Customer Reviews:
Good, but needs some more editing and better visuals.......2001-10-17
La Plante's text is able to give you a good feel for the artistic culture of India, China, and Japan over the past several millennia, which is an immense task that he does well. This book, however, has pretty disappointing flaws.
Reviewers of this book have alrady excoriated it for lousy pictures, and while this does not destroy the book's good value, these complaints are valid. The picture of Mohenjo-Daro's "High Priest" statue is heavily shadowed, and many of the black-and-white photos simply do not do justice to the material. Even if the publisher refused to suck it up and splurge on more color, shots with a better layout and lighting would do wonders.
Another gripe is more technical, but could really confuse someone who is not familiar with Chinese names. La Plante, as a preface to his section on China, notes that he uses the Pinyin system of transcribing Chinese sounds into the Roman alphabet. For the most part, yes, he does use Pinyin, but he isn't entirely consistent. The great historian of China, Sima Qian, is spelled "Sima Chien", where "Sima" is in pinyin but "Chien" uses another transcription system. There are several other similar glitches. It's a silly mistake to make, and could throw off a student who is probably already intimidated by Chinese pronunciations.
The book does an excellent job of teaching you about different civilizations' artwork, especially considering the immensity of the cultures that are discussed and the relative thinness of the book--I just wish that some of these quirks would get ironed in the next editions, because then this book would really shine.
Has potential, but..........2001-04-20
This has the potential to be a much-needed alternative to the classic introduction to Asian art by Lee, but the text is quite sketchy - it almost seems a write-up of LaPlante's lecture notes - and the illustrations are dreadful, certainly not anywhere close to the standards of contemporary art publishing. There are surprising gaps; there is no mention of Tori Busshi as the sculptor of the Shaka Triad at Horyu-ji, for example. Some line drawings are gawd-awful. With better editing and good pictures, this would be an excellent text.
Excellent Alternative to Sherman Lee.......2001-03-01
This text offers a basic survey of Asian Art history. Unlike A History of Far Eastern Art, by Sherman Lee, which is disproportionately weighted towards Chinese painting, La Plante is careful to balance between the three major art historical traditions of Asia (India, China, Japan). The author also covers developments in contemporary Asian art, as well as often neglected Islamic traditions in India. unfortunately, the book is not lavishly illustrated, but this is reflected in the reduced price, which makes the book more affordable for many students.
Interesting, but where are the pictures?.......2000-04-05
La Plante gives a great historical context to the art he describes. This helps to make the subject of Asian Art accessible and alive for the western reader. However, there is a surprising lack of visual images, considering the book's art-related content. And, most of the images are small black-and-whites. There are only a few select color photos. This makes it hard for the reader to fully appreciate and enjoy this subject. The book is organized chronologically by country and covers India, China, and Japan. Painting, architecture, sculpture, and ceramics are the main types of art discussed. La Plante defines obscure terminology at the end of each chapter, which is helpful. Altogether, a fine read for contextual information, best if paired with a good source of visual images of arts from ancient Asia.
Book Description
FOREWORD BY B. B. LAL; EXPLORES THE GENESIS AND DEVELOPMENT OF POPULAR THEMES; ILLUSTRATED.
Customer Reviews:
Great Book.......2000-06-17
This book has beautiful and accurate descriptions about the motifs of that period along with the first hand photographs of the motifs of that time. It is very informative and written in a easy to understand manner.
I would encourage all libraries and History Departments to review this book.
Dr Satyawadi could be contacted at satyawadi@mantraonline.com for more information.
Book Description
A tale of sorcery, religious conflict, political intrigue and ecological disaster in the lost cities of the Indus Valley, circa 2000 BC.
Customer Reviews:
a wonderful journey!--winter on the plain of ghosts.......2004-08-16
i loved this book! it combines excellent, evocative yet unintrusive writing with a faithfully depicted historical setting. it tells of real people that i come to care about facing circumstances that range from frightening to fulfilling.
the story takes place in a world where many peoples mix--hill-tribes and desert-folk, rich and poor inhabitants of an ancient and crumbling city, making their lives within and outside of the law.
many faiths are represented, older than any that exist in india today. the world unfolds with convincing realism even while spirits and demons, goddesses and gods, divination, alchemy and spells are a natural part of it all. it's hard for me to explain this. the magic, the deities don't pop out at you like overblown caricatures, no matter how intense the scene. they work beautifully into a story of a real person in his fascinating world. i can't say it enough times--i LOVED this book!
