Prehistory Books

Prehistory: The Making of the Human Mind (Modern Library Chronicles)

Colin Renfrew

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Total reviews: 1 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

In Prehistory, the award-winning archaeologist and renowned scholar Colin Renfrew covers human existence before the advent of written records–which is to say, the overwhelming majority of our time here on earth. But Renfrew also opens up to discussion, and even debate, the term “prehistory” itself, giving an incisive, concise, and lively survey of the past, and how scholars and scientists labor to bring it to light.

Renfrew begins by looking at prehistory as a discipline, particularly how developments of the past century and a half–advances in archaeology and geology; Darwin’s ideas of evolution; discoveries of artifacts and fossil evidence of our human ancestors; and even more enlightened museum and collection curatorship–have fueled continuous growth in our knowledge of prehistory. He details how breakthroughs such as radiocarbon dating and DNA analysis have helped us to define humankind’s past–how things have changed–much more clearly than was possible just a half century ago. Answers for why things have changed, however, continue to elude us, so Renfrew discusses some of the issues and challenges past and present that confront the study of prehistory and its investigators.

In the book’s second part, Renfrew shifts the narrative focus, offering a summary of human prehistory from early hominids to the rise of literate civilization that is refreshingly free from conventional wisdom and grand “unified” theories. The author’s own case studies encompass a vast geographical and chronological range–the Orkney Islands, the Balkans, the Indus Valley, Peru, Ireland, and China–and help to explain the formation and development of agriculture and centralized societies. He concludes with a fascinating chapter on early writing systems, “From Prehistory to History.”

In this invaluable, brief account of human development prior to the last four millennia, Colin Renfrew delivers a meticulously researched and passionately argued chronicle about our life on earth, and our ongoing quest to understand it.

The Cycle of Cosmic Catastrophes: How a Stone-Age Comet Changed the Course of World Culture

Richard Firestone, Allen West, Simon Warwick-Smith

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Total reviews: 19 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

Newly discovered scientific proof validating the legends and myths of ancient floods, fires, and weather extremes

• Presents new scientific evidence revealing the cause of the end of the last ice age and the cycles of geological events and species extinctions that followed

• Connects physical data to the dramatic earth changes recounted in oral traditions around the world

• Describes the impending danger from a continuing cycle of catastrophes and extinctions

There are a number of puzzling mysteries in the history of Earth that have yet to be satisfactorily explained by mainstream science: the extinction of the dinosaurs, the vanishing of ancient Indian tribes, the formation of the mysterious Carolina Bays, the disappearance of the mammoths, the sudden ending of the last Ice Age, and the cause of huge underwater landslides that sent massive tsunamis racing across the oceans millennia ago. Eyewitness accounts of these events are chronicled in rich oral traditions handed down through generations of native peoples. The authors’ recent scientific discoveries link all these events to a single cause.

In The Cycle of Cosmic Catastrophes Richard Firestone, Allen West, and Simon Warwick-Smith present new scientific evidence about a series of prehistoric cosmic events that explains why the last Ice Age ended so abruptly. Their findings validate the ubiquitous legends and myths of floods, fires, and weather extremes passed down by our ancestors and show how these legendary events relate to each other. Their findings also support the idea that we are entering a thousand-year cycle of increasing danger and possibly a new cycle of extinctions.

Atlantis and the Kingdom of the Neanderthals: 100,000 Years of Lost History

Colin Wilson

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Total reviews: 14 Average rating: 3.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

The history of Neanderthal influence from Atlantis to the contemporary era

• Provides evidence of Neanderthal man’s superior intelligence

• Explores the unexplained scientific and architectural feats of ancient civilizations

• Presents an alternative history of humankind since 7500 B.C. with an emphasis on esoteric traditions and the history of Christianity from the Essenes onward

In Atlantis and the Kingdom of the Neanderthals Colin Wilson presents evidence of a widespread Neanderthal civilization as the origin of sophisticated ancient knowledge. Examining remarkable archaeological discoveries that date back millennia, he suggests that civilization on Earth is far older than we have previously realized. Using this information as a springboard, Wilson then fills in the gaps in the past 100,000 years of human history, providing answers to previously unexplained scientific and architectural feats of ancient civilizations.

Wilson shows that not only did Atlantis exist but that the civilizing force behind it was the Neanderthals. Far from being the violent brutes they are traditionally depicted as, Wilson shows that the Neanderthals had sophisticated mathematical and astrological knowledge, including an understanding of the precession of the equinoxes, and that they possessed advanced telepathic abilities akin to the “group consciousness” evident in flocks of birds and schools of fish. These abilities, he demonstrates, have been transmitted through the ages by the various keepers of the hermetic tradition--including the Templars, Freemasons, and other secret societies. In the course of his investigation, Wilson also finds new information about historical links between the Masonic tradition and the Essenes that indicate that America was “discovered” long before Columbus set sail and that Jesus actually survived crucifixion and fled to France with his wife Mary Magdalene.

