Product Description
One of an extremely rare collection of original journals. ... Read more

Product Description
The war machine is the motor of the social machine; the primitive social being relies entirely on war, primitive society cannot survive without war. The more war there is, the less unification there is, and the best enemy of the State is war. Primitive society is society against the State in that it is society-for-war.
—from The Archeology of Violence

Anthropologist and ethnographer Pierre Clastres was a major influence on Gilles Deleuze and Félix Guattari's Anti-Oedipus, and his writings formed an essential chapter in the discipline of political anthropology. The posthumous publication in French of Archeology of Violence in 1980 gathered together Clastres's final groundbreaking essays and the opening chapters of the book he had begun before his death in 1977 at the age of 43. Elaborating upon the conclusions of such earlier works as Society Against the State, in these essays Clastres critiques his former mentor, Claude Lévi-Strauss, and devastatingly rejects the orthodoxy of Marxist anthropology and other Western interpretive models of "primitive societies." Discarding the traditional anthropological understanding of war among South American Indians as arising from a scarcity of resources, Clastres instead identifies violence among these peoples as a deliberate means to territorial segmentation and the avoidance of a State formation. In their refusal to separate the political from the social, and in their careful control of their tribal chiefs—who are rendered weak so as to remain dependent on the communities they represent—the "savages" Clastres presents prove to be shrewd political minds who resist in advance any attempt at "globalization."

The essays in this, Clastres's final book, cover subjects ranging from ethnocide and shamanism to "primitive" power and economy, and are as vibrant and engaging as they were thirty years ago. This new edition—which includes an introduction by Eduardo Viverios de Castro—holds even more relevance for readers in today's an era of malaise and globalization.

Foreign Agents series
Distributed for Semiotext(e) ... Read more

Product Description
Over the centuries, researchers have found bones and artifacts proving that humans like us have existed for millions of years.Mainstream science, however, has supppressed these facts.Prejudices based on current scientific theory act as a "knowledge filter," giving us a picture of prehistory that is largely incorrect. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (107)

here's the thing
i have now received my book and i've read several different areas in it.i have no reason to change my 5 star review written before receiving the book.alternate theories, whether you believe them or not, ARE interesting.there is no need to blindly gulp down what ANY author of this kind writes.instead, use the written word to broaden your mind.this book really gives one something to think about.

and that's the point:if you do not want to use your mind and think about different things...if you want to be lazy and ignorant and unimaginative...then i would pretty much think that a book like this would not be for you, and that you should've known that just from reading its description.

i thank the reviewers, both positive and negative, who seem to have the intelligence to state their thoughts without resorting to childish behaviour.you helped me make a decision.

to those of you who don't know the difference between its and it's, your and you're...well, you are the people who definitely (not definAtely) need to open your minds and try to get a little knowledge, have a little pride, become a little more literate.

after all...that's what books are for.

Not worth the time spent reading
The authors of this book are grasping at straws trying to explain human origins based on evidence from the late 1800's up to the mid 1900's. They use their religious beliefs as the basis of a lot of their evidence/arguments and completely ignore that the easiest answer is usually the most likely. Their attempt to discredit evolution is subpar at best even from a creationist viewpoint because of their insistence of exploring the evidence from the late 1800's to the mid 1900's without context to current findings. They write as if these findings were discovered yesterday and somehow shed doubt on any current evidence and techniques.

I find that the only people that would believe this book's ideas about the origins of humanity are those that believe consipracy theories and have a general lack of education beyond the 8th grade level. To believe the authors insistence that the confirmation bias is as far reaching as they allude to in the book is like believing in any organizations ability to plan and execute a conspiracy that large flawlessly. It just is not going to happen and the bias is more than likely with the the two authors of this book than with the thousands of actual scientists out there (The easiest explanation that is plausible).

In conclusion, this book is not worth the time of anyone who is even remotely semi-serious about wanting to know the origin of the Human race. I would recommend "The Journey Man" by Spencer Wells instead as it is written by an actual scientist and not this pseudo-science baloney.

