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A unique, multi-authored social history of war from the third millennium B.C.E. to the tenth century C.E. in the Mediterranean, the Near East, and Europe (Egypt, Achaemenid Persia, Greece, the Hellenistic World, the Roman Republic and Empire, the Byzantine Empire, the early Islamic World, and early Medieval Europe), with parallel studies of Mesoamerica (the Maya and Aztecs) and East Asia (ancient China, medieval Japan). The product of a colloquium at Harvard's Center for Hellenic Studies, this volume offers a broadly based, comparative examination of war and military organization in their complex interactions with social, economic, and political structures as well as cultural practices. Contributors are: Bernard Bachrach, Pierre Briant, Brian Campbell, Patricia Crone, Wayne Farris, Brian Ferguson, Andrea Gnirs, John Haldon, Charles Hamilton, Victor Hanson, Ross Hassig, Kurt Raaflaub, Nathan Rosenstein, Barry Strauss, David Webster, Robin Yates. ... Read more

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The significance of food and feasting to Pre-Columbian Mesoamerican cultures has been extensively studied by archaeologists, anthropologists and art historians. Foodways studies have been critical to our understanding of early agriculture, political economies, and the domestication and management of plants and animals. Scholars from diverse fields have explored the symbolic complexity of food and its preparation, as well as the social importance of feasting in contemporary and historical societies. This book unites these disciplinary perspectives — from the social and biological sciences to art history and epigraphy — creating a work comprehensive in scope, which reveals our increasing understanding of the various roles of foods and cuisines in Mesoamerican cultures.

The volume is organized thematically into three sections. Part 1 gives an overview of food and feasting practices as well as ancient economies in Mesoamerica. Part 2 details ethnographic, epigraphic and isotopic evidence of these practices. Finally, Part 3 presents the metaphoric value of food in Mesoamerican symbolism, ritual, and mythology. The resulting volume provides a thorough, interdisciplinary resource for understanding, food, feasting, and cultural practices in Mesoamerica.

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This volume considers the significance of stone monuments in Preclassic Mesoamerica, focusing on the period following the precocious appearance of monumental sculpture at the Olmec site of San Lorenzo and preceding the rise of the Classic polities in the Maya region and Central Mexico. By quite literally “placing” sculptures in their cultural, historical, social, political, religious, and cognitive contexts, the seventeen contributors utilize archaeological and art historical methods to understand the origins, growth, and spread of civilization in Middle America. They present abundant new data and new ways of thinking about sculpture and society in Preclassic Mesoamerica, and call into question the traditional dividing line between Preclassic and Classic cultures. They offer not only a fruitful way of rethinking the beginnings of civilization in Mesoamerica, but provide a series of detailed discussions concerning how these beginnings were dynamically visualized through sculptural programming during the Preclassic period.

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The book goes on to discuss and illustrate the beauty of the colossal stone sculptures of the Toltec, and the magnificent jade carvings of the Olmec, and the turquoise mosaics of the Aztec.The book has a highly visual approach, with over 230 supe ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

the art and architecture
"An illustrated encyclopidia" says the title... that is deceiving. Probably they don't know what encyclopedia means... in this case the book lacks information and depth. ... Read more

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During the 1960s, in such works as Man the Hunter, scholars constructed a model of cultural evolution in which men were characterized as "cooperative hunters of big game." Women fit neatly into this model, such books as Woman the Gatherer explained, as gatherers of plant food. In spite of evidence of hunting by women, this model—which incorporated the unexamined assumption that women in prehistory were "immobilized" by pregnancy, lactation, and child care and therefore needed to be left at a home base—came to dominate archaeological interpretation of the economic roles of men and women.

Women in Prehistory challenges this model and undertakes an examination of the archaeological record informed by insights into the cultural construction of gender that have emerged from scholarship in history, anthropology, biology, and related disciplines. Along with analysis of burial assemblages and of representations of gendered individuals, contributors study bone chemistry, assessment of skeletal pathologies, micro- and macro-scale distributional evidence, as well as analogical arguments from ethnoarchaeology and ethnohistory to discuss pottery, shell matrix sites, skeletal material, the domestic setting, and spinning.

