History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)

Book Description

Recorded history is a finely-woven magic fabric of intricate lies about events predating the sixteenth century. There is not a single piece of evidence that can be reliably and independently traced back earlier than the eleventh century. This book details events that are substantiated by hard facts and logic, and validated by new astronomical research and statistical analysis of ancient sources.

Customer Reviews:

Calculations are only as good as your numbers.......2007-08-03

Yes, we can all agree that mainstream history is nearly 100% BS due to politics, economics, ego, problems with dating techniques, and various conspiracies. Agreed. But, I've been researching the distinct possibility that human history (in terms of civilizations) are much more ancient than we've been told, so coming across this book was very interesting to me. I wondered how Fomenko could be wrong (if at all) because he is very persuasive in his presentations. Then it dawned on me. If at previous times in prehistory, due to the various catastrophies that are well documented (comets, asteroids, planetary disruptions, plasma discharge, pole reversals, etc) the Earth was in a different position in relation to the sun, different tilt on its axis, different orbit, different rotation (in terms of velocity and DIRECTION), and the continents were in different positions, then would this not cause the ancients to see the sky (constellations) differently? In other words, is Fomenko making erronious assumptions about the physics of the Earth in pre-history, which then corrupt his data with regards to dating the relevant astrology? The last event to seriously disrupt our planet occured roughly 3500 years ago, according to other good researchers, so is it possible Fomenko has been confused by this? The vastly different physics of our planet in the not so distant past may explain this confusion, which is not to say the "mainstream" version of history is correct; on the contrary. I am not an expert in these fields, but wanted to see if this idea could spark discussion.

Pants on fire?.......2007-07-19

Will people ever read before spamming? Yes, Jesuits could not rewrite world history alone, they had help. Anyway, Dr Prof Acad A.Fomenko does not point to jesuits as the driving force of world wide history manipulation in published volumes 1,2,3;, actually he barely mentions the poor devils. Check it with 'Search inside' feature, please. China is rarely mentioned either, in fact, Dr Fomenko is completely eurocentric. Right, his theory contradicts all mainstream schools of history, because in their actual state they are all built on blatantly erroneus chronology. You don't need a mysterious cabal (conspiracy) to falsify history, the falsification is its modus operandi. It is inherent to history(ians) to falsify (distort) events, as it is inherent to humans to boast as it is inherent to power (authority) to legimize itself by referrring to glorious past made to its own order. Dr Prof Fomenko and team have identified scores of instances of such manipulation in Russian, European, etc.. history, and delivered valid statistical proof thereof. His own 'reconstruction' is completely another story. Forget c14 as a valid method of dating. W.Libby has initially discovered a brilliant method of INDEPENDENT dating. Too bad, c14 method has become a joke after a forced marrige with dendrochronology with consensual chronological scale inbuilt. Radiocarbon method can't stand blind tests, but is so very productive as a rubberstamp.

Accepted History & Chronology Must Be Changed. .......2007-04-09

There is no doubt that history as most know it is a sham, & institution's version of History both University & Church is fradulent & inaccurate. Everything was established with an agenda, The real "Dark Ages" are now when we have access to incredible amounts of information past authorities & more important 'common folk' didn't have but our institutions & educators are slow to evolve because of what has ignorantly & arrogantly been taught for too long. This is on many subjects not just Chronology.

For anyone to question "Why would a Mathematician have anything credible to say of History?" The answer is from Dr. Fomenko's preface in the book: "It would be worthwhile to remind the reader that in the XVI-XVII century Chronology was considered to be a subdivision of Mathematics." These volumes could possibly be some of the most important works to date & should be read by everyone with an interest in History, especially professors & educators who have a duty to the public. I have read both books & must say that 'Chronology 1' has some very eye opening & revolutionary information. Even if these volumes are part true the implications are profound & opens the doors to further investigations & questions which must be done. I speak several different lanquages & must say the logic Dr. Fomenko uses with "inflection" of words & words being read from left to right in one region & right to left in another then written backwards, the removal of vowels & get down to basics of words, or different cities & locations having the same name etc. is correct. Vowel usage has always been optional & varied, actually complicating linquistics & study. The first thing one has to understand is that words never had a fixed spelling in history like we do now, the spelling of words was mutable & regional, as well as names & titles of people were vast, varied & changed, NOTHING WAS FIXED or understood linear. Matters of Life & Death as well as financial profiteering yesterday & today were & are made with ignorant, illogical & conspiratorial views of history & reality, it's time people get closer to the Truth & society collectively grow up.

