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Ancient Mathematics (Sciences of Antiquity)
by Serafina CuomoThe theorem of Pythagoras, Euclid's "Elements", Archimedes' method to find the volume of a sphere: all parts of the invaluable legacy of ancient mathematics. But ancient mathematics was also about counting and measuring, surveying land and attributing mystical significance to the number six. This volume offers the first accessible survey of the discipline in all its variety and diversity of practices. The period covered ranges from the fifth century BC to the sixth century AD, with the focus on the Mediterranean region. Topics include:* mathematics and politics in classical Greece* the formation of mathematical traditions* the self-image of mathematicians in the Graeco-Roman period* mathematics and Christianity* and the use of the mathematical past in late antiquity.
Ancient Maya Cities of the Eastern Lowlands (Ancient Cities of the New World)
by Brett A. Houk"Brings together for the first time all the major sites of this part of the Maya world and helps us understand how the ancient Maya planned and built their beautiful cities. It will become both a handbook and a source of ideas for other archaeologists for years to come."--George J. Bey III, coeditor of Pottery Economics in Mesoamerica "Skillfully integrates the social histories of urban development."--Vernon L. Scarborough, author of The Flow of Power: Ancient Water Systems and Landscapes "Any scholar interested in urban planning and the built environment will find this book engaging and useful."--Lisa J. Lucero, author of Water and Ritual For more than a century researchers have studied Maya ruins, and sites like Tikal, Palenque, Copán, and Chichén Itzá have shaped our understanding of the Maya. Yet cities of the eastern lowlands of Belize, an area that was home to a rich urban tradition that persisted and evolved for almost 2,000 years, are treated as peripheral to these great Classic period sites. The hot and humid climate and dense forests are inhospitable and make preservation of the ruins difficult, but this oft-ignored area reveals much about Maya urbanism and culture. Using data collected from different sites throughout the lowlands, including the Vaca Plateau and the Belize River Valley, Brett Houk presents the first synthesis of these unique ruins and discusses methods for mapping and excavating them. Considering the sites through the analytical lenses of the built environment and ancient urban planning, Houk vividly reconstructs their political history, considers how they fit into the larger political landscape of the Classic Maya, and examines what they tell us about Maya city building.
Ancient Maya Commoners
by Jon Lohse Fred ValdezMuch of what we currently know about the ancient Maya concerns the activities of the elites who ruled the societies and left records of their deeds carved on the monumental buildings and sculptures that remain as silent testimony to their power and status. But what do we know of the common folk who labored to build the temple complexes and palaces and grew the food that fed all of Maya society? This pathfinding book marshals a wide array of archaeological, ethnohistorical, and ethnographic evidence to offer the fullest understanding to date of the lifeways of ancient Maya commoners. Senior and emerging scholars contribute case studies that examine such aspects of commoner life as settlement patterns, household organization, and subsistence practices. Their reports cover most of the Maya area and the entire time span from Preclassic to Postclassic. This broad range of data helps resolve Maya commoners from a faceless mass into individual actors who successfully adapted to their social environment and who also held primary responsibility for producing the food and many other goods on which the whole Maya society depended.
Ancient Maya Culture (Spotlight on the Maya, Aztec, and Inca Civilizations)
by Christine HondersFor hundreds of years, archaeologists have unearthed clues about the amazing culture of the ancient Maya. This book brings the culture of this ancient civilization to life. Readers will learn about the ancient Maya economy, technology, rituals and traditions, family systems, politics, and daily life. Primary sources such as artifacts and ruins allow readers to connect with the past on a deep level. Amazing artwork and photographs allow readers to visualize the backdrop of ancient Maya culture as it exists today and as it’s imagined to have existed hundreds of years ago at its peak. Readers are in for a thrilling adventure with this firsthand look into the wonders of Maya culture.