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More than 100 indigenous languages are spoken in Mexico and Central America. Each language partitions the color spectrum according to a pattern that is unique in some way. But every local system of color categories also shares characteristics with the systems of other Mesoamerican languages and of languages elsewhere in the world. This book presents the results of the Mesoamerican Color Survey, which Robert E. MacLaury conducted in 1978-1981. Drawn from interviews with 900 speakers of some 116 Mesoamerican languages, the book provides a sweeping overview of the organization and semantics of color categorization in modern Mesoamerica. Extensive analysis and MacLaury's use of vantage theory reveal complex and often surprising interrelationships among the ways languages categorize colors. His findings offer valuable cross-cultural data for all students of Mesoamerica. They will also be of interest to all linguists and cognitive scientists working on theories of categorization more generally. ... Read more

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Mesoamerica has become one of the most important areas for research into the emergence of complex human societies. Between 10,000 years ago and the arrival of the Spanish in 1521, some very significant changes in the evolution of numan societies occurred. In this revised and updated edition of a book first published in 1981, the authors synthesize recent research, focusing on three intensively studied regions, the Valleys of Oaxaca and Mexico and the Maya lowlands. A theoretical framework of ideas is developed to explain long-term change in complex societies. ... Read more

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Gender was a fluid potential, not a fixed category, before the Spaniards came to Mesoamerica. Childhood training and ritual shaped, but did not set, adult gender, which could encompass third genders and alternative sexualities as well as "male" and "female." At the height of the Classic period, Maya rulers presented themselves as embodying the entire range of gender possibilities, from male through female, by wearing blended costumes and playing male and female roles in state ceremonies. This landmark book offers the first comprehensive description and analysis of gender and power relations in prehispanic Mesoamerica from the Formative Period Olmec world (ca. 1500-500 BC) through the Postclassic Maya and Aztec societies of the sixteenth century AD. Using approaches from contemporary gender theory, Rosemary Joyce explores how Mesoamericans created human images to represent idealized notions of what it meant to be male and female and to depict proper gender roles. She then juxtaposes these images with archaeological evidence from burials, house sites, and body ornaments, which reveals that real gender roles were more fluid and variable than the stereotyped images suggest. ... Read more

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This illustrated art book, with original photographic documentation, provides an excellent introduction to the artistic imagery and symbols of ancient Mesoamerica.' ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Stunning!
This book is absolutely stunning in its display of the gems of mesoamerican mural painting.

The full page prints of cacaxtla, teotihuacan and bonampak murals truly are the best reproductions of the greatest examples of pre-columbian painting.

These peoples' use of color and symbolism, especially at Cacaxtla and Bonampak, which I find to be the best two murals, will blow you away.

This book demonstrates that Mesoamerican painting dating back to 2,000 years ago, with some still having brilliant colors with little fading, is worthy of respect among some of the worlds great murals including ancient egypt, minoan, and roman.

The only great example of mesoamerican painting that rivals bonampak that is not included in this book is the recently discovered murals at San Bartolo in Guatemala and this is a result of their discovery post-dating the printing of this book.

A must have to add to the collection of any art enthusiast! ... Read more

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For more than a millennium the great Mesoamerican city of Teotihuacn (c. 150 b.c.a.d. 750) has been imagined and reimagined by a host of subsequent cultures including our own. Mesoamerica's Classic Heritage engages the subject of the unity and diversity of pre-Hispanic Mesoamerica by focusing on the classic heritage of this ancient city.This new volume is the product of several years of research by members of Princeton University's Moses Mesoamerican Archive and Research Project and Mexico's Proyecto Teotihuacn.Offering a variety of disciplinary perspectives--including the history of religions, anthropology, archaeology, and art history--and a wealth of new data, Mesoamerica's Classic Heritage examines Teotihuacn's rippling influence across Mesoamerican time and space, including important patterns of continuity and change, and its relationships, both historical and symbolic, with Tenochtitlan, Cholula, and various Mayan communities.

