are portrayted as journalism when they would more accurately be described as historical fiction.



3. This is a great resource for historical artifacts that don't fit the usual history of America, but the conclusions are very speculative. The book Noah's Ark, Discovering the Science of Man's Oldest Mystery offers a more plausible explanation with facts that support the theory.



4. This is a fairly decent book in some ways and one to take with a big laugh in others. I've certainly read worse though. Most of it is review for me since I've read most of the authors mentioned here in more detail and most of the information was not new to me. Overall the feel for the book is rather one sided. For example, some of the latter stories regarding ancient findings of artifacts and one in particular about an oil lamp that was found in a yard in Ohio strongly lead the reader to believe that the oil lamp that was found by this gentleman has been there since ancient times never mentioning the fact that due to the masses of peoples populating the USA that it is more likely that the lamp was in fact brought here and discarded by a settler rather than laying there in someone's yard waiting to be found for thousands of years. Why it is easier to believe that the lamp lay there undisturbed in the ground all by itself with nothing else anything like it found before or since in the same area is beyond me.
   
   The idea that the lamp could quite easily be explained by another reason as simple as a theory that maybe the man that found it made it all up and put it there himself after buying it in a garage sale is never brought forward. In other words this is not proof at all for the ancients being in America but just another of many unverifiable stories that may as well sit along side the big foot, UFO/USO and big bird stories in other books. Frankly I'm surprised this and some other stories like it were even used because they do not show very much in the way of intelligent study of the findings but in fact bring the book down a notch to that approaching a tabloid magazine article.
   
   There are more stories like this in the book that are strongly one sided never mentioning the pros and the cons of the view point or other educated alternative perceptions as to the origins of some of the findings but there are more than one that show a quick wit to shun and look down on the acedemic society for how they do things. Ironic isn't it?
   
   In short this book is entertaining reading so long as you take each story with a grain of salt so to speak. I will say that Discovering the Mysteries of Ancient America is not of the calipre of Forbidden Archaeology by any stretch of the imagination. If you want real in depth study of this subject that would be the book to buy I think. This book would be a good precursor to that one though to warm you up to the things you will learn in it.
   
   STR



5. Anyone who has more than a passing interest in the real truth of what has actually been dug up by archaeologists & anthropologists for hundreds of years all around the world, should add this book to their collection. It combines articles from various authors and gives a straight-forward, non-technical look at what experts like Dr. Virginia Steen-McIntyre have been proving for years, that there were great civilizations that have existed on earth for thousands of years, long before the so-called "main stream scientific experts" allow to be disseminated to the general public.
   I see lots of reviews of books like this one, with uninformed neophytes claiming "how can someone take fables and pass them off as truth". While these same reviewers will spout Bible rhetoric and try to convince everyone that the Bible is truth, but nothing else is. Well, if you can believe in the Bible myth why not Atlantis and the like. Sorry Bible thumpers, but it's pure hypocrisy and you know it.
   This is a great book, with honest and true facts and if you don't want to know about the world of the past don't by it.

5 comments about The Singing Neanderthals: The Origins of Music, Language, Mind, and Body.

1. +++++
   
   "The Neanderthals who inhabited Europe and south-west Asia had brains as large as those of modern humans but behaved in a quite different fashion, one that indicates the absence of language...So, what were the Neanderthals doing with such large brains?...Answer: the Neanderthals used their brains for a sophisticated communication system...[that I call] `Hmmmmm'...
   'Hmmmmm'...proved remarkably successful: it allowed them to survive for a quarter of a million years through dramatic environmental change in ice-age Europe, and to attain an unprecedented level of cultural achievement. They were 'singing Neanderthals'--although their songs lacked any words."
   
   The above quotation comes near the end of this fascinating book (and explains its title) by Dr. Steven Mithen, Professor of Early Prehistory (at the University of Reading, England), archeologist, and leading figure in the development of `cognitive archeology.'
   
   What is the aim of this book? Mithen explains:
   
   "We can only explain the human propensity to make and listen to music by recognizing that it has been encoded into the human genome during the evolutionary history of our species. How, when, and why are the mysteries that I intend to resolve [in this book]...This book sets out my own ideas about how music and language evolved, and evaluates the proposals of others by exposing them to the archaeological and fossil evidence...The result is a complete account of not only how music and language evolved but how they relate to the evolution of the human mind, body, and society."
   