TRUTH
GREAT OPENS YOUR EYES TO THE TRUTH OF HOW LONG WE AS HUMANS HAVE BEEN HERE.YOU DONT HAVE TO READ THE WHOLE BOOK IF YOU DONT LIKE.PICK OUT WHAT INTREST YOU,

The Emperor has no clothes!
Cremo & Thompson have thrown down a mighty gauntlet with this excruciatingly well-researched volume. The gist of their probing question lies somewhere inside a mountain of evidence that betrays the party line of the "scientific community" on the origins of man.

Their point: you cannot cherry-pick the evidence that fits your hypothesis. Either completely change the accepted standards for archeological evidence, or embrace all evidence that meets the required standard - and then let the chips fall where they may.

"Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain!" yelled the Wizard of Oz.

Stand there looking silly, or buy this book and pull back the drapes.


*be prepared to spend hours pouring over the minutia of detailed scientific arguments*

interesting read
Great book. I recommend it to everyone who at least interested in our evolution and physical anthropology. I'm going back to this book periodically while i'm studing new materials and views of different scientists regarding this topic; however this book has its own strong argument regardless time and new hypotheses. ... Read more

Product Description
Adventure nonfiction at its best by the co-author, with Gene Hackman, of Wake of the Perdido Star.

Submerged is Daniel Lenihan's remarkable story of 25 years as founder and head of the Submerged Cultural Resource Unit (SCRU)—ranging from ancient ruins covered by reservoirs in the desert Southwest to a World War II submarine off the Alaskan coast; from the Isle Royale shipwrecks in the frigid Lake Superior to the USS Arizona in Pearl Harbor; from the HL Hunley, the first submarine in history to sink an enemy ship, in Charleston Harbor to the ships sunk by atomic bombs at Bikini Atoll, and much more. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (22)

Thar She Blows
"Most Elite"? What arrogance from a nobody in the diving community. Another nauseating account by a bureaucrat mooching off taxpayer funded trips and trying to justify it as notable archaeology. Lenihan and James Delgado are the two worst. They haven't discovered or located anything on their own yet they call themselves "elite" and promote there books as "adventure". Hardly. Without the risks taken by the divers who actually found these sites at their own expense, Lenihan and Delgado are just two jealous gov't employees who can only fantasize about adeventure. Are we taxpayers footing the bill for Lenihan to write this self-promotion during his work day?


If you want real adventure, read any Robert Marx book. America's most "elite" ? Bleep!

Fascinating account of a career in passionate underwater conservation
Sometimes it's hard to tell by the title what a book is all about. "Submerged -- Adventures of America's Most Elite Underwater Archeology Team" certainly sounds interesting, but I wasn't quite sure about to the exact nature of the volume. Turns, out it is the recollection of the founder and former chief of the United States National Park Service Submerged Cultural Resources Unit, a group of National Park Service divers, scientists and other professionals seeking to document and catalog shipwrecks. The "SCRU team" is thus a legitimate part of the U.S. Department of the Interior, yet it is one that's about as far removed from stereotypical deskbound civil service as one can imagine. Over a period of 25 years, author Daniel Lenihan created and crafted a team of divers whose skills and sense of adventure was second to none, yet also a group that combined astonishing underwater feats with a keen sense of archeological and anthropological imperatives.

Lenihan describes his own introduction to cave diving as one of the pioneers who developed and advanced the state of the art when the sport was young and so many died in their often ill-conceived pursuits that the government considered closing off the Florida cave systems. Like most divers, young Lenihan was intrigued by finding and recovering artifacts but, unlike most, he quickly discovered that removing them meant destroying perhaps their most intrinsic value, that of learning from the past, the setting where they were found, the condition they and their surroundings were in. In the early 1970s he studied anthropology at the University of Florida, then joined the National Park Service as a "Park Ranger/Archeologist." Lenihan's quest essentially became a fight against the mindless destruction of shipwreck sites by treasure and artifact hunters by finding and documenting them so they could be properly protected as national cultural resources, just like those above ground.

