Description
How were the ancient wonders of the world built? How many workers did it take to build the Great Wall of China and the Sphinx at Giza? What prompted rulers to take on these projects, knowing the human cost involved? The Seventy Wonders of the Ancient World answers such questions, examining these spectacular feats of engineering and the achievements of the builders who worked without the aid of modern technology.
In this new edition, updated with the latest research, the raising of the stones at Stonehenge, the laying out of the Nazca Lines on the face of the Peruvian desert, and the construction of the Great Wall of China are all described and explained by leading experts. Packed with fact files, and intricate details about these awe-inspiring monuments, this is a testament to the skill of the ancient architects and engineers, which continues to impress successive generations through the ages.
Contributors
Chris Scarre
Author
Chris Scarre is a professor of prehistory in the department of archaeology at Durham University, U.K. He is editor of The Human Past (4th ed.) and author of Ancient Civilizations (with Brian Fagan and Charles Golden, 5th ed.), Landscapes of Neolithic Brittany, and The Megalithic Monuments of Britain and Ireland. From 2013 to 2017 he was editor of the leading international journal Antiquity, and was previously an advisory board member for the National Geographic Society.
