Customer Reviews

Ancient Civilizations: The Illustrated Guide to Belief, Mythology and Art

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This book is massive, and I don't think it was intended as a "sit down and read it through from start to finish" piece. I don't think I could do that! But for giving a sense of ancient civilizations, what life might have been like, what kind of artwork and writing and monuments they left behind, it's fantastic. Because ancient history textbooks tend to be a bit myopic, as if ancient Egypt, Greece, and Rome were the only places of importance before the renaissance, it's nice to have a resource full of great pictures that breaks out of that mold. China, India, and the Americas each have a huge section. So do the Vikings and the Persians. It's a fun and rich book.

I started reading this book to relax and sleep, instead stayed up and kept reading well into the night. Great ancient world overiew without cutting corners. What I love is the coverage of not just the relics, buildings, etc, but a fair amount of attention to the way people lived in everyday life. Well done!

I started reading this book to relax and sleep, instead stayed up and kept reading well into the night. Great ancient world overiew without cutting corners. What I love is the coverage of not just the relics, buildings, etc, but a fair amount of attention to the way people lived in everyday life. Well done!