Smithsonian Timelines of the Ancient World
This engaging illustrated chronology of human and natural history from the beginning of life on earth to A.D. 1500 combines the intellectual and material resources of the Smithsonian Institution with the strong graphics of the publisher. The large-format volume presents its content uniformly in grid fashion in four parts comprising 18 chapters. The illustrations are impressive, numbering 1400 photos and 400 maps, all in color. Chapters display their information under four horizontal headings: food/environment, shelter, technology, and art in a two-page spread; geographic areas (continents) are given in vertical columns. Each chapter opens with a brief narrative and appropriate illustrations of the topic and offers a special feature (e.g., Neanderthals, origin of food production, Olmecs, art of Classical Greece). Timelines invites comparison with Past Worlds: The Times Atlas of Archaeology (Hammond, 1988). The two present much of the same information, but Timelines 's success lies in its at-a-glance visual presentation of past eras and major geographic regions. The editor-in-chief is a noted Cambridge scholar. Recommended for school and most public libraries.- Harry E. Whitmore, formerly with Univ. of Maine, AugustaCopyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.