Ancient Lives: An Introduction to Archaeology and Prehistory

by Brian M. Fagan

Written for complete beginners in a narrative style, Ancient Lives is aimed at introductory courses in archaeology and prehistory that cover archaeological methods and theory, as well as world prehistory. The first half of Ancient Lives covers the basic principles, methods, and theoretical approaches of archaeology. The second half is devoted to a summary of the major developments of human the origins of humankind and the archaic world, the origins and spread of modern humans, the emergence of food production, and the beginnings of civilization.

Genres: History, Anthropology, Nonfiction, Archaeology

484 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2000

About the author

Brian Murray Fagan was a British author of popular archaeology books and a professor emeritus of Anthropology at the University of California, Santa Barbara.

Reviews

[Timothy Pitkin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Informative but a little dry still really good when learning about the history of Archaeology but may require a great teacher to make this book not a chore to read through

[Brent Barnard · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book because I wanted to zero in on a particular section: the part where Fagan chronicles man's transition from the primitive era to the Ice Age to the first cities, etc. He writes in a really clear fashion, which I certainly appreciate. I read him to learn more about Mesopotamia and the Ancient Near East, but I left a bit more intrigued by the Ice Age accounts. Now I want to read more about that period. Curiosity piqued!

[Joshua · Rating 3 out of 5]

Informative, but dreadfully boring. I cannot stress enough the importance of making a piece of text both interesting as well as providing the appropriate information to instruct a reader. I learned a great deal from the text, but it was more than a struggle to stay focused. My suggestion is to couple this with other forms of media to maintain a balanced interest.