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America Before: The Key to Earth's Lost CivilizationThe Instant New York Times Bestseller Was an advanced civilization lost to history in the global cataclysm that ended the last Ice Age? Graham Hancock, the internationally bestselling author, has made it his life's work to find out and in America Before, he draws on the latest archaeological and DNA evidence to bring his quest to a stunning conclusion. We've been taught that North and South America were empty of humans until around 13,000 years ago
The Instant New York Times Bestseller
Was an advanced civilization lost to history in the global cataclysm that ended the last Ice Age? Graham Hancock, the internationally bestselling author, has made it his life's work to find out--and in America Before, he draws on the latest archaeological and DNA evidence to bring his quest to a stunning conclusion. We've been taught that North and South America were empty of humans until around 13,000 years ago - amongst the last great landmasses on earth to have been settled by our ancestors. But new discoveries have radically reshaped this long-established picture and we know now that the Americas were first peopled more than 130,000 years ago - many tens of thousands of years before human settlements became established elsewhere. Hancock's research takes us on a series of journeys and encounters with the scientists responsible for the recent extraordinary breakthroughs. In the process, from the Mississippi Valley to the Amazon rainforest, he reveals that ancient New World cultures share a legacy of advanced scientific knowledge and sophisticated spiritual beliefs with supposedly unconnected Old World cultures. Have archaeologists focused for too long only on the Old World in their search for the origins of civilization while failing to consider the revolutionary possibility that those origins might in fact be found in the New World? America Before: The Key to Earth's Lost Civilization is the culmination of everything that millions of readers have loved in Hancock's body of work over the past decades, namely a mind-dilating exploration of the mysteries of the past, amazing archaeological discoveries and profound implications for how we lead our lives today.Binding Type: Paperback
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
Published: 09/29/2020
ISBN: 9781250756954
Pages: 640
Weight: 1.80lbs
Size: 9.20h x 6.00w x 2.00d
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4.1 ★★★★★
Based on 23 reviews
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★★★★★ 5
Required Reading for Egyptologists
Format: Paperback
To say the very least, this book is an enlightening read. The author attempts to design a new chronology of Egypt based on a number of archaeological observations he made which pointed to certain anomolies in the standard chronology of the Third Intermediate Period of Egyptian history. The TIP is one of those points in history where information is scanty and there is much room for error in interpreting existing archaeological evidence. Rohl posits that the 21st and 22nd pharaonic dynasties were at least partly contemprary in a period of balkanization of Egypt, contrary to the conventional chronology's view that they were successive. He therefore shifts the entire preceding dynastic histories downward from 200 to 300 years. That is, what we previously though to occur at 1250 BC actually happened at 1000 BC according to Rohl. In so doing Rohl has done much to synchronize Egyptian chronology with the chronology of the bible.
Rohl claims that the Amarna letters were not to be compared to Joshua's conquest of Canaan, a period where they clearly do not fit, but rather tell the tale of Saul's and David's claiming of Israel from Phillistine Egyptian vassals. He synchonizes Ramesses II's conquests of Asia Minor with the biblical invasion of Shishak. Also, he identifies the Egyptian 'Hyksos' with the Amalekites of the book of Exodus. There are many other enlightening points of connection with the bible that Rohl makes, but my point here is not to explain them all.
The true value of this book for any egyptologist, student of biblical history, or any student of the ancient world at all, is this book's popular presentation of the field of archaeology and ancient history. So rare are books that actually connect a lay reader with the methodologies and evidence upon which researchers base their works. In order to show a need for a revision of Egyptian chronology, Rohl shows how the entirety of Egyptian chronology depends on all but of a handful of archaeological finds, many of them of dubious reliability. Even if Rohl's opponents find more pieces of evidence supporting the standard chronology, the number will still be very small and they will quite likely be as subject to interpretation, as are the ones that Rohl has pointed out. Rohl goes to great lengths to show the history of the observations that scholarship has made, thereby showing us where they may have gone wrong. (As a popular book, I must confess that parts of Rohl's historical narratives depict events in which one expects to find Indiana Jones) Next, when building his own chronology, Rohl puts us close to the texts and archaeological evidence upon which he bases his theories. Rohl's conclusions are in many cases impressive, but in some cases I had to shake my head and come to the conclusion that he was grasping at straws. For instance, I believe that his work in astronomical retrocalulations to find the dates of eclipses recorded in ancient texts is pretty shaky. I even doubt that the text that he is talking about is even mentioning an eclipse. This information has proved to be incredibly valuable to me, however, as I now know that astronomy based chronology, something I though would give absolute and undisputable dates, is as foggy an area of research as any.