A thriller from ancient history.......2004-08-06
Winter on the Plain of Ghosts is a gripping fantasy from a three time Aurora Award winner which reaches so far back in history the era is scarcely recorded, yet it carries overtones of life as we know it today. Eileen Kernaghan outlines the problems of religious bigotry and the entrenched resistance to change by the powers in charge as disaster threatens, when change is their only way to survive.
The reader escapes with Rujik of Ur, a boy being sacrificed to the gods of his tribe in an age-old ritual; stays with him through his successes and disasters, his failed yet triumphant love, and in doing so learns something about himself and the surprisingly similar problems of modern living.
`Winter` is a satisfying book, beautifully written by an author with a poet's heart, one which will stay with the reader long after he has closed its back cover.
WINTER ON THE PLAIN OF GHOSTS -- A REVIEW.......2004-07-16
Eileen Kernaghan's reputation for meticulous research and an engaging story is well sustained by her most recent book, WINTER ON THE PLAIN OF GHOSTS. Set in the prehistoric Indus Valley, the novel is a retrospective tale of a young boy who escapes the perils of village ritual sacrifice to become first a thief, then a wealthy and respected merchant in the ancient city of Mohenjo-daro (The Tiger City). His subsequent involvement with the priesthood which controls Mohenjo-daro and his eventual rebellion against their repressive hold on its inhabitants make for compelling reading.
Though known as a fantasy writer, in this instance Kernaghan's strong, lyrical prose, combined with her passion for well-researched detail, help her lend an aura of historical authenticity; magical and fantastic events are skillfully interwoven with plot and dialogue, often convincing the reader that such things were part of everyday life in these long-ago times. Fully realized characters and catastrophic events compel the plot towards its inevitable conclusion. This is a powerful, satisfying novel, which, in this reader's view, will make it difficult to put down.
Customer Reviews:
Great info, great illustrations, a little textbook-y.......2006-08-13
This is a social history of life in ancient India targeted at late elementary schoolers.
It is organized into 14 two-page, thematic spreads that follow a general chronological progression (from the Harrappan civilizations through the Aryan conquest, Mauryan Age, and and the rise of Buddhism) but have a way-of-life emphasis. The packaging, full of drawings, artifacts, and photographs of people and places, is very well done, and the text is clear.
The only drawback is that the presentation is rather dry and textbook-like. However, it is still a very good introduction to an area that is rarely covered by books of this level.
Average customer rating:
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The Indus Valley (History Opens Windows)
Jane Shuter
Manufacturer: Heinemann
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Book Description
By the time of his death in 323 B.C., Alexander III of Macedonia had built an empire that stretched from the eastern Mediterranean coast through Asia Minor and into the Indus valley. Even before his sudden death, Alexander had achieved mythical status throughout his kingdom, and in the centuries that followed his life became the subject of countless chronicles and biographies.
N. G. L. Hammond, the foremost expert on ancient Macedonian history, here presents a new account of Alexander's fabled career. Based on a thorough analysis of the ancient sources and enriched by a lifetime of research, Hammond's narrative pronounces the Macedonian conqueror a man truly deserving of the title Alexander the Great.
According to Hammond, Alexander was a visionary statesman and general, the force behind a kingdom which rose above racism and nationalism to enjoy peace and prosperity. His intellect and charismatic personality, which earned him the respect, admiration, and devotion of his subjects, also help explain Alexander's endurance as a source of fascination into the present day.
Customer Reviews:
Mega Alexandros.......2006-12-18
I have read many books about Alexander and unfortunately most of them misrepresent him as a Tyrannt or whatever the authors feel that can diminish a great personality through exaggeration.
However, Hammond has broken away from the micropolitics and has gone one step further and asks the question of why Alexander acted in this way. You could say that the book is an answer to the misinformed scholars about Alexander the Great. In other words, I found that the book is Alexander's "Apology" for his actions.
Being of a Greek background, I found that the translations of the sources are accurate and not misinterpreted. Hammond's knowledge of the Ancient Hellenic civilization have helped him understand what we as Greeks know about Alexander and his role in the Ancient Hellenic civiliztion.
I recommend this book to serious history readers who don't want distorted facts and events.
Hammond's Alexander - A Perfect King?.......2005-03-05
In recent years, there has been a positive fashion for writing about Alexander the Great, particularly after the mid-century arguments from scholars who wanted to view him either as an evil tyrant, or a sort of proto-Christian examplar of conquering chivalry. Hammond's book is obviously part of this all-or-nothing trend in Alexander studies.