The book, divided into three parts ("Caves, Dams, Shipwrecks, and Dreams;" "The SCRU Team;" and "Reaching Out") and 22 chapters, documents Lenihan's lifelong quest, their early missions, and how his team's influence and reputation grew until it was called to work in all parts of the world, often in conjunction with the US Navy and other governmental entities. We learn about the development of underwater surveying techniques, ranging from simple measuring and triangulation all the way to sophisticated high-tech scanning and mapping systems later on.

Lenihan describes such diverse operations as diving the frigid waters around Isle Royale (a national park in Lake Superior) to map and document the wealth of shipwrecks surrounding it; to doing the first actual underwater survey of the USS Arizona at Pearl Harbor; to locating wrecks around Fort Jefferson in the Dry Tortugas in the Gulf of Mexico; to potentially hazardous dives to the USS Saratoga at the bottom of Bikini Atoll that was used for nuclear tests in the 1940s and 50s; to discoveries around Micronesian islands. He describes almost impossible-to-get-to excursions into Kauhako Crater on Molokai; underwater searches in the Aleutians where tactical side-maneuvers had played a large role in the outcome of the more major seabattles of WW II; grisly rescue and recovery missions in poorly accessible locations where even Navy divers deferred; and making sure French divers properly surveyed and protected a sunken Confederate raider, the CSS Alabama, in the English Channel off the coast of France. Learning, developing, training, passing on always figure large in Lenihan's work, as does a healthy respect of the dangers of diving, and the ensuing meticulous preparation and following of diving protocol and procedures. There are many other examples, all wonderfully described in Lenihan's style that merges good storytelling with precise technical information and always a nod of appreciation towards those who helped him and his team, plus a good deal of pride in their accomplishments.

"Submerged" presents all of this in a holistic way -- recollections, experiences, reports, suggestions. Lenihan includes adventures of his youth, including cave diving trips to Mexico with such pioneers as Sheck Exley who later perished in one of the very caves they had explored, as well as hopes for the future.

This is a book about diving both as a passion and as a tool for the greater good of mankind, in this instance the preservation of underwater heritage. "My conviction, which has emerged from thirty years of diving, is that shipwrecks and underwater caves are places where one can touch the past in the most special ways," writes Lenihan who also described himself as someone who once "associated with professors and students who thought SDS, SNCC, and Abbie Hoffman were too damn conservative." Out of that counter-cultural mindset grew a sense of responsibility for our submerged heritage, and the drive to make it real, that sets a shining example of what can be accomplished when passion and purpose merge in a career, and that fortunate synthesis Lenihan successfully shares in this eminently readable and highly recommendable book.

SCRU is now the Submerged Resources Center of the National Park Service. Its website at http://home.nps.gov/applications/submerged/ contains a wealth of interesting materials, including additional materials and images of many of the SCRU projects described in the book. Some detailed reports are availabled as PDF files at http://www.cr.nps.gov/history/hisnps/submerged.htm -- C. H. Blickenstorfer, scubadiverinfo.com

Risky business!
I am an experienced technical diver and was fascinated with that aspect of this book. Mr. Lenihan is indeed a good story teller. I wouldn't be caught dead doing some of the dives that they did on air-- but then again they were diving years ago when no mixed gasses were easily available. I feel that I have the right to take souvenirs from shipwrecks if I've gone to the trouble and expense to get to them and they're going to just corrode away in the sea. But Mr. Lenihan makes his points about preservation without being obnoxious and self-righteous and I like that. He made me think enough about the value of these wrecks that even though I'll probably still take small souvenirs, my newly informed conscience would keep me from taking anything too nice. Don't buy this book if you want to know the best and safest ways to deep dive or cave dive. I'm not saying they aren't real good divers but they dive with air and a prayer. Still, in all, I really enjoyed it.

