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A completely unique approach to illustrated reference, DK's new Experience series uses panoramic storyboard sequences to help readers dive into the printed page and learn in a whole new way as the action unfolds. ... Read more

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Pyramids tells the story of these Egyptian monuments from their earliest beginnings, following their development from the first step pyramid to the Great Pyramid of Giza. Read about the pyramids and the complexes of temples and walls that surrounded them; the architects who designed them; the workers who built them; the kings who were buried in them; and the robbers who plundered them. ... Read more

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This digital document is an article from Arts and Humanities Through the Eras, brought to you by Gale®, a part of Cengage Learning, a world leader in e-research and educational publishing for libraries, schools and businesses.The length of the article is 1363 words.The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase.You can view it with any web browser.Profiling milestones and movements in the arts, literature, music, and religion from a specific period that provides an understanding of the various disciplines of the humanities in relation to each other, as well as to history and culture. An overview of the period and a chronology of major world events covering the major branches of the humanities: architecture and design, dance, fashion, literature, music, philosophy, religion, theater, and visual arts. Articles cover the movements, schools of thought, and masterworks that characterize the discipline during the era and biographical profiles of pioneers, masters, and other prominent figures in the field. ... Read more

Product Description
This digital document is an article from Arts and Humanities Through the Eras, brought to you by Gale®, a part of Cengage Learning, a world leader in e-research and educational publishing for libraries, schools and businesses.The length of the article is 1751 words.The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase.You can view it with any web browser.Profiling milestones and movements in the arts, literature, music, and religion from a specific period that provides an understanding of the various disciplines of the humanities in relation to each other, as well as to history and culture. An overview of the period and a chronology of major world events covering the major branches of the humanities: architecture and design, dance, fashion, literature, music, philosophy, religion, theater, and visual arts. Articles cover the movements, schools of thought, and masterworks that characterize the discipline during the era and biographical profiles of pioneers, masters, and other prominent figures in the field. ... Read more

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This digital document is an article from Science and Its Times, brought to you by Gale®, a part of Cengage Learning, a world leader in e-research and educational publishing for libraries, schools and businesses.The length of the article is 1418 words.The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase.You can view it with any web browser.The histories of science, technology, and mathematics merge with the study of humanities and social science in this interdisciplinary reference work. Essays on people, theories, discoveries, and concepts are combined with overviews, bibliographies of primary documents, and chronological elements to offer students a fascinating way to understand the impact of science on the course of human history and how science affects everyday life. Entries represent people and developments throughout the world, from about 2000 B.C. through the end of the twentieth century. ... Read more

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Great book on Pre-Columbian art and architecture. Over 150 black and white illustrations / photographs of works of art, artifacts and architecture. Maya, Aztec, Inca, Teotihuacan, pyramids, temples, fresco paintings, masks, jade, gold, pottery, ceramics, terra cotta sculpture, stone sculpture, jewelry and other works. Includes bibliography. Softcover. 418 pages. Measures 8 by 11 inches. Interesting book, nicely illustrated. ... Read more

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A chronological overview of the funerary monuments of Egypt, beginning with the last pyramids and ending with the tombs of the Ptolemaic Periods in the Nile Delta. The architecture and decoration of the tombs, along with their contents, are discussed in detail, including the results of more recent excavation in the Valley of the Kings. The discussion is accompanied by numerous photographs of the tombs, their artwork and plans of the funerary complexes which show the development of both architectural styles and religious beliefs. ... Read more

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A decade ago, French architect Jean-Pierre Houdin became obsessed by the centuriesold question: How was the Great Pyramid built? How, in a nation of farmers only recently emerged from the Stone Age, could such a massive, complex, and enduring structure have been envisioned and constructed?

Customer Reviews (15)

Unbelievable, this is a true discovery
Dr. Brier has done it again.To me (and many others), he is the expert in anything Ancient Egypt.He never allows his ego (if he has one) to get in the way of the facts.This book read as easy as a novel for me.I just can't stop reading everything of Dr. Brier's that I can find.

Great Pyramid Redux
First of all, I am a big fan of Bob Brier and a person that reads about ancient Egypt constantly.To someone that wants to round out their education of the Great Pyramid, this is the book you must read.It gives you yet another side to how it was built. If you exclude aliens (I hope), and a giant ramp, this book makes the most sense of anything I have read in the past. What is truly remarkable is the dedication of Houdin in studying this creative explanation for the construction. To model this theory without ever seeing the Pyramid is amazing.Having been in the Great Pyramid, I now want to return and pay attention to some of the details pointed out in this wonderful little book.

pyramid
Saw the program on tv that was derived from the book. Had to have the book.