I do not know if I will eventually embrace Rohl's ideas or not, or if partially. I do know that reading this book has shown me the types of reasoning and observations that old world historians make, and can now make an informed decision about how firm our grip on dating events of the past is. My conclusion: if somebody tells you some biblical event did not happen because the dates don't line up with scientific knowledge, don't be disheartened. We have a LONG way to go before we can truly be confident about such statements, if indeed we will ever arrive at that sort of knowledge. This uncertainty that I have gained from Rohl's book is corroberated by the "Oxford History of Ancient Egypt" which provides wonderful information on Egyptian chronology.
Everyone who wants to study ancient history, whether it be Egyptian, biblical, Middle Eastern, or even Chinese for that matter, should read this book, so the next time they read somewhere that 'such and such happened at 3200 BC', they will know to take that statement with a grain of salt. Whether Rohl is right or not, I am forever indebted to him for showing me how chronologists operate.
Lastly, I would like to say, after all this talk about archaeology and methodology of Egyptologists, that this book is very readable and comprehensible to the lay reader. Though a smattering of knowledge of biblical and/or Egyptian history will make the book more interesting to the reader, no such knowledge is required in order to understand the book or find value in it. It is truly a popular book intended for the average interested person. I recommend it to all.
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Reviewed in the United States on February 10, 2001
★★★★★ 5
Exciting reinterpretation of ancient history.
Format: Paperback
In "Pharoahs And Kings", author David Rohl offers the reader a stunning new interpretation of the events of the ancient world in Egypt and the Levant. In doing so, he ties in Biblical events to their proper place in history. This is a stunning reordering of events and personalities and brings both Egyptian and Biblical history to a much closer synchronization.
The book begins in Egypt where Rohl lays out his evidence for condensing the chronology of Egypt. Though we use AD/BC as a method of numbering our years, the ancients did not do so and used regnal dates ("In the third year of Pharoah So-And-So's reign, something happened."). By counting all Pharoahs and their reign lengths, historians felt they had a handle on when, according to our dating system, things happened. When they did so, they discovered the events portrayed in the Bible didn't match. When they date Solomon's reign in Israel to the Iron Age, for example, they find economic development to be poor - a far cry from the Biblical accounts of Solomon's reign as a flowering of culture and rich in trade. Likewise, Jericho's walls did not fall in the time period most historians would place the Exodus and entrance into the Levant of the Hebrews. Therefore, the Biblical accounts are simply myth, nothing more.
David Rohl is a historian, not a religious believer and his point of view is as a historian. His focus is to find a more accurate timeline for the events in the ancient Middle East. He begins in Egypt because that is his area of expertise and he gives convincing arguements for re-ordering the events of Egypt. The clincher, for me, was the tombs of Tanis (among other inconsistencies in the conventional dating such as the number of Apis Bulls) in which the tomb of Psusennes I cuts into the tomb of King Oskoron II and was obviously built after the tomb of Oskoron II. The problem? Oskoron II was from the 22nd dynasty while Psusennes was from the 21st! It is quite obviously reversed! Rohl's conclusion is that two dynasties were contemporary and that about 140 years needs to be removed from the timeline of Egypt.
When this is done, events in the Levant match the events in the Old Testament very closely. In the New Chronology, Jericho falls just when the Hebrews are entering Canaan according to the Bible. Solomon's Israel is now placed in the Late Bronze Age where there is evidence of prosperous cities and flourishing trade. There is evidence of mentions of both Saul and David in the Amarna Letters.
This was a page turner and Rohl's work, although controversial, is backed up by fact and evidence. There is less evidence for some of his conclusions than others (in my mind), but it is well researched and never strays from a scholarly interpretation of the evidence written and on the ground.