   As one who thoroughly enjoyed this book, I can validate what Mithen says above. He does examine a large array of data and proposals from many others and critically analyzes this information. Be aware that to understand the book's conclusions (one of which is quoted above), you have to carefully read and comprehend all the material presented beforehand. Mithen proved (at least to me) that he was well-adept at sorting through all the neurological, linguistical, psychological, biological, and archeological information (to name just some disciplines he delves into). (Don't worry! Mithen explains everything quite well so you're not expected to be an academic with a Ph.D.)
   
   The book itself is divided into two parts. The first part (excluding chapter one which is an introduction) is concerned with what we understand about music and language today. Part two uses those features presented in part one to explain the evolutionary history of language and music.
   
   To give the potential reader an idea of the breadth of this book, I will give the sub-title of each chapter:
   
   Part I: The Present
   
   (2) The similarities and differences between music and language
   (3) The brain, aphasia (loss of using or understanding words), and musical savants
   (4) Acquired and congenital amusia (inability to recognize or reproduce musical sounds)
   (5) Music processing within the brain
   (6) Brain maturation, language learning, and perfect pitch
   (7) Music, emotion, medicine, and intelligence
   
   Part II: The Past
   
   (8) Communication by monkeys and apes
   (9) The origin of `Hmmmm' (an acronym) communication
   (10) The evolution of bipedalism and dance
   (11) Communication about the natural world
   (12) Is music a product of sexual selection?
   (13) Human life history and emotional development
   (14) The significance of cooperation and social bonding
   (15) `Hmmmmm' communication by "Homo neanderthalensis" (Compare this acronym to that of (9) above)
   (16) The origins of "Homo Sapiens" and the segmentation of `Hmmmmm'
   (17) Modern human dispersal, communicating with the gods, and the remnants of 'Hmmmmm'
   
   There are twenty figures peppered throughout this book. These are interesting and aid the discussion.
   
   Finally, did I agree with everything I read in this book? Of course not. What Mithen is attempting to do is extremely difficult. There has to be some speculation and there is much of it in this book. However, it is reasoned speculation and I was impressed with how Mithen put everything together into a coherent whole.
   
   In conclusion, this book attempts to explain the mystery of "the origins of music, language, mind and body." If you like mysteries like I do, then you should thoroughly enjoy this fascinating book!!
   
   (first published 2005; 17 chapters; main narrative 280 pages; notes; bibliography; picture acknowledgements; index)
   
   +++++



2. This book so wants to demonstrate that music was a crucial component of human evolution, as if the author, Steven Mithen, wants to explain why he felt the subconscious need to spend so much money on CDs by Queensryche, but he ultimately fails to prove causality. There is nothing inherent in music creation that helped the human species survive the ravages of hunger, disease, pestilence, and war. There was no "battle of the bands" being waged on the prehistoric Serengeti plain to demonstrate defiance of environmental pressures to adapt. Much of this book is pure conjecture, and Mithen again demonstrates that scientists are the worst group of people to explain music to anyone.



3. Mithen is a well-published serious evolutionary psychologist, and this book is therefore carefully grounded in current understandings of biological evolution and its relevance to the development of human capacities. His argument is that musical and linguistic abilities are separate evolutionary developments and that whereas in Homo sapiens the linguistic has undercut the role of the more primordial musical; Neanderthals exploited the musical but did not develop linguistic capacities. Mithen's argument is admittedly speculative: he often argues from silence, for instance. But these speculations are informed extrapolations, and exploring them with his help is a highly stimulating, mind-expanding experience.



4. If you love music and powerful feelings it evokes, then you'll love the author's incisive and clear-headed style as he unwraps the origins of music.



5. I have long suspected that music must be connected to language and that the evolution of language was somehow linked to our musical ability. Steven Mithen's exploration of this subject leaves me reflective, impressed and with a great deal to think about. His scientific curiosity -- as we have seen in both The Prehistory of the Mind: A Search for the Origins of Art, Science and Religion (1998) and in Before the Ice (2003) -- is epic in scope and yet critical in its method and approach to data (or the lack of it).
   
