Eons before the of Greece, and women glory men round the globe erected towering structures, created magnificent art, devised ingenious inventions and lived civilized lives. Mining the latest archaeological evidence, "Vanished Civilizations" brings long forgotten communities and their amazing accomplishments again to life -- with vivid immediacy and richly intimate insights. More than 370 full-color illustrations, including detailed maps, specially commissioned reconstructions and photographs of artifacts, reveal the wonders of 40 rediscovered cities. Capturing the thrill of scholar-detectives on the hunt and the intricate work of excavations, the journey opens windows on intriguing, complex societies dating back to 10,000 B.C. Organized chronologically, exciting stops include: -- Catal Huyuk, the world's oldest city, discovered beneath Turkey only 20 years ago -- Mycenae, where the legendary Trojan War was actually fought -- Babylon, where the prophet Daniel interpreted the writing on the wall -- Olympia, original site of the world-famous games recently played in Salt Lake City -- Pataliputra, jewel of the Ganges, defended by war elephants and "Amazonian" guards -- The Henueberg, with a fortress built of sun-dried bricks deep in the dark German forest Sidebars trace the development of commerce, the written word, warfare and technology over thousands of years.

The Goths are truly a “lost civilization.” Sweeping down from the north, ancient Gothic tribes sacked the imperial city of Rome and set in motion the decline and fall of the western Roman empire. Ostrogothic and Visigothic kings ruled over Italy and Spain, dominating early medieval Europe. Yet after the last Gothic kingdom fell more than a thousand years ago, the Goths disappeared as an independent people. Over the centuries that followed, as traces of Gothic civilization vanished, its people came to be remembered as both barbaric destroyers and heroic champions of liberty. In this engaging history, David M. Gwynn brings together the interwoven stories of the original Goths and the diverse Gothic heritage, a heritage that continues to shape our modern world. From the ancient migrations to contemporary Goth culture, through debates over democratic freedom and European nationalism, and drawing on writers from Shakespeare to Bram Stoker, Gwynn explores the ever-widening gulf between the Goths of history and the popular imagination. Historians, students of architecture and literature, and general readers alike will learn something new about this great lost civilization.

The author has chosen the ancient cities of Pompeii, Troy, Angkor, Knossos, Babylon and Chichén Itzá, tells what they were like in ancient times, and recounts the stories of the discoverers and scientists of modern times who unearthed them.

Now in paperback, a brief introduction to the mysteries of the enigmatic, ancient civilization in the area of modern Italy. The Etruscans were a powerful people, marked by an influential civilization in ancient Italy. But despite their prominence, the Etruscans are often portrayed as mysterious—a strange and unknowable people whose language and culture have largely vanished. Lucy Shipley’s The Etruscans presents a different picture. Shipley writes of a people who traded with Greece and shaped the development of Rome, who inspired Renaissance artists and Romantic firebrands, and whose influence is still felt strongly in the modern world. Covering colonialism and conquest, misogyny and mystique, she weaves Etruscan history with new archaeological evidence to give us a revived picture of the Etruscan people. The book traces trade routes and trains of thought, describing the journey of Etruscan objects from creation to use, loss, rediscovery, and reinvention. From the wrappings of an Egyptian mummy displayed in a fashionable salon to the extra-curricular activities of Bonaparte, from a mass looting craze to a bombed museum in a town marked by massacre, the book is an extraordinary voyage through Etruscan archaeology, which ultimately leads to surprising and intriguing places. In this sharp and groundbreaking book, Shipley gives readers a unique perspective on an enigmatic people, revealing just how much we know about the Etruscans—and just how much still remains undiscovered.

The Indus civilization flourished for half a millennium from about 2600 to 1900 BCE, when it mysteriously declined and vanished from view. It remained invisible for almost four thousand years, until its ruins were discovered in the 1920s by British and Indian archaeologists. Today, after almost a century of excavation, it is regarded as the beginning of Indian civilization and possibly the origin of Hinduism. The Indus: Lost Civilizations is an accessible introduction to every significant aspect of an extraordinary and tantalizing “lost” civilization, which combined artistic excellence, technological sophistication, and economic vigor with social egalitarianism, political freedom, and religious moderation. The book also discusses the vital legacy of the Indus civilization in India and Pakistan today.