EBookClubs

Read Books & Download eBooks Full Online

EBookClubs

Read Books & Download eBooks Full Online

Book Andean Archaeology I

    Book Details:
  • Author : William H. Isbell
  • Publisher : Springer Science & Business Media
  • Release : 2012-12-06
  • ISBN : 1461506395
  • Pages : 420 pages

Download or read book Andean Archaeology I written by William H. Isbell and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2012-12-06 with total page 420 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Study of the origin and development of civilization is of unequaled importance for understanding the cultural processes that create human societies. Is cultural evolution directional and regular across human societies and history, or is it opportunistic and capricious? Do apparent regularities come from the way inves tigators construct and manage knowledge, or are they the result of real constraints on and variations in the actual processes? Can such questions even be answered? We believe so, but not easily. By comparing evolutionary sequences from different world civilizations scholars can judge degrees of similarity and difference and then attempt explanation. Of course, we must be careful to assess the influence that societies of the ancient world had on one another (the issue of pristine versus non-pristine cultural devel opment: see discussion in Fried 1967; Price 1978). The Central Andes were the locus of the only societies to achieve pristine civilization in the southern hemi sphere and only in the Central Andes did non-literate (non-written language) civ ilization develop. It seems clear that Central Andean civilization was independent on any graph of archaic culture change. Scholars have often expressed appreciation of the research opportunities offered by the Central Andes as a testing ground for the study of cultural evolu tion (see, e. g. , Carneiro 1970; Ford and Willey 1949: 5; Kosok 1965: 1-14; Lanning 1967: 2-5).

Book The Tiwanaku

    Book Details:
  • Author : Alan L. Kolata
  • Publisher : John Wiley & Sons
  • Release : 1993-12-08
  • ISBN : 1557861838
  • Pages : 337 pages

Download or read book The Tiwanaku written by Alan L. Kolata and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 1993-12-08 with total page 337 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Tiwanaku The city of Tiwanaku lies ruined in the rugged Andean steppe of Bolivia twelve thousand feet above sea level, the highest urban settlement of the ancient world. Its wide streets open towards ramparts of glaciated mountain peaks and the intense blue waters of Lake Titicaca. Gigantic stone sculptures and shattered architectural blocks suggest profound antiquity and the passage of great events, now lost and unremembered. Here, two and a half thousand years ago, a distinct society emerged which over the course of thirteen centuries developed one of the greatest civilizations and the first empire of the ancient Americas. This book, the first published history of the Tiwanakan peoples from their origins to their present survival, is a feat of scholarly and archaeological detection undertaken and led by the author. Alan Kolata draws together the evidence of historical documents from the time of the Iberian conquest, accounts and legends of the contemporary inhabitants, and the results of extensive excavations in order to provide a narrative covering three thousand years. In doing so he addresses and explains features of Tiwanakan culture that have long puzzled scholars: the origins of their uniquely massive architecture, the nature of their sophisticated hydraulically-engineered agriculture, their obsession with decapitation and the display of severed heads, and not least the reasons for their mysterious and sudden decline at the end of the tenth century. The book is illustrated throughout with photographs, maps and drawings, and is fully referenced and indexed. Although written to appeal to the nonspecialist and assuming no prior knowledge of the subject, this is a book of scholarly import, and likely to become the standard work for many years.

Book The Hydraulic State

Download or read book The Hydraulic State written by Charles R. Ortloff and published by Taylor & Francis. This book was released on 2020-08-12 with total page 415 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Hydraulic State explores the hydraulic engineering technology underlying water system constructions of many of the ancient World Heritage sites in South America, the Middle East and Asia as used in their urban and agricultural water supply systems. Using a range of methods and techniques, some new to archaeology, Ortloff analyzes various ancient water systems such as agricultural field system designs known in ancient Peruvian and Bolivian Andean societies, water management at Nabataean Petra, the Roman Pont du Garde water distribution castellum, the Minoan site of Knossos and the water systems of dynastic (and modern) China, particularly the Grand Canal and early water systems designed to control flood episodes. In doing so the book greatly increases our understanding of the hydraulic/hydrological engineering of ancient societies through the application of Complexity Theory, Similitude Theory and Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) analysis, as well as traditional archaeological analysis methods. Serving to highlight the engineering science behind water structures of the ancient World Heritage sites discussed, this book will be of interest to archaeologists working on landscape archaeology, urbanism, agriculture and water management.

Book Ancient Tiwanaku

    Book Details:
  • Author : John Wayne Janusek
  • Publisher : Cambridge University Press
  • Release : 2008-05-12
  • ISBN : 9780521816359
  • Pages : 392 pages

Download or read book Ancient Tiwanaku written by John Wayne Janusek and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2008-05-12 with total page 392 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The first major synthesis exploring Tiwanaku civilization in its geographical and cultural setting.

