The Dawn of Everything by David Graeber and David Wengrow presents a groundbreaking account of human history, challenging established notions about social evolution—from the development of agriculture and cities to the emergence of the state, political violence, and social inequality. The book reveals new perspectives on human emancipation and the history of civilization itself.
The authors, renowned for their respective fields in activism, public intellectualism, and comparative archaeology, delve into the origins of theories that have shaped our understanding of humanity's past. They question the portrayal of remote ancestors as either innocent and equal or aggressive and warlike, and they explore the implications of these characterizations for today's society.
Graeber and Wengrow draw on extensive research in archaeology and anthropology to challenge the conventional wisdom about human history. They invite readers to consider what humans were doing throughout evolutionary history if not living in small hunter-gatherer bands, and what kinds of social and economic organization arose from agriculture and urban development if not hierarchy and domination.
The Dawn of Everything not only transforms our understanding of the human past but also offers a path toward imagining new forms of freedom and ways of organizing society. This monumental book is a testament to intellectual range, curiosity, moral vision, and the power of direct action.
1491: New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus is a groundbreaking work of science, history, and archaeology by Charles C. Mann. This transformative book radically alters our understanding of the Americas before the arrival of Columbus in 1492.
Contrary to the common belief that pre-Columbian Indians were sparsely settled in a pristine wilderness, Mann reveals that there were vast numbers of Indians who actively shaped and influenced the land around them. The astonishing Aztec capital of Tenochtitlan boasted running water and immaculately clean streets, surpassing any contemporary European city in size and sophistication.
Mexican cultures achieved remarkable feats, such as the creation of corn through a specialized breeding process, often referred to as man's first feat of genetic engineering. Indeed, Indians were not living lightly on the land; they were landscaping and manipulating their world in ways that are only now being understood.
This book challenges and surprises readers, offering a transformative new look at a rich and fascinating world we only thought we knew.
"It has served us well, this myth of Christ." - Pope Leo X, 16th Century
In a hail of fire and flashing sword, as the burning city of Acre falls from the hands of the West in 1291, The Last Templar opens with a young Templar knight, his mentor, and a handful of others escaping to the sea carrying a mysterious chest entrusted to them by the Order's dying Grand Master. The ship vanishes without a trace.
In present day Manhattan, four masked horsemen dressed as Templar Knights emerge from Central Park and ride up the Fifth Avenue steps of the Metropolitan Museum of Art during the black-tie opening of a Treasures of the Vatican exhibit. Storming through the crowds, the horsemen brutally attack anyone standing between them and their prize. Attending the gala, archaeologist Tess Chaykin watches in silent terror as the leader of the horsemen hones in on one piece in particular, a strange geared device. He utters a few cryptic Latin words as he takes hold of it with reverence before leading the horsemen out and disappearing into the night.
In the aftermath, an FBI investigation is led by anti-terrorist specialist Sean Reilly. Soon, he and Tess are drawn into the dark, hidden history of the crusading Knights, plunging them into a deadly game of cat and mouse with ruthless killers as they race across three continents to recover the lost secret of the Templars.
Could the story of mankind be far older than we have previously believed? Using tools as varied as archaeo-astronomy, geology, and computer analysis of ancient myths, Graham Hancock presents a compelling case to suggest that it is.
In Fingerprints of the Gods, Hancock embarks on a worldwide quest to put together all the pieces of the vast and fascinating jigsaw of mankind’s hidden past. In ancient monuments as far apart as Egypt’s Great Sphinx, the strange Andean ruins of Tihuanaco, and Mexico’s awe-inspiring Temples of the Sun and Moon, he reveals not only the clear fingerprints of an as-yet-unidentified civilization of remote antiquity, but also startling evidence of its vast sophistication, technological advancement, and evolved scientific knowledge.
Fingerprints of the Gods contains the makings of an intellectual revolution, a dramatic and irreversible change in the way that we understand our past—and so our future. As we recover the truth about prehistory, and discover the real meaning of ancient myths and monuments, it becomes apparent that a warning has been handed down to us, a warning of terrible cataclysm that afflicts the Earth in great cycles at irregular intervals of time—a cataclysm that may be about to recur.
Amelia Peabody inherited two things from her father: a considerable fortune and an unbendable will. The first allowed her to indulge in her life's passion. Without the second, the mummy's curse would have made corpses of them all.
Thirty-one-year-old Victorian gentlewoman Amelia Peabody has not only inherited her father's fortune, but she is also blessed with his strong will as well. Now she's headed for Cairo, accompanied by a girl with a tarnished past, to indulge her passion for Egyptology. Little did she know that murder and a homicidal mummy lay in wait for her.
Amelia Peabody is Elizabeth Peters' most brilliant and best-loved creation, a thoroughly Victorian feminist who takes the stuffy world of archaeology by storm with her shocking men's pants and no-nonsense attitude! In this first adventure, our headstrong heroine decides to use her substantial inheritance to see the world. On her travels, she rescues a gentlewoman in distress - Evelyn Barton-Forbes - and the two become friends. The two companions continue to Egypt where they face mysteries, mummies, and the redoubtable Radcliffe Emerson, an outspoken archaeologist, who doesn't need women to help him solve mysteries -- at least that's what he thinks!
From a New York Times bestselling author, a Victorian-era thriller featuring Egyptologist Amelia Peabody, a self-proclaimed spinster and heiress who's unrattled by anyone–including mummies. The unshakeable Amelia Peabody embarks on an Egyptian adventure armed with self-confidence, a journal to record her thoughts, and, of course–a sturdy umbrella. On her way to Cairo, Amelia rescues young Evelyn Barton-Forbes, who has been abandoned by her scoundrel lover. Together the two women sail up the Nile to an archeological site run a pair of handsome brothers. Strange visitations, suspicious accidents, and a botched kidnapping convince Amelia that there is a plot afoot to harm Evelyn. Now Amelia finds herself up against an unknown enemy–and perilous forces that threaten to make her first Egyptian trip also her last...