Smithsonian Timelines of the Ancient World
by By Scarre, Christopher
Category: History , Europe , Medieval

A big book (8.75x14.5"). Introductions to the chronologically arranged chapters summarize highlights of the era under study and present maps and key dates. The body of each chapter consists of a timeline laid out so that comparisons can be made among the continents in the areas of food and environment, shelter and architecture, technology and innovation, and art and ritual. Color photos of objects (many from the Smithsonian) illustrate about three out of four items of information (ten items to a page), making this a visual work indeed. Certainly this reference has been put together with considerable effort and expertise quantities of information and illustrations, carefully designed and packaged. But the broad, all-inclusive scope and the lack of a thesis or point of view make this team effort seem an exercise in design, rather than a truly interesting reference. Annotation copyright Book News, Inc. Portland, Or.