Smithsonian Timelines of the Ancient World offers a new perspective, providing a unique view of developments across the world-from the origins of life and the emergence of civilizations, all the way up to AD 1500. Highly visual timecharts trace the unfolding of the human story and allow you to see what was happening simultaneously in different parts of the world, from the dawn of prehistory to the Renaissance. By drawing on the latest techniques of archaeology and the brilliant detective work that has helped to unravel the mysteries of the past, Smithsonian Timelines of the Ancient World reveals the challenges that faced people living in different periods, societies, and environments, and the solutions that they devised for improving their lives. Look up any region of the world at any period and discover what people ate and their methods of gathering and growing food. You will learn how they exploited local materials to construct everything from mammoth-bone shelters to elaborate temple-pyramids. You can follow the pivotal developments of technology, from the first fashioning of stone tools to the introduction of navigational equipment. You can trace the birth and death of empires and dynasties and witness the emergence of the major religions of the world. Smithsonian Timelines of the Ancient World is illustrated with characteristic artifacts of each period and region, ranging from some of the world's oldest stone tools to exquisitely crafted Japanese pottery. In addition, Smithsonian Timelines contains hundreds of specially commissioned drawings that reconstruct original buildings and sites. Many of the Americas artifacts come from the collections of the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History in Washington, DC; photos of many of these objects have never been published before. The effect is one of stunning immediacy and diversity. In each time period, a key topic is explored in closer detail. You can learn about the origins of hominids in East Africa more than one million years ago, the art of classical Greece, or life in a pueblo village of the southwestern region of North America. You can contrast the beautiful bronzework of the Shang State in China with the fine bronze craftsmanship of Dinin (in what is now Nigeria). You can compare the engineering feats of the Incas high in the Andes with the network of desert roads that radiate from Chaco Canyon in New Mexico. Featuring more than 1,700 photographs, maps, and drawings, and written by an international team of eminent historians, archaeologists, and anthropologists, Smithsonian Timelines of the Ancient World is an invaluable family reference book. This spectacular tapestry of time serves as a lasting treatment to human ingenuity and resourcefulness.