The contributors to Mesoamerica's Classic Heritage offer a wide range of individual interpretations, but they agree that Teotihuacn, more than any other pre-Hispanic center, was a paradigmatic source that informed the art and architecture, cosmology and ritual life, and conceptions of urbanism and political authority for significant parts of the Mesoamerican world.This great city achieved the prestige of being the site of the creation of the cosmos and of effective social and political space in Mesoamerica through its capacity to symbolize, perform, and export its imperial authority.These essays reveal the different ways in which Teotihuacn's classic heritage both fed and fed on the dynamic interactivity of the entire area. Whether a paradigm shift in Mesoamerican studies is taking place, certainly a new contextual understanding of Teotihuacn and the diversities and unities of Mesoamerica is emerging in these pages. ... Read more

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Focuses on ritual expression in at the household level, comparing the manifestation ofs of domestic ritual across time and space in both the cores and peripheries of ancient Mesoamerica, in the cities and in the villages. The authors explore the ways in whihc cosmological principles and concepts of the sacred were used in the construction of ritual space and practice, how local landscapes provided templates for the images and paraphernalia recovered from archaeological contexts, how foreign enclaves relaied on ritual for social reproduction, and how domestic ritual was related to, and indeed embedded in, institutionalized state religions. ... Read more

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Long before the arrival of Columbus, the civilizations of Mesoamerica were among the most sophisticated and spectacular of the ancient world. In Exploring Mesoamerica, the second volume in the Places in Time series, John M. D. Pohl takes us on a guided tour of the most amazing archaeological sites of Mesoamerica, bringing to life the civilizations that once flourished there.

Lavishly illustrated with photographs, maps, reconstructions, and site plans, Exploring Mesoamerica examines eighteen well-known archaeological sites from 2500 B.C. to 1519 A.D., from Izapa, Tikal, and Palenque to Cacaxtla, Casas Grandes, and Tenochititlan. Each site is a time capsule reflecting the cultural lifespan of that particular region, and providing clues to the societal evolution of ancient Mesoamerica as a whole. Every chapter describes the history of a site's excavation and its most revealing architectural treasure, then goes on to discuss the people who lived there and the technological advances, class structures, and spiritual beliefs that characterized their culture. From intricate terraced gardens to palatial residences, from complex celestial calendars to thriving trade networks, Mesoamerican civilization springs into bold relief in this carefully researched volume. Most important, every site discussed is fully accessible to the public, and the author provides their locations, listing the museums that contain the primary artifacts for each.

Lucidly written and based on the most current archaeological scholarship, Exploring Mesoamerica reopens this fascinating region for history buffs, armchair time-travelers, and anyone planning to explore these intriguing sites. ... Read more

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Ancient Mesoamerica drew world interest in the 19th century when photographs, drawings, and descriptions of discoveries of ruined cities in exotic locations in Mexico and Central America were published. These accounts from early explorers, archaeologists, and travelers made the cultures and archaeological sites of ancient Mesoamerica including the Olmec, Maya, Aztec, Mixtec, Tarascan, Toltec, Zapotec, and other civilizations a major focus of intensive research, public and private funding, and lay interest.The A to Z of Ancient Mesoamerica covers some of the major discoveries throughout ancient Mesoamerica from the last 100 years. The results of previous and continuing research and explorations, plus recent interpretations of ancient cultures and new work at archaeological sites in Mesoamerica are summarized here. Included in this volume are information and insights on archaeological sites, material culture, social and economic organization, religion and belief systems, and the social history of ancient Mesoamerica. The entries contain geographical, chronological, historical, and interpretive data that serve as a condensed and accessible resource of reference material. Also presented here are select historical personages of ancient times and some brief notes on their lives and accomplishments taken from hieroglyphic texts, painted books or codices, and written documents and oral histories from the colonial period. With a bibliography and chronology, this text will be the perfect starting point for high school or undergraduate research, and a helpful ready-reference for more experienced scholars. ... Read more