Very Interesting.......2007-03-07

It is a good proposal and I believe it will mature into something even better in the future. I think it deserves to be read.

History as Science Fiction.......2007-01-10

Anatoly Fomenko has written a very intriguing book, full of pictures, charts, and computer 'proof' of his thesis: backwards of AD900 we don't really know what happened or when. Between AD900 and AD1600 there is more certainty, but there is still a lot of fuzzy ground, and things don't get reliable until we get past the 1600's where the printing press made it very difficult for the perpetrators of this timeline manipulation to change anything that had been committed to print. The Dark Ages did not happen. Books were burned for a reason. One organization has doubled the actual length of its existence by expanding the real chronology. Read why.

I had always wondered why Christ died about AD33 and yet men waited until the 11th century to form the Knights Templar, the Cathars, etc and go after the Holy Land by force. Why the 1000 year gap? Turns out there wasn't more than a 10-12 year gap and he proves it using astronomy. This also implies that the planet is not as old as we have been told, and current Christian and other creationist scientists are already championing that idea without being aware of Fomenko's book. The two groups, creationist scientists and the Russian mathematical analysts corroborate each other. Fascinating.

Of course, all this flies in the face of what we have been told traditionally is the 'proper' chronology of western civilization, and most readers will experience 'cognitive dissonance' in reading this book. It means that our history going backwards from AD1600 becomes progressively more incorrect and unreliable until it cannot be trusted at all... in the space of 700-800 years.

Naturally, the curious, open-minded reader will want to know WHO did this, WHY, and did any of the events we think of as really ancient ever happen?
Dr. Fomenko is a respected scientist/mathematician at Moscow State University who has already answered these questions to the satisfaction of his initially skeptical colleagues. Most of them are now believers, a few still refuse to believe (the usual diehards), and of course the western press has ignored Fomenko's work -- for obvious reasons when you read the book. The ones who perpetrated this chronology ruse have a lot to answer for. They are still with us. That's why this book is a well-kept secret.

I gave the book a 4-star rating because I was unable to check out some of his claims; those I checked were as he said. But if even 1/3 of his claims are true, this punches a big hole in what we think is our history, the meaning of western civilization, our educational process (for repeating the ruse as gospel), and the trustworthiness of the organization that perpetrated this ruse, well-intentioned or not.

This book relates to current research into a Young Earth paradigm, to John Keel's discoveries about our planet, and Fr Malachi Martin's insights (in his now out-of-print books). We are indeed sheep who are manipulated and kept ignorant -- for a reason. While knowing what these men have to say may be the "booby prize" (as in: 'what can you do with this knowledge?'), it will provide interesting reading. Didn't someone say: "...and the Truth will set you free."?? For you to judge if this book contains the truth.

ANCIENT ASTRONOMERS (Exploring the Ancient World)

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A Great Place To Start!

ANCIENT ASTRONOMERS (Exploring the Ancient World)
AVENI A
Manufacturer: Smithsonian
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0895990377

Customer Reviews:

A Great Place To Start!.......2001-04-23

Anthony Aveni is well known in scholastic circles for his many excellent and ground-breaking publications in the field of archaeoastronomy. This particular volume is geared toward interested laymen and uninitiated scholars who are not yet well grounded in the history of astronomy or ideas of cosmology from an anthropological perspective. The book is graced with numerous and apt illustrations, while the text reads easily with Aveni's smooth and informative style. Chapters were clearly organized thoughtfully, as information builds upon previous explanations and new concepts or ideas are charted out for the neophytes as needed. "Ancient Astronomy" provides an ideal introduction to archaeoastronomy, ethnoastronomy, and cosmology for students in anthropology and the history of astronomy. Veteran researchers familiar with Aveni's other publications will not find anything particularly new here, but his presentation in this work nevertheless provides a concise and attractive synthesis of ideas he has published elsewhere. Highy recommended!

Observations and Predictions of Eclipse Times by Early Astronomers (Archimedes)

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A fascinating account of early astronomical records

Observations and Predictions of Eclipse Times by Early Astronomers (Archimedes)
J.M. Steele
Manufacturer: Springer
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ASIN: 0792362985

Book Description

Eclipses have long been seen as important celestial phenomena, whether as omens affecting the future of kingdoms, or as useful astronomical events to help in deriving essential parameters for theories of the motion of the moon and sun. This is the first book to collect together all presently known records of timed eclipse observations and predictions from antiquity to the time of the invention of the telescope. In addition to cataloguing and assessing the accuracy of the various records, which come from regions as diverse as Ancient Mesopotamia, China, and Europe, the sources in which they are found are described in detail. Related questions such as what type of clocks were used to time the observations, how the eclipse predictions were made, and how these prediction schemes were derived from the available observations are also considered. The results of this investigation have important consequences for how we understand the relationship between observation and theory in early science and the role of astronomy in early cultures, and will be of interest to historians of science, astronomers, and ancient and medieval historians.

Customer Reviews:

A fascinating account of early astronomical records.......2000-08-05

A fascinating and readable account of astronomy in the ancient and mediaeval world. This book contains an detailed description of eclipse records and their place in early societies. Highly recommended.

Island of the Setting Sun: In Search of Ireland's Ancient Astronomers

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Island of the Setting Sun: In Search of Ireland's Ancient Astronomers
Anthony Murphy , and Richard Moore
Manufacturer: Liffey Press
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ASIN: 1905785054

Galileo in Rome: The Rise and Fall of a Troublesome Genius

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The difficulty of incorporating scientific thought into established orthodoxy.
HELIOCENTRICITY v. THE CHURCH
The Galileo of History

Galileo in Rome: The Rise and Fall of a Troublesome Genius
William R. Shea , and Mariano Artigas
Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA
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ASIN: 0195165985

Book Description

Galileo's trial by the Inquisition is one of the most dramatic incidents in the history of science and religion. Today, we tend to see this event in black and white--Galileo all white, the Church all black. Galileo in Rome presents a much more nuanced account of Galileo's relationship with Rome. The book offers a fascinating account of the six trips Galileo made to Rome, from his first visit at age 23, as an unemployed mathematician, to his final fateful journey to face the Inquisition. The authors reveal why the theory that the Earth revolves around the Sun, set forth in Galileo's Dialogue, stirred a hornet's nest of theological issues, and they argue that, despite these issues, the Church might have accepted Copernicus if there had been solid proof. More interesting, they show how Galileo dug his own grave. To get the imprimatur, he brought political pressure to bear on the Roman Censor. He disobeyed a Church order not to teach the heliocentric theory. And he had a character named Simplicio (which in Italian sounds like simpleton) raise the same objections to heliocentrism that the Pope had raised with Galileo. The authors show that throughout the trial, until the final sentence and abjuration, the Church treated Galileo with great deference, and once he was declared guilty commuted his sentence to house arrest. Here then is a unique look at the life of Galileo as well as a strikingly different view of an event that has come to epitomize the Church's supposed antagonism toward science.

Customer Reviews:

The difficulty of incorporating scientific thought into established orthodoxy........2007-04-22

Recognized as the father of modern science for his study of physics and astronomy, Galileo's adherence to the Copernican theory of heliocentrism might not have been so problematic had it not been for his personality and misreading of Vatican politics. As it was he felt justified in printing his treatise Dialogue contrary to the church's admonition against his teaching of the theory. It is indicative of Galileo's scholarship and reputation that few of the volumes were handed back to authorities when the Dialogue was banned and Galileo was permitted to serve his sentence under house arrest.

Galileo's six trips to Rome began as a young man seeking employment and culminated with his hearings before the Holy Office forty-six years later when he admitted to "having violated an injunction not to discuss Copernicansim." (194) The author's use Galileo's letters, Papal records, newly discovered documents, and historical references to place the story in context.

