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The Complete Idiot's Guide to Lost Civilizations (Paperback)

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Key Phrases: archaeology magazine, experimental archaeology, nautical archaeology, Jargon Unearthed, New World, Near East (more...)
4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)

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Product Details

  • Paperback: 1 pages
  • ISBN-10: 002862954X
  • ISBN-13: 978-0028629544
  • Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 7.3 x 0.9 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds
  • Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.com Sales Rank: #298,988 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
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Inside This Book (learn more)
First Sentence:
I've got the greatest job in the world. Read the first page
Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
archaeology magazine, experimental archaeology, nautical archaeology, underwater archaeology, ancient astronauts, antiquities dealers
Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Jargon Unearthed, New World, Near East, Easter Island, Ice Age, North America, Old World, The Least You Need, South America, Valley of the Kings, Rapa Nui, Great Pyramid, Stone Age, Asia Minor, Indiana Jones, New York, British Museum, Bronze Age, United States, Alexander the Great, Indus Valley, King Tut, Pacific Northwest, Dead Sea, Great Zimbabwe
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Customer Reviews

11 Reviews
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Average Customer Review
4.3 out of 5 stars (11 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars A reference tool I will reach for time and time again., July 29, 1999
By Lynne A. Cole (Portland, OR USA) - See all my reviews
Dr. Donald P. Ryan serves up a plethora of fascinating and interesting tidbits of information encompassing all aspects of archaeology, clear explanations of technical jargon and the cultures of ancient civilizations in this concise and well written volume. While the format and presentation of material lends itself well to small infusions of highly educational, interesting and entertaining moments at one sitting, the author's writing style is so engaging that you anxiously await your next opportunity to dive into the next segment or chapter. Due to the enormity of the topic, space prevents a highly detailed presentation of any given ancient culture so the author kindly assists by providing a recommended reading list at the conclusion of the book for those yearning to learn even more. However, it is quite incredible just how much information Dr. Ryan has succeeding in presenting us with, given the confining space restrictions of this one volume.

Dr. Ryan has the knack of making ancient cultures "come alive" and provides an awareness that ancient cultures were significantly more advanced than they have been given credit for and points out the technical, social and political "advances" made. My special area of interest happens to be the culture of Ancient Egypt however, after devouring Dr. Ryan's book, I am now most anxious to learn more about Ancient Egypt's neighboring civilizations and to learn more about "lost civilizations" in a broader sense. I also now feel that I have a better understanding of archaeological methods, techniques and "jargon" which will make delving through all those technical journals a much more pleasant experience!

I was particularly impressed with the author's ability to cover the rather touchy topics of fringe archaeology, diffusion and isolation viewpoints and ethical dilemmas in a frank, candid and non-biased manner. He manages to pull all this off in a non-judgmental manner and encourages the reader to think for themselves based on the archaeological evidence at hand as well as keeping in mind that out of "fringe" archaeology may come a valuable piece of information.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone with even a mild interest in archaeology and ancient civilizations.

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20 of 22 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Archeology of Everything for Everybody, April 11, 2000
By David Edwards "de330" (San Diego (de3@ucsd.edu)) - See all my reviews
Dr. Ryan covers an immense archeological territory, both temporally and geographically, in this relatively small book. As an all-encompassing overview of worldwide archeology, it can scarcely be improved. This breadth necessarily leads to some superficiality, at least in the few areas of which I have personal knowledge, but this is inevitable allowing the size constraints. The b/w illustrations are a bit scanty but helpful and well-selected, and, yes, there is thank God an index.

This book will be useful and enjoyable for a wide spectrum of people ranging from those whose knowledge of archeology is limited to Indiana Jones, to those who are familiar with one limited aspect of archeology and who wish to know more about other aspects. Readers in the latter category should recall that Dr. Ryan is an egyptologist, which accounts for the slight weighting in the direction of the Nile, but this is easily forgiven.

An enjoyable aspect of the book is that Dr. Ryan cheerfully, and seemingly fairly, addresses many controversial subjects that other authors of such a book might have avoided; one comes to see archeology as distinctly not a dead field. He is also fair in discussing areas that are close to, and even well within, the broad lunatic fringe of archeology: Atlantis, ancient astronauts, Dr. Fell, etc. And he emphasizes an observation that is dear to my heart: that ancient peoples were every bit as intelligent, creative, and industrious as we are today. Generally he presents his own field fairly, warts and all, with humor and zero pomposity.

Admittedly, the book is done in the vaguely college-frat and sometimes too cute style originated by the "Dummies" series of computer texts, which may be off-putting to some, although the title offers fair warning. Thus, for example, the pages are littered with little icon-embellished boxes containing miscellaneous factoids. Sometimes these add substantially to the text; sometimes they don't, as when explaining the difference between the Ph.D. and M.D. degrees, perhaps in homage to the "complete idiot" of the title. [I am considering a book provisionally entitled "Neurosurgery for Cretins:" "Okay, you retract the meninges (careful of that pesky middle meningeal artery!), and there it is: THE BRAIN! Head Honcho of the human body...."]

In summary, if you have any interest in archeology whatever, this book is definitely worthwhile as a superbly broad-based and easily read survey.

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9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars excellent overview, June 17, 1999
By A Customer
This book is an excellent introduction and overview to the subjects of archaeology and ancient civilizations. Dr. Ryan, an expert in many areas of archaeology and ancient history, and an accomplished explorer, introduces the basics without condescension, and discusses more difficult or technical areas without losing his readers. He also deals fairly with those on the archaeological "fringe." A valuable part of the book is his advice to those who wish to pursue a career in archaeology. Very well-written and a pleasure to read, and downright hilarious in places. Highly recommended!
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Truly informative and enjoyable!
As one who has taught ancient history for many years, I'm always interested in finding books that will nicely supplement the usual texts and lectures. Read more
Published on March 26, 2002

4.0 out of 5 stars Archaeology 101
Great introduction to Archaeology. This book tells the "nuts and bolts" of the quest for our past. Read more
Published on March 16, 2002 by Michael Freeman

2.0 out of 5 stars concise overview with insurmountable errors
The Complete Idiot's Guide to Lost Civilizations is just that....a guide for complete idiots. Don't get me wrong, I purchased this book looking for an easy to understand, concise... Read more
Published on February 28, 2002

5.0 out of 5 stars Utterly fascinating!
I love hearing about archaeology and seeing television documentaries on the subject but like many people, I suppose, I only had a sketchy idea about what archaeology is all about... Read more
Published on December 7, 2001

5.0 out of 5 stars An Outstanding Introduction!
I read about this book in the Bulletin of the Society for American Archaeology where it received a glowing review so I had to read it myself. Read more
Published on June 16, 2001

4.0 out of 5 stars An Easy Introduction to a Complex Subject
There were a lot of holes in my knowledge of ancient civilizations. I could have told you when Gilgamesh probably lived (2600 BCE) but I did not know when the Egyptians built the... Read more
Published on May 22, 2001 by Jonathan S. Mark

3.0 out of 5 stars Split Personality
The publisher and author of this book did not know what kind of book they wanted this to be. It has a split personality - part archaeology and part classical history. Read more
Published on October 1, 2000 by Marty

5.0 out of 5 stars Got me interested in areas I didn't think very interesting
If you want a good entertaining view of Archaeology, check this book out. Dr Ryan's sense of humor and immense knowledge that I experienced while taking a couple classes by him... Read more
Published on February 11, 2000 by Rob & Jen

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