Ancient Maya Daily Life (Spotlight on the Maya, Aztec, and Inca Civilizations Series)
by Heather Moore NiverWhat was life like in the days of the ancient Maya civilization? Where did people live and what did they do each day? These questions and more are answered in this fact-filled book about the daily life of the ancient Maya. Engaging text and primary sources shed light on the many mysteries of the Maya people. Color photographs of existing architecture and artifacts, as well as artwork, will transport readers back to the days when the Maya civilization was thriving. <p><p>This exciting book is rich with information about Maya culture, and it's sure to stoke readers' imaginations while giving them a deep understanding of the history of this ancient civilization.
Ancient Maya Geography (Spotlight On The Maya, Aztec, And Inca Civilizations Ser.)
by Amy HayesThe geography of the area in which the ancient Mayan civilization thrived is described in this book.
Ancient Maya Technology (Spotlight on the Maya, Aztec, and Inca Civilizations Series)
by Charles C. HoferAt their peak, the ancient Maya lived in one of the most advanced civilizations in the world. Their calendar system, celestial observations, and architecture give us clues to the greatness of their technology. <p><p>This book introduces readers to the many unique technological devices and breakthroughs created by the ancient Maya. Readers will learn about the historical context of Maya technology through primary sources, such as artifacts and architectural ruins, and accessible, fact-filled text. Photographs of what the Maya left behind will give readers an in-depth look into the amazing creations of this ancient civilization.
Ancient Medicine (Sciences of Antiquity)
by Vivian NuttonThe first edition of Ancient Medicine was the most complete examination of the medicine of the ancient world for a hundred years. The new edition includes the key discoveries made since the first edition, especially from important texts discovered in recent finds of papyri and manuscripts, making it the most comprehensive and up-to-date survey available. Vivian Nutton pays particular attention to the life and work of doctors in communities, links between medicine and magic, and examines the different approaches to medicine across the ancient world. The new edition includes more on Rufus and Galen as well as augmented information on Babylonia, Hellenistic medicine and Late Antiquity. With recently discovered texts made accessible for the first time, and providing new evidence, this broad exploration challenges currently held perspectives, and proves an invaluable resource for students of both classics and the history of medicine.
Ancient Medicine (Sciences of Antiquity)
by Vivian NuttonThe third edition of this magisterial account of medicine in the Greek and Roman worlds, written by the foremost expert on the subject, has been updated to incorporate the many new discoveries made in the field over the past decade. This revised volume includes discussions of several new or forgotten works by Galen and his contemporaries, as well as of new archaeological material. RNA analysis has expanded our understanding of disease in the ancient world; the book explores the consequences of this for sufferers, for example in creating disability. Nutton also expands upon the treatment of pre-Galenic medicine in Greece and Rome. In addition, subtitles and a chronology will make for easier student consultation, and the bibliography is substantially revised and updated, providing avenues for future student research. This third edition of Ancient Medicine will remain the definitive textbook on the subject for students of medicine in the classical world, and the history of medicine and science more broadly, with much to interest scholars in the field as well.
Ancient Medicine: From Mesopotamia to Rome
by Laura M. ZucconiThis book by Laura Zucconi is an accessible introductory text to the practice and theory of medicine in the ancient world. In contrast to other works that focus heavily on Greece and Rome, Zucconi&’s Ancient Medicine covers a broader geographical and chronological range. The world of medicine in antiquity consisted of a lot more than Hippocrates and Galen.Zucconi applies historical and anthropological methods to examine the medical cultures of not only Mesopotamia, Egypt, Greece, and Rome but also the Levant, the Anatolian Peninsula, and the Iranian Plateau. Devoting special attention to the fundamental relationship between medicine and theology, Zucconi&’s one-volume introduction brings the physicians, patients, procedures, medicines, and ideas of the past to light.
Ancient Medicine: From Mesopotamia to Rome
by Laura M. ZucconiThis book by Laura Zucconi is an accessible introductory text to the practice and theory of medicine in the ancient world. In contrast to other works that focus heavily on Greece and Rome, Zucconi&’s Ancient Medicine covers a broader geographical and chronological range. The world of medicine in antiquity consisted of a lot more than Hippocrates and Galen.Zucconi applies historical and anthropological methods to examine the medical cultures of not only Mesopotamia, Egypt, Greece, and Rome but also the Levant, the Anatolian Peninsula, and the Iranian Plateau. Devoting special attention to the fundamental relationship between medicine and theology, Zucconi&’s one-volume introduction brings the physicians, patients, procedures, medicines, and ideas of the past to light.
