Ancient South America

South America is still the least known continent in the world. Isolated for all of prehistory and much of its history, it is quite alien to the average European, Asian, or North American. Yet this continent witnessed the development of a series of cultures and of advanced civilizations which rival anything in Eurasia or Africa. Independently South American peoples invented agriculture and domesticated animals, pottery, elaborate architecture, and the arts of working metals. Tribes, chiefdoms, and immense conquest states rose, flourished, and disappeared leaving only their ruined monuments and broken artifacts as testimonials to past greatness. Ancient South America encompasses ten millennia of cultural development and diversity. Accessibly written and abundantly illustrated, this book will be enjoyed by students of archaeology, anthropology, and art history.

Reviews & endorsements

'Karen Olsen Bruhns took on a formidable task when she set out to write a synthesis of our general state of knowledge of Ancient South America. The book she wrote is a triumph. It is so well crafted and informative that it should be owned by everyone and anyone interested in the native cultures of South America. It can serve as an introductory text, a chance for the professional to brush up on the latest developments outside of his or her specialty, or as a reference work to keep close by one's desk.' American Anthropologist

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Product details

• Date Published: August 1994
• format: Paperback
• isbn: 9780521277617
• length: 448 pages

• dimensions: 246 x 172 x 24 mm
• weight: 0.87kg
• contains: 240 b/w illus. 11 maps 2 tables
• availability: Unavailable - out of print January 2006