A deep journey
Submerged is not only the title of the book but describes my feeling when reading it. Lenihan took me on a deep journey. I'm only an amateur diver but the simple clarity of the writing allowed to me a glimpse into the professional side of underwater work. The book was compelling but I must say at times I was uneasy-there was a dark side to even the lighter narratives. He and his diving team had some of the most frightening and even bizarre experiences I've ever read about and ones I personally would not find worth the risks. Nevertheless I must give them credit for such extreme dedication to historic preservation. I read the book over three evenings and most enjoyed the personal stories. My husband found the same book interesting for very different reasons. He was most interested in the history and romance of the shipwrecks.

waxing prosaic
the stories in and of them selves for the most part are interesting however a major drawback is that he can not write. he says he is waxing prosaic. and guess what he is absolutely correct. for a much better examppe of underwater adventures and vastly superior writing would be shadow divers. the writing makes this almost unfinishable however it is written at a grade 10 level so it doesnt take much time to blow through it. newmarket press should have insisted on a real writer to tell the story . this is truly a waste of very interesting material ... Read more

Product Description
The Archeology of the New Testament is the authoritative illustrated account of what is presently known about the chief sites and monuments connected with the life of Jesus and the history of the early church. To follow the order of the New Testament, it first investigates sites connected with John the Baptist and then proceeds to Bethlehem and Nazareth, Samaria and Galilee, Jerash, Caesarea, Jericho, the Mount of Olives, Jerusalem, and Emmaus. Each site is illustrated, and the accompanying text, numbered to facilitate cross-reference, contains a bibliography. This edition has been completely revised to reflect the most recent scholarship and excavations, and it contains many new entries. Anyone concerned with the historical, geographical, and cultural background of the New Testament will want to study this classic work as it retraces the steps of Jesus. "The definitive handbook. Finegan's comprehensive treatment of almost every problem in the field of New Testament archeology as well as his judicious evaluation of the evidence makes this book indispensable to every serious student of the Bible."--The New York Times Book Review ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Fast becoming my #1 resource
I have the revised edition of this text (1992), and before purchasing it from Amazon, I frequently came to the site to research information from this book.The book is technical enough to satisfy the researcher, yet easy to read for the beginner in archaeology or Bible. I've quoted from this text for several research papers for college classes.It's concise and reliable in its presentation and information.

Valuable Resource
This book is an enormous treat - an archeological book written by a biblical scholar. It's hard to know which aspect provides the more valuable information. Of particular interest and surprise is the amount of coverage of such topics as John the Baptist, the Tombs, and the Cross.

The book is well written and amply illustrated. There are few notes: the author instead includes lots of information in the text itself. Also, there is no bibliography, although there is an extensive "List of Ancient Sources" which is highly informative.If I had one criticism it is that the book assumes the reader is not a beginner, and as a result this may not be the best introductory text.

Written in 1969, the book is dated. Yet almost everything relevant to the archeology of the New Testament had been discovered by this date, so the few finds since (e.g., the ossuary of James the Just) do not negate the book's value.

Every New Testament reader should have this book in their library.

Excellent book, but too short!
This is a wonderful and lovingly prepared work. For the best of all worlds, I would suggest reading this with the incredible companion book, "The Autobiography of Jesus of Nazareth and the Missing Years". Then it is almost like an interactive experience, because you see the real man Jesus through "The Autobiography..." and see exactly where he lived in this book.It may appear a daunting book because of its 400 + pages, but I found it too short!If there is anything else the authors could have included in this excellent book, it can only because there is still 2000 years of dust on it! Buy it today. ... Read more

Product Description
Thriller that couples the gusto of a fictional international treasure hunt with a reality of an authentic, stunning archeological find shedding new light on the life and death of Jesus and his family. First known book in English (1st edition July 2006) fully premised on the Talpiot family tomb find of 1980. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (22)

Fun read especially for historians.
This was a pretty good read - exciting and suspenseful - even for someone who isn't a religious historian. Other than some formatting issues likely stemming from the publisher, this was a very refreshing read in an exciting style. The story had some unexpected branches at times but tied it together with an intriguing, mysterious storyline which, according to the author, is based on true events which adds to the intrigue. Fun to read albeit a bit heavy on the historical religious information - sometimes hard to follow for someone who isn't religious but, doesn't detract from the overall excitement.