I read N.G.L. Hammond's book, The Genius of Alexander the Great after reading numerous other biographies including Fox, Green, Wilcken, and others, largely due to my appreciation of Hammond's status as an Oxford scholar with thirty years of solid publication on Alexander, Macedonia, and the Greek Hellenistic world. Although his credentials are impeccable, almost from the first chapter I realized that I was reading one of those scholars who felt they had to take a stand on the issue of Alexander-the-Good, Alexander-the-Bad. And Hammond definitely comes down on the side of Alexander the decent, good well-meaning chappie, who was a military genius. To me, this kind of selective biography becomes increasingly irritating, although to the brand-new student of Alexander, his summary of the known facts about Alexander's life is meticulous and quite helpful - except for his bias.
Reading this book will give you the Alexander basics, but from Chapter 1, Hammond feels authoritively able to simply discount sources he dislikes (i.e., ancient sources who brought up questions concerning Alexander's temper, violence, cruelty, drunkenness, and less-than-altruistic motiviations). So we regularly hear that such-and-such a source may be "dismissed" as a complete or partial fabrication. Apparently, Hammond particularly loathes Curtius, but Diodorus Siculus is also regularly dismissed out of hand. Instead, he quotes extensively from sources such as Ptolemy, Aristobulus, and their heir, Arrian, showing Alexander in the best possible light.
In any book, whether it's Tarn or Badian, I am deeply suspicious of selective source-hunting, and I'm afraid that Hammond's regular choice in this regard grew irksome to me. I would say this is a good, steady view of Alexander's life and works with the proviso that the reader must be aware of all that is being bowdlerized from the ancient sources. I, personally, believe in a decent Alexander who also could do awful things, but scholars who ignore contradictory sources to present him do his genius no good service. In so saying, I mean no disrespect to Hammond's obvious expertise in the area and his long history of scholarship in this field. I simply wish he could have brought his expertise to bear in accepting both the good AND the bad about Alexander.
Well-Detailed, Highly Entertaining And Informative........2004-03-05
Few figures in the history of the world have attained the mythical status and timeless quality of Alexander The Great. The man and myth continue to fuel the imagination of every new generation. This is no surprise when one reads about the man's achievements and how they changed the world. The lore of the story relies in the classic, epic sense of adventure that courses through it, it is a tale that takes us through various cultures, characters and to the stretches of the known world. N.G.L. Hammond is clearly an admirer of Alexander and tells his story here with the flare of homage and reverence. "The Genius Of Alexander The Great" gives us a story of boldness and the quest for knowledge and truth. Alexander comes off as a highly intelligent, cultured commander who embarks on a quest to defeat a mammoth Persian empire and bring Greek culture into the civilisations of Asia and beyond and to also introduce their cultures to the Greeks and Macedonians. Hammond describes in great detail the battles Alexander wins against Persian king Darius, who is ruler of the world before the Macedonian king steps ashore. The book is also a fascinating exploration of Greek history, taking us deep into the cultural traditions and aspects of Alexander's world. One realizes you cannot judge Alexander by the standards of our time, this is one figure that demands to be judged by the standards of his own time and era. If one takes the book to heart with careful attention, you realize what sets Alexander apart from conquerors like Caesar, Napoleon and Hannibal is that his goal was simply to achieve a sort of greatness in the style of Achilles ("The Iiliad" was a constant companion during the Asiatic campaign). Hammond's book is also a wonderful gallery of characters. The most memorable aside from Alexander would have to be his free-spirited mother Olympias, who here is depicted dancing wildly in Dionysian cults, handling snakes and indulging herself in orgiastic rituals such as the "Bacchae." There is also Alexander's talented, brilliant father Philip, the philosopher Aristotle and others. It's evident that Alexander lived in special times for the history of civilisation and he was simply there to add his mark. And Hammond writes it all with a novelistic style that engrosses the reader and transports you there clearly and vividly. From Macedonia and Persia to Egypt and India, Hammond takes us on a journey to understand how there are daring, epic moments in history that live on forever. A wonderful read and memorable book.
Great book on a great historical figure........2002-09-18
This is the last book written by Prof. Hammond on ATG and it really is a nice piece of work. Some people may claim that he tends to over-glorify Alexander but I don't believe so. His analysis is very balanced and his criticism is not based on 20th Century values and ideals, which is a problem with other authors on the same subject.