Ancient Mediterranean Civilizations: From Prehistory To 640 Ce
by Ralph MathisenChallenging the stereotypes and myths that typically characterize students' understanding of antiquity, Ancient Mediterranean Civilizations: From Prehistory to 640 CE, Second Edition, focuses on continuity and connections, along with cultural diffusion and cultural diversity, to show how history is a cumulative process and that numerous similar themes recur in different times and places. The text also explores sensitive issues and debates including attitudes toward race, ethnicity, and tolerance; gender issues and roles; slavery; social mobility; religion; political evolution; the nature of government; and imperialism.
Ancient Mesopotamia: Portrait of a Dead Civilization
by A. Leo Oppenheim"This splendid work of scholarship . . . sums up with economy and power all that the written record so far deciphered has to tell about the ancient and complementary civilizations of Babylon and Assyria."—Edward B. Garside, New York Times Book Review Ancient Mesopotamia—the area now called Iraq—has received less attention than ancient Egypt and other long-extinct and more spectacular civilizations. But numerous small clay tablets buried in the desert soil for thousands of years make it possible for us to know more about the people of ancient Mesopotamia than any other land in the early Near East. Professor Oppenheim, who studied these tablets for more than thirty years, used his intimate knowledge of long-dead languages to put together a distinctively personal picture of the Mesopotamians of some three thousand years ago. Following Oppenheim's death, Erica Reiner used the author's outline to complete the revisions he had begun. "To any serious student of Mesopotamian civilization, this is one of the most valuable books ever written."—Leonard Cottrell, Book Week "Leo Oppenheim has made a bold, brave, pioneering attempt to present a synthesis of the vast mass of philological and archaeological data that have accumulated over the past hundred years in the field of Assyriological research."—Samuel Noah Kramer, Archaeology A. Leo Oppenheim, one of the most distinguished Assyriologists of our time, was editor in charge of the Assyrian Dictionary of the Oriental Institute and John A. Wilson Professor of Oriental Studies at the University of Chicago.
Ancient Meteorology (Sciences of Antiquity)
by Liba TaubThe first book of its kind in English, Ancient Meteorology discusses Greek and Roman approaches and attitudes to this broad discipline, which in classical antiquity included not only 'weather', but occurrences such as earthquakes and comets that today would be regarded as geological, astronomical or seismological. The range and diversity of this literature highlights the question of scholarly authority in antiquity and illustrates how writers responded to the meteorological information presented by their literary predecessors. Ancient Meteorology will be a valuable reference tool for classicists and those with an interest in the history of science.
Ancient Mexico: An Introduction to the Pre-Hispanic Cultures
by Frederick A. PetersonGeneral introduction to pre-Columbian Mexico: history, politics, culture, arts, religion, economics, architecture, and mathematics.
Ancient Models of Mind
by Andrea Nightingale David SedleyHow does god think? How, ideally, does a human mind function? Must a gap remain between these two paradigms of rationality? Such questions exercised the greatest ancient philosophers, including those featured in this book: Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, the Stoics and Plotinus. This volume encompasses a series of studies by leading scholars, revisiting key moments of ancient philosophy and highlighting the theme of human and divine rationality in both moral and cognitive psychology. The volume is a tribute to A. A. Long, and reflects multiple themes of his own work.
Ancient Monuments
by Cynthia Phillips Shana PriwerDiscusses the Egyptian pyramids, Greek temples, Roman buildings, and megalithic monuments in Britain, the book includes chapters on architecture in Mesoamerica, the early Middle East, and ancient China and Japan.
