Chavin and the Origins of Andean Civilization
The latest in a series of sterling contributions to world archaeology from Thames and Hudson, this book should be a high priority for every library. Burger (anthropology, Yale) presents a synthesis of Peruvian prehistory of the millennium B.C. Toward the end of this period there appeared in the highlands an art tradition centered around the depiction in sculpture, ceramics, metalwork, and cloth of an anthropomorphized feline--the Chavin style. Chavin is the first of ancient Peru's many famous art styles, such as Mochica and Nasca. With detailed descriptions and abundant illustrations of artifacts and sites, this book carries the reader from Chavin's roots in the third millennium B.C. to its florescence between 900 and 300 B.C. It is an engrossing account of prehistoric culture that ranks with the Sumerian, Shang, and Olmec as one of the world's earliest civilizations.- William S. Dancey, Ohio State Univ., ColumbusCopyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.