If you're looking for a good book on Alexander the Great, do start here.
The Non-historian's View.......2002-02-15
This book, although mainly intended to explain Alexander the Great's political system and success, also haas a great amount of information to offer on the most brilliant military campaigns of all time. Anyone interested in an amateur understanding of battles, not to mention polytheism and Macedonian social code, would find this book a vast ocean of useful facts.
Book Description
This lavishly illustrated book presents a coherent and fascinating account of the Indus Valley civilization that will appeal to specialists and non-specialists alike. Kenoyer draws on the latest archaeological information from Harappa, Mohenjodaro, Dholavira, and other major sites as well as
on his considerable knowledge of South Asian societies and ancient technologies. He addresses such enduring topics as the nature and role of the Indus writing system, the Indus religino as evidenced through sculpture and architecture, the political organization of Indus city-states, long-distance
trade and the importance of merchants in Indus society, and the daily life of the diverse inhabitants of the cities, towns, and villages of the region.
Customer Reviews:
Indus Valley.......2006-08-18
This was an excellent, informative and well-written book about a civilization which is largely unknown.
Dull, Slow, Plodding and Boring.......2006-08-01
By contrast with Gregory Possehl's similar work The Indus Civilization: A Contemporary Perspective, Kenoyer's book is incredibly bland. It reads like a textbook, with dry, wooden sentences loaded with typos that Oxford's editorial staff were apparently too busy to bother correcting. One can almost envision Kenoyer in front of a classroom with a sonorous, non-inflective voice reciting Indus history as though he were reading aloud from an airline safety guidebook. But, these quibbles aside, Kenoyer's book is otherwise quite bad.
For instance, it is not very well organized. Never does Kenoyer bother, as Possehl does, to give us a description of what a single Indus city was like. Instead, he recites a monologue of generalizations, pointing out that the Indus peoples had this kind of pottery and that kind of beadmaking technology. We cannot distinguish one site from another and consequently, the reader walks away feeling that the whole society was incredibly homogenous. And this is not true, for the character of a small industrial site like Chanhu-daro--gritty with dust and noxious smoke from its kilns, kilns which were not allowed in the urban precincts of the bigger cities until their late, decadent periods--should be distinguished from a metropolis like Harappa or Mohenjo-daro or a backward farming community like Rodji.
Then there is the question of origins. Kenoyer is one of those scholars who believes--unfortunately, as does Possehl--that agriculture had an indigenous origin in the Indus valley. Such an argument is difficult to maintain in light of the fact that, at the earliest site at which agriculture first appears, Mehrgarh (c. 7000 b.c.), the houses are multi-roomed rectangular mud brick dwellings with hearths located in the corners of the rooms and with rooftop entry into the granaries. But, as Jacques Cauvin has pointed out, most of these characteristics originated in the Near East during the Pre Pottery Neolithic A and B in the region of the Upper Euphrates near Mureybet. For there, at the site of Mureybet, we find the invention of rectangular, multi-roomed houses and granaries. Mud brick first appears at about the same time at Jericho, while rooftop entry is a Near Eastern characteristic found at sites like Asikli Hoyuk, Catal Hoyuk and Umm Dabahgiyah. Hearths located in the corners of rooms, moreover, was a particular characteristic of Near Eastern sites along the Upper Euphrates and in the region of the Taurus mountains. Wheat, furthermore, was one of the crops that the people of Mehrgarh were already farming, yet wheat is not native to Baluchistan, although it is native to the Near East. And neither, apparently, was the particular species of goat which the Mehrgarhians had domesticated which, according to Jane MacIntosh, had its origins in western Asia.
In Kenoyer's final chapter, which concerns the decline of the Indus civilization, he there maintains that the Indo-Aryans did not arrive in India until about 1200 b.c. and had nothing whatsoever to do with the decline of Harappan society. However, by this rather late date, the Indo-Aryans had already long since comfortably ensconced themselves in a number of societies of the ancient Near East. The non-Indo-European peoples known as Kassites, for instance (who received their training in chariotry and horse-riding from the Indo-Europeans) had already begun invading Mesopotamia as early as 1730 b.c., while only a few decades before, the mixture of Indo-Aryan and Semitic peoples known as the Hyksos had gone barreling into Egypt and overthrown its Middle Kingdom. The great palaces of Crete, likewise, had been destroyed by Indo-European peoples at this point. And, furthermore, a number of these Indo-Aryan (or Indo-European) peoples had Sanskrit-speaking elements in their population. The Mitanni, for instance, who had made their appearance on the stage of world history around 1500 b.c. (along with the Hittites) were an Indo Aryan group who worshipped gods right out of the Rig Veda, such as Indra, Mitra, Varuna and the Ashvins. There were even Vedic divinities amongst the non-Indo-European Kassites, such as Surya and the Maruts.