More Than Meets The Eye
This novel is flowing and easy to read; the kind of book that one cannot put down from the first to the last page. At first blush it reads like a compelling theological thriller, based on some exciting archeology. But, reading between the lines, I discovered much deeper meanings to it. It's a deep study of the tormented psychology of the main character, subsequent to an overwhelming personal tragedy. This is hidden very subtly in the storyline, and even in the writing style. For example, some may think that the grammar is sometimes faulty, because the author includes some dialogue inside narrative paragraphs, without quotation marks. I believe that is not a grammatical error, and I've seen it in other works. In any event, this style subtly relays the main character's depression, despair, and disdain to most words and action of people surrounding him, who he believes are living in a world where he no longer belongs. Another example of hidden meaning relates to the main character's motivation. While his mundane motives for following the stolen artifacts are stated specifically in the book, he seems to be subconsciously following symbols of resurrection in a desperate quest for revival. He is obsessed with death, revival and the confines of life and death. When he understands these motives as the book closes, he loses interest in the artifacts and continues instead with his life.

A thoroughly entertaining, eudcational, and thought provoking novel.

Writer's Digest Commentary
Here's a commentary on this book by Writer's Digest Magazine's judge:

"The plot, involving the theft of ancient ossuaries from a museum in Jerusalem affecting basic beliefs about Jesus Christ and Christianity, is fascinating in its implications. All the background material lends a measure of credence and interesting speculations about the meaning of the bones. The book also is a travelogue as well with descriptions of various cities and places in Israel, Cyprus and other countries as well as their respective cuisines. The major character, a detective, has a brash but beguiling personality that grows upon the reader as he and a fellow staff detective work to solve the mystery while suffering various perils and setbacks. The romance between the detectives adds an extra dimension to the story line."

Great read.

riveting contemporary material
I was in Tel Aviv, in Jerusalem... The raw material of this tale is of keen interest to any thoughtful person.

Quest for Historical Jesus Should Not be Sought Through Fiction
After reading the previous reviews here, it seems like a contradiction of purpose to say you are seeking true information on a historical quest for the real Jesus through a fictional piece of work. Yet fiction accounts are purported to have more true information than actual research? Since when?Please let's not confuse the two.

'The Bone Box' is OK as novels go, but none the less it IS fiction and should be kept in correct perspective. I recommend reading it for its intended purpose as a good entertaining piece of fiction. I give it 4 stars. I would have given it 5 stars but I had some problems with the author's sometimes amaturish use of phrases and writing, plus the author himself balked near the end and did not take a definitive stand regarding the Talpiot tomb authenticity. ... Read more

Product Description

Customer Reviews (2)

outdated
This publication is from 1984 with lots of computer analyses that are almost as ancient as the animal bones you want to analyze.

Not a book for beginners
This is a very interesting books, which details many of the advanced aspects of zooarchaeological analysis.

It does contain a large amount of "HARDCODE", which is specifically designed programs used to atain a variaty of helpful states.

For someone with out a mainframe or dbase, or an indepth knowledge of analytical approaches and methodologies in zooarchaeology should rather stay away. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

A Layman's view of "Archaeology of the Bible: Book by Book "
Well priced and well filled out!This book opens your eyes to life as it really was in the Bible times.Some areas were a bit daunting to address but overall the book is well thought out and very very informative.A good asset to any library. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

A Fascinating Vision of the Past in an Archaeological Classic
This book was written in the 1940's about archaeological digs which took place on the Gulf Coast of Florida between 1920 - 1945 or so.Gordon Willey, the book's author, was trying to create a "grand synthesis" of what had been discovered to date about the Native American cultures of Florida's Gulf Coast.

