The Kingfisher Book of The Ancient World: From the Ice Age to the Fall of Rome
Grade 5-7?A description of how archaeologists discover evidence of prehistoric cultures opens this encyclopedic volume. Summaries of every major culture in the world, from 10,000 B.C.-A.D. 600, follow. The text is arranged in columns that fill the spaces between the full-color illustrations, photographs of artifacts, and occasional sidebars. With some overlap in dating the centuries, Martell moves from the Fertile Crescent and Egypt to Asia, back to Greece and Rome, north to Europe, and south to Africa, ending with the Americas and the Pacific Islands. Full-page maps, pictures of charging warriors, cutaway views of monumental architecture, and scenes of everyday life stream across the double-page spreads. The information is the stuff of traditional history, as is the dating system used throughout. For all the attempts to present a global perspective, the ancient cultures are offered as a collection of unconnected snapshots of colorful peoples and curious customs. Far more interesting is Roy Burrell's The Oxford First Ancient History (Oxford, 1994), which presents traditional Western history in much more depth and detail. But teachers may find some use for Martell's volume, both for its simpler, factual language and its brief coverage of each civilization.?Shirley Wilton, Ocean County College, Toms River, NJCopyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.