Here is the story of America’s oldest – and oddest – civilization, the Olmecs of the southern Mexican jungles. Virtually unknown to archaeologists until the early twentieth century, their true importance is only now being realized and shedding new light on how the Indian peoples of the Americas came to be here.
No references, no bibliography, no maps, no pictures of artifacts. Uninformative table of contents. Written for a middle school level? The material should be greatly expanded and hyperlinked to provide proper references and illustrations. Most disappointing.
I was looking more about the Olmec but all I got was where they may have wandered. I was looking at their physical and cultural aspects why here their heads helmeted. Why did their statues have 6 fingers. They were known to others as giants. Why? Maybe that all can be can not be nailed down but but rumors and other items could be presented and hypotheses made.
This book was very info4mative and obviously scholarly. I learned a lot about the Olmec people. My only complaint was the lack of any maps or pictures. I would really rate this a 4 1/2 stars without the maps. This was a kindle book so the hard copy may have had it on the hard copy book cover.
The text of this book is evidently the result if a great deal of research. Unfortunately it reads like a research report. Major problem with the e-book is the lack of maps and illustrations.
I enjoyed this book. I would have given it 5 stars except for the reason I believe that it would have been better with maps, showing where excavations were, the Olmec lived and moved around, as well as some pictures showing the relics that were found. I had to mentally picture those items.
Otherwise the book was fairly easy to read, not technical. I learned about the Olmec Culture, and the change to Maya, Aztecs and others such as Teotihuacan. I have been to Mexico twice (not counting trips over the border), and have been to Chichen Itza, in the Yucatan Peninsula, as well as Teotihuacan and Mexico City and seen the beauty of the Natives. The archaeology fascinated me, so the book was interesting to read as well.
I did NOT know much about the Olmec prior to reading this book, and thought as many do that they may have come from Africa. They seem to be a precursor of the Groups following, such as Maya or Aztecs, however they were much earlier, as early as the pharaohs in Egypt, 3,200 years ago. I recommend this book for anyone interested in history, or archaeology.
Sometimes seemed to be more based on authors opinion rather than documented fact.
Very informative but would have been better is illustrated with photos.
Interesting information and insights. Readable as a textbook.
New insight to an old mystery.
An interesting overview of Olmec (& later) Mexican civilizations, written for the layperson.
Dr. Michael Coe’s writing on the Olmec civilization is fascinating as much as it is scholarly and readable. His preeminence in the field is clearly demonstrated through his first-hand understanding of the people, places, and events surrounding Olmec archaeology and research..
Wanted more; seemed he just started to make his case.
Wanted pictures.
Educational read on the Olmec civilization and its successors in the Americas. The unraveling of the domestication of corn and its significance was especially interesting.
I used the information to understand the chronology of early american civilizations. Not too technical so I could fit the pieces in the puzzle
Very good first person accounts of the fighting in the Pacific in WWII, especially of the Army and Marines.
I happen to be interested in Native American culture.If you are not, You probably won’t like it.