Kings Chamber, Trolley, Rail system, counterweight
1. The counterweight trolley pulled the large blocks of granite 130 feet, per cycle.
2. Eleven trolley trips were need to raise each beam from the base to the level of the King's chamber
3. Only half of the gallery had rollers.The stone benches were the rails which the trolley ran.The trolley was load with four-and-a-half-ton granite blocks that serve as counterweights.When the brake is released, the trolley slides down the Grand Gallery and the large granite beam is pulled up the ramp.There were twenty eight pairs of slots in the benches used as part of the braking system for the trolley and counterweights.
4. As the brake was release the rollers turn as the trolley slides downward
5. The rollers slide down the gallery with the trolley.The trolley is moving twice as fast as the rollers.
6. The counterweights was a tremendous savings in man power reducing the count from 630 to 80.
7. Raising all the large blocks required 800 round-trips of the trolley.
8. At the bottom of the Grand Gallery you can still see some of the counterweights.
9. The Grand Gallery is 7 feet wide and 150 feet long with stone benches twenty inches wide and two feet high.
10. The Grand Gallery is at a 50 percent slope.
11. Forty three huge granite beams ranging from thirty to sixty tons were used to build the King's Chamber. The large stone blocks had to be raised 140 feet onto the pyramid.

Construction of the Great Pyramid:Puzzle Solved
As an amateur Egyptologist I highly recommend this volume. It is easy ready, as Bob Brier is not only a knowledgeable Egyptologist and excellent teacher but a writer who with an easy, almost conversational style. Jean-pierre Houdin, co-writer and the architect/engineer whose tenacity and great ability to "problem solve" all the data, past and current, provides at the very least the most probable explanation as to the construction of the Great Pyramid of Khufu.Other explanations for the construction of the pyramid are legion, from the reasonable supposition that ramps were used and lengthened as the pyramid rose (but would end up requiring ramps miles long), all the way to the ridiculous (space aliens, again.) Brier first gives the history of the pyramids (function, theories of construction, interesting anecdotes) and then leads us step by step down the path to understanding the logic behind Houdin's reasoning, using modern technology, of the use of "inner" ramps to move blocks as the pyramid got higher. The reader will love the explanation of "cornering". Photos, excellent diagrams, and pictures are presented in an orderly fashion that explains this "theory" (no longer a theory to this writer). Especially fascinating is Houdin's explanation of the function of the Grand Gallery leading to Khufu's burial chamber. Those interested in this subject are in for a treat. ... Read more

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The Great Pyramid of Khufu is the oldest and sole-surviving member of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World and has inspired more speculation than any other building on Earth. Using state-of-the-art computer graphics, Building the Great Pyramid brings the world of Fourth Dynasty Egypt to life and shows how and why this most extraordinary of all human monuments was built.

Equipped only with the most basic tools, how were ancient Egyptians able to achieve such an extraordinary degree of accuracy in its construction? How were stones, some weighing as much as 40 tons, hauled into position so precisely? What was life like for the conscripted laborers who built it, and how long did it take them to complete their task? Only now, at the beginning of the twenty-first century, is it possible to provide answers.

The authors trace the history of the exploration of the Giza site, from the earliest Greek and Roman travelers, through to Jean-François Champollion's cracking of the hieroglyphic code; and the work of scholars such as Auguste Mariette and Sir William Flinders Petrie in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.

The final chapter covers less orthodox theories and looks at how the Great Pyramid has become a magnet for all manner of charlatans, heretics, and cranks. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Pure fiction
Presents the traditional mainstream theory that the GP was a tomb, a theory that fails to explain any of the interior features of the pyramid and a theory that has no evidentiary support. If thinking for yourself is difficult for you, you may enjoy this book. On the other hand, if you have the capacity for independent thought, this book will be a disappointment. Read Christopher Dunn's The Giza Power Plant if you're capable of thinking logically.

Building the Great Pyramid (of Giza) by Jackson et.
The book describes in great detail the likely approach to
building the Great Pyramid of Giza or one of the 8 wonders of
the world. The work describes building techniques of Sneferu
and provides numerous pictures of pyramidal structures.
It explains how priests or Thoth presided over formal
ceremonies. In addition, there is a picture showing how Khufu
utilized a pendulum to align the pyramid with the stars.
The work is a marvel which depicts life in Egypt over 4000
years ago. There are descriptions showing how Hemiunce
supervised the building of the pyramids utilizing dozens
of men to haul pieces of stone up to 2 tons in weight.
This book is a "must read" for Egyptologists, world history
enthusiasts, mathematicians/engineers, sociologists and a
host of other professions. This work could be utilized
in a large class project or school presentation.
It is highly recommended. ... Read more

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Illus. with full-color photos. Isaacson introduces art in all its forms: painting, sculpture, folk art, crafts--even cities. He discusses the differences between realism and abstraction, links between tribal art and modern sculpture, use of color by diverse artists, and why everyday objects can be works of art. "Beautiful, imaginative, and richly provocative."--(starred) Kirkus.
... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

What a fabulous overview of the Arts for young people!
Isaacson does a wonderful job of tying all sorts of art forms together in this short volume [I read through it in <30min.]. I'll get nit-picky below, but let me say I heartily recommend it: first, for adults looking tounderstand "art" themselves, and secondly, as an introduction tothe process of sharing and beginning to explain the arts to theirchildren.