Book Tiwanaku

    Book Details:
  • Author : Margaret Young-S¾nchez
  • Publisher : U of Nebraska Press
  • Release : 2004-01-01
  • ISBN : 0803249217
  • Pages : 227 pages

Download or read book Tiwanaku written by Margaret Young-S¾nchez and published by U of Nebraska Press. This book was released on 2004-01-01 with total page 227 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Introduces the striking artwork and fascinating rituals of this highland culture through approximately one hundred works of art and cultural treasures.

Book The Ancient Central Andes

Download or read book The Ancient Central Andes written by Jeffrey Quilter and published by Taylor & Francis. This book was released on 2022-05-05 with total page 556 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Ancient Central Andes presents a general overview of the prehistoric peoples and cultures of the Central Andes, the region now encompassing most of Peru and significant parts of Ecuador, Bolivia, northern Chile, and northwestern Argentina. The book contextualizes past and modern scholarship and provides a balanced view of current research. Two opening chapters present the intellectual, political, and practical background and history of research in the Central Andes and the spatial, temporal, and formal dimensions of the study of its past. Chapters then proceed in chronological order from remote antiquity to the Spanish Conquest. A number of important themes run through the book, including: the tension between those scholars who wish to study Peruvian antiquity on a comparative basis and those who take historicist approaches; the concept of "Lo Andino," commonly used by many specialists that assumes long-term, unchanging patterns of culture some of which are claimed to persist to the present; and culture change related to severe environmental events. Consensus opinions on interpretations are highlighted as are disputes among scholars regarding interpretations of the past. The Ancient Central Andes provides an up-to-date, objective survey of the archaeology of the Central Andes that is much needed. Students and interested readers will benefit greatly from this introduction to a key period in South America’s past.

Book Identity and Power in the Ancient Andes

Download or read book Identity and Power in the Ancient Andes written by John Wayne Janusek and published by Psychology Press. This book was released on 2004 with total page 352 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: First Published in 2005. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.

Book Canadian Environmental History

Download or read book Canadian Environmental History written by David Freeland Duke and published by Canadian Scholars’ Press. This book was released on 2006 with total page 405 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A timely work, this book showcases articles by leading Canadian and international historians interested in environmental action and policy, including Colin M. Coates, Ramsay Cooke, Ken Cruikshank, and Donald Worster.

Book The Great New Wilderness Debate

Download or read book The Great New Wilderness Debate written by J. Baird Callicott and published by University of Georgia Press. This book was released on 1998 with total page 716 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Great New Wilderness Debate is an expansive, wide-ranging collection that addresses the pivotal environmental issues of the modern era. This eclectic volume on the varied constructions of “wilderness” reveals the recent controversies that surround those conceptions, and the gulf between those who argue for wilderness "preservation" and those who argue for "wise use." J. Baird Callicott and Michael P. Nelson have selected thirty-nine essays that provide historical context, range broadly across the issues, and set forth the positions of the debate. Beginning with such well-known authors as Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry David Thoreau, John Muir, and Aldo Leopold, the collection moves forward to the contemporary debate and presents seminal works by a number of the most distinguished scholars in environmental history and environmental philosophy. The Great New Wilderness Debate also includes essays by conservation biologists, cultural geographers, environmental activists, and contemporary writers on the environment.

Book Biodiversity in Land inland Water Ecotones

Download or read book Biodiversity in Land inland Water Ecotones written by J. B. Lachavanne and published by Taylor & Francis. This book was released on 1997 with total page 330 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Philosophers, writers and scientists, from cell biologists to ecologists, have long recognized the special nature of boundaries and interface areas of all kinds. Among ecologists in particular, there has been an upsurge in interest in the sensitive boundary areas of interaction between ecosystems, which are called 'ecotones' and which are often characterized by higher biological diversity than adjacent areas.

Book Lukurmata

    Book Details:
  • Author : Marc Bermann
  • Publisher : Princeton University Press
  • Release : 2014-07-14
  • ISBN : 1400863848
  • Pages : 326 pages

Download or read book Lukurmata written by Marc Bermann and published by Princeton University Press. This book was released on 2014-07-14 with total page 326 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Household archaeology, together with community and regional settlement information, forms the basis for a unique local perspective of Andean prehistory in this study of the evolution of the site of Lukurmata, a pre-Columbian community in highland Bolivia. First established nearly two thousand years ago, Lukurmata grew to be a major ceremonial center in the Tiwanaku state, a polity that dominated the south-central Andes from a.d. 400 to 1200. After the Tiwanaku state collapsed, Lukurmata rapidly declined, becoming once again a small village. In his analysis of a 1300-year-long sequence of house remains at Lukurmata, Marc Bermann traces patterns and changes in the organization of domestic life, household ritual, ties to other communities, and mortuary activities, as well as household adaptations to overarching political and economic trends. Prehistorians have long studied the processes of Andean state formation, expansion, and decline at the regional level, notes Bermann. But only now are we beginning to understand how these changes affected the lives of the residents at individual settlements. Presenting a "view from below" of Andean prehistory based on a remarkably extensive data set, Lukurmata is a rare case study of how prehispanic polities can be understood in new ways if prehistorians integrate the different lines of evidence available to them. Originally published in 1994. The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback and hardcover editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905.

