NEW Archaeology Ancient Spiritual Lives Egypt Aztec Celt Jericho Human Sacrifice

Description: From Black Land To Fifth Sun: The Science of Sacred Sites by Brian Fagan. NOTE: We have 75,000 books in our library, almost 10,000 different titles. Odds are we have other copies of this same title in varying conditions, some less expensive, some better condition. We might also have different editions as well (some paperback, some hardcover, oftentimes international editions). If you don’t see what you want, please contact us and ask. We’re happy to send you a summary of the differing conditions and prices we may have for the same title. DESCRIPTION: Hardback with Dust Jacket: 403 pages. Publisher: Helix Books; (1998). Brian Fagan, a prominent U.C. Santa Barbara archaeologist uses the latest scientific techniques to interpret the spiritual lives of ancient people. From “Black Land to Fifth Sun” is an engrossing look at a dramatic new generation of archaeological discoveries made possible by cutting-edge science that are transforming our understanding of the inner lives of ancient people everywhere. Until recently, archaeology was concerned mainly with piecing together the material lives of our ancestors. In this groundbreaking book, master storyteller and respected archaeologist Brian Fagan explains how cutting-edge science can now take us beyond the artifacts into the mystical realm of shamans and spirit mediums, ancestor worship, and ritual sacrifice. From the Niles black land to the Aztecs world of the Fifth Sun, from Stonehenge to Jericho, Fagan describes how Accelerator Mass Spectrometry, Geographic Information Systems, Computer Automated Design mapping, and other sophisticated scientific methods are helping us to decode the religious and spiritual beliefs of our forebears. This new archaeology of the mind blends a wealth of scientific disciplines from botany, zoology, and geology to neuropsychology, palynology, and nuclear physics. With vivid imagery and a transporting voice, Fagan revolutionizes our understanding of the inner lives of ancient people. CONDITION: NEW. New hardcover w/dustjacket. Unblemished and pristine in every respect. Pages are clean, crisp, unmarked, unmutilated, tightly bound, unambiguously unread. Satisfaction unconditionally guaranteed. In stock, ready to ship. No disappointments, no excuses. PROMPT SHIPPING! HEAVILY PADDED, DAMAGE-FREE PACKAGING! PLEASE SEE IMAGES BELOW FOR SAMPLE PAGES FROM INSIDE OF BOOK. PLEASE SEE PUBLISHER, PROFESSIONAL, AND READER REVIEWS BELOW. PUBLISHER REVIEW: REVIEW: A noted archaeologist describes how modern technology reveals the archaeology of the mind. This approach allows archaeologist to consider why Cro-Magnons felt the impulse to render images on the caves at Lascaux and how hunter-gatherer tribes evolved religions. Fagan's experience is vast an attribute boldly illustrated by the book's inclusion of sites from Stonehenge to the Chaco Canyon and he uses it to recount the latest theories and discoveries of lost worlds around the globe. Brian Fagan is one of the leading archaeological writers in the world and an internationally recognized authority on world prehistory. He studied archaeology and anthropology at Pembroke College, Cambridge University, and then spent seven years in sub-Saharan Africa working in museums and in monuments conservation and excavating early farming sites in Zambia and East Africa. He was one of the pioneers of multidisciplinary African history in the 1960s. Since 1967, he has been professor of anthropology at the University of California, Santa Barbara, where he has specialized in lecturing and writing about archaeology to wide audiences. Professor Fagan has written a number of best-selling textbooks, including: “Ancient Lives: An Introduction to Archaeology”; “In the Beginning”; “Archaeology: A Brief Introduction”; “People of the Earth”; “World Prehistory”; “Historical Archaeology” (with Charles E. Orser). All were published by Prentice Hall and are used around the world. His general books include “The Rape of the Nile”, a classic history of Egyptology; “The Adventure of Archaeology”; “Time Detectives”; “Floods, Famines, and Emperors: EI Niño and the Fate of Civilizations”; “Ancient North America”; and “The Little Ice Age”. He is general editor of the Oxford Companion to Archaeology. In addition, he has published several scholarly monographs on African archaeology and numerous specialized articles in national and international journals. He is also an expert on multimedia teaching and has received the Society for American Archaeology's first Public Education Award for his indefatigable efforts on behalf of archaeology and education. Brian Fagan's other interests include bicycling, sailing, kayaking, and good food. He is married and lives in Santa Barbara with his wife and daughter, four cats (who supervise his writing), and last but not least, four rabbits. PROFESSIONAL REVIEWS: REVIEW: From the Nile’s “Black Land” to the Aztec’s world of the “Fifth Sun”, from the shrines at Phylakopi to the Maya ceremonial center of Xunaantunich, sophisticated scientific techniques are giving us insights into the intangible: our ancestors’ relationship with the cosmos, their notion of cyclical time, their dependence upon and worship of the earth, indeed, their very world view. Respected archaeologist Brian Fagan draws upon a wealth of scientific disciplines to explore this new “archaeology of the mind”. “From Black Land to Fifth Sun” is an engrossing look at a dramatic new generation of archaeological discoverers, made possible by cutting-edge science, that