For the archaeologist, this book is fascinating because Willey literally created several of the "culture types" still used to define several of Florida's Native peoples, such as the Fort Walton culture, the Weeden Island culture, and the Safety Harbor culture.Since many of these sites were destroyed either during excavations or thereafter through development, Willey's detailed accounts of the sites and their excavation, as well the artifacts and features found therein, are our only source for understanding site patterns, cultural processes, and the nature and form of these sites.

For an ordinary reader - particularly a reader who lives in Florida, especially in the region around Tampa Bay or the Panhandle - Willey's accounts give us a picture of a region before its destruction by development, as well as a picture of the past.The modern resident of Sarasota or Bradenton, of Largo or Clearwater, of Pasco, may be astonished to learn that, before Parrish was a series of "upscale developments" surrounded by orange groves, there was a series of mound complexes there which were thriving communities when De Soto arrived in 1539; that the great mound at Safety Harbor was likely the principal town of the Tocobaga, and that many other such mounds once existed nearby; and that, before Tampa Bay was an endless series of subdivisions, it was the heartland of several great cultures which were both among the first to feel the storm of European contact, and among the first to disappear thereafter.

This is a very good and interesting book, and I highly recommend it to both archaeologists and the general public alike. ... Read more

Product Description
Archaeologists' discoveries often answer burningquestions about human history. Many patiently and methodically dig inthe dirt, turning over rocks, seeking answers, while others usehigh-tech equipment to explore underwater areas. All their methodsserve the same purpose: to answer the questions that will add depth toour knowledge of time past.

Travel back through The Times and piece together the past with John Noble Wilford, Marlise Fowler, WilliamJ. Broad, and other award-winning writers: trail the footprints of theearliest modern human to the beginning of human history; follow thelong ensuing debate before the discovery of Monte Verde as scientistssearch for the first Americans; visit the ancient cities of TitrisHoyuk, Pompeii, and Petra; glide across the belly of the Mediterraneanto hunt for clues about a bygone trade route with the world's smallestand deepest diving submarine; and explore past civilizations andancient cultures. The Science Times Book of Archaeology is the perfectbook for students, anyone interested in the development of culture,and all those fascinated with the course of human history.Amazon.com Review
Whether they're sifting through ancient trash heaps or usingcold-war technology to scour the ocean floor, archaeologistsconsistently make headlines as they travel the globe uncovering theparticulars of human history and prehistory: "Humans' EarliestFootprints Discovered," "Ancient Graves of Armed Women Hint atAmazons," "Cave Filled with Glowing Skulls: A Pre-Columbian Palace ofthe Dead," "Archaeologists Revise Portrait of Buccaneers as Monsters." Former New York Times editor Nicholas Wade has pulled togetherthese and nearly 50 other articles from his paper's esteemed ScienceTimes section, all penned by award-winning writers, including many bychief archaeology reporter John Noble Wilford.

Divided roughly into chronological sections, the book proceeds fromprehistory ("First Settlers Domesticated Pigs Before Crops") throughClassical and Biblical times (were the "enlightened" Greekscommemorating a child sacrifice, not Athena's birthday, on theParthenon's frieze?) and on to the New World ("Volcano Captured Corn,Chilies, and House Mice"). A special section covers underwaterresearch, including surprising news on the Titanic and theentrepreneurial efforts to raise I-52, a sunken Japanese subcarrying two tons of Axis gold. Fun to read for hours or just a fewminutes, the series delivers the approachability and scientific rigorthat you'd expect from the Times, and all articles includetheir original illustrations. --Paul Hughes ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

A Fun Read
This book uses reprints of recent news-breaking stories of archeological discoveries to provide fascinating glimpses of past civilizations. The scope of these glimpses varies from peasants to royalty, from the Old World to the New World of the Americas, and from 117,000 years ago (Humans'Earliest Footprints Discovered) to 1944 (the sinking of the Japanesesubmarine I-52 with more than two tons of gold aboard).