Book Lines in the Water

    Book Details:
  • Author : Ben Orlove
  • Publisher : Univ of California Press
  • Release : 2002-06-13
  • ISBN : 0520229584
  • Pages : 316 pages

Download or read book Lines in the Water written by Ben Orlove and published by Univ of California Press. This book was released on 2002-06-13 with total page 316 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Lines in the Water is both an unusually thoughtful book and a major contribution to the discussion on 'sustainable development.'"—James Ferguson, author of Expectations of Modernity "Ben Orlove knows the cultural communities and landscapes of Lake Titicaca like the back of his hand, but relates them to an entire body of literature about lake-dwelling cultures. His thematic approach to mountains, water, names and other elements of the Titicaca environs makes for rich reading and provocative debate. This book takes the field of political ethno-ecology to heights never before imagined by other practitioners."—Gary Nabhan, author of Cultures of Habitat and Coming Home to Eat "In this illuminating account of life around Lake Titicaca, Ben Orlove draws on his curiosity and experience to offer the reader a rich sense of places, voices, sights, and even pathways. Combining descriptions of everyday practices and history, political and economic forces, and personal memories, he provides an insightful ethnography, an imaginative achievement, and a fine read."—Stephen Gudeman, author of The Anthropology of Economy "A brave, accessible, and often lyrical account of Lake Titicaca and its people's successful struggle to manage their own resources. Orlove wears his deep learning lightly: a pleasure to read."—James C. Scott, Yale University

Book Surviving Sudden Environmental Change

Download or read book Surviving Sudden Environmental Change written by Jago Cooper and published by University Press of Colorado. This book was released on 2012-04-15 with total page 355 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Archaeologists have long encountered evidence of natural disasters through excavation and stratigraphy. In Surviving Sudden Environmental Change, case studies examine how eight different past human communities-ranging from Arctic to equatorial regi

Book American Environmental History

Download or read book American Environmental History written by Louis S. Warren and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2021-08-03 with total page 660 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Explore how the peoples of America understood and changed their natural environments, remaking their politics, culture, and societies In this newly revised Second Edition of American Environmental History, celebrated environmental historian and author Louis S. Warren provides readers with insightful examination of how different American peoples created and reacted to environmental change and threats from the era before Columbus to the COVID-19 pandemic. You'll find concise editorial introductions to each chapter and interpretive interventions throughout this meticulous collection of essays and historical documents. This book covers topics as varied as Native American relations with nature, colonial invasions, American slavery, market expansion and species destruction, urbanization, Progressive and New Deal conservation, national parks, the environmental impact of consumer appetites, environmentalism and the backlash against it, environmental justice, and climate change. This new edition includes twice as many primary documents as the First Edition, along with findings from related fields such as Native American history, African American history, geography, and environmental justice. Ideal for students and researchers studying American environmental history and for those seeking historical perspectives on contemporary environmental challenges, this book will earn a place in the libraries of anyone with an interest in American history and the impact of American peoples on the environment and the world around them. Louis S. Warren is the W. Turrentine Jackson Professor of Western U.S. History at the University of California, Davis. He is a two-time winner of the Caughey Western History Association Prize, a Guggenheim Fellow, and recipient of the Albert Beveridge Award of the American Historical Association and the Bancroft Prize in American History.

Book The Archaeology of Garden and Field

Download or read book The Archaeology of Garden and Field written by Naomi F. Miller and published by University of Pennsylvania Press. This book was released on 1997-09 with total page 252 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Cultivation and land use practices the world over reflect many aspects of people's relationship to each other and to the natural world. The Archaeology of Garden and Field explores the cultivation of land from prehistoric times to the nineteenth century through excavation, experimentation, and the study of modern cultural traditions. The Archaeology of Garden and Field contains a wealth of information distilled from the combined experiences of the editors and contributors. Whether one's interest is the Old World or the New, prehistory or the present, this book provides a starting point for anyone who has ever wondered how archaeologists find and interpret the ephemeral traces of ancient cultivation.

Book Inventing Indigenous Knowledge

Download or read book Inventing Indigenous Knowledge written by Lynn Swartley and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2018-10-24 with total page 224 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This volume provides a multi-sited and multivocalic investigation of the dynamic social, political and economic processes in the creation and implementation of an agricultural development project. The raised field rehabilitation project attempted to introduce a pre-Columbian agricultural method into the contemporary Lake Titicaca Basin.