Ancient Monuments and Modern Identities: A Critical History of Archaeology in 19th and 20th Century Greece
by Sofia Voutsaki and Paul CartledgeAncient Monuments and Modern Identities sets out to examine the role of archaeology in the creation of ethnic, national and social identities in 19th and 20th century Greece. The essays included in this volume examine the development of interpretative and methodological principles guiding the recovery, protection and interpretation of material remains and their presentation to the public. The role of archaeology is examined alongside prevailing perceptions of the past, and is thereby situated in its political and ideological context. The book is organized chronologically and follows the changing attitudes to the past during the formation, expansion and consolidation of the Modern Greek State. The aim of this volume is to examine the premises of the archaeological discipline, and to apply reflection and critique to contemporary archaeological theory and practice. The past, however, is not a domain exclusive to archaeologists. The contributors to this volume include prehistoric and classical archaeologists, but also modern historians, museum specialists, architectural historians, anthropologists, and legal scholars who have all been invited to discuss the impact of the material traces of the past on the Modern Greek social imaginary.
Ancient Mounds of Watson Brake
by Elizabeth Moore Alice Couvillon<p>“Watson Brake is a special place in Louisiana history. . . . The efforts of Reca Jones to document and understand the mounds is an exciting story.” —Dr. Charles “Chip” McGimsey, Louisiana State archaeologist<p> <p>As archaeologist Reca Jones cooks with her grandchildren, the blocks of fudge they make remind her of the clay she discovered at the mounds of Watson Brake near West Monroe, Louisiana. The inquisitive kids ask their grandmother many questions, and she explains the significance of the mysterious mounds, and then takes them to the site. To the children’s astonishment, Reca reveals such artifacts as spear points, fishhooks, beads, and bones from the animals eaten by dwellers long ago. Each relic is a clue to the puzzling origin of an archeological site older than the pyramids of Egypt.<p> <p>Detailed illustrations provide an accurate depiction of the mounds at Watson Brake, which form an oval-shaped ring around an area the size of three football fields. Although no human bones have been found at the site, some archaeologists speculate that the mounds were built for religious ceremonies or even flood protection. A brief biography of the real Reca Jones completes this unique and fascinating story.<p>
Ancient Mysteries
by Peter James Nick ThorpeWhat was the Minotaur? Did a Welsh prince discover America? Did Robin Hood really exist? How does the Star of Bethlehem fit into the science of astronomy? Is the Vinland Map a fake? Can archaeologists use spirit messages to guide their work? For centuries, philosophers, scientists, and charlatans have attempted to decipher the baffling mysteries of our past, from the Stonehenge to the lost continent of Atlantis. Today, however, DNA testing, radiocarbon dating, and other cutting-edge investigative tools, together with a healthy dose of common sense, are guiding us closer to the truth. Peter James and Nick Thorpe, the professional historian and archaeologist team who created the acclaimed Ancient Inventions, now tackle these age-old conundrums, presenting the latest information from the scientific community--and the most startling challenges to traditional explanations of mysteries such as: - The rise and fall of the Maya - A lost cache of Dead Sea Scrolls - The curse of Tutankhamun - The devastation of Sodom and Gomorrah - The Nazca Lines These true mystery stories twist and turn like a good whodunit, as James and Thorpe present the evidence for and against the expert theories, shedding new light on humankind's age-old struggle to make sense of the past. The authors also make dramatic contributions of their own to the fray, demonstrating persuasively that catastrophic events--including the collisions of comets with the Earth long ago--could explain puzzles that have baffled experts for centuries. Ancient Mysteries will entertain and enlighten, delight the curious, and inform the serious.
Ancient Mystery Cults (Carl Newell Jackson Lectures #1)
by Walter BurkertThe foremost historian of Greek religion provides the first comprehensive, comparative study of a little-known aspect of ancient religious beliefs and practices. Secret mystery cults flourished within the larger culture of the public religion of Greece and Rome for roughly a thousand years. This book is neither a history nor a survey but a comparative phenomenology, concentrating on five major cults. In defining the mysteries and describing their rituals, membership, organization, and dissemination, Walter Burkert displays the remarkable erudition we have come to expect of him; he also shows great sensitivity and sympathy in interpreting the experiences and motivations of the devotees.
