Published by Cassell, 2001, hardcover, illustrated, index, 216 pages, 20 cms x 25.3 cms,condition; as new. Recent scientific breakthroughs make it possible to know what people looked like in China 500,000 years ago, or how tribes reared their children in Texas 8,000 years ago, or how priestesses performed sacrifices 1,600 years ago. You've probably heard of the "Iceman" of 3,000 B.C. who was found almost perfectly preserved in a glacier. That's only the beginning--you can see artists' drawings and read expert explanations about what it was like to be a warrior queen in 500 B.C., a Roman sailor in the time of Christ, or a teenager who died in the Wars of the Roses. Know--and see--how your ancestors ate, dressed, built their homes and villages, worshipped, played games, and made war and love.
Laura's reading of "Dead Men Do Tell Tales" got me to tell her about this book I bought secondhand last year.It also made me wonder why I haven't yet tried to fit it into my reading schedule.(NO TIME basically!!!)
It covers the years between 500,000 BC and AD 1646 and is divided into 4 Sections which each explores about 5 individuals using history, archaeology and forensic science to give us a view of their times and them. We also get to see what they probably looked like by using their skulls to reconstruct their faces. The Oldest Texan turns out to be a young Indian woman who was buried with loving care about 8000BC.
THe 4 Sections are:
1. Before REcorded History egs.A Butcher From Beijing, THe Oldest Texan,
The Hunter Who Climbed too High.
2.The First Civilizations egs.The Priestess with Blood on her Hands, Priest Of Amum.
3. Faces From the Roman Era egs. A Tuscan Matriarch, A Roman Sailor.
4. The Pre-Modern Age. egs. A Jorvick Viking, An Unknown Soldier in the Wars of the Roses, A Frenchman in the Americas.
And there are LOTS of Coloured Pictures!!!!!