are transforming our understanding of the inner lives of ancient people everywhere. REVIEW: The unearthing of cave paintings, stone circles, burial mounds, charnel houses, pyramids and the like poses fundamental questions about the relationships between extinct cultures and their perceived worlds. Renowned archaeologist Fagan attempts with the aid of techniques like Accelerator Mass Spectrometry and Computer Automated Design mapping, to bridge the gap between the tangible and intangible, between the material and the spiritual lives of ancient peoples. Advocating the emerging science of the "archaeology of the mind," he suggests that he and his kind are like "Ahabs pursuing our great white whale" since "our limitations of thought, of understandings, of imagination" will prevent us from ever fully reconstructing from the available evidence the worldviews of long-defunct cultures. Nevertheless, his pilgrimage from Lascaux to Zimbabwe; Jericho to Stonehenge; Knossos to the Pyramids of Giza; Chillicothe, Ohio, to Teothihuacan, Mexico takes us on an often gripping first-person tour of the world's past, and his excitement in surveying these areas for himself is almost palpable. But the real focus here is on the science, from debunking conjectures about Stonehenge to reanimating the Catalhoyuk Goddess cult, and its invaluable contribution to painstaking reconstructions of the time frames and available materials of various eras. Fagan’s accuracy is refreshing given the controversy that surrounds many of the more famous sites. REVIEW: In “Time Detectives” (1994), archaeologist Fagan recounted the revolutionary effect of carbon-dating techniques on the practice of archaeology. Here he discusses the challenge of establishing a creditable methodology for creating an "archaeology of the mind”. Fagan studies the silent and weathered remains of sacred sites to discern not only the nature of the rituals performed there but also the cosmologies that inspired them, believing that archaeologists can, and should, use the material to illuminate the spiritual. In highly instructive yet engagingly anecdotal accounts of his sojourns at major sacred sites, including the art-laced Cro-Magnon caves of France, the San paintings of southern Africa, the megaliths and stone circles of Europe, and the earthworks of North America; Fagan explains how the chemistry of pigments or food remains, the molecular structure of obsidian, or the dating of tree rings can be used to make ancient iconography and shamanistic practices come alive. Ultimately, his chronicling of the evolution of our interpretations of the significance of ancient sacred sites demonstrates how integral a role technology has played in both religion and science. REVIEW: Fagan’s synthesis takes the reader on an enlightening journey, educating us about methods, theories, and inferences. Fagan blends science and archaeology to add a new dimension to our understanding of sacred places. REVIEW: A personal, passionate account of fascinating problems. Nobody does this kind of book better than Fagan, who is a master of the fluent, readable, and informative account of archaeological investigation. The stories are fresh, the insights dramatic, and Fagan tells the unfolding drama with verve. This is Fagan at his best! READER REVIEWS: REVIEW: What can archaeology tell us about the spiritual lives of people who, like the painters of Lascaux cave or the builders of Stonehenge, lived so long ago that only (or mostly) their nonlinguistic material remains, their stones and bones, are left for us to study? Brian Fagan's book is a fascinating exploration, for the general reader, of this highly interesting question. The author takes his readers on a personal tour of various sacred sites, and explains how current methods of scientific excavation and anthropological research can help interpret the cultural meaning of these places and the context of belief and ritual in which they operated. While much of their spiritual content is necessarily unrecoverable in detail, think of trying to understand a cathedral with no missals or Creed, there is, still, much that can be learned. Sites and cultures discussed in the book include: Chauvet, African rock art, Catalhoyuk, Knossos, Stonehenge, Mound builders, Egypt, Mayas, and Aztecs (one envies the author his frequent-flyer miles.) The book ranges in space and time from Europe in 15,000 BC, through Africa, and finally to the Americas in 1500 A.D. Written in 1998, the book still (2003) seems basically up-to-date. The author deserves great credit for producing a popular book which covers such a wide area and is at the same time generally reliable and accurate. Fagan is of the school of archaeology that applies anthropological concepts and methods to his work. Shamanism, the mother goddess, ancestor cult, sacred-tree cosmology, and astronomical alignments will all make an appearance, although rather conservatively, in these pages. Some readers may feel he goes too far with this, while others may wish that he would take it even farther. I think he gets the balance right, but in any case his reasoning is presented in a clear and straightforward way so that readers can make up their own minds about it. In summary, most readers who are fascinated by these ancient places, and want to learn more about how archaeology and science interpret them, will find this book to be a helpful and very interesting read. REVIEW: Are we like those who lived 30,000 years ago? “From Black Land to Fifth Sun” is a look at the physical evidence that enables archaeologists to make conclusions