The great civilizations of the distant past - including ancient Mesopotamia, Egypt, Greece, Rome, Celtic Europe, China and pre-Columbian America - never cease to impress us with their spectacular achievement. Ideas, writings and works of art speak to us across tracts of time with an amazing freshness of imagination and workmanship.
This book presents a vivid, many-faceted portrait of these achievements, set within their historical context. A team of specialists has created the most accessible guide yet produced to the spiritual, cultural, technological and artistic innovation that was a hallmark of these complex and fascinating societies.
Organized continent by continent, 'Ancient Civilizations' places special emphasis on the evidence still remaining - whether rich and monumental (like the perfect harmony of the Parthenon in Athens), precious and ornate (like the Book of Kells) or strange and enigmatic (like the ballcourts of Central America.) Detailed coverage is given to symbols, sacred texts, religious ceremonies, gods and goddesses, visions of the cosmos, and sacred sites - from the temple of Karnak and the Valley of the Kings to the lakes and mountains of the Celtic imagination.
Authoritative, accessible and superbly illustrated, 'Ancient Civilizations' rolls back the mists of time to offer us gloriously clear insights into the life and times, and the artistic and imaginative splendours, of our greatest ancestors.
