The Olmec and Toltec: The History of Early Mesoamerica's Most Influential Cultures by Charles River Editors
English | November 1, 2016 | ISBN: 1539855805 | 102 pages | EPUB | 2.44 Mb
*Includes pictures *Describes the history, culture, and architecture of the two groups *Includes a bibliography for further reading The Olmec people are widely recognized as the first major civilization of Mexico and are thus generally regarded as the mother civilization of Mesoamerica, making them the people from which all subsequent Mesoamerican cultures derived. In fact, the term Olmec is thought to have originated with the Aztec people, as Olmec in their Nahuatl language means "the rubber people", a reference to the inhabitants of the land from which they accessed rubber. By and large, the Olmec culture is perhaps best identifiable by their so-called colossal heads, mammoth basalt head-statues wearing helmet-like headdresses found throughout Olmec habitation sites. Around 2500 B.C., the Olmec settled primarily along Mexico's Gulf Coast in the tropical lowlands of south-central Mexico (in the modern-day States of Veracruz and Tabasco), and they flourished during North America's Prehistoric Indian Formative period from about 1700-400 B.C. Their direct cultural contributions were still evident as late as 300 A.D. Among Mesoamerican scholars, the Formative period is subdivided into the Preclassic (Olmec period), Classic (Maya period), and Postclassic (Toltec and Aztec periods). The Olmec's agricultural abilities sustained them and ensured their power and influence for over a millennium. They produced corn/maize, squash, and other plant foods in such quantities that they were afforded the manpower to build great monuments and ceremonial centers to further promote their cultural identity. From a cultural standpoint, their pyramids, open plazas, their ballgame, and possibly even centers of human sacrifice are thought to have established the societal model that subsequent societies like the Maya, Zapotec, Teotihuacano, Toltec, Mixtec, and Aztec would emulate. In the same vein, some scholars believe that they also affected the cultural development of the Native American groups of the United States and those of Central and South America as well. Proving to be one the most enduring models ever, the religious and cultural structure the Olmec established held reign for over 3,000 years, and it would likely have endured much longer without the arrival of the Spanish conquistadors. The Toltec are one of the most famous Mesoamerican groups in South America, but they are also the most controversial and mysterious. The Toltec have been identified as the group that established a strong state centered in Tula (in present-day Mexico), and the Aztec claimed the Toltec as their cultural predecessors, so much so that the word Toltec comes from the Aztec's word Toltecatl, translated as artisan. The Aztec also kept track of the Toltec's history, including keeping a list of important rulers and events, that suggest the peak of the Toltec occurred from about 900-1100 A.D. While scholars continue to debate whether the Toltec were an actual historical group, there is an added layer of mystery to the fact that the settlement at Tula has a lot in common with the famous Mayan settlement at Chichén Itzá. The architecture and art at both sites are so similar that archaeologists and anthropologists have assumed they had the same cultural influences, even as historians struggle to determine the historical timelines, and thus whether Tula influenced Chichén Itzá or vice versa. The Olmec and Toltec: The History of Early Mesoamerica's Most Influential Cultures comprehensively covers the history, culture, and lingering mysteries behind the Olmec and Toltec. Along with pictures depicting important people, places, and events, you will learn about the two groups like you never have before.
The near-Death of the Author
by Potts, John;
English | 2023 | ISBN: 1487541341 | 222 pages | True PDF EPUB | 18.06 MB
The Mycenaean Settlement on Tsoungiza Hill By James C. Wright, Mary K. Dabney
2020 | 1140 Pages | ISBN: 0876619243 | PDF | 36 MB
A hill dominating the Nemea Valley, Tsoungiza is located only 10 kilometers northwest of the citadel of Mycenae. Excavations there have uncovered the remains of a Late Helladic settlement that stood at its southern end. This volume presents the results of these investigations with an unprecedented study of a small settlement's economy and society in the Mycenaean period. Through an interdisciplinary approach that incorporates a wide variety of general and specialist studies, the authors demonstrate how agricultural production, craft activities, and ceremonial practices integrated the inhabitants of Tsoungiza into a regional exchange system within the Bronze Age world.The volume includes contributions by P. Acheson, S. E. Allen, K. M. Forste, P. Halstead, S. M. A. Hoffmann, A.Karabatsoli, K. Kaza-Papageorgiou, B. Lis, R. Mersereau, H. Mommsen, J. B. Rutter, T. Theodoropoulou, and J. E.Tomlinson.
The Metaverse. Avoiding the dark turn. by Georgios Efstratiadis
English | December 15, 2022 | ISBN: N/A | ASIN: B0BQBX1XDV | 53 pages | EPUB | 0.23 Mb
What is the Metaverse exactly, and how will it impact our lives?