The storiesunflinchingly portray ancient human nature, a nature not so different frommodern humans. For example, archeological remains often tell gruesome talesof human suffering and sacrifices. However, some ancient remains arepoignant, such as a child's footprint left in the soft clay beside a hearthat Monte Verde (southern Chile) 12,500 years ago.

The book was a funread. As a bonus to me, it provided some background for the archeologicalaspects of a novel I am writing. ... Read more

Product Description
1883. Explaining terms frequently used in works on architecture, arms, bronzes, Christian art, color, costume, decoration, devices, emblems, heraldry, lace, personal ornaments, pottery, painting, scripture, etc. with their derivations. Gorgeously illustrated throughout with over 700 figures. ... Read more

Product Description
Are you planning to pursue adventure travel? Do youwonder what it would be like to participate in explorations of ancientruins? To learn from leading experts about the secrets of forgottencultures? To touch the millennia-old creations of the first civilizedpeople? Then you'll enjoy the journeys of veteran adventure travelerThom Tansey in The Bonehunter Series.

The legends of ancient civilizations in the Americas have alwaysenthralled Thom. In Search of Lost Civilizations: Adventures InArcheology documents his travel adventure experiences as he seeks touncover the secrets of people who once flourished in the WesternHemisphere.

Join amateur archeologist Thom Tansey as he explores:

TEOTIHUACN, the City of the Gods, the first true metropolis of theAmericas, near modern-day Mexico City.

The magnificent ruins left behind by the MAYA of Tikal in Guatemala,once the epicenter of vast trade route that stretched all through whatis now Central America, from the Pacific Ocean, to the Gulf of Mexico,to the Caribbean Sea.

The cliff dwellings of the ANASAZI, a pueblo culture that was oncecentered in the Four Corners area of the Southwest U.S. and that latermigrated to the Rio Grande Valley of New Mexico.

The HOHOKAM, whose impressive network of hand-dug irrigation canalsand ditches, the most extensive north of Peru, allowed them to thrivein the forbidding Sonoran Desert of modern-day Mexico and Arizona.

The MOUND BUILDERS of the Lower Mississippi Valley, whosesophisticated civilizations eventually fell to the diseases andmaraudings of European invaders.

To help you plan your adventure travels, Thom has provided a list ofresources and contact information, many of which he used to plan hisadventures. Plus, he's provided an exhaustive bibliography ofpublications for further reading on the topics covered in this book. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

Highly enjoyable.
This was a fun book to read and informative on a great many subjects.Mr. Tansey becomes our personal guide as we walk with him on his exploration of archeological sites in the New World.The author carefully adds interesting facts which augment the central theme.Mr. Tansey obviously comes from a time when people enjoyed knowledge just for the sake of knowledge.They enjoyed understanding as much of the world around them as possible.From his diverse educational background he shares with us along our tour features from the world of archeology, early man in the New World, biology, geology, anthropology and paleontology.
Reading Tansey's book is like walking the wood with a naturalist.He sees and he shows you what he sees and how he came to see it.And in the bargain, he shows you how to make your own discoveries.

Archeology Adventure Par Excellence
A very interesting and well written account of archeology adventures in the form of field trips. I knew something about the Anasazis from the American Southwest before I read Tansey's book, but now I have a greater understanding of the Anasazis and other Precolumbian cultures in North America. The book is an adventure story, not a classroom text, which I appreciate, yet it takes the reader into the realm of field archeology as seen through the eyes of a layman, one with the boundless curiosity of a child in awe.

I intend to avail myself of the Resources section at the back of the book to take one of these trips through the agencies listed there, and experience the learning and adventure firsthand.

I'm looking forward to the next volume in the Bonehunter Series.

Disapointing
After reading the reviews this book got here on amazon.com, I ordered it.