regarding the belief systems of cultures long past. Is it valid to draw parallels between the Cro-Magnon people who lived in what is today, France, of 30,000 years ago and the San of the Kalahari in today's Botswana in Africa? I always ship books Media Mail in a padded mailer. This book is shipped FOR FREE via USPS INSURED media mail (“book rate”). All domestic shipments and most international shipments will include free USPS Delivery Confirmation (you might be able to update the status of your shipment on-line at the USPS Web Site and free insurance coverage). A small percentage of international shipments may require an additional fee for tracking and/or delivery confirmation. If you are concerned about a little wear and tear to the book in transit, I would suggest a boxed shipment - it is an extra $1.00. Whether via padded mailer or box, we will give discounts for multiple purchases. International orders are welcome, but shipping costs are substantially higher. Most international orders cost an additional $12.99 to $33.99 for an insuredshipment in a heavily padded mailer, and typically includes some form of rudimentary tracking and/or delivery confirmation (though for some countries, this is only available at additional cost). There is also a discount program which can cut postage costs by 50% to 75% if you’re buying about half-a-dozen books or more (5 kilos+). Rates and available services vary a bit from country to country. You can email or message me for a shipping cost quote, but I assure you they are as reasonable as USPS rates allow, and if it turns out the rate is too high for your pocketbook, we will cancel the sale at your request. ADDITIONAL PURCHASES do receive a VERY LARGE discount, typically about $5 per book (for each additional book after the first) so as to reward you for the economies of combined shipping/insurance costs. Your purchase will ordinarily be shipped within 48 hours of payment. We package as well as anyone in the business, with lots of protective padding and containers. All of our shipments are sent via insured mail so as to comply with PayPal requirements. We do NOT recommend uninsured shipments, and expressly disclaim any responsibility for the loss of an uninsured shipment. Unfortunately the contents of parcels are easily “lost” or misdelivered by postal employees – even in the USA. That’s why all of our domestic shipments (and most international) shipments include a USPS delivery confirmation tag; or are trackable or traceable, and all shipments (international and domestic) are insured. We do offer U.S. Postal Service Priority Mail, Registered Mail, and Express Mail for both international and domestic shipments, as well United Parcel Service (UPS) and Federal Express (Fed-Ex). Please ask for a rate quotation. We will accept whatever payment method you are most comfortable with. If upon receipt of the item you are disappointed for any reason whatever, I offer a no questions asked return policy. Send it back, I will give you a complete refund of the purchase price (less our original shipping costs). Most of the items I offer come from the collection of a family friend who was active in the field of Archaeology for over forty years. However many of the items also come from purchases I make in Eastern Europe, India, and from the Levant (Eastern Mediterranean/Near East) from various institutions and dealers. Though I have always had an interest in archaeology, my own academic background was in sociology and cultural anthropology. After my retirement however, I found myself drawn to archaeology as well. Aside from my own personal collection, I have made extensive and frequent additions of my own via purchases on Ebay (of course), as well as many purchases from both dealers and institutions throughout the world - but especially in the Near East and in Eastern Europe. I spend over half of my year out of the United States, and have spent much of my life either in India or Eastern Europe. In fact much of what we generate on Yahoo, Amazon and Ebay goes to support The Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, as well as some other worthy institutions in Europe connected with Anthropology and Archaeology. I acquire some small but interesting collections overseas from time-to-time, and have as well some duplicate items within my own collection which I occasionally decide to part with. Though I have a collection of ancient coins numbering in the tens of thousands, my primary interest is in ancient jewelry. My wife also is an active participant in the "business" of antique and ancient jewelry, and is from Russia. I would be happy to provide you with a certificate/guarantee of authenticity for any item you purchase from me. There is a $2 fee for mailing under separate cover. Whenever I am overseas I have made arrangements for purchases to be shipped out via domestic mail. If I am in the field, you may have to wait for a week or two for a COA to arrive via international air mail. But you can be sure your purchase will arrive properly packaged and promptly - even if I am absent. And when I am in a remote field location with merely a notebook computer, at times I am not able to access my email for a day or two, so be patient, I will always respond to every email. Please see our "ADDITIONAL TERMS OF SALE." TRANSLATE Arabic Chinese French German Greek Indonesian Italian Hindi Japanese Korean Swedish Portuguese Russian Spanish

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Location: Ferndale, Washington

End Time: 2024-10-09T20:44:03.000Z

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