As it unfolds the difficulty of incorporating scientific thought into established orthodoxy is shown at the very conception of science. What becomes clear is that a discovery, to be accepted, has to have a welcome mat and the structure of society does not always provide one. Galileo had to operate within an ecclesiastic framework not in tune with his views. While Galileo had many supporters, his opponents, whom he often accused of being ignorant, were powerful adversaries. It did not necessarily matter whether objections were valid or not as long as they adhered to tradition.

Another problem for science, is demonstrated by Galileo's use and improvement of the telescope. The power of the scope was increased twenty times and objects could be properly focused. Galileo demonstrated the telescope in social settings to impress distinguished guests with a close-up view of Rome and the stars. However his critics did not always understand the telescope's potential because "impatient and shortsighted philosophers often saw a blurred image that confirmed their prejudices." (41)

Within the scientific community new devices do not necessarily lead to conformity of opinion. Utilizing the telescope, Galileo was able to observe Jupiter with its satellite moons revolving around the sun in a Copernican system. That and the discovery of sunspots overturned Aristotelian perfection of the universe. Even though Galileo and the Jesuit professor from Germany, Christopher Scheiner, both observed the same spots, they came to different conclusions: Scheiner to buttress Aristotelian immutability by declaring the spots were moons and Galileo by using the sun spots to show the Sun's rotation on its axis.

There is another point to be made from reading Shea and Artigas' book on Galileo. All his life Galileo held to his belief of tidal theory "as his decisive argument for the motion of earth." (123). Here the recognized father of modern science is holding resolutely to an idea contrary to basic observation of seaman that there were two high and low tides in the Mediterranean sea, not one each as his theory postulated. "He was so convinced of the validity of his proof of the earth's motion that continued to believe, in the teeth of evidence, that diurnal period in the ocean followed a 24- not a 12- hour cycle." (132) Galileo, the master, is probably only one of many scientists to follow who are caught in the trap of their own beliefs in the face of convincing evidence to the contrary.

HELIOCENTRICITY v. THE CHURCH.......2005-04-21

Early 17th Century Rome. Any book that is published must first be reviewed and revised by the Catholic Church. The Church still stings from Martin Luther's 95 Theses, and King Henry VIII's secession. A Papal Conclave is disrupted by three Cardinals dying whilst Rome is in the grip of a malaria outbreak. Bubonic Plague rears its ugly head after close to 300 years. The Pope peppers his Cardinal enclave with relatives. The Pope is not only a spiritual leader, but also the mayor of Rome, trying to administrate a bustling city while also nurturing the world's flock. And not all the Cardinals support the Pope, either (and he knows it).

Enter Galileo, who argues that the Earth is NOT the center of the universe; the sun is. The establishment likes his telescope, but not what he sees through it. Galileo will not abide superstition; he believes heliocentricity is a fact, and he's damned and determined to make sure everyone else believes it too. This idea crashes head-on with long-held beliefs, and the Catholic Church is not about to tolerate another compromise. After five journeys to Rome to argue his case, spread out over decades, Galileo is at last subpoenaed by the Tribunal of the Inquisition, where confession is mandatory. The only question is--should the defendant be put to death . . . or merely imprisoned?

Enter this world where free thinking might put you in irons, where paranoia is the rule, where whispers can kill. These learned men, the authors, have left no stone unturned in exploring the role and effect of Galileo's scientific endeavors. At the time, he was an extremely likable man--full of anecdotes, well-read, he could make the ladies laugh--but no one dreamed he would become the father of modern science, as he is regarded today. But he was also a tragic man, beset with lifelong illness, the loss of friends and relatives to disease, and the misery of isolation for his beliefs. And he agonized over the fact that the Church questioned his faith in God.

This book can be dry; it can overload you with Italian names--it can fill you with righteous anger--but it can never bore you. For all ye lovers of truth, of justice, of history, even of Catholicism, I unreservedly recommend this book.

The Galileo of History.......2004-03-09

I would recommend this book for anyone interested in understanding the Galileo affair as an historical event and not simply as the stereotype of obscurantist religion fearing the truths of science. Built around Galileo's six trips to Rome, the authors give a lucid explanation of Galileo's life and work. Galileo's is ever more successful as a scientist and ever more eager to vanquish those who disagreed with him.

