Ancient Civilizations: Discovering the People and Places of Long Ago (Exploring History) [Hardcover]

Philip Brooks (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 1, 1999 | Age Level: 8 and up | Series: Exploring History

This title pieces together all aspects of life in some of the earliest cities in the world, from the Far East to Africa and Europe to the vibrant cities of Central and South America. Readers should discover how land was farmed and settled over 6,000 years ago, as well as about many trades, crafts, customs and cultures, including ancient Sumer, Egypt, Minoan Crete, Northern China, Babylon, Mycenae and Phoenicia.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 8 and up
  
• Hardcover: 64 pages
• Publisher: Anness (December 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0754802116
• ISBN-13: 978-0754802112
• Product Dimensions: 11.8 x 9.2 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 2.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,676,143 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars topnotch read, June 20, 2000

By 

megan - See all my reviews

This review is from: Ancient Civilizations: Discovering the People and Places of Long Ago (Exploring History) (Hardcover)

This awesome book is full of colorful pages that you you seek your imgaination into the ancient past! You get a real feel to the past as you can thumb through the clear pictures and highlited text. This text is a great resource for both the young and old. For students it can help them get a good grasp of ancient history of what can normally be difficult to learn.

3.0 out of 5 stars In response to Propaganda..., August 1, 2009

By 

Rhonda Howard (Tri-Cities, WA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Ancient Civilizations: Discovering the People and Places of Long Ago (Exploring History) (Hardcover)

I read the reviews to see if I might be interested in purchasing this book. After teaching about ancient civilizations for a few years, I agree that many books, one of my school texts in fact, barely mention Israelites. So I was not surprised to read this review. It has never been an issue for me, as I bring in so many sources and teach point of view, and author's purpose and perspective when we note differences. While I might agree with some parts of the review by Propaganda, he lost me with this line:

"To accord advances in our cultures or civilizations to a violent band of tribes called Muslims, yet leave out civil and religious laws that shape all of western thought and jurisprudence to this day?!?!"

Now I simply have one more source to share with my students - this review by Propaganda.

I would suggest doing some research on Islam, Muslims, and the Qur'an. You may find a better definition for Muslims, and you will definitely find similarities between their religious laws & background with those of Christians.

7 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars PROPAGANDA for children. LIES KNOWINGLY!! and OMITS FACTS, July 19, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Ancient Civilizations: Discovering the People and Places of Long Ago (Exploring History) (Hardcover)

While this book would have gotten high marks from me for its bright colored pictures and easy reading for children of all ages, I cannot in good conscience give it anything more than a 1.
The author has purposefully omitted one of the oldest ancient civilizations in the history of the world throughout the book-ISRAEL- and instead he BLATANTLY LIES!!! and states that Islam was an ancient culture.

HELLO???????
Anyone who can read above a 2nd grade level can read the dates of Islamic foundings; in the very heart of the MIDDLE AGES, nearly a thousand years AFTER the ancient worlds years!!
NOT EVER was Islam an ancient culture!
Yet ISRAEL had a bonafide language, codified laws-(WRITTEN down no less, with all children learning to read early on- unlike all other civilizations...), and the FIRST monotheistic PERSONAL religion, strong trade, conquering and being conquered(all with records to prove this)for nearly 3 thousand years before Islam ever thought of darkening this planet. All of which makes it a nation and civilization as valid (more so than, in some cases)as the Greeks, Romans, Hittites, etc...

In NOT ONE historic record is Islam ever accorded such a grand honor as allowing it to be a thousand years older than it actually is. Nor was it a civilization as we define it. It had no one ruler, country, etc(until the Turks-Ottoman). Just a band of tribes who by the sword, were forced to follow the same religion.

The author is either tyring to propagandize children(most likely), or is totally ignorant of all historical records and documents on the time frame involved. Either way it disqualifies this as a good and truthful account of that time period.

NO mention of Israel or even The Temple- which was even once listed as one of the wonders of the world!! Yet it never existed? Hmm. I smell a rat!

The history of Israel even split time as a marker for the nations of the world as we know it! NO other culture has ever done such a thing. Yet it, again, warrants no mention?

Not only is it not mentioned on its own page/section but he curiously leaves out all mention of it by name on any of the civilizations that conquered it. As if it never was there at all. A figment of our collective imagination, perhaps?

I don't think thousands upon thousands of antiquities who actually call Israel by name in the myriad of steles and tablets of its victor's records will back up his omissions. Nope, can't be done. All references to it are missing, in all other cultures 'facts' that he lists in the book. Lies, all lies.
And whats worse, they are all easily found in any historical reference at anytime, anywhere. Who does he think he is fooling?
Not anyone who can read independently, thats for sure!

Perhaps Mr. Brooks has fallen for England's rabid anti-semitism and hatred of all things Jewish/Israel. Or still perhaps he has fallen for its Muslim populations efforts to try and rewrite the thousands of years old historical records of the history of Jews living in and propspering in the land of Israel (only called palestine AFTER 70 c.e.!! by the conquering Roman Emperor by decree. NEVER before that year was it called that, nor is it today, either. It is- since 1948- called Israel) for thousands of years(there has never NOT been a population of Jews in Israel, since they conquered it thousands of years ago! It has NOT ever been bereft of them, despite propaganda to the contrary. Facts back this up)to benefit the Egyptian and Jordanian arabs who call themselves palestinians?(until 1948 all "palestinians" were actually JEWS! FACT!)

Either way, I wouldn't waste my money on such drivel. To accord advances in our cultures or civilizations to a violent band of tribes called Muslims, yet leave out civil and religous laws that shape all of western thought and jurisprudence to this day?!?! Madness!

There are plenty of wonderful books that actually DO list FACTUAL ancient civilizations in them, Israel included.
This isn't one of them.
Its hogwash!
I'm only keeping mine as a souviner of propaganda to teach my children what it looks like in the flesh.

BE forewarned! This is blatant political and religious bigotry trash of the worst kind!!!