National Geographic Investigates: Ancient Inca: Archaeology Unlocks the Secrets of the Inca's Past [Hardcover]

Beth Gruber (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 8 and up | Grade Level: 3 and up | Series: National Geographic Investigates

The ruins and tombs high in the Andes Mountains of Peru yield valuable clues to lives of the Ancient Incas.

In 1995, the Inca Ice Maiden is recovered, one of four human sacrifices found on Ampato. These mummies provide scientists with perfectly preserved "time capsules"—packed with clues to Inca civilization during the 1400s.

Cuzco, the seat of Inca power, reveals the remains of the Inca railroad system and the incredible fortress of Sacsayhuaman.

The Coricancha, Cuzco's spectacular Inca temple of worship, contains vital clues to the Incas' spiritual culture, which are also revealed in artifacts recovered from tombs.

Inca archaeological sites such as the Old Temple at Chavin de Huantar and the Huaca del Sol continually paint a portrait of an extremely advanced civilization, which left no written record of its history.

Ancient Inca includes an interview with Dr. Constanza Ceruti, a high-altitude archaeologist and a National Geographic Emerging Explorer currently working in Peru.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 3–7—These titles offer the beautiful photography and illustrations characteristic of the National Geographic Society, well-written texts and sidebars, and information on recent archaeological finds. The authors combine overview material on these cultures, interviews with working archaeologists, and "process" data about how archaeologists and other scientists handle present-day finds, and even finds long-past, to learn everything possible. Inca, for example, notes the information that has come down to us from the conquering Spanish, as well as such startling new finds as frozen mummies of several children, some so well preserved that the archaeologists could still see the hair on the children's arms. Greece introduces underwater archaeology in its treatment of two expeditions conducted by George Bass: the 1980s exploration of a ship that sank more than 3000 years ago as well as the exploration in 2000 of a ship that sank about 400 B.C.E. In Egypt, readers learn not only about Howard Carter's discovery of King Tutankhamen's tomb more than 80 years ago, but also about Zahi Hawass's 2005 CT scan of Tut's mummy, which determined that the boy-king was not killed by a blow to the head. The books also expose the problems of the deterioration of sites (including cities sinking into rising water tables), looters, and the challenges of understanding the remains of nonliterate societies. Beautifully produced, these books have the potential both to please readers already fascinated by the past and to attract new fans to archaeology.—Coop Renner, Hillside Elementary, El Paso, TX
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

About the Author

Beth Gruber is a graduate of the New York University School of Journalism. She has worked in children's publishing for almost 20 years as an author, editor, and reviewer of books for young readers.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 8 and up
  
• Hardcover: 64 pages
• Publisher: National Geographic Children's Books (November 14, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0792278275
• ISBN-13: 978-0792278276
• Product Dimensions: 7.1 x 0.4 x 10.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,249,910 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #84 in Books > Children's Books > History > Central & South America

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.