From Stonehenge to Samarkand

From Stonehenge to Samarkand PDF Author: Brian Fagan
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0195160916
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 318

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Book Description
Ever since Roman tourists scratched graffiti on the pyramids and temples of Egypt over two thousand years ago, people have traveled far and wide seeking the great wonders of antiquity. In From Stonehenge to Samarkand, noted archaeologist and popular writer Brian Fagan offers an engaging historical account of our enduring love of ancient architecture--the irresistible impulse to visit strange lands in search of lost cities and forgotten monuments.Here is a marvelous history of archaeological tourism, with generous excerpts from the writings of the tourists themselves. Readers will find Herodotus describing the construction of Babylon; Edward Gibbon receiving inspiration for his seminal work while wandering through the ruins of the Forum in Rome; Gustave Flaubert watching the sunrise from atop the Pyramid of Cheops. We visit Easter Island with Pierre Loti, Machu Picchu with Hiram Bingham, Central Africa with David Livingstone. Fagan describes the early antiquarians, consumed with a passionate and omnivorous curiosity, pondering the mysteries of Stonehenge, but he also considers some of the less reputable figures, such as the Earl of Elgin, who sold large parts of the Parthenon to the British Museum. Finally, he discusses the changing nature of archaeological tourism, from the early romantic wanderings of the solitary figure, communing with the departed spirits of Druids or Mayans, to the cruise-ship excursions of modern times, where masses of tourists are hustled through ruins, barely aware of their surroundings.From the Holy Land to the Silk Road, the Yucatan to Angkor Wat, Fagan follows in the footsteps of the great archaeological travelers to retrieve their first written impressions in a book that will delight anyone fascinated with the landmarks of ancient civilization.

From Stonehenge to Samarkand

From Stonehenge to Samarkand PDF Author: Brian Fagan
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0195160916
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 318

Get Book Here

Book Description
Ever since Roman tourists scratched graffiti on the pyramids and temples of Egypt over two thousand years ago, people have traveled far and wide seeking the great wonders of antiquity. In From Stonehenge to Samarkand, noted archaeologist and popular writer Brian Fagan offers an engaging historical account of our enduring love of ancient architecture--the irresistible impulse to visit strange lands in search of lost cities and forgotten monuments.Here is a marvelous history of archaeological tourism, with generous excerpts from the writings of the tourists themselves. Readers will find Herodotus describing the construction of Babylon; Edward Gibbon receiving inspiration for his seminal work while wandering through the ruins of the Forum in Rome; Gustave Flaubert watching the sunrise from atop the Pyramid of Cheops. We visit Easter Island with Pierre Loti, Machu Picchu with Hiram Bingham, Central Africa with David Livingstone. Fagan describes the early antiquarians, consumed with a passionate and omnivorous curiosity, pondering the mysteries of Stonehenge, but he also considers some of the less reputable figures, such as the Earl of Elgin, who sold large parts of the Parthenon to the British Museum. Finally, he discusses the changing nature of archaeological tourism, from the early romantic wanderings of the solitary figure, communing with the departed spirits of Druids or Mayans, to the cruise-ship excursions of modern times, where masses of tourists are hustled through ruins, barely aware of their surroundings.From the Holy Land to the Silk Road, the Yucatan to Angkor Wat, Fagan follows in the footsteps of the great archaeological travelers to retrieve their first written impressions in a book that will delight anyone fascinated with the landmarks of ancient civilization.

From Stonehenge to Samarkand

From Stonehenge to Samarkand PDF Author: Brian M. Fagan
Publisher:
ISBN: 9780197562055
Category : Heritage tourism
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
This anthology encompasses tales that fall into a little known literary genre, wherein authors seek to capture the romance and sense of wonder they experienced while gazing upon the monumental architecture of ancient civilisations.

Beyond the Blue Horizon

Beyond the Blue Horizon PDF Author: Brian Fagan
Publisher: A&C Black
ISBN: 1408833549
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 337

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Book Description
We know the tales of Columbus and Captain Cook, yet much earlier mariners made equally bold and world-changing voyages. In Beyond the Blue Horizon, archaeologist and historian Brian Fagan tackles his richest topic yet: the enduring quest to master the oceans, the planet's most mysterious terrain. From the moment when ancient Polynesians first dared to sail beyond the horizon, Fagan vividly explains how our mastery of the oceans changed the course of human history. What drove humans to risk their lives on open water? How did early sailors unlock the secrets of winds, tides, and the stars they steered by? What were the earliest ocean crossings like? With compelling detail, Fagan reveals how seafaring evolved so that the forbidding realms of the sea gods were transformed from barriers into a nexus of commerce and cultural exchange. From bamboo rafts in the Java Sea to triremes in the Aegean, from Norse longboats in the North Atlantic to sealskin kayaks in Alaska, Fagan crafts a captivating narrative of humanity's urge to challenge the unknown and seek out distant shores.

The Intimate Bond

The Intimate Bond PDF Author: Brian Fagan
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing USA
ISBN: 1620405725
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 337

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Book Description
Cultuurgeschiedenis van de relatie tussen mens en dier door de eeuwen heen.

Babylon Under Western Eyes

Babylon Under Western Eyes PDF Author: Andrew Scheil
Publisher: University of Toronto Press
ISBN: 1442625139
Category : Literary Criticism
Languages : en
Pages : 360

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Book Description
Babylon under Western Eyes examines the mythic legacy of ancient Babylon, the Near Eastern city which has served western culture as a metaphor for power, luxury, and exotic magnificence for more than two thousand years. Sifting through the many references to Babylon in biblical, classical, medieval, and modern texts, Andrew Scheil uses Babylon’s remarkable literary ubiquity as the foundation for a thorough analysis of the dynamics of adaptation and allusion in western literature. Touching on everything from Old English poetry to the contemporary apocalyptic fiction of the “Left Behind” series, Scheil outlines how medieval Christian society and its cultural successors have adopted Babylon as a political metaphor, a degenerate archetype, and a place associated with the sublime. Combining remarkable erudition with a clear and accessible style, Babylon under Western Eyes is the first comprehensive examination of Babylon’s significance within the pantheon of western literature and a testimonial to the continuing influence of biblical, classical, and medieval paradigms in modern culture.

The Works of James McCune Smith

The Works of James McCune Smith PDF Author: James McCune Smith
Publisher:
ISBN: 0195309618
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 384

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Book Description
The first African American to receive a medical degree, this invaluable collection brings together the writings of James McCune Smith, one of the foremost intellectuals in antebellum America. The Selected Writings of James McCune Smith is one of the first anthologies featuring the works of this illustrious scholar. Perhaps best known for his introduction to Fredrick Douglass's My Bondage and My Freedom, his influence is still found in a number of aspects of modern society and social interactions. And he was considered by many to be a prophet of the twenty-first century. One of the earliest advocates of the use of "black" instead of "colored," McCune Smith treated racial identities as social constructions, arguing that American literature, music, and dance would be shaped and defined by blacks. Organized chronologically, the collection covers over 40 years of writing, including speeches, letters, and essays, and begins with McCune Smith's first speech as an 11-year old boy to the Marquis de Lafayette. Providing historical context for McCune Smith's current cultural relevance, this book showcases writings on black education and self-help, citizenship, and the fight against racism.

The Way of Herodotus

The Way of Herodotus PDF Author: Justin Marozzi
Publisher: Da Capo Press
ISBN: 0786727276
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 386

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Book Description
Intrepid travel historian Justin Marozzi retraces the footsteps of Herodotus through the Mediterranean and Middle East, examining Herodotus's 2,500-year-old observations about the cultures and places he visited and finding echoes of his legacy reverberating to this day. The Way of Herodotus is a lively yet thought-provoking excursion into the world of Herodotus, with the man who invented history ever present, guiding the narrative with his discursive spirit.

The Dynamics of Interconnections in Popular Culture(s)

The Dynamics of Interconnections in Popular Culture(s) PDF Author: Ray B. Browne
Publisher: Cambridge Scholars Publishing
ISBN: 1443858641
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 285

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Book Description
The Dynamics of Interconnections in Popular Culture(s) is an eclectic and free-ranging collection of articles grounded in a combination of the social sciences with the populist humanities. The collection is further unified by an approach that considers changes and linkages within and between cultural systems as evidenced through their respective popular cultures. The key underlying assumption is that our collective popular expressions create an arena of global cultural exchange, further precipitating new cultural adaptations, expressions, and connections. The volume is divided into two sections. The first consists of articles investigating theoretical and methodological approaches to the dynamics of history and cultural changes. These include cultural anthropology, history, economics, and sociology. The second section is made up of explorations into a myriad of cultural practices and expressions that exemplify not only the wide diversity of popular cultures and their workings, but also the interconnections between and within those cultural systems. A wide variety of specific case studies are presented to evidence and support the more general points made in the previous section. The collection demonstrates that the everyday lives of ordinary people, while varying from culture to culture, are unified through their expressions of shared humanity. Foreword by Gary Hoppenstand.

The Attacking Ocean

The Attacking Ocean PDF Author: Brian Fagan
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing USA
ISBN: 1608196941
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 289

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Book Description
A history of climate change describes the dramatic evolution and stabilization of the oceans before the rise of humans approximately 6,000 years ago, tracing a significant rise in global temperatures since 1860 and how a rising sea level is affecting world populations.

The Great Warming

The Great Warming PDF Author: Brian Fagan
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing USA
ISBN: 1596917806
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 225

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Book Description
In this New York Times bestseller, Brian Fagan shows how climate transformed-and sometimes destroyed--human societies during the earth's last global warming phase. From the 10th to 15th centuries the earth experienced a rise in surface temperature that changed climate worldwide-a preview of today's global warming. In some areas, including much of Western Europe, longer summers brought bountiful crops and population growth that led to cultural flowering. In others, drought shook long-established societies, such as the Maya and the Indians of the American Southwest, whose monumental buildings were left deserted as elaborate social structures collapsed. Brian Fagan examines how subtle changes in the environment had far-reaching effects on human life, in a narrative that sweeps from the Arctic ice cap to the Sahara to the Indian Ocean. The lessons of history suggest we may be yet be underestimating the power of climate change to disrupt our lives today.