   In this book, Mithen culls together a trove of evidence relating to the possible origins of music in our species' evolutionary past. I think it needs to be granted from the outset that such a subject is not going to have the same kind of hard, precise evidence that something like skeletal evolution or the evolution of upright walking has in its favor. Given this, Mithen does a superb job of marshalling what evidence there is for music's origin and evolution, and makes you believe it possible, even as you remain critical of his hypotheses. You can see the weakness of some of the lines in his argument, but also the strength of others. Mithen seems humble enough before his subject, without getting wishy-washy in the face of the gray areas of uncertainty.
   
   All together, a fascinating read; very informative--and courageous. This book will stand as a defense of music -- against its detractors (such as Steven Pinker) as a valuable part of our cultural human 'tool kit' until even more archaeological and paleoanthropological evidence becomes available.

No comments about The Fires of Vesuvius: Pompeii Lost and Found.

5 comments about Discovery!: Unearthing the New Treasures of Archaeology.

1. A work of art in and of itself, "Discovery!" illuminates the most significant archeological discoveries of the past 15 years. Many of the accounts published here are by the discovers themselves, accounts written with a general audience in mind. The editor/compiler, Brian M. Fagan, is Emeritus Professor of Anthropology at the University of California<
   While the text is the most important element of the book, it also contains 320 illustrations, 312 of them in full color. These expert photographs allow the reader to see and examine the artifacts that are described in such careful detail in the text.<
   Thames & Hudson is a publisher that has long produced some of the most important and beautiful art books in the world. This one is literally world-ranging in its scope. The finds are from the proverbial "four corners of the Earth" and some date back into unimaginable prehistory.<
   Science buffs and art lovers alike will find this book a necessary addition to their libraries. Even casual readers will find themselves captivated and enthralled.



2. I just received the book today and although I have not yet read it, I am unbelievably impressed by the beautiful pictures. The book is filled with page after page of color pictures covering all areas of the archaeological world from Egyptian tombs and mummies to Incan mummies and the ice man of Europe. Visit Egypt, Peru, England, the Middle East, Turkey, China and many more places. Although the emphasis is on ancient archeology, more recent discoveries are included such as Jamestown, Virginia and the ironclad ships of the American Civil War. The various archeological sites are covered in 246 fascinating pages. Concise stories about each site allows the reader to get good basics for further reading. A different author writes about each site in 2-4 pages. DISCOVERY! is a great book for anyone interested in archeology and history and for someone who enjoys travel. The pictures alone make this a wonderful book and the most amazing fact of all is Amazon's very low price for such a high quality book.



3. This book contains lots of new information on recent discoveries and on-going projects that I've read about. Love the information. Lots of photos ,too.



4. First off, the dust jacket photo on the front is a real turn-off, so ignore it. Each chapter covers a different aspect of current archaeological study, including my favorite, looted Greek artifacts. Not every chapter will appeal to every reader, but I bet nobody can pass the great pictures and not read a snatch about it. Worth the price I paid for it.



5. The book is exactly as promised. It arrived quickly and in excellent condition. I wouldn't hesitate to order from this company again. The book itself is much more than anyone has a right to expect. Page after page excites as it informs. It's hard to sit near it without reaching for it and once reaching for it you're hooked all over again. Wow

5 comments about The Message of the Sphinx: A Quest for the Hidden Legacy of Mankind.

