A Turkish farmer finds a large obsidian mirror on top of a mound. How did it get there? What did it mean for its creator, and what does it mean for us? In this teaching novel by writer Rob Swigart, the story toggles back and forth between a Neolithic village--and the changing fortunes of the family who finds this wondrous tool--and modern archaeologists whose excavated treasure stirs journalists, governments, and goddess worshippers alike. Through an engrossing tale across millennia, Swigart's novel provides both a basic reconstruction of Neolithic lifeways and a primer on contemporary archaeological politics and practice. For archaeology students, and for anyone curious about artifacts past and present, Stone Mirror will be a fun, informative introduction both to archaeology and to the people they study.

Short stories about the deep past and those who lived through millennia of exploration, hardship, and uncertainty during the evolution of farming. Winner of the 2019 Nautilus Book Award, Multicultural and Indigenous "Swigart is to be congratulated for giving us a series of connected short stories that are both entertaining and educational. The book is accurately grounded in archaeological facts, and its individual stories are thoroughly believable. Its particular format should be emulated by all those wishing to blend fact and fiction, not just as entertainment but as education, too."-Journal of Eastern Mediterranean Archaeology and Heritage Studies In unforgettable stories of the human journey, a combination of compelling storytelling and well-researched archaeology underscore an excavation into the deep past of human development and its consequences. Through a first encounter between a Neanderthal woman and the Modern Human to the emergence and destruction of the world's first cities, Mixed Harvest tells the tale of the Neolithic Revolution, also called the (First) Agricultural Revolution, the most significant event since modern humans emerged. Rob Swigart's latest work humanizes the rapid transition to agriculture and pastoralism with a grounding in the archaeological record. From the introduction: In the space of a few thousand years agriculture dominated the earth. We live with it all around us. History began, cities soared, the landscape was crisscrossed with roads.... Each story is prefaced by a short introduction and followed by some context in order to stitch the narrative together. Some stories are linked, but most are independent. The stories are gathered into three chapters: "Shelter," "House," and "Home." These represent a progression in where we lived, a series of transformations in technology and consciousness.

Professor Van Weathers has just revolutionized the teaching of Maya archaeology. His lifelike computer simulation Xibalba Gate places his students in the world of the Late Classic Maya, where political strife, overpopulation, warfare, and social disorganization are in evidence in the soon-to-collapse civilization. Weathers' real life is also under strain- his wife is disenchanted, his son a cynic, his students disinterested, his excavation project blocked by a mysterious Latin American holding company. No wonder he loses himself in the world of King Knot Eye of Xultunich for days on end. But the real world problems magnify-a murder, an illness, an explosion- while he tries to negotiate a treaty with a neighboring city, marry the king's daughter, and engage in a bloodletting ceremony to right a world out of balance. Can he solve the rapidly-merging problems of his virtual world and the modern one while the Nine Lords of Xibalba, rulers of the Maya underworld, are on the loose? This novel/textbook by noted writer and futurist Rob Swigart offers both an accurate reconstruction of Maya life for introductory archaeology students and an entertaining read for those interested in the Maya world.

Short stories about the deep past and those who lived through millennia of exploration, hardship, and uncertainty during the evolution of farming. Winner of the 2019 Nautilus Book Award, Multicultural and Indigenous "Swigart is to be congratulated for giving us a series of connected short stories that are both entertaining and educational. The book is accurately grounded in archaeological facts, and its individual stories are thoroughly believable. Its particular format should be emulated by all those wishing to blend fact and fiction, not just as entertainment but as education, too."-Journal of Eastern Mediterranean Archaeology and Heritage Studies In unforgettable stories of the human journey, a combination of compelling storytelling and well-researched archaeology underscore an excavation into the deep past of human development and its consequences. Through a first encounter between a Neanderthal woman and the Modern Human to the emergence and destruction of the world's first cities, Mixed Harvest tells the tale of the Neolithic Revolution, also called the (First) Agricultural Revolution, the most significant event since modern humans emerged. Rob Swigart's latest work humanizes the rapid transition to agriculture and pastoralism with a grounding in the archaeological record. From the introduction: In the space of a few thousand years agriculture dominated the earth. We live with it all around us. History began, cities soared, the landscape was crisscrossed with roads.... Each story is prefaced by a short introduction and followed by some context in order to stitch the narrative together. Some stories are linked, but most are independent. The stories are gathered into three chapters: "Shelter," "House," and "Home." These represent a progression in where we lived, a series of transformations in technology and consciousness.

