From Black Land to Fifth Sun: Science of Sacred Sites - Hardcover

Fagan, Brian M.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0201959917 ISBN 13: 9780201959918

Publisher: Perseus Books, 1998

Synopsis

Shamans, spirit mediums, mysterious cave paintings, enigmatic earthworks, and temples - the religious and spiritual lives of our forebears have always seemed inaccessible to archaeologists. Now, however, science is finally beginning to lift the veil. Brian Fagan draws upon a wealth of scientific disciplines - from botany, zoology, and geology to neuropsychology, palynology (the study of spores and pollen), and nuclear physics - to explore this new "archaeology of the mind." Armed with new recording technologies that expose the paintings' finest detail and new radiocarbon dating methods, Fagan describes a revolution in our understanding of the world's first artists. Fagan describes how space-age radar has revealed a network of ancient roadways linking the great pueblos of Chaco Canyon, and how the CAD-mapping of Stonehenge has sparked an intense debate about the original purpose of the site. His story culminates with a vivid depiction of the Aztec civilization of highland Mexico, where a marriage of archaeology, science, and ethnohistory is offering new interpretations of one of the world's last pre-industrial civilizations.

About this title

Synopsis:

A prominent archaeologist uses the latest scientific techniques to interpret the spiritual lives of ancient people.. From Black Land to Fifth Sun is an engrossing look at a dramatic new generation of archaeological discoveriesmade possible by cutting-edge sciencethat are transforming our understanding of the inner lives of ancient people everywhere. }Until recently, archaeology was concerned mainly with piecing together the material lives of our ancestors. In this groundbreaking book, master storyteller and respected archaeologist Brian Fagan explains how cutting-edge science can now take us beyond the artifactsinto the mystical realm of shamans and spirit mediums, ancestor worship, and ritual sacrifice. From the Niles black land to the Aztecs world of the Fifth Sun, from Stonehenge to Jericho, Fagan describes how Accelerator Mass Spectrometry, Geographic Information Systems, Computer Automated Design-mapping and other sophisticated scientific methods are helping us to decode the religious and spiritual beliefs of our forebears.

This new archaeology of the mind blends a wealth of scientific disciplinesfrom botany, zoology, and geology to neuropsychology, palynology, and nuclear physics. With vivid imagery and a transporting voice, Fagan revolutionizes our understanding of the inner lives of ancient people. }

About the Author:

Brian Fagan is Emeritus Professor of Anthropology at the University of California, Santa Barbara. A former Guggenheim Fellow, he has written many internationally acclaimed popular books about archaeology, including The Little Ice Age, Floods, Famines, and Emperors, and The Long Summer. He lives in Santa Barbara, California.

About this edition

• Publisher: Perseus Books
• Publication date: 1998
• ISBN 10: 0201959917
• ISBN 13: 9780201959918
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 416