1. Basically this book feels like the Egypt chapters of "Fingerprints of the Gods" slightly expanded with more detail. It isn't as interesting or as terrifying as "Fingerprints" but it is shorter and brings a more specific set of "evidence" to the table.
   Bringing up Edgar Cayce weakens the authors' position considerably. Psychic readings, though fascinating, cannot be accepted as evidence in any scientific debate.
   The authors beat us over the head with the concept of precession, leaving the reader to gasp out "Okay, I get it!"
   Ample quotes from ancient Egyptian texts help to build up a seemingly plausible picture of a sky/earth duality and the construction of the Giza complex as a "model" of the sky around the constellation Orion. Descriptions of the Pyramids and the freakish degree of accuracy in their design seem to indicate that whatever they were built for, it was something very specific and intentional. The orthodox Egyptological view that the Queen's Chamber was "abandoned" unfinished in favor of the King's Chamber just doesn't hold up, in view of the apparent care which was taken by Pyramid architects. This would not have been a construction project that you could make up as you went along.
   One problem I had with the authors' theory of a mysterious "Brotherhood of Horus" which had preserved technological and astronomical secrets through the ages from 10,500 bc (supposed date of the "First Time" and the building of the Sphinx) to the Pyramid Age (2500 bc) ... if they were able to sustain their secret society for that length of time, where are they now? Such a "brotherhood" should, conceivably, be robust enough to survive and continue to "manipulate society from behind the scenes" even today. Seems fishy to me, and is another weak point in the authors' presentation.
   Their most compelling evidence cited is the unmistakeable signs of water erosion on the body of the Sphinx (also a crucial element from "Fingerprints.") Why do Egyptologists wilfully ignore this clear indication of the actual age of the monument?? I'd like to hear the orthodox explanation, which of course is not presented in this book.
   One point that is driven home is the notion that modern Egyptology is a religion rather than a science. The "orthodox" view of ancient Egyptian history is based largely on findings made by amateur treasure hunters during the British colonial period a century or more ago. We have much more sophisticated techinques and a better quality of information now at our disposal; why are we clinging to beliefs based on older, less reliable research? In a true science, theories are changed when new data becomes available, but Egyptologists have a tendency to dismiss or ignore any data that challenges what they already believe. There's always value to be found in divergent thinking, even if it is eventually proven wrong. Off the top of my head, I refer to Galileo and Darwin as "divergent thinkers" whose theories (of a heliocentric solar system and of evolution, respectively) were ridiculed at first.
   I can understand Egyptologists' professional indignance when confronted with theories from "armchair researchers" who have done no actual fieldwork, and have not devoted their lives to study of Egyptian antiquity. But Hancock and Bauval have come armed with a formidable collection of evidence, much of which consists of FACTS which can be proven (or debunked.) Where is the scholarly rebuttal from thw Egyptological community? It's not enough to dismiss these theories as "ridiculous." Can somebody prove WHY they're ridiculous? It should be easy for an expert to shoot down the so-called "fanciful yarn" presented in this book, but so far I've seen no-one do it.
   Meanwhile there are legitimate discoveries to be made at Giza, based on clues found by ACTUAL field work at the site. There's tangible evidence suggesting the presence of still-undiscovered chambers inside the Great Pyramid and under the plateau near the Sphinx. Work on following these leads proceeds frustratingly slowly. Dr. Zahi Hawas jealously guards the area almost as if it was his own personal property ... any "secrets" found there could be of profound importance to all of mankind, but based on some follow-up reading I've done (beyond the scope of this book) I question whether the public will even be told the truth about what, if anything, is discovered.



2. Several of Graham Hancock's late 1990's books are rehashes of the excellent Fingerprints of the Gods. This one focuses on his Sphinx theories and ended up getting Hancock on numerous History Channel and Discovery Channel specials about the pyramids. His theories about the vast ancient age of the Sphinx has actually garnered some mainstream support, though most Egyptologist won't hear of it.
   
   Hancock always lays out a detailed argument for whatever wacky idea he is tauting. This book's theories, however, may not be so wacky. Hancock is sometimes off the mark with some of his books, but this one makes a compelling case that the Sphinx is far more ancient than the pyramids and may date back to such a remote history that civilizations timeline may have to be reconsidered.
   
   I love Hancock's books, so I went into this one as a fan. Still, I think if this is your first experience with the author it will be a good one. If what you see here interests you, then I highly recommend Fingerprints of the Gods also which originally proposed these ideas.



3. It is a great book! Great condition!
   I am really happy with this purchase.



4. This book by Graham Hancock was pretty good but in my opinion his "Fingerprints of the Gods" was a better read. The parts I liked best about "Message of the Sphinx" were the parts where Hancock / Bauval explain in great detail what amazing structures there are on the Giza plateau. Not just the three large pyramids & the Sphinx but also the underground tunnels & various temples. The precision with which all of these were built still puzzles people to this day.
   