The Oxford Illustrated History of Prehistoric Europe (Oxford Illustrated Histories)

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 4 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Scholarly but generally readable 3 out of 5 stars.
13 of 14 people found this review helpful.

I believe this is designed to be a college textbook, but I found my self fascinated by it. As with any text, readibility is sometimes sacrificed for scholarly accuracy, and rightly so, I suppose. But I found enough life in the text to make this a compelling read, given the breadth of the topic and the depth in which it is examined. I also found the illustrations to be directly relative to the text, which does not always happen, even in college texts. Of course, to get really into a book like this, one has to have an inborn interest in the topic. It's not going to be for everyone, and that is why I gave it three stars instead of four. Still, I found the book to be a satisfactory combination of hard scholarship and general interest history to make my want to keep my copy. My only complaint is that, not knowing European geography as I would like to, it was difficult to follow many of the detailed discourses about the different tribal movements from place to place. Perhaps more maps would help. In the end, it's hard, scholarly history, but if that's your thing, it's a keeper.

Editorial Review:

Ranging from the earliest settlements through the emergence of Minoan civilization to the barbarian world at the end of the Roman Empire, this extraordinary volume provides a fascinating look at how successive cultures adapted to the landscape of Europe. In synthesizing the diverse findings of archeology, Barry Cunliffe and a team of distinguished experts capture the sweeping movements of peoples, the spread of agriculture, the growth of metal working, and the rise and fall of cultures, blending superb detail with ornate illustrations.
For centuries, we knew little of the European civilizations that preceded classical Greece or arose outside of the Roman Empire, beyond ancient myths and the writings of Roman observers. Now the most recent discoveries of archeology have been synthesized into one exciting volume. Featuring hundreds of stunning photographs, this book provides the most complete account available of the prehistory of European civilization.

The Atlas of Early Man: The Rise of Man Across the Globe, From 35,000 B.C. to A.D. 500 With Over 1,000 Maps And Illustrations

Jaquetta Hawkes

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The Atlas of Early Man is a unique, and uniquely fascinating, work of popular natural history. For nearly two decades, it has been the definitive survey of the human developments that were the building blocks of scores of different civilizations, offering the kind of irresistible blend of history, science, and cultural study that will capture the interest and imagination of almost any reader.

Now, in the first new edition since 1981, Jacquetta Hawkes's landmark volume is at last available in paperback. It is a book that fills in the gaps in our overall understanding of the ancient world: Through one thousand maps, diagrams, drawings, and illustrations, it compares the cultures of historical contemporaries, placing simultaneous developments in art, religion, technology, science, architecture, and government in graphic perspective. What was happening in China when the pyramids were being built in Egypt? What had been achieved in the Americas when wheeled vehicles first rolled across Sumeria? What point of progress had been reached in Western Europe when the Roman Empire was at its height? Hawkes's eloquent and comprehensive text brings these worlds alive for us, not just as historical entities but as living, thriving civilizations. Did the advances of man occur independently across the oceans and continents, or were they the results of a spreading influence? The provocative clarity of Hawkes's treatment enables us to draw our own conclusions to such questions-and dispels the clouds that have been so long blocked our view of early history.

The Oxford Illustrated Prehistory of Europe

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Total reviews: 4 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

When a melting Swiss glacier recently revealed the body of a hunter millennia old, the world sat up and took notice. Here, in his well-preserved arrows, tools, and leather garments (not to mention his own remains) was a rare glimpse of life in prehistoric Europe, and it captured the public imagination. Elsewhere more obvious remnants of the pre-classical past have long been objects of fascination: the megaliths of northwestern Europe, the palaces of Crete, the mysterious cave paintings of France. Now archeologist Barry Cunliffe and a team of distinguished experts shed light on this astonishing, long-silent world in a comprehensive and lavishly illustrated account.
Ranging from the earliest settlements through the emergence of Minoan civilization to the barbarian world at the end of the Roman Empire, The Oxford Illustrated Prehistory of Europe provides a fascinating look at how successive cultures adapted to the landscape of Europe. In synthesizing the diverse findings of archeology, the authors capture the sweeping movements of peoples, the spread of agriculture, the growth of metal working, and the rise and fall of cultures. They provide intriguing insight on the Minoan and the Mycenean past underlying classical Greek history, and on the disasters that destroyed Minoan civilization. They explore the increasingly sophisticated societies of northern Europe, revealing surprisingly far-reaching trade between different areas. The peoples of Bronze Age Denmark, for instance, sent amber to Germany in return for scarce metal, while new technologies spread widely across the continent. The book continues through the end of the Roman Empire, exploring the barbarian world beyond Rome's northern frontier.
For centuries, we knew little of the European civilizations that preceded classical Greece or arose outside of the Roman Empire, beyond ancient myths and the writings of Roman observers. Now the most recent discoveries of archeology have been synthesized into one exciting volume. Featuring hundreds of stunning photographs (many in full color), this book provides the most complete account available of the prehistory of European civilization.