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This major revision of Richard E. W. Adams's classic text on the ancient civilizations of Mesoamerica adds new information available from archaeological fieldwork in the region from the 1990s through 2004 and also evaluates recent theories regarding the remarkable prehistoric cultures of a region that today encompasses Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, and parts of Honduras and El Salvador.

This up-to-date overview provides an introduction to Mesoamerican studies, a brief geographic sketch of the region, and a summary of the major features of its civilizations. Adams follows with a detailed examination of each period of Mesoamerican cultural history, from early prehistoric times through the rise and fall of various city-states to the ascendancy and ultimate fall of the Aztec Empire.Amazon.com Review
When the Spanish first arrived on the shores of Mexico, theywere astonished to find a monumental record of civilizations therethat stretched back for hundreds, even thousands of years. RichardAdams provides a lively archaeological catalog and history of thosecivilizations--Olmec, Mayan, Teotihuacan, Toltec, Mixtec, Tarascan,and Aztec--in this well-illustrated reference. New discoveries areconstantly forcing revisions in the archaeological record, especiallyin the chronology, but Adams's book is more up to date than manysimilar surveys. Travel in his pages through the Merchants barrio,Monte Alban, Palenque, and the great pyramid complexes, and you'll bewell prepared for an on-the-ground tour of ancient Mexico. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

The publishers need to try harder
Poorly edited (multiple mistakes regarding very specific names and places), bad use of poorly focused black and white snapshots, not written well. Simply a bad summary of better books. I wish I would have read the books the author of this text summarized. And then wrote this book, b/c I couldn't have done any worse!

Outdated overview
Although it is argued (and mentioned on the cover) that this overview is revised, it seems to me a lot of 'ancient data' has escaped the attention of the compiler. Several regional and/or chronological sections contain information based on research now considered outdated. In fact, not just 'now' but even back in the early nineties when this revised edition was published. It is a pity that because of that many regional developments remain untouched: Where is central Mexico in this book? How about the Valley of Oaxaca (is 15 pages for Classic Oaxaca sufficient on any standard)? Etc etc. Only to those those who still consider Mesoamerica to be 'Maya and their neighbors' this overview will prove satisfactory. All others interested in an introduction to Mesoamerica should instead consider Smith and Masson's edited volume or Susan Toby Evans' recent compilation.

All you want, and need, to know on Mesoamerica
This revised edition is indeed a great book.Well written.Loaded with facts and interpretations but not overloaded.It reads really nicely, and furthermore, it can be read by sections if one wishes so, though it would be a pity.Some minor editing problems (e.g. some numbers seem unbelievable and are likely typos).Enough illustrations to rest the eyes of the reader, and adequate maps.But for this reviewer the best feature of this book is that the author tries to integrate the history of successive cultures of Mesoamerica.For example, if you want to know what happened to the post classic Mayas you will need to go to another chapter than the main one on Mayas.This way the mutual influences of cultures can be better understood, at least when those influences did take place.Very likely the best all around book on Mesoamerica that one could have on the bookshelves.My only grip is the title, slightly misleading since it suggests prehistory.If history is defined as from the time when a cultures can write its history, then what about the Mayas who had a complete writing system?Not very "politically correct" if you ask this reviewer. ... Read more

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This illustrated study guides the reader through the long history of Mesoamerican mask-making. It explores many themes associated with one of the least understood yet fascinating religious and mythological traditions. ... Read more

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Design
The book is wonderful, but Amazon, you've got your information wrong. Joseph Campbell didn't design this. He wrote the Introduction. Why do I know this? I designed the book and won an award for it. ... Read more

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