When I finally read it I was very disappointed.It's actually an achievement that Mr. Tansey's writing style is so uninteresting that thevery exciting subject of the book, drifts away in a haze of boredom.

It's like reading about the history of Spain by reading a few postcardsfrom a beach bunny at Mallorca. Save your money and give it a miss.Haraldur Hallgrímsson, ICELAND

An intellectual's view of ancient civilizations
Thom Tansey's "In Search of Lost Civilizations: Adventures in Archeology" is a fascinating book.This is an account by the author of his travels to the sites of different ancient civilizations in Peru,Guatemala, Mexico, and the United States.Tansey is our guide throughthese many ancient civilizations, and what an interesting guide he is.Asthe reader is led through these ancient sites he becomes aware of thebreadth of interest and knowledge of the author. Tansey is constantlyasking why and how.He gives the reader information about archeology,paleontology, Native American history, biology, linguistics, culture, humanmigrations, animal migrations (such as how butterflies travel from theUnited States to Mexico and back), agriculture, geography, entomology,architecture, building construction, hunting, food, irrigation systems,astronomy, art, wars, mythology, jewelry, religion, geology, and many othersubjects.For instance, on page 43 Tansey writes of rafting in Utah. Hedescribes walking 100 yards from the river side and finding an abundance offragments of fossils. He identifies them as crinoids. He tells us this areawas under the sea hundreds of millions of years ago and there were vastunderwater forests of crinoids then, ranging in height from several inchesto several yards, swaying in the current. Crinoids, we learn, are alsocalled sea lillies and belong to the echinoderm phylum, which they sharewith sea urchins, sand dollars, starfish, and sea cucumbers.

Here is atraveler whose interests seem to be all encompassing; someone who iscurious about anything and everything and finds true pleasure in observingand learning.This is the kind of mind a formal education is supposed todevelop, but rarely does.I would call this book highly informative,interesting, and intellectually stimulating.I cannot recommend this booktoo highly.

Fascinating, informative, entertaining reading.
In Search Of Lost Civilizations: Adventures In Archaeology is the story of amateur archaeologist Thom Tansey's adventures as he sought to uncover the secrets of people who once flourished in the Western Hemisphere. We learn of Teotihuacan, the City of the Gods and the first true metropolis of theAmericas (near modern-day Mexico City); the magnificent ruins left behindby the Maya of Tikal in Guatemala; the cliff dwellings of the Anasazi (apueblo culture of the American southwest); the hand-dug canals and ditchesof the Hohokam in the north of Peru; the Mound Builders of the LowerMississippi Valley; and more. In Search Of Lost Civilizations is also aguidebook for those wanting to travel themselves to see such sights andoffers a list of resources and contact information. There is also a lengthybibliography of publications for further reading on the variousarchaeological and anthropological subjects covered in this fascinating andinformative book. In Search Of Lost Civilizations is highly recommendedreading for students of pre-Columbian history and archaeologicalexploration in the western hemisphere. ... Read more

Product Description
A state-of-the-art introduction to the archaeological exploration of Syria-Palestine from ancient times to current excavations, Stones and Stories introduces students to the history and methods of "biblical archaeology." By correlating cultural patterns in different archaeological eras with cultural patterns in the biblical narratives, Benjamin describes the assumptions and methods that have guided both scholars and amateurs the faithful, the skeptical, and the curious.

Lavishly illustrated, Stones and Stories is simultaneously an accessible introduction to archaeological method and an overview of what archaeology has shown us regarding the worlds of the Bible. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Of strong suggestion for any with a professional or amateur interest in archeology
The Bible is not to be disregarded as a source for history, even for non-believers. "Stones and Stories: An Introduction to Archaeology and the Bible" discusses how archeologists have used the stories within the Bible to gain a greater and more complete understanding of human history. With plenty of photos and discussions of artifacts as well as a history of archeology in the Middle and Near Easts, "Stones and Stories" is of strong suggestion for any with a professional or amateur interest in archeology. ... Read more