Books with title Civilizations of the Americas

In ancient North and South America extraordinary civilizations rose, flourished, and fell. The Mayan pyramids and the ruins of Machu Picchu in Peru and Teotihuacan in Mexico remain a testament to these cultures. Ancient Civilizations of the Americas tells this remarkable story-beginning when humans first ventured from Asia to Alaska more than 13,000 years ago and ending with the Indian Wars of the nineteenth century. The book traces the migration of people across North and South America, and investigates the impressive artistic and architectural achievements that followed. Civilizations emerged with well-established religions and economies, proven agricultural methods and trade routes, and craftsmen capable of producing gold, silver, and pottery artifacts of sublime beauty. By 500 BC sophisticated societies had developed as far south as Peru and by AD 500 these cultures, including the Maya of modern Mexico and Guatemala, had reached an age of maturity. The late fourteenth century saw the rise of the great imperial powers of the Aztecs in Mexico and the Inca in the Andes -- both highly organized societies with efficient bureaucracies, capable of casting the net of imperial rule over huge swathes of territory. In the end, however, the civilizations of the Americas faced a challenge different from any they had met before: the arrival of European colonists, starting with the Spanish conquistadors in the sixteenth century. Much was swept away in the often brutal encounters that followed. Yet much also survived -- ancient crafts and customs and the remains of engineering and architectural marvels, all speaking unforgettably of these cultures' astonishing skills and organization.

The cultural and intellectual achievements of Old World civilizationsancient Greece or Egypt, for instancecan be glimpsed in present-day societies the world over. Unfortunately, accomplishments of the ancient civilizations of the New World have often been obscured by the colonial forces that eventually eradicated much of their populations. One glance at the imposing architecture left behind by the Inca or the mathematical strides made by the Maya reveals that the early peoples of the Americas were equally as enterprising as their Old World counterparts. This exciting volume introduces readers to the magnificent kingdoms and empires of early South, Middle, and North America and the rich heritage of the peoples who made them.

Daniela De Luca's charming illustrations will stimulate children's imagination and curiosity as they enter the world of ancient civilizations for the first time. Here is a panorama of the great societies of the past, approached through brief introductory text and child-friendly, historically accurate illustrations. Beginning with the birth of civilization, this book takes readers on an around-the-world tour of the ancient world with stops in such places as Egypt, Rome, Greece, Japan, China, Mesopotamia, and India. Children will be so fascinated by the lives of the Celts, Vikings, Mayas, Aztecs, and Incas, they may just forget they're learning!

This series showcases the artistic and imaginative achievement of ancient cultures, including Egypt, China, India, and Native American. Each book displays breathtaking photographs of ancient monuments and artifacts in all their glory. The myths of ancient deities and heroes, the stories of imperial power, and the history of magnificent artifacts in painting, architecture, philosophy, and poetry are highlighted in individual volumes. These beautiful books draw from the latest discoveries by historians and archaeologists to illuminate the life, myth, and culture of each ancient people. The authors are distinguished scholars and subject-matter experts in History, Ancient Civilizations, and Archaeology.

These insightful volumes, containing a rich display of photographs, feature the art, architecture, sculpture, and artifacts of the ancient cultures of the Greeks, Romans, Maya, and the Vikings. Each volume probes deep into the details of the culture’s myths, beliefs and rituals, fashions, artwork, customs, and literature. Readers will be drawn into the mesmerizing images of exotic landscapes and well-organized, thoughtful narratives, which have been written by subject experts.