Daily Life in the Inca Empire (The Greenwood Press Daily Life Through History Series) [Hardcover]

Michael A. Malpass (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0313293902 | ISBN-13: 978-0313293900 | Publication Date: August 30, 1996

Up to now, little has been known about the life of the ordinary Inca during the Inca empire--earlier works describe only the culture of the ruling class. Based on the most recent scholarship, this book reconstructs the daily life not only of the ruling class but of the rest of society, including the conquered peoples, and features contrasting chapters on "a day in the life" of an Inca family and "a day in the life" of a conquered family. Over 50 illustrations and photographs of Inca life, artifacts, and archaeological sites bring the social, political, economic, religious, and cultural aspects of Inca civilization to life. Everything from life cycle events to food and drink, dress and ornaments, recreation, religious rituals, the calendar, and the unique Inca form of taxation are fully described and illustrated in the most comprehensive coverage of the Inca way of life to date. For ease of use by students, the work is organized into chapters covering all aspects of life: military and warfare, government, language, class structure, work and the economy, engineering and architecture, housing, transportation, family life, life cycle events, women's roles, art, music and dance, literature, science, and religion. It includes a historical timeline of Inca history, a glossary of Inca terms, and a bibliography for further reading. Throughout the work, Malpass, an expert on the Inca, shows how they created the largest empire in the western hemisphere prior to European conquest and describes the threat of their destruction by development and looting. This work will replace all earlier resources on Inca life and will provide school and public librarians with the most up-to-date and historically correct information on the Inca.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“Malpass has written a scholarly book about the Inca social structure, religion, family interaction, agriculture, and labor, and the role conquered people played in their society.....the numerous line drawings are useful and of good quality. High school and college students could use this book for research, particularly if they need in-depth information on a wide spectrum of Inca life.”–The Book Report

About the Author

MICHAEL A. MALPASS is Associate Professor of Anthropology at Ithaca College in Ithaca, New York. He has been actively engaged in archaeological research in Peru since 1980.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 200 pages
• Publisher: Greenwood Press (August 30, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0313293902
• ISBN-13: 978-0313293900
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 6.4 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,077,532 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Daily Life in the Inca Empire, May 29, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Daily Life in the Inca Empire (The Greenwood Press Daily Life Through History Series) (Hardcover)

This book discusses the Inka in-depth, carefully using archaeological and historical evidence, in a way which brings them to life for the reader. The author manages to combine detail and easy reading without compromising either. In preparation to give a college lecture on the Inka, I got this book out of the library along with about 10 other scholarly texts. In the end, there was nothing in any of those other books that this book didn't cover just as thoroughly, but in a format which made it more interesting to read! This would be a terrific book for armchair archaeologists as well as students and teachers.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars My first book on Inca civilization..., September 11, 2005

By 

Paul Cline (Las Vegas, Nevada USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Daily Life in the Inca Empire (The Greenwood Press Daily Life Through History Series) (Hardcover)

I've always been enamored with ancient civilizations. Greece and Rome weighed heavily in my architectural education, Medieval Europe and Feudal Japan appealed to my notions of honor and duty, but frankly I know little about ancient Americans. This book gave me (as a newcomer) the opportunity to get inside Inca life, mentally walk the streets of Cuzco, and wonder at the remaining Inca culture. It is readable for the novice and I recommend it for anyone interested in visiting Peru.