While clearly a scientific genius, he claimed theories to be true without ever having physical proof. He insisted, falsely, that the tides were caused by the earth's rotation and then used the fact of the tides to argue for the Copernican thesis that the earth and not the heavens was in motion. When certain theologians objected that his theory seemed contrary to scripture, he entered, with no expertise, into a theological discussion on the proper mode of interpreting scripture. Unfortunately this intemperance in debate led finally to Galileo's "trial" and house arrest.

At the same time, the theologians are presented as a mixed lot, some opposing Galileo with an irrational zeal, others soberly weighing the evidence he proposed and so insisting that he treat his theory as a hypothesis and not as proven fact. The authors present the Church's position with some sympathy: it seemed imprudent to change the more obvious understanding of scripture without proof for the scientific theory that undermined it.

The book's prose is plain, but always clear and readable. The tone is dispassionate and objective. The authors, both serious scholars in the field, have clearly done their homework (but mercifully use endnotes) and present a balanced account. This book may not change your view of Galileo or the Church, but it will certainly leave you much better informed about the facts of the case. Given the importance of understanding science and religion, this is no small matter.

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Only for beginners.

Inspirational

Ancient Light: Our Changing View of the Universe
Alan Lightman
Manufacturer: Harvard University Press
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Binding: Paperback

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The Particle Garden: Our Universe As Understood by Particle Physicists (Helix Books)

Relatively Speaking: Relativity, Black Holes, and the Fate of the Universe

Inside Relativity

A Sense of the Mysterious: Science and the Human Spirit

Relativity and Its Roots

ASIN: 0674033639

Customer Reviews:

Only for beginners........2002-11-30

This book gives a brief outline of the different cosmic models (steady state, Big Bang, the anthropic principle) and an explanation of the instruments and techniques used to explore the cosmos.
It is a little bit out of date.
I also missed the swinging style and the speculations of John Gribbin's 'In the Beginning' or Martin Rees' 'Before the Beginning'.
For a more profound and up-to-date introduction to cosmology I recommend the more difficult book 'The elegant Universe' by Brian Greene.

Inspirational.......2000-08-04

I first came across this book in my English class during my freshman year in college. It was very easy to read, and most of all, it was very inspirational. It's a great book to read when you're looking for something to enjoy peacefully, and yet, think about. Highly recommended!

Aristarchus of Samos: The Ancient Copernicus (Dover Books on Astronomy)

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best history of Greek astronomy

Aristarchus of Samos: The Ancient Copernicus (Dover Books on Astronomy)
Sir Thomas Heath
Manufacturer: Dover Publications
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Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0486438864

Book Description

This classic work traces Aristarchus of Samos's anticipation by two millennia of Copernicus's revolutionary theory of the orbital motion of the earth. Heath's history of astronomy ranges from Homer and Hesiod to Aristarchus and includes quotes from numerous thinkers, compilers, and scholasticists from Thales and Anaximander through Pythagoras, Plato, Aristotle, and Heraclides. 34 figures.

Customer Reviews:

best history of Greek astronomy.......2006-07-03

This old (early twentieth century) book is not just about Aristarchus, the "Greek Copernicus" -- that comes in the final chapters. Rather, it is the best survey I know of ancient Greek astronomy, starting from the very beginning. I kept coming across references to this book by Sir Thomas Heath in books on the Copernican revolution, e.g. those by Angus Armitage and Thomas Kuhn, and finally decided to read it -- after having bought his smaller volume on Greek astronomy, also reprinted by Dover.

Heath really goes into detail on each of the ancient schools of astronomy in Greece. There were in fact a good many points of view -- the earth-centered view, the view that the earth rotates daily about its axis, the view of everything going around a fiery center, the "concentric spheres" variant of Eudoxus of the earth centered view, the Aristotelian variant of that, the eventual Ptolemaic view of epicycles and all that ... and finally the view of Aristarchus, which was essentially the Copernican sun-centered view (but without Copernicus' marvelous insights into how such a view simplified everything).

Heath not only goes into detail about each of these schools of thought -- it can be pretty rough going trying to follow all of this, especially because of the esoteric modes of speaking they often employed -- he also gives pithy summaries of what each school was saying, and a critical evaluation of their worth and influence.

