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From Black Land To Fifth Sun: The Science Of Sacred Sites
Until recently, archaeology was concerned mainly with piecing together the material lives of our ancestors. In this groundbreaking book, master storyteller and respected archaeologist Brian Fagan explains how cutting-edge science can now take us beyond the artifacts—into the mystical realm of shamans and spirit mediums, ancestor worship, and ritual sacrifice. From the Nile’s black land to the Aztec’s world of the Fifth Sun, from Stonehenge to Jericho, Fagan describes how Accelerator Mass Spectrometry, Geographic Information Systems, Computer Automated Design-mapping and other sophisticated scientific methods are helping us to decode the religious and spiritual beliefs of our forebears. This new “archaeology of the mind” blends a wealth of scientific disciplines—from botany, zoology, and geology to neuropsychology, palynology, and nuclear physics. With vivid imagery and a transporting voice, Fagan revolutionizes our understanding of the inner lives of ancient people.
416 pages, Paperback
First published May 4, 1998
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148 people want to read
About the author
Brian M. Fagan
180 books270 followersBrian Murray Fagan was a British author of popular archaeology books and a professor emeritus of Anthropology at the University of California, Santa Barbara.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
May 20, 2020
From Black Land to Fifth Sun is the textbook for an online course I'm taking from Oxford about ritual and religion in prehistory.
The opening chapter to the book seems promising, offering readers a glimpse into the hidden worlds of what could be called the "archaeology of the mind."
"The emerging 'archaeology of mind' is a marriage of cultural systems theory, settlement archaeology, environmental reconstruction, contextual archaeology, and the decipherment of written records." pg 11
Unfortunately, the text then becomes bogged down by the author's lengthy descriptions of archaeological sites he visited during the course of his life and his interactions with some of the giants of the field, who, as he so helpfully notes, are dead now. One of my classmates described it as "perhaps the most boring travelogue ever."
"I have not seen the Chauvet paintings: few outsiders have yet had the chance. Nor should they, for our primary concern must be to protect them from harm." pg 50
Some of the most interesting parts of this were the author's descriptions of rituals from modern peoples, such as the San. But there are perils galore to using any of this modern information to decipher rituals in prehistory. The culture and society is not the same. The hierarchies are not the same. The tools and materials available are not the same. The meanings assigned to the ritual movements may have changed if we even knew what those movements were, which in most cases we don't. There may have been a charismatic figure at the center of the cult or religion, and who knows what they may have been like. I could go on and on.
"As they activated their potency, the medicine men trembled, then sweated, then bled from the nose, as the potency took hold of them - an eerie sight to behold. Many white hunters have seen dying eland, trembling with wide-open mouths, sweating profusely, with melted fat gushing like blood from their nostrils. Perhaps the San likened this phenomenon to 'death' in a medicine man's trance." pg 61
The fact that I find this book so dull truly is a shame. This topic could come alive with a little updating. Perhaps if the text had a digital component, where you could digitally "walk" through the sites the author is describing as he describes it, it might hold the attention.
Also, From Black Land to Fifth Sun was published in 1998, twenty-two years ago for those keeping score. It purports to be on the cutting edge of archaeological research but I find that extremely dubious when I consider how far technology has developed since then. One need only look at the state of our handheld devices to know it couldn't possibly be true.
In addition to the meandering yet somehow dry descriptions and outdated technology, somehow the author has managed to suck the life out of a topic I find extremely compelling. What did ritual and religion look like during prehistory? I don't know, but I can imagine so many different scenarios. So many!
I feel like this field could use people who use their intuition and imaginations in addition to scientific techniques to bring the past to life- almost like a shamanistic version of Indiana Jones.
Instead, we have either scientists putting locks and fences around sites to maintain each dust molecule in context and then droning on for hours about when the human brain may have become capable of religious thought or arguing about whether religion developed as a societal control for hunter-gatherers or agricultural people. On the other hand, there's the spaced-out new agers who want to camp among the ruins of Stonehenge or wherever and commune with whatever spirits they claim are living in the rock, divorced from any kind of scientific evidence whatsoever.
Can't we have some sort of happy medium?
Only recommended for the readers who are taking the same course I am. Otherwise, seekers are advised to steer clear.
The opening chapter to the book seems promising, offering readers a glimpse into the hidden worlds of what could be called the "archaeology of the mind."
"The emerging 'archaeology of mind' is a marriage of cultural systems theory, settlement archaeology, environmental reconstruction, contextual archaeology, and the decipherment of written records." pg 11
Unfortunately, the text then becomes bogged down by the author's lengthy descriptions of archaeological sites he visited during the course of his life and his interactions with some of the giants of the field, who, as he so helpfully notes, are dead now. One of my classmates described it as "perhaps the most boring travelogue ever."
