It seemed to me that each chapter was a new experience and a new possibility for further study.

As an archaeologist, it was incredible to me to realise just how many different places, times and cultures I found interesting as I was reading through.

There are places included in the book, such as the archaeology of Polynesia, Melanesia and Micronesia, that is rarely mentioned in other general archaeology books and would otherwise require purchasing a separate, much more specific book to get an introduction. As a Danish student of archaeology, having primarily been taught Danish and Northern European archaeology, being able to get a sense of the archaeology of the entire world in one book was incredible. I read it front to back, not because I had to as part of my studies, but because the human past fascinates me. But if you are interested in archaeology, this book is a treasure trove. I also understand that it can be difficult to remember all of the information if you're reading it as part of your studies. I understand what people are saying about information overload and the unwieldy size of the book. Examining the world's pre-industrial civilizations from a multidisciplinary perspective and offering a comparative analysis of the field which explores the connections between all civilizations around the world, Scarre and Fagan, both established authorities on world prehistory, provide a valuable introduction to pre-industrial civilizations in all their brilliant diversity.Listen. Ancient Civilizations includes a number of features to support student learning: a wealth of images, including several new illustrations feature boxes which expand on key sites, finds and written sources and an extensive guide to further reading.? With new perceptions of the origin and collapse of states, including a review of the issue of sustainability, this fourth edition has been extensively updated in the light of spectacular new discoveries and the latest theoretical advances. This book covers the earliest civilizations and the great powers in the Near East, moving on to the first Aegean civilizations, the Mediterranean world in the first millennium, Imperial Rome, northeast Africa, the divine kings in southeast Asia, and empires in East Asia, as well as early states in the Americas and Andean civilization. s, and both historical and ethnohistorical records. Ancient Civilizations (Paperback, 4th New edition)Īncient Civilizations offers a comprehensive and straightforward account of the world's first civilizations and how they were discovered, drawing on many avenues of inquiry including archaeological excavations, surveys, laboratory work, highly specialized scientific investigation.

Past Worlds by Christopher Scarre