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Books > Arts & Architecture > History of art / art & design styles > Pre-history
Many undergraduates struggle to fully understand the size of the
earth and the diverse environments to which human beings have
successfully adapted. An Atlas of Human Prehistory gives students
an appreciation for the sheer size of the earth and the diverse
geographies through which humanity and our ancestors have migrated
and settled over millions of years. The book's unique formatting
allows students to read a stand-alone topical essay on the
left-hand page, which refers to the accompanying detailed maps and
diagrams on the right-hand page. The maps and diagrams provide
additional details and enable students to "see" human adaptation
across time and space. This fresh, engaging approach covers hominin
evolution, important fossil sites, early dispersal around the
world, biocultural and subsistence adaptations, and the
establishment of ancient civilizations. An outstanding blend of
words and visuals, An Atlas of Human Prehistory gives readers
excellent graphical representations of the chief lessons of our
shared past and a greater understanding of the pace of movement
across time. It is an excellent supplement for courses in
archaeology, ancient history, human geography, and physical
anthropology.
In 1764, Johann Joachim Winckelmann published a key early instance
of art-historical thinking, his "Geschichte der Kunst des
Alterthums", here translated into English for the first time.
Dazzled by the sensuous and plastic beauty of recently excavated
artifacts - coins, engraved gems, vases, paintings, reliefs, and
statues - Winckelmann synthesized the visual and written evidence
then available into a systematic history of art in ancient Egypt,
Persia, Etruria, Rome, and, above all, Greece. His passionate yet
detailed inquiry investigates the idea of beauty over time and
space, offering a chronological and descriptive account whose
conceptual and historical paradigms have been reiterated and
contested into the twentieth century. Alex Potts's introduction not
only sketches the circumstances that shaped Winckelmann's project
but also assesses this scholar's indelible influence on European
intellectual life - for both modern art history and archaeology
commence with Winckelmann.
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