If you really want to gain an appreciation of the variety of the ancient Greek schools of thought, of their struggle and progress over seven centuries in describing the motions in the heavens, of the reasonableness of much of their thinking, of the magnificence of their achievement -- I heartily recommend this book, then I recommend, either before or after, exploring the Copernican revolution and the rest of the scientific revolution, in the books by Armitage, Kuhn, Hall, and others.

Aristarchus of Samos: The Ancient Copernicus

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Aristarchus of Samos: The Ancient Copernicus
Thomas Health
Manufacturer: Dover Pubns
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ASIN: 0486241882

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Fantasic in every way!
A poignant and powerful tale for all ages
An incredible and vivid story about the ancient Anasazi civilization
Wonderful book for young adults AND adults
how the Anasazi lived

Under a Stand Still Moon
Ann Howard Creel
Manufacturer: Brown Barn Books
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Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0974648183

Book Description

Under A Stand Still Moon is the winner of the Independent Publishers Book Award Winner 2006 for Multicultural Fiction
A Notable Social Studies Trade Book for Young People 2006-the National Council for the Social Studies and the Children's Book Council
Women Writing the West Young Adult Fiction Finalist
ForeWord Magazine YA Fiction Bronze Award

Customer Reviews:

Fantasic in every way!.......2007-01-10

Reviewed by Susan Pettrone for Reader Views (1/07)

From the beginning of this book, the reader is drawn into the world of "Echo," a young Native American girl living in the southwestern United States around 900 A.D. We see her grow from a young girl who spends her happiest days playing and exploring the world around her with her friends and helping her mother with her younger sister. Her closest friends "jumping Fish" (her brother) and "Falcon" are her constant companions as they grow up day by day from children with not a care in the world, to young adults facing the world around them. Her relationship with Falcon changes as they grow older as well.

From friendship grows love and they vow to be married one day when the time is right and Falcon has proven himself to be a man and worthy of marriage. To the three of them, life cannot be better, their threesome will stay close with the marriage and they will not have to part. Falcon prepares for his first hunt and with his return, plans to ask for Echo in marriage, a plan that seems perfect to all three of them.

All seems happy and carefree for Echo until the day she happens to be in a place where a child falls from a high mesa and she catches it nimbly in her outstretched arms. From that day forward, her life changes in ways that she never dreamed possible....and all because she saved the life of this one child. For the child she saved is a child who belongs to the priest's and their group who live high on the mesa. And with the news of her heroic action a priest asks for her hand in marriage.

Echo is crushed but knows that to ask for her hand is a compliment to her family and she cannot even think of refusing. So she is swept up into a marriage to a man she has no love for and who is not interested in her for a typical wife, but for someone who will be kind to him and help him as he grows older. She agrees to the marriage with the stipulation that he will teach her all his secrets of the priesthood and train her as he would a man. Her husband sees the wisdom in such a request and grants it thus beginning her studies as a student of the mysterious ways of their people.

As the book continues, we see the tribe growing more and more aware that in order to survive, they must move on. For they have used up most of the natural resources of the area and as they years go by, it is harder and harder for them to prepare for the winters that lie ahead. Sadly they realize the futility of staying and one by one they move on leaving those who are too sick or old to stay and die where they lived. Echo stays behind caring for and burying those who die, as she feels she must do for her tribe. Her husband grows more ill as the days go by until he too passes on and Echo is left to bury her husband by herself. It is Echo's footsteps that are then the last to leave the mesa and all the memories it held for her people.

After reading this, I found myself thoughtful, wondering if in fact this could have happened to the people of Chimney rock. I wondered if perhaps they, like the people in this book, slowly realized that though they had a wonderful city built on the mesa, that it no longer met their needs, and beautiful or not, they must move on to survive. I would highly recommend this book for young readers of all ages. It is filled with thoughtful moments, historical references to the lifestyle of Echo and her people and realistic characters as well. It is a book rich with meaning and thought provoking situations. This book is one that would make an excellent addition to any home or classroom library and one that is well worth the price. It is a wonderful way to look at the life of Native Americans and to see all aspects of their life in an easy to read and understandable manner. In short, "Under a Stand Still Moon" is fantastic book in every way and a book that deserves to be read for it's insight and interesting storyline alike!