Ancient Mystic Oriental Masonry: Its Teachings, Rules, Laws and Present Usages Which Govern the Order at the Present Day
by Dr R. Swinburne Clymer"Ancient Mystic Oriental Masonry: Its Teachings, Rules, Laws and Present Usages Which Govern the Order at the Present Day" by Dr. R. Swinburne Clymer is an in-depth and scholarly exploration of the ancient and mystical traditions of Oriental Masonry. This comprehensive work delves into the rich history, profound teachings, and current practices of this esoteric order, offering readers a detailed understanding of its principles and rituals.Dr. Clymer, a renowned mystic and Masonic scholar, provides a thorough examination of the origins and development of Oriental Masonry, tracing its roots back to ancient civilizations and secret societies. He elucidates the core teachings and philosophies that underpin the order, highlighting their significance in the pursuit of spiritual enlightenment and personal transformation.In this illuminating book, Clymer covers the intricate rules and laws that govern the order, detailing the rituals, symbols, and ceremonies that are integral to its practice. He explores the moral and ethical precepts that guide members, emphasizing the importance of integrity, wisdom, and brotherhood in the Masonic tradition."Ancient Mystic Oriental Masonry" also addresses the contemporary relevance of these ancient teachings, illustrating how they continue to influence and inspire modern practitioners. Through a blend of historical analysis and practical guidance, Clymer provides valuable insights into the mystical and spiritual dimensions of Masonry, making this book an essential resource for both initiates and seasoned members of the order.Dr. Clymer's authoritative and eloquent writing makes complex concepts accessible, while his deep reverence for the subject matter shines through on every page. This book is not only a guide to the rituals and laws of Oriental Masonry but also a profound exploration of its spiritual essence and enduring legacy."Ancient Mystic Oriental Masonry" is a must-read for Masons, historians, and anyone interested in the mystical traditions of the East. Dr. R. Swinburne Clymer's work stands as a testament to the timeless wisdom and transformative power of Oriental Masonry, offering a pathway to deeper understanding and spiritual growth.
Ancient Mythological Images and Their Interpretation
by Katharina LorenzWhen we try to make sense of pictures, what do we gain when we use a particular method - and what might we be missing or even losing? Empirical experimentation on three types of mythological imagery - a Classical Greek pot, a frieze from Hellenistic Pergamon and a second-century CE Roman sarcophagus - enables Katharina Lorenz to demonstrate how theoretical approaches to images (specifically, iconology, semiotics, and image studies) impact the meanings we elicit from Greek and Roman art. A guide to Classical images of myth, and also a critical history of Classical archaeology's attempts to give meaning to pictures, this book establishes a dialogue with the wider field of art history and proposes a new framework for the study of ancient visual culture. It will be essential reading not just for students of classical art history and archaeology, but for anyone interested in the possibilities - and the history - of studying visual culture.
Ancient Natural History: Histories of Nature (Sciences of Antiquity)
by Roger FrenchAncient Natural History surveys the ways in which people in the ancient world thought about nature. The writings of Aristotle, Theophrastus, Strabo, Pliny are examined, as well as the popular beliefs of their contemporaries. Roger French finds that the same natural-historical material was used to serve the purposes of both the Greek philosopher and the Christian allegorist, or of a taxonomist like Theophrastus and a collector of curiosa like Pliny. He argues convincingly that the motives of ancient writers on nature were rarely `scientific' and, indeed, that there was not really any science at all in the ancient world.This book will make fascinating reading for students, academics and anyone who is interested in the history of science, or in the ancient history of ideas.
Ancient Near East c. 3000-330 BC
by Amelie KuhrtThis book is intended as an introduction to ancient Near Eastern history, the main sources used for reconstructing societies and political systems, and some historical problems and scholarly debates. It is emphatically not a history in the conventional sense of the word, for two reasons: first, as I have emphasised at several points, it is impossible to write a narrative history of events; second, I am not a specialist in all areas and periods of the complex Near Eastern region. I have tried to treat the periods and areas usually studied in universities, which means that, inevitably, my coverage is selective. My treatment of Egypt has been kept brief deliberately, as there are plenty of good studies of Egyptian history at all levels.