Bacon Edward (ed.) Vanished Civilizations of the Ancient World

McGraw-Hill Book Company, 1963. — (Stunning Series, Vol. 2).The great 'lost' civilizations described in this book were not known, nor more than dreamed of, a century ago. Man's knowledge of them at that time was so discolored by speculation, fantasy, and hearsay, that the empires explored in this spellbinding volume were little more than legend. Even today, with the great discoveries of our archaeologists, still newer mysteries emerge and puzzle us once more, pose new problems, present additional barriers to full understanding of our prehistory.
Man's quest for his own past is unending, but in this superb volume—a breathtaking successor to The Dawn of Civilisation—the reader is given a panoramic view of past epochs, as they can be accurately reconstructed and brought to life today by the world's authorities. Their explorations of vast kingdoms and realms that have all but disappeared from the earth are the basis of Vanished Civilisations. Each chapter covers a major archaeological problem now in the process of solution, and each of the thirteen authors is an acknowledged spokesman in his particular field.
Among the distinguished contributors to this beautiful volume is Henri Lhote, who endured months of thirst and fatigue in the Sahara, patiently recording the Neolithic paintings so vibrantly described here. Thor Heyerdahl, with ropes and logs, has experimented with possible ways in which the Easter Island monoliths might have been transported. L. P. Kirwan ventured to the crumbling tumuli of Ballana and Qostol to bring back the barbaric treasure of the enigmatic X-Group people.
Almost unknown peoples and cultures, such as that of Zimbabwe in Rhodesia, the Jomon of Japan, and the Sarmatians, are given unprecedented pictorial treatment here by the use of specially drawn maps, plans, charts, and creative paintings. A large part of the splendid reproductions - the X-Group regalia, the Edessa mosaics, and the Sarmatian treasure of Novocherkassk—have never before been photographed in color for any book.
The horizons of archaeology, like those of space, are widening today, and our universe of the past is opening before our eyes. Vanished Civilisations will end many old legends, but the truth of prehistory as it is revealed here is far more exciting than any of the mysteries dispelled.Introduction (Edward Bacon).
The Fertile Sahara. Men, animals and art of a lost world (Henri Lhote).
City of Black Gold. The riddle of Zimbabwe (Roger Summers).
The X-Group Enigma. A little-known people of the Nubian Nile (L. P. Kirwan).
Who were the Ancient Ainu? Neolithic Japan and the white race of today (William Watson).
The Collapse of the Khmers. The god-kings of lost Angkor (Christopher Pym).
The Gogs that Failed. The glory and decay of Maya culture (J. Eric S. Thompson).
The Etruscan Problem. An historic people who left no history (Donald Strong).
The Sabian Mysteries. The planet cult of ancient Harran (J. B. Segal).
The Peoples of the Highland. The vanished cultures of Luristan, Mannai and Urartu (E. D. Phillips).
Bridge to the Ancient East. The new knowledge of early Afghanistan (Edward Bacon).
The Forgotten Sarmatians. A once mighty folk scattered among the nations (T. Sulimirski).
The Migration of the Megaliths. A new religion comes to ancient Europe (Gale Sieveking).
Navel of the World. The red-topped giants of lonely Easter Island (Thor Heyerdahl).