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The Ancient Kingdoms of Peru

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Author : Nigel Davies
Binding : Paperback
EAN : 9780140233810
ISBN : 0140233814
Label : Penguin (Non-Classics)
Manufacturer : Penguin (Non-Classics)
Number of pages : 240
Publication date : 1998-01-01
Publisher : Penguin (Non-Classics)
Title : The Ancient Kingdoms of Peru
Languages : Array
Number of items : 1
Studio : Penguin (Non-Classics)

Editorial reviews

Product Description
Archaeologist and Incan expert Nigel Davies offers astonishing revelations about the remarkable empire of the Incas and the civilizations that preceded them. From the desert at Nazca to the great coastal civilization of Chimor, this compelling overview makes accessible the latest research on all the ancient kingdoms of Peru. 6 maps. 31 figures.

Customer reviews

review by: date: 2008-05-13 rating:

Readable, but lacks some material and contains questionable facts
Davies' book on the ancient 'kingdoms' of Peru covers several key pre-Spanish cultures and civilizations in the Andean highlands -- among them Chavin, Moche, Nazca, Tiahuanaco, Huari, Chimu, and Inca -- and highlights several important archaeological sites, citing both contemporary Spanish sources and more recent discoveries. He presents a decent overview of these peoples' buildings, monuments, mythologies, and artwork in readable prose. I particularly enjoyed his discussion of the Incans, which I thought was pithy but comprehensive.

However, I found the discussion of all but the Incans lacking in quite a few areas: agriculture (how did these people feed themselves, how advanced were their hunting/fishing techniques, domestication technologies, irrigation), mastery of materials (which cultures harnessed copper, which bronze, etc.), to name a few. Pre-Chavin cultures such as Norte Chico were omitted entirely. Moreover, he mentions a few facts which seem oddly incongruous with accepted anthropology, and are at best misleading. For instance:

(1) He describes the Incan capital of Cuzco as 'often conceived as a mountain lion', with one part of the city supposedly named for 'the lion's tail' in Quechua. Conceived by whom? I didn't know Panthera leo was indigenous to the Andes? Could the 'lion' have referred to another feline species?

(2) In his discussion of Incan commoners, he mentions their basic food as chuno, which was 'mixed with water, salt and pepper'. The modern notion of salt-and-pepper contains various species of Piper which grew exclusively in South India. It is more likely he meant Schinus molle, or Peruvian pepper, which was prepared differently.

(3) In his discussion of Incan bridges, he describes the 'sides of one bridge' as 'so carefully crafted that even if a horse fell on all fours, it could not tumble off'. This is misleading as there are no horse species indigenous to the Americas.

review by: diggerjohn date: 2007-05-14 rating:

The Ancient Kingdoms of Peru
I have a emmence interest in the Lost Tribes and this book helped me in my studies.

review by: constant reader date: 2006-07-07 rating:

The Ancient Kingdoms of Peru
A first-rate book for those traveling to Peru for the first time. Very factual and easy to read. A bit colorless, but it's a book full of information presented in a straight forward way.

review by: date: 2003-08-03 rating:

read this
A well written very informative book which gives a good overview of precolumbian Peru. The starting point for everybody interested in this subject.

review by: date: 2001-08-24 rating:

A little dry, but not too dry.
I bought this book in preparation for a trip I was taking to Peru. I wanted to understand a bit about where I was traveling. Davies' style is reasonably conversational, considering the academic nature of the subject. Thus I was pleased to be able to read the book without wishing I was doing something else.

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