Ancient Horsemen Of Siberia (Time Travelers) (Library Binding)

~ Buell Janet (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Gr 6-9-Buell's description of the excavation of the burial site of a Pazyryk woman, her horses, and her possessions, all preserved in an icy tomb in the Altai Mountains of southern Siberia, is engaging. However, the author goes beyond the discovery to examine how the Russian archeologist Natalya Polosmak and her colleagues made educated guesses about the lives and culture of individuals who rode horses and tended other animals 2500 years ago. The team studied artifacts from this and other Pazyryk burials and examined the ethnography of the customs of modern-day people living in the region. Among other topics presented are the changes in lifestyles and interactions of groups brought on by the taming and riding of horses and the dilemma of scientists when their work comes into conflict with belief systems of local peoples as in the case of opening burial sites. No matter how complex the subject, the information is lucidly presented, carefully footnoted, and illustrated with high-quality photographs. A timeline, an excellent glossary, and suggestions for further reading (including Internet sites) are valuable additions. Readers who found Buell's Ice Maiden of the Andes (21st Century, 1997) fascinating, as well as those interested in archeology, will appreciate this title.-Elizabeth Talbot, University of Illinois, Champaign

Copyright 1998 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9-12
  
• Library Binding: 63 pages
• Publisher: 21st Century (April 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0761330054
• ISBN-13: 978-0761330059
• Product Dimensions: 10.3 x 8.3 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,415,996 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars All the Fine Young Pazyryks, March 22, 2001

By A Customer

Could the first horse riders swooping around Siberia about 2,500 years ago have been the mythological half-horse half-human Centaurs? We call them Pazyryk for the burial mounds they left in the Ukok plateau. Some of these ANCIENT HORSEMEN OF SIBERIA were women, such as the mummy known as Leti: about 25 years old, she was a tall 5'6", buried in a fine headdress and well-preserved clothing; with elaborate shoulder, thumb and wrist tattoos, was she a medicine woman or one of the legendary Amazon warriors? This fascinating read is all the more precious because there is so little available in English on the Pazyryk, other than Olga Kharitidi's reference in ENTERING THE CIRCLE, Nova's SIBERIAN ICE MAIDEN video, and Sergei Rudenko's out-of-print masterpiece FROZEN TOMBS OF SIBERIA. Author Janet Buell similarly combines clues and facts in ICE MAIDEN OF THE ANDES, the mummy found by mountaineers Johan Reinhard and Miguel Zarate (DISCOVERING THE INCA ICE MAIDEN) and the subject of David Getz's FROZEN GIRL, Nova's FROZEN IN HEAVEN video, and Susan Vande Griek's A GIFT FOR AMPATO.

3 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Useful for Adults, December 22, 2002

By	Jonathan S. Mark "marjo_wycam" (Alexandria, VA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

The book is nicely illustrated with photos of Pazyryk grave goods and mummies. It had a few major omissions. It starts talking about the Scythians but doesn't show a map of where the Scythians lived.

It also doesn't explain whether the Scythians were Asiatic like the Pazyryk probably were. An ancient felt painting of a Scythian that the book shows suggests that the Scythians were not Asiatic. So what is the connection between the Scythians and the Pazyryk? Why is the Scythian material included?

The photo of the tattoos on the 2500-year-old mummy was stunning. It was a glimpse into an alien world.