| ||||||||||||||||||
Did you know you can trade in your old books for an Amazon.co.uk Gift Card to spend on the things you want? Visit the Amazon.co.uk Trade-In Store for more details. |
Frequently Bought Together
Product details
|
Product Description
Product Description
"IT'S CHOCKABLOCK WITH CURIOUS LORE....[James and Thorpe] have amassed scores of persuasive testimonials of primeval ingenuity."
--The Boston Globe
We in the twentieth century tend to assume that our era has a monopoly on the inventions of clever machines, labor-saving devices, feats of engineering, and advanced technology. But as the authors of this fascinating and eye-opening book reveal, some of humankind's most important and most amazing inventions actually date back thousands of years.
Historian Peter James and archaeologist Nick Thorpe have pooled their expertise in amassing this compendium of human ingenuity through the ages. Together they conclusively prove that our ancestors, however long ago they lived and whatever part of the globe they occupied, were brilliant problem-solvers. Written with the pure joy of discovery, Ancient Inventions reveals that:
* Medieval Baghdad had an efficient postal service, banks, and a paper mill.
* Rudimentary calendars were being used in France as early as 13,000 B.C.
* Apartment condominiums rose in deserts of the American Southwest a
thousand years ago.
* The ancient Greeks used an early form of computer.
* Plastic surgery was being performed in India by the first century B.C.
* The Egyptians knew about effective contraceptives.
* Flamethrowers were used in battles waged in tenth-century China.
Brimming with odd facts and entertaining curiosities, written with zest and humor, comprehensive and fun to read, Ancient Inventions is a wonderful celebration of the endless inventiveness of the human mind.
"This presentation of the discoveries and innovations of the ancients will fascinate."
--Booklist
"Thoroughly researched...It is doubtful that anyone could examine [this book] without coming away enlightened in one of its broadly ranging areas."
--Library Journal
AN ALTERNATE SELECTION OF THE QUALITY PAPERBACK BOOK CLUB AND THE NATURAL SCIENCE BOOK CLUB
--The Boston Globe
We in the twentieth century tend to assume that our era has a monopoly on the inventions of clever machines, labor-saving devices, feats of engineering, and advanced technology. But as the authors of this fascinating and eye-opening book reveal, some of humankind's most important and most amazing inventions actually date back thousands of years.
Historian Peter James and archaeologist Nick Thorpe have pooled their expertise in amassing this compendium of human ingenuity through the ages. Together they conclusively prove that our ancestors, however long ago they lived and whatever part of the globe they occupied, were brilliant problem-solvers. Written with the pure joy of discovery, Ancient Inventions reveals that:
* Medieval Baghdad had an efficient postal service, banks, and a paper mill.
* Rudimentary calendars were being used in France as early as 13,000 B.C.
* Apartment condominiums rose in deserts of the American Southwest a
thousand years ago.
* The ancient Greeks used an early form of computer.
* Plastic surgery was being performed in India by the first century B.C.
* The Egyptians knew about effective contraceptives.
* Flamethrowers were used in battles waged in tenth-century China.
Brimming with odd facts and entertaining curiosities, written with zest and humor, comprehensive and fun to read, Ancient Inventions is a wonderful celebration of the endless inventiveness of the human mind.
"This presentation of the discoveries and innovations of the ancients will fascinate."
--Booklist
"Thoroughly researched...It is doubtful that anyone could examine [this book] without coming away enlightened in one of its broadly ranging areas."
--Library Journal
AN ALTERNATE SELECTION OF THE QUALITY PAPERBACK BOOK CLUB AND THE NATURAL SCIENCE BOOK CLUB
Inside This Book
(Learn More)
First Sentence
From its remotest beginnings the human race has showed compassion for its fellows. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index
From its remotest beginnings the human race has showed compassion for its fellows. Read the first page
Explore More
Concordance
Browse Sample PagesConcordance
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index
Suggested Tags from Similar Products(What's this?)Be the first one to add a relevant tag (keyword that's strongly related to this product)
|
Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store
If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store.
Learn more
Customer Reviews
|
Share your thoughts with other customers:
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Oustanding - A great read and gift,
By A Customer
This review is from: Ancient Inventions (Paperback)
Excellent book. Accessable style, poses loads of questions about how modern society views itself as the "top of the tree" civilization and whether this is justified or not. Garuanteed new respect for our ancestors after reading the first chapter. It has a wealth of information with endless possibilities for further reading. Some postulations may be a bit on the generous side but overall I finished this book staggered about how much knowledge we have lost over the millennia. Especially as we are constantly patting ourselves on the back for gaining knowledge. There is nothing new under the sun. The only downside is you will irritate the hell out of anyone you live with as you won't be able to resist reading out loud excerpts! One of the best value books I have bought for a very long time.
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
An Encyclopedia of Ancient Ingenuity,
By
This review is from: Ancient Inventions (Paperback)
The idea that the first books on robotics were written by the Ancient Greeks, or that electric batteries were first used in ancient Mesopotamia might sound like the sort of nonsense concocted by pseudo-archaeologists like Erich Von Daniken. Yet Peter James and Nick Thorpe shows us that these inventions were very real, and that our ancient ancestors were a lot cleverer than we originally supposed.
From the days of the Neanderthals in 60,000 BC up until Columbus's discovery of the New World in 1492, we are taken on a tour of some the brilliant inventions and ideas of the past. Did you know that Neanderthals could perform a basic type of brain surgery called trepanation? Or that the first calenders were made by Paleolithic people around 20,000 years ago? If not, then this book will be a real eye opener. The authors cover a mass of subjects, ranging from medicine; transportation; food, drink and drugs; Sport and leisure; military technology; sex life; urban life; communications; personal effects; agriculture and mining; and finally high tech gadgets. Using a wealth of sources and a diverse team of experts (including astronomers, architects, engineers, musicians, geologists and linguists), the authors show and explain how these technologies and items worked. It is a testament to the achievements of our predecessors that the book doesn't cover all of their inventions. For instance the medieval inventor Al-Jaziri's hydraulic and mechanical devices aren't mentioned, even though some of them rivalled 20th century engineering in their ingenuity. The book also fails to mention his invention of the torpedo. It is also a shame that the book does not mention the philosophical ideas of the ancients, as many scholars such as Democritus of Abdera hypothesised the existence of atoms. That aside, this is the definitive guide to ancient ideas and technology available today. The book is well illustrated with hundreds of black and white photos and drawings, while the text is readable and packed full of fascinating facts. If you've ever wondered who invented spectacles, why we live with cats and dogs, when we started living in houses, or where chocolate was created, then this book will answer your questions.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
How the ancient is really the new modern.,
By
This review is from: Ancient Inventions (Paperback)
I found this a deeply satisfying book. I was amazed at just how many inventions we assume as being relatively modern but were in existence thousands of years back - even batteries! It makes you wonder just how much the human race has really progressed over the millenia - when so many great ideas have been destroyed or lost simultaneously.
It's a book i like to come back to every now and again after the first read to refresh my memory. You will become a more interesting person after reading this book as it will open up a greater awareness of the true achievements mankind /the individual has been capable of - and hopefully will continue to be.
Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
Would you like to see more reviews about this item?
|
Most Recent Customer Reviews |
Listmania!
Look for similar items by category
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
- I am the Author, and I want to comment on my book.
- I am the Publisher, and I want to comment on this book.
|
