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Loading... The Ancient Kingdoms of Peru (original 1997; edition 1998)by Nigel Davies (Author)
Work InformationThe Ancient Kingdoms of Peru by Nigel Davies (1997)
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This essential book draws on the evidence of recent excavations of Peruvian sites in a remarkable survey of the civilizations which preceded the Incas. As recently as 1987, robbers discovered by far the most spectacular vestiges of the Moche people, who ruled much of Peru for the first six centuries of the Christian era. This find--a royal burial chamber shoulder-deep in gold and silver ornaments and carvings studded with jewels--has provided many powerful insights into their way of life, as Nigel Davies shows. Patterns representing a condor, a killer whale and even an 80-meter monkey, visible only from the air, are etched into a bare expanse of desert at Nazca. Davies analyzes and assesses the latest scholarly theories surrounding one of the world's great enigmas. He then turns to the key power centers of the 'middle period' in Huari and Tiahuanaco, the great coastal civilization of Chimor (the first for which we have written accounts), and its eventual defeat by the Incas around 1470 AD. Alongside the often biased conquistador chronicles, archaeology can now illuminate the Inca imperial cult, their methods of agriculture, road-building, town-planning and settlement. In this lively and compelling overview, Davies makes accessible the latest research on all these ancient kingdoms of Peru. No library descriptions found.
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Google Books — Loading... GenresMelvil Decimal System (DDC)985.01History and Geography South America Peru History of Peru IncasLC ClassificationRatingAverage:
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Now, normally, I have history. This is because I find tales of warfare and kings and queens fighting over tracts of land while churches give them advice or excommunicate them. Yawn.
The thing about Mesoamerican and Pre-Columbian cultures, as well as with other ancient cultures, is that so little is known about them such that when they are presented as a culture, a major element of their "history" is their mythology. And that's what interests me.
Nigel Davies, an archaeologist, studied the great ruins of Peru, which once housed the great Incan empire. He compiled his information and published it as a book.
This book comes as a highly recommended source to learn more about the Incas, if that sort of thing is your cup of tea. If you are a big history buff, but prefer it because it's all about wars and kings and queens and tracts of land and churches and advice and excommunications, then this may not be your cup of tea. If you prefer coffee, well, you should really switch before you start to develop serious health problems. ( )