YOU THOUGHT THE INQUISITION WAS SCARY THE FIRST TIME AROUND-NOW THEY HAVE MODERN TECHNOLOGY! Papyrologist Lisa Emmer's world flips when the Surete meets her at her Metro station with news of the savage murder of the esteemed Paris historian Dr. Raimond Foix, her friend and mentor in the study of ancient documents. Horrified, Lisa finds clues at the crime scene left behind for her by her mentor-clues to a secret kept hidden for centuries. These clues make her a prime suspect in the murder investigation, and also put her directly in the cross-hairs of a deadly commando group that proves to be none other than a contemporary offshoot of the Inquisition. They want an ancient document that reveals a secret so explosive it could change the world-a document they've been tracking for centuries. Led by a sadistic priest and a vicious but very accomplished nun with excellent military cred, their mission is to destroy the document-no matter what the cost in blood.

Chazz Koenig came to Hawaii to take a job, but that was just an excuse. Something had gone wrong with his marriage; he needed retreat to assess the damage and to decide what to do next. What he wanted was to enjoy the lush beauty of the island, quietly do his research, relax and renew his spirit. The problem was that it didn't matter what Chazz wanted. From almost the moment he set foot in Kauai, he found himself at the center of a vortex of murder and intrigue.

In "Vector," Rob Swigart introduced Detective Cobb Nakamura of the Kauai police and microbiologist Chazz Koenig in a potent thriller mixing myth, science and murder. "Toxin" returns to the tiny Hawaiian island with a gripping novel of a local shooting and international intrigue.

The quiet beauty of Kauai is disturbed when a wealthy developer is murdered. Then a satellite carrying an unknown toxin falls onto the island, poisoning several people and causing a panic.

Only Chazz Koenig's expertise in cell biology and Takamura's careful sleuthing can piece together the entire picture and restore peace to the island.

The White Pig: A True History in Eight Books follows, though not in perfect order, the terrible curse that haunts four generations of the Depew family of Valhalla, KY, a large city on the Ohio River across from the border between Ohio and Indiana. Corey Depew, scion and the ultimate victim, comes of age in 1957 (exactly 100 years after the curse was uttered). It was the era of the Everly Brothers and existentialism. Along the way he loses much (face, virginity, and religion), and gains a little (love, for instance). Meanwhile, in the background, a great white pig, symbol of evil, drifts through the forests above the city, finally arriving at the climactic moment when an earthquake destroys the ancient Indian serpent mound, and the house built upon it.

Originally published as an interactive novel on computer disk in 1986, "Portal" is the story of an astronaut who returns to earth from a mysteriously aborted mission prematurely awakened from suspended animation. One hundred years have passed; animals and plants thrive, cities stand intact. Every human being, however, has disappeared.

With the help of a slowly reviving computer network, the astronaut begins to piece together the events of the last century. He learns of the child prodigy Peter Devore, of a world orchestrated by stunning new technologies, and of Peter's race against time to unlock the secrets of the Portal.

Upsizing the Individual in the Downsized Organization tells managers not only how to survive today's business turbulence, but how to structure companies large and small for a global, wired environment. As technology creates a world in which work must be done anytime and anyplace, a company's competitive edge will be how it interconnects its people. Johansen and Swigart explain their model of a flexible "fishnet organization: to help managers meet this daunting challenge.