In short, it would be very strange, indeed, to find the Indo-Europeans on the move in all of these other societies by about the eighteenth century b.c. and yet, somehow, relatives of the very same group of people never managed to make it into the Indian subcontinent until 1200 b.c. Very strange, to say the least.
But some scholars have gone so far as to maintain that the Indo-European invasion of India never took place at all and that the Indo-Europeans somehow originated natively on the Indian subcontinet. Kenoyer, fortunately, does not fall into this trap, but his paradigm needs some revising to fit in with this overall picture. Though it is indeed unlikely, as Possehl points out, that the Indo-Europeans had anything to do with the decline of the Indus cities, it is almost certainly untenable to maintain that they were not even present upon the scene of the Harappan cities until 1200 b.c. The frequent references to the Sarasvati river in the Rig Veda--which was in the process of drying up between 1900 and 1200 b.c.--seems to belie this.
And then there is that famous late Harappan sculpture of the Priest King from Mohenjo-daro, found in its late levels at around 2000 b.c. and bearing very striking resemblances to figures depicted on a silver cup found further north amongst the so-called Bactrian-Marghiana Archaeological Complex. These BMAC peoples, as their excavator Viktor Sarianidi points out, may have been Indo-Europeans--perhaps even Vedic Aryans--for he has found fire altars in their temples. This might imply that the charismatically Harappan statue of the Priest King is not Harappan at all, but a portrait of an Indo European foreigner from the BMAC peoples, which would be ironic indeed. And if so, it is worth pointing out that some Indo-Europeans would already be present as members of the Indus population by about 2000 b.c.
In short, Kenoyer's book does not make for good reading. Kenoyer is neither a thinker, nor a good writer, nor even much of an academic, whatever his credentials from Berkeley might be. Alas, one might have expected a better, more informed and informing book from such a heavily credential "scholar."
--John David Ebert, author, Celluloid Heroes & Mechanical Dragons: Film as the Mythology of Electronic Society
Great book...........2005-06-09
This might definitely be a well-researched book.
A Side Note: The only thing is that some portion of the very first statement in this book might be considered misleading. It says, "Fifty years go in 1947, when the countries of Pakistan and India gained independence from Great Britain..." Technically, Pakistan was created and partitioned from India in August 1947. Before the partition, there was no Pakistan. The statement here might be misleading because one, the one who is not so aware of the history of the world, might assume that the country of Pakistan always existed, which is completely incorrect. Pakistan came out on the map only after its separation from India.
A brilliant work.......2002-08-23
What a wonderfully illustrated and thought provoking book about such a rich civilization.
An excellent summary.......2000-06-29
The author faithfully documents his archeolgoical findings over the last three decades. The book is easy to read and has many excellent pictures. Dr. Kenoyer categorically states that the decline of this ancient civilization was due to natural causes and not because of destruction by invading nomads. Some of the seals such as the "Proto-Shiva," and the Swastika are very intriguing and may ultimately establish a firm link between the Indus civilization and the present day Hinduism. A lot of research still needs to be done, but this book is the first step in acknowlegding the true antiquity of the Indus-Sarasvati civilization.
Book Description
Classic, resulting from Burton's five year stay in Sindh, personal observations, language, local custom.
Customer Reviews:
Civilizations of the Indus Valley and Beyond.......2006-09-12
The largest of the world's three most ancient civilizations developed from a farming community in the fertile valley of the Indus River. The Indus civilization is best known through excavations of two of its huge cities, Mohenjo-daro and Harappa, built some 4500 years ago, and uncovered in the 1920s by Sir John Marshall and his colleagues. Since then many sites of all periods have been and are still being dug, and the basis of a sound chronology for the early Indian civilizations is gradually emerging. Sir Mortimer Wheeler was Director-General of Archaeology in India and Archaeological Advisor to the Government of Pakistan and his continuing interest in and deep familiarity with the subject is evident in this highly informative study, which includes the latest available data.
23 color plates
121 black and white illustrations
--- from book's back cover
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