Whenever people have felt anxious about the future, they have turned to prophets, seers, and visionaries for guidance on what is to come. Prophecies have inspired calls to arms and popular uprisings, frenzied religious revivals and mass movements of populations.
This book is a pioneering overview ranging across all continents and 4,000 years of history, from diviners consulted by Chinese emperors at the dawn of history to modern visions of catastrophe. Discover how accurate past visions of the future have turned out to be and explore the continuity of the prophetic tradition.
For lovers of the odd and unaccountable as well as for anyone curious about the future's secrets, 'Prophecies' makes compelling reading for uncertain times.
The book includes features on ancient shamans and soothsayers; Egyptian dream analysis; Greek oracles and Roman auguries; the ancient roots of astrology; messianic visionaries; medieval seers; African systems of divination; Aztec prophecies of cataclysms; the mysteries of Pachacamac; Nostradamus and his "Centuries"; and the futurism of HG Wells.