Evelyn Gajowski, Phyllis Rackin, "The Merry Wives of Windsor: New Critical Essays"
English | 2014 | pages: 286 | ISBN: 0415845041, 1138377872 | PDF | 2,7 mb
The Merry Wives of Windsor has recently experienced a resurgence of critical interest. At times considered one of Shakespeare's weaker plays, it is often dismissed or marginalized; however, developments in feminist, ecocritical and new historicist criticism have opened up new perspectives and this collection of 18 essays by top Shakespeare scholars sheds fresh light on the play. The detailed introduction by Phyllis Rackin and Evelyn Gajowski provides a historical survey of the play and ties into an evolving critical and cultural context. The book's sections look in turn at female community/female agency; theatrical alternatives; social and theatrical contexts; desire/sexuality; nature and performance to provide a contemporary critical analysis of the play.
The Maya and Teotihuacan: Reinterpreting Early Classic Interaction (The Linda Schele in Maya and Pre-Columbian Studies) edited by Geoffrey Braswell
English | April 1, 2003 | ISBN: 0292709145, 0292705875 | True EPUB/PDF | 441 pages | 23.7/25.9 MB
The contributors to this volume present extensive new evidence from archaeology, iconography, and epigraphy to offer a more nuanced understanding of the interaction between the Early Classic Maya and Teotihuacan.
Denis Mareschal, Paul C. Quinn, Stephen E. G. Lea, "The Making of Human Concepts"
English | 2010 | ISBN: 0199549222 | PDF | pages: 538 | 4.4 mb
Human adults appear different from other animals in their ability to form abstract mental representations that go beyond perceptual similarity. In short, they can conceptualize the world. This apparent uniqueness leads to an immediate puzzle: WHEN and HOW does this abstract system come into being? To answer this question we need to explore the origins of adult concepts, both developmentally and phylogenetically; When does the developing child acquire the ability to use abstract concepts?; does the transition occur around 2 years, with the onset of symbolic representation and language? Or, is it independent of the emergence of language?; when in evolutionary history did an abstract representational system emerge?; is there something unique about the human brain? How would a computational system operating on the basis of perceptual associations develop into a system operating on the basis of abstract relations?; is this ability present in other species, but masked by their
The Magic Glasses of Critical Thinking: Seeing Through Alternative Fact & Fake News By D. Michael Rivage-Seul
2018 | 264 Pages | ISBN: 1433149516 | PDF | 3 MB
D. Michael Rivage-Seul's eye-opening new book, The Magic Glasses of Critical Thinking: Seeing Through Alternative Fact & Fake News, invites readers to try out what Baba Dick Gregory calls the "magic glasses" of critical thinking. Gregory's eyewear suggests ten rules for seeing through the haze created by any culture's ruling group mind. The criteria urge students to: (1) reflect systemically, (2) select market (as an organizing principle), (3) reject neutrality, (4) suspect ideology, (5) respect history, (6) inspect scientifically, (7) quadra-sect violence, (8) connect with your deepest self, (9) collect conclusions, and (10) detect silences. The Magic Glasses of Critical Thinking then applies those criteria to a broader contemporary context where fascist tendencies reminiscent of the 1930s are unmistakable. Surprising interpretations of familiar Hollywood and documentary films illustrate every point, making this book a fascinating text and discussion starter for critical thinking and composition courses at the secondary and post-secondary levels.
Corey Mead, "The Lost Pilots: The Spectacular Rise and Scandalous Fall of Aviation's Golden Couple"
English | 2018 | ISBN: 1250109248 | EPUB | pages: 288 | 8.8 mb
Corey Mead's The Lost Pilots is the saga of two star crossed pilots who soar to the greatest heights of fame, tailspin into scandal and crime, and go the ultimate lengths for a chance at redemption...
The Liturgical Vision of Pope Benedict XVI: A Theological Inquiry By Mariusz Biliniewicz
2013 | 341 Pages | ISBN: 3034309236 | PDF | 3 MB
This book presents and evaluates the liturgical vision of Pope Benedict XVI and the theological background underlying that vision. It describes the main features of Joseph Ratzinger's theology of the liturgy and analyses them within the context of his theology as a whole. Ratzinger's evaluation of the contemporary Roman Catholic liturgy is explored in relation to his overall assessment of the post-Vatican II era in the Church, alongside an examination of his project of liturgical renewal ('reform of the reform') and its practical implementation during his pontificate. The author discusses the various critical voices which have been raised against the Pope's liturgical agenda and against certain aspects of his general theology. Overall, the book offers an assessment of the importance of Ratzinger's vision for the Church at the threshold of the third millennium.