Now, to the "picking"...I would beg to differ withIsaacson on a few fine points, chief among these being 1) Pyramids belongin a separate chapter! to be called "Useful Things We NOW Consider'Art'"; 2) don't [unless you must be totally PC] shy away from theterm "primitive art", parents, look in a dictionary and share thedefinition of 'primitive' with your kids...there's a much deeper meaningthan the derogatory-superficial meaning it's picked up; 3) in the chapter"Photographs" Isaacson, in an affront to all of us who have everlabored over a piece of ART [made with a camera+darkroom or otherwise]destined to be utilized to ILLUSTRATE something or other, flat out statesthat photographs which are 'illustrations' are "not works of art"and refers to an adjacent photo of the Taj Mahal.

Oddly, I had just donea double-take on that very same photo!It had struck me, as anRealArtCritic might say, as "exuding such an ethereal quality, such amisty moodiness, unlike the harsh photo-images of the late 90's..."that I at first mistook it for a PAINTING!

All in all, this book wouldmake a great textbook for your very own "Family Art Appreciation"class. ... Read more

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Two decades after the structure s
appearance in the courtyard of the Louvre, this book tells the story of I. M. Pei s pyramid, from its conception and original designs to its construction and
finished state.
I. M. Pei's glittering addition to the Louvre Museum in Paris has already become an iconic emblem of France's past and future. It is as immediately recognizable as the Eiffel Tower and as mysterious as the Egyptian pyramids it references. This book looks at the Louvre pyramid, beginning with the earliest sketches by Pei and his lead design architect, Yann Weymouth, and includes photographs of the entire construction process. It contains details about the unique engineering and architectural considerations-from the pyramid's highly polished glass to its intricate system of girders and cables. This volume also features a preface by the architect himself. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Well-recorded I M Pei Louvre Pyramid Masterpiece
A well-recorded concise record of this significant architectural statement by the most notable Chinese-American Architect (and perhaps arguably the very best Architect) of our time.The content is insightful of the development of the project and is supplemented with magnificent photos throughout printed on acid-free paper.A most worthwhile keepsake to grace any coffee table or bookshelf. ... Read more

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Whether exploring ancestral myths or uncovering the record of how an ancient people lived, Heyerdahl's story is consistently informative and engaging, weaving together myth and history with vivid portraits of the present-day community of Tucume, of which he became a part. 177 illustrations, 43 in color. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Scienfitic oration
Text-book type read of the history of uncovering some of the pyramids of Tucum. Thor Hyerdal's chapters are interesting narratives, the others are very scientific and factual but reads like a text book - which is well written but I was expecting more of a narrative type book. If you want factual info about the pyramids, this is definately the book to get.If you want a good read, you might consider another option.

An excellent read for amateur and professional alike!
This book, by legendary explorer Thor Heyerdahl and two archaeologist colleagues, has something for everyone! Tucume is a large site full of adobe pyramids on the north coast of Peru. The site dates to about 1000-1540 AD and in its later years was conquered by the Chimu and then the Inca Empires before falling to ruins after the Spanish Conquest. In the book, Heyerdahl recounts his adventures in Peru in his usual, inimitable style, while the two archaeologists (one American and one Peruvian) discuss the archaeological finds at this fabulous site. The book is full of drawings and photos, many in color. Some of the artifacts are truly spectacular, but just as interesting are the insights into how archaeologists put together a picture of the past from the dusty bits and pieces left in this desert center. Whether you are a fan of Kon-Tiki or interested in the details of Peru's ancient past, this is the book for you

An excellent read for amateur and professional alike!
This book, by legendary explorer Thor Heyerdahl and two archaeologist colleagues, has something for everyone! Tucume is a large site full of adobe pyramids on the north coast of Peru. The site dates to about 1000-1540 AD and in its later years was conquered by the Chimu and then the Inca before falling to ruins after the Spanish Conquest. In the book, Heyerdahl recounts his adventures in Peru in his usual, inimitable style, while the two archaeologists (one American and one Peruvian) discuss the archaeological finds at this fabulous site. The book is full of drawings and photos, many in color. Some of the artifacts are truly spectavular, but just as interesting are the insights into how archaeologists put together a picture of the past from the dusty bits and pieces left in this desert center. Whether you are a fan of Kon-Tiki or interested in the details of Peru's ancient past, this is the book for you ... Read more