A poignant and powerful tale for all ages.......2006-01-11

Set in the prehistoric Southwestern United States circa 900 A.D., Under A Standstill Moon is the novel of a girl born during a "lucky month"; as she becomes a woman, her good fortune becomes a cruel destiny, as she is forced to leave the village and the man she truly love to be given to the High Priest, Sun Watcher. The magic and power of the Sun Watcher frightens the people of her village; and so a young woman must dig deep inside herself to conquer her fear and take control of her destiny. A poignant and powerful tale for all ages, that draws deeply upon what archaeology tells us today of how the native population in the Southwest once lived.

An incredible and vivid story about the ancient Anasazi civilization.......2005-11-18

Set in the southwestern United States in 900 A.D., UNDER A STAND STILL MOON tells the story of Echo, a little girl born into the Waterfall Clan. Echo is considered special because she was brought into this world under a Stand Still Moon, a very rare season in which the moon halts its course in the sky and raises nightly between the two war gods. Echo's greatest wish is to have unlimited freedom to explore her world. However, her mother and grandmother want her to learn the ways of a woman and a working wife. So she is forced to stay at home, helping her family with chores and tending to her younger sister with not much time for exploring her world.

While hard at work, she develops a crush on her childhood friend Falcon. Her love for him grows so deeply that she wishes to marry him. However, after she saves a baby from falling off a cliff, Sun Watcher, a High Priest whose incredible power scares everyone in the village, asks her family for her hand in marriage. Her family agrees, and so Echo must leave her dreams and family behind to marry and move in with Sun Watcher.

While living with her husband, Echo discovers that he is very ill. She promises to take care of him if he promises to give her his power. He agrees, and starts teaching her the lessons of the sky. Meanwhile, tragedies begin to occur in her village, and Sun Watcher becomes sicker than ever. Will Echo be able to stay strong for everyone in the village and survive on her own, or will her world become a different place?

UNDER A STAND STILL MOON comes to life as author Ann Howard Creel creates vivid images of the Anasazi civilization and the ancient people who represent natural Earth elements. This is an incredible journey that is not to be missed.

--- Reviewed by Ashley Hartlaub

Wonderful book for young adults AND adults.......2005-10-16

When I was younger I read ISLAND OF THE BLUE DOLPHINS, and it became my favorite book of all time to this day. Never before have I found a novel to compare to that one, until now. Creel's powerful voice and storytelling make UNDER A STAND STILL MOON able to stand on the same shelf as that other classic. Don't miss it for yourself or your children.

how the Anasazi lived.......2005-10-14

Rebeccasreads highly recommends UNDER A STAND STILL MOON as a vivid, lyrical recreation of one girl's coming of age during terrifying times when her people, the mysterious & vanished Anasazi, who have lived on the mesas & plains of America's Southwest for generations, are threatened by their gods & the weather they control.

A great read for lovers of pre-history how daily lives once were lived.

Mysteries of the Hopewell: Astronomers, Geometers, and Magicians of the Eastern Woodlands (Ohio History and Culture (Paperback))

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Mysteries of the Hopewell: Astronomers, Geometers, and Magicians of the Eastern Woodlands (Ohio History and Culture (Paperback))
William F. Romain
Manufacturer: University of Akron Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 1931968047

Book Description

Buried beneath today's Midwestern towns, under several layers of earth and the accumulated debris of two thousand years, are the clues to an ancient mystery. A Native American people, now known as the Hopewell, lived and worked these lands, building earthworks which in some instances dwarf the ruins at Stonehenge. More significantly, these mammoth earthworks were built in different geometric shapes, using a standard unit of measure and aligned to the cycles of the sun and the moon.

Using the foundation of existing scholarship, Mysteries of the Hopewell presents new discoveries showing the accomplishments of the Mound Builders in astronomy, geometry, measurement, and counting. William Romain then goes one step further to theorize why generations of people toiled to move millions of tons of earth to form these precise structures, joining the ranks of the Egyptians, Mayans, Greeks, Chinese, and other advanced ancient cultures.

William Romain's Mysteries of the Hopewell will appeal to many readers, including anthropologists, mathematicians, and historians, but perhaps especially to readers curious about ancient cultures and seeking explanations for these magnificent earthen structures.

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