   I think Graham Hancock is a fascinating person & I have heard him in several radio interviews as well. He is a very intelligent person who makes you question conventional history. I did find some of his theories of how certain stars aligned in certain dynasties a little hard to understand. I have a hard-cover version of this book but some of the sketches could have been more clearly illustrated. This is a four star book if you like this type of subject.



5. Sorry, but this book is incredibly repetitive....complaints about Hawass and his lack of "understanding woo-woo" in finding hidden rooms/buried treasure/buried religious rituals, complaints about calculations of the stars...chapter after chapter saying the same thing, particularly about Edgar Cayce's prophecy about the Sphinx.
   
   (Spoiler) 10,500 B.C. was the "start" date of this civilization, according to the author.
   
   Save your bucks....it's not worth the effort to plow through, and the photos are very old, nothing up-to-date.

5 comments about Biblica: The Bible Atlas: A Social and Historical Journey Through the Lands of the Bible.

1. I honestly cannot believe they can print this book for the price. In addition to providing an fascinating and detailed account of bible history, it is full of gorgeous illustrations. As a teacher, this book is a gold mine--there is hardly a topic I cover that doesn't have multiple beautiful works of art, full color maps and more.



2. I don't see how anyone can rate this book less than 5 stars. Yes, it weighs 10 pounds, but it is filled with great information and beautiful maps and paintings. The text is wonderful, and is pitched to a generally educated audience with some familiarity with the Bible. The book is carefully designed and edited. The contributers are top Bible scholars. I have seldom been so pleased with a book purchase. I got my copy for half price -- it is hard to imagine a better bargain.



3. This book is the same as the book, "Biblica: The Bible Atlas: The Story of the Greatest Story Ever Told" (ISBN 1740480090). The difference is that "The Story of the Greatest Story" is in a slipcase and comes with a CD-ROM - and is less money!
   
   The print quality is the same. The binding is the same. The CD-ROM / slipcase edition was originally printed for the big warehouse stores.
   
   This atlas's review of geography, war and politics is thorough. I would have liked to see more about what crops people grew, and what trade routes existed with which goods.



4. This book was everything we had hoped and is a great value. Who could ask for more!



5. This is an absolutely majestic and well written bible atlas. The reader will be in store for many hours of rich reading. The images are rich in history and the very finest of classic art reproductions.

4 comments about In Small Things Forgotten: An Archaeology of Early American Life.

1. History is pretty much junk, one might conclude after finishing this breezy introduction to historical archaeology. Poring over estate listings, pottery shards, gravestones and excavated foundations, James Deetz reconstructs the changing face of American life during the colonial era, as immigrant traditions and aesthetics adapted to the New World. The book makes a powerful argument for an empirical kind of history far removed from the anonymous assertions of high school textbooks



2. The main thrust of Deetz's argument in this book points to the incomplete nature of the traditional historian's approach to understanding past societies. By focusing only on written documentation, traditional historians necessarily confine the groups they can examine to literate societies, thereby excluding most people in the history of human existence. Furthermore, written documents contain the bias of the author, and so cannot always be trusted.

   Deetz argues that historical archaeology and the study of material culture opens the door to understanding a far wider band of human societies, and can further help us relate to the literate cultures we study, by providing corroborating evidence, in some cases, and filling in the gaps overlooked in traditional written documents in other cases.

   This work focuses mainly on early New England societies, but the research methods Deetz puts forth readily adapt to studies in other areas. The fact that this book still stands as required reading on university course lists 25 years after its first publication testifies to its usefulness...




3. This text looks at the recovery of everyday items from the past in the United States of America. Things like plates, cup, bowls, what stuff was thrown in the rubbish bun, all that sort of thing, as opposed to recovering things that are of highly significant historical, political or scientific importance. So, trying to piece together personal life.



4. I enjoyed Deetz' newly updated introduction to Historical Archaeology in America. He makes clear that much can be gleaned from the seemingly insignificant material things that are left behind in the process of living. I greatly enjoyed his putting the pieces of the puzzles together. Sometimes the result was an interesting surprise. For instance, I didn't know that porches, which became so popular in America, were not a feature of European houses and were introduced by Africans. "Shotgun houses" also have African roots. Another surprising story is told by the changing styles of Colonial gravestones. They change subtly as the religious climate changes. The oldest being very stiff and stern and later ones becoming more decorative, replacing deaths heads with angels.