Men Out of Asia

Harold S. Gladwin

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Subjects -> History -> Americas -> General
Subjects -> History -> Americas -> General AAS

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 1 Average rating: 3.0 of 5

eccentric, interesting, and sometimes offensive 3 out of 5 stars.
3 of 5 people found this review helpful.

I am not sure what to think of a book of "scholarship" that lacks a single footnote to back up its often bizarre claims related to the pre-Columbian settlement of the Americas. Also, its casual racism seems to be over the top even for the forties, when it was written. Nevertheless, Gladwin's bold, intuitive leaps of speculation can now be seen to anticipate what many more cautious researchers are beginning to suspect about the ethnic makeup and history of the earliest Americans.

I was curious to note that not once did Gladwin mention the Olmecs, an early Mesoamerican civilization which may have had African origins. I have to wonder whether that was a product of his antiblack bias, evidenced by the extremely unfunny cartoons and snide remarks found throughout the book.

Celts: Europe's People of Iron (Lost Civilizations)

Time-Life Books

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GOOD READ,.. 5 out of 5 stars.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.

THIS IS A GOOD OVERVIEW OF THE CELITIC PEOPLES. THEIR 'RACE' PER SE, COVERED A VERY VAST AREA IN EUROPE AND BEYOND. THERE ARE MANY INTERESTING FACTS THAT I'D NEVER HEARD OF UNTIL I READ THIS BOOK. THERE MAY BE OTHERS THAT ARE MORE THOROUGH, BUT STILL, I REALLY LIKE THIS BOOK. THERE ARE NICE PHOTOS AS WELL, AND A NICE SEGMENT AT THE START OF THE BOOK ABOUT THE 'PEAT BOG MUMMIES'!!

World Prehistory: A Brief Introduction (7th Edition)

Brian M. Fagan

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Total reviews: 2 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

A very decent book 4 out of 5 stars.
16 of 19 people found this review helpful.

This book is not designed for the hardcore anthropology student as it doesn't delve into the extreme details of the subject, but it does give a very broad overview of the millions of years of human prehistory. Most of the time is spent talking about the journey from ape-like ancestors to the origin of food production and the large state-run societies that we have today. Therefore, when Fagan talks about specific cultures and societies he just gives an overview, he chooses to put most details to use describing why and how humans got to where they are today. Very good book is you want an effective and interesting introduction to human origins, but this isn't something that would be used for a 300 or 400 level class.

Editorial Review:

Written by one of the leading archaeological writers in the world–in a simple, jargon-free narrative style–this brief, well-illustrated account of the major developments in the human past makes world prehistory uniquely accessible to complete beginners.

World Prehistory covers the entire world, not just the Americas or Europe, placing major emphasis on both theories and the latest archaeological and multidisciplinary approaches. The main focus is on four major developments: the origins of humanity; the appearance and spread of modern humans before and during the late Ice Age- including the first settlement of the Americas; the beginnings of food production; and the rise of the first civilizations.

The Prehistory of Egypt: From the First Egyptians to the First Pharohs

Beatrix Midant-Reynes

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Total reviews: 1 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

If you're looking for thorough... 5 out of 5 stars.
14 of 15 people found this review helpful.

...this is what you need. Covering Egypt from the landmass's geological foundation right up to the end of the predynastic era. It's been freshly updated by Ian Shaw to include all of the latest arguments, especially with respect to the Paleolithic and Predynastic periods. Most Egyptologists, amateur and otherwise, will only be interested in the last two or three chapters and, in fairness, each chapter uses the lingo of the relevant field, obfuscating it to the average reader. Nonetheless, I can't think of another book which rivals this one for what it offers.

Editorial Review:

This books covers the history of the Nile Valley from Nubia to the Mediterranean, during the period from the earliest hominid settlement, around 700,000 BC to the beginnings of dynastic Egypt at the end of the fourth millennium BC.