"I have not seen the Chauvet paintings: few outsiders have yet had the chance. Nor should they, for our primary concern must be to protect them from harm." pg 50
Some of the most interesting parts of this were the author's descriptions of rituals from modern peoples, such as the San. But there are perils galore to using any of this modern information to decipher rituals in prehistory. The culture and society is not the same. The hierarchies are not the same. The tools and materials available are not the same. The meanings assigned to the ritual movements may have changed if we even knew what those movements were, which in most cases we don't. There may have been a charismatic figure at the center of the cult or religion, and who knows what they may have been like. I could go on and on.
"As they activated their potency, the medicine men trembled, then sweated, then bled from the nose, as the potency took hold of them - an eerie sight to behold. Many white hunters have seen dying eland, trembling with wide-open mouths, sweating profusely, with melted fat gushing like blood from their nostrils. Perhaps the San likened this phenomenon to 'death' in a medicine man's trance." pg 61
The fact that I find this book so dull truly is a shame. This topic could come alive with a little updating. Perhaps if the text had a digital component, where you could digitally "walk" through the sites the author is describing as he describes it, it might hold the attention.
Also, From Black Land to Fifth Sun was published in 1998, twenty-two years ago for those keeping score. It purports to be on the cutting edge of archaeological research but I find that extremely dubious when I consider how far technology has developed since then. One need only look at the state of our handheld devices to know it couldn't possibly be true.
In addition to the meandering yet somehow dry descriptions and outdated technology, somehow the author has managed to suck the life out of a topic I find extremely compelling. What did ritual and religion look like during prehistory? I don't know, but I can imagine so many different scenarios. So many!
I feel like this field could use people who use their intuition and imaginations in addition to scientific techniques to bring the past to life- almost like a shamanistic version of Indiana Jones.
Instead, we have either scientists putting locks and fences around sites to maintain each dust molecule in context and then droning on for hours about when the human brain may have become capable of religious thought or arguing about whether religion developed as a societal control for hunter-gatherers or agricultural people. On the other hand, there's the spaced-out new agers who want to camp among the ruins of Stonehenge or wherever and commune with whatever spirits they claim are living in the rock, divorced from any kind of scientific evidence whatsoever.
Can't we have some sort of happy medium?
Only recommended for the readers who are taking the same course I am. Otherwise, seekers are advised to steer clear.
January 20, 2012
I tried reading this for pleasure, and therein lay my problem I presume. I didn't find this engaging or entertaining on any real level and after plowing about halfway through, I'd managed to accrue enough library fines to disincentivise finishing this book. Other than that, it was informative, although slightly more general than I was lead to believe originally. I didn't get any real feel for either the archaeology behind what Fagan was talking about, nor did I feel as though there was a very in-depth analysis of the "science of sacred sites"...
June 7, 2008
The best part of the book was the epilogue. The book looks at the archaeology of sacred spaces throughout the world. A very dry and academic look at the Ohio mounds, Egyptian pyramids, Mayan pyramids, Knossos, Jericho, cave art, and Stonehenge. There are better Brain Fagan books out there.
April 2, 2010
Good book on the archaeology of sacred spaces. Chapters on Prehistoric cave art, Stonehenge and Avebury, Knossos, Cahokia, ancient Egypt and the Aztecs, with sidebars on different scientific procedures that archaeologists use to date findings. Very accessible and readable.
February 20, 2011
So far I am loving this book! The intoxicating mystery and beauty of archeology is there, right alongside the specific education of the technology and methods used to understand and interpret the sites.
November 24, 2021
It is an excellent book for all those who are interested in anthropology/archaeology perspective of ritual and religion in ancient and contemporary cultures. It is an easy read for those who are not experienced in reading anthropology or archaeology texts but interesting and valuable to those who have a depth of knowledge in those fields. The author takes you from hunter gather society transitioning into agrarian society. The author discusses diverse culture and places across the globe such as Catalhoyuk in Turkey to Chaco Canyon and Mesoamerica.
July 27, 2022
The best book on ancient civilisations, archaeology and anthropology combined together. You will understand the ancients and receive a lot of information about their lifestyles back then. It includes the most well-known civilisations and some that are not famous, from around the world.
August 2, 2025
The book gave me a different view of archeology. I have always liked history but never been really interested in archeology. It is a nice way to appreciate archeologist work and learn lots of new things about ancient cultures. I would recommend it if you don't mind about technical information.
December 11, 2017
Excellent look at how archaeology informs what we know about historical and even prehistorical religion.
Sometimes dry and technical but thorough.
Sometimes dry and technical but thorough.
August 4, 2012
this was the set book for 'Ritual and Religion in Prehistory', studied with Oxford University ...
I loved both the course and the book, and have read much of Fagan's work since, all of which I have found fascinating ....
I loved both the course and the book, and have read much of Fagan's work since, all of which I have found fascinating ....
July 2, 2014
This book is complex and difficult to read if you are not into the study of archeology. I would call it a reference study guide. I loved it because these things interest me a lot. I would not recommend it as a casual read.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews