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Book Description
Were the ancient Mayans right when they predicted that the world would end on 21 December 2012?
Product Description
According to the ancient Maya, the world as we know it will end on 21 December 2012. On that date, their calendar will click round to zero for the first time in over 5,000 years. They prophesied that this event will be preceded by a series of natural disasters, including earthquakes and floods - all of which may sound familiar.
What will this mean for us? Should we take seriously their claims that this will be a time of apocalyptic cataclysm? And just how did the Maya, a clever but nonetheless Stone Age people, calculate the date of an astronomical event that would take place many millennia in the future?
These are just some of the questions posed by Adrian Gilbert, co-author of the international bestseller The Mayan Prophecies. In The End of Time, he revisits the ancient archaeological sites of the Maya and makes astonishing new discoveries about their cosmology. And in case an apocalyptic event really is upon us, he offers tips for survival.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
3 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Being a long time "End of Time" and disaster devotee my heart warmed when I opened this as a birthday present.
I should have known better.I have never before read such a lot of unmitigated crap purporting to be an informative tome.
Mr Gilbert expects his readers to swallow his theories with only the flimsiest of evidence to support them, and those from other nutters to boot.
If it were not for the current fascination of humanity with "End of Days"type scenarios, I sincerely doubt it would have been published.
DO NOT BUY THIS BOOK: YOU WILL BE DISAPPOINTED: YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED
I should have known better.I have never before read such a lot of unmitigated crap purporting to be an informative tome.
Mr Gilbert expects his readers to swallow his theories with only the flimsiest of evidence to support them, and those from other nutters to boot.
If it were not for the current fascination of humanity with "End of Days"type scenarios, I sincerely doubt it would have been published.
DO NOT BUY THIS BOOK: YOU WILL BE DISAPPOINTED: YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED
Format:Paperback
Might have to pay a visit to the first book - I got the feeling that reading the first book in order would have made a lot more sense to this, the sequel.
Didn't seem to be quite the shocking doomsday prediction I had hoped for, and an understanding of the sky at night would help you enjoy this book.
Didn't seem to be quite the shocking doomsday prediction I had hoped for, and an understanding of the sky at night would help you enjoy this book.
Format:Paperback
In qualifying the title I have given to this review I should first of all offer the pre-requisite that this book, as many others in this genre should be approached with an open mind. I certainly undertook to form no conclusions, read what it has to say and decide on the evidence provided what I chose to agree with. It should also be said that this book does not really offer any of its own conclusions, rather it seeks to explore some of the elements of Mayan 'religion' and beliefs through their writings, buildings & those who had observed them and their rituals. Furthermore it seeks to explore the similarities between other cultures and civilisations, particularly Egyptian, but examines whether those such as the Romans, Greeks or Vikings could have played a part in the development of South/Central America. There is also a strong emphasis on astrology which I found more intriguing than the other elements.
My only criticism, and even then it isn't a criticism more of an observation is that for those approaching this book without any knowledge of astrology, or mythology, some of the material, certainly some of the assumptions leave you asking "now where has he pulled that from?" and while a lot of the work is referenced, I had to explore some of the statements/claims to see if they reflected what the author purported, and for that matter look up some of the terminology. Other assumptions are just subject to opinion.
If you want to read a story, this isn't for you. I found it a very interesting and thought provoking read and if anything, it has made me want to explore this subject in much greater depth. The jury is still out for me on the significance being proffered to the Mayan long count calendar and I can still see a few common sense problems with any assumption that there is going to somehow be a world changing event on 21st December 2012 (not that this book specifically claims that) - it is certainly an important celestial event and perhaps of real spiritual significance but I cannot help but feel that those ignorant to such concerns will see their lives carry on very much as usual.
My only criticism, and even then it isn't a criticism more of an observation is that for those approaching this book without any knowledge of astrology, or mythology, some of the material, certainly some of the assumptions leave you asking "now where has he pulled that from?" and while a lot of the work is referenced, I had to explore some of the statements/claims to see if they reflected what the author purported, and for that matter look up some of the terminology. Other assumptions are just subject to opinion.
If you want to read a story, this isn't for you. I found it a very interesting and thought provoking read and if anything, it has made me want to explore this subject in much greater depth. The jury is still out for me on the significance being proffered to the Mayan long count calendar and I can still see a few common sense problems with any assumption that there is going to somehow be a world changing event on 21st December 2012 (not that this book specifically claims that) - it is certainly an important celestial event and perhaps of real spiritual significance but I cannot help but feel that those ignorant to such concerns will see their lives carry on very much as usual.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
The end of time
Very little of this book is actually about the Mayan prophecies. It is really a history of the Mayans interspersed with details regarding other civilisations, which makes for... Read more
Published on 20 Aug 2007 by P. Gilbert
A remarkable and thought provoking book.
A truly remarkable book thoroughly investigated and produced by arguably one the world's greatest delvers into the understanding of the ancient past, its peoples and what it means... Read more
Published on 13 Aug 2006 by M. Ives
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