I actually enjoyed this book! David Rohl writes in a very engaging fashion, often using humor. His writing skill keeps subjects that may seem dull very frsh and exciting. He often uses humor and engages the reader, challenges the reader and forces the reader to think. This is not the usual dry tome on archeology that puts you to sleep! He assists the reader with many and high quality photos and drawings of the evidence and includes "side bars" with definitions and explanations in the margins to help the layman navigate the technical aspects of history and archeology without getting bogged down and overwhelmed.
This is a fine book and more than deserving of five stars. It's a very eye-opening and interesting read that doesn't seem like a college textbook. Instead, he challenges the reader while entertaining at the same time. I recommend this book with five stars!
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Reviewed in the United States on September 29, 2012
★★★★★ 5
Great book. Not an easy read but worth going ...
Format: Hardcover
Wish I had known about this book when it was published! Great book. Not an easy read but worth going thru more than once with great info. I have long held the belief of the early exodus date due to the Great Pyramid dating. Have read in many books about the confusion of the Egyptian chronology but this is the first one I've seen that really opens it up for examination.
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Reviewed in the United States on February 13, 2016
★★★★★ 4
A Lost Book doesn't Make Up for Lost Time
Format: Paperback
I bought the hard back copy of this book years ago & what an interesting read with great time lines & beautiful color photos. Someone borrowed the book & I forgot who I loaned it to. After years of trying to remember where it went, I at last bought it again as a paper back through Amazon.com. It's a used book with no marks & only a slight indentation on a few pages on the side. Now that I am looking into it & remembering it once again, I am over loaded with too many historical theories. Maybe it's my fault for being a book reader rather than an Egyptologist.
I am going to write down some simple time frame theories & you will see what this book is about:
General View: The Hebrews came into Egypt through reuniting Joseph & his brothers. They experienced the Amarna period of primitive Monotheism. Akhenaton was over thrown & polytheism was reinstated as the Hebrews were enslaved. Moses came during Rameses II & the Exodus was during the last years of Rameses II or the Pharaoh Marneptah.
Amarna period of Akhenaton 1352-1337/1334 BC
Rameses II 1279-1213 BC
Exodus last years of Rameses II or Marneptah.
Problems: Biblical History is off by 180 years if counted back from the creation of Solomon's temple. Rameses II was a great conquer, & both he & his son Marneptah never wrote of 10 plagues or an Exodus. Both died as old men & their mummys are still with us.
David Rohl's Theory: revised Egyptian history by shortening the 3rd Intermediate Period by almost 300 years.
Tutimaios known as Dudimose is the Pharaoh of the Exodus
Exodus 1447 BC
Amarna period of Akhenaton = time of King David approx. 1000 BC. Proof: letters written between an Egyptian Pharaoh & King of Israel during that period.
Rameses II = Shishak of 921 BC sack of Jerusalem. Proof: Rameses II used a monogram that comes close to Shishak.
Problems: goes against establish Egyptian time frames or "If the Bible doesn't fit the Egyptian time frames then make the Egyptian time frames fit the Bible". Akhenaton is no longer the 1st political monotheist & seems out of place not influencing Moses & writing letters to King David.
From Another Book I Read - "Akhenaton & Moses" by Ahmed Osman
Ahmed Osman's Theory: Akhenaton is the same person as Moses
Amarna period of Akhenaton 1352-1337/1334 BC
Exodus after the overthrow of Akhenaton by Rameses I
Problems: Moses doesn't die overlooking the Promise land of Canaan as stated in Deuteronomy 34 but dies without a known grave as did Akhenaton. Moses monotheism doesn't deal with a solar disc as a symbol of the one God or a replacement of a lesser Egyptian God, but is from an inherited convent.
Other Dates of the Exodus:
Josephus 1552 BC
Sedar Olam Rabbah 1440 BC
Book of Jubilees 2410 BC
Early Church Fathers 1570 to 1320 BC
I need to research Immanuel Velikovsky ideas on this subject matter. I just bought the book & will review it.
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Reviewed in the United States on January 23, 2013
★★★★★ 5
Correcting the Biblical Chronology
Format: Hardcover
When I first begin my study of the Bible, I had purchased another book on archaeology and the first thing I realized is that nothing fit. The time of Solomon was impoverishment in Israel. When you read the Bible Solomon was the richest king ever. David Rohl's book Pharaohs and Kings changed all that. He persuasively shows where the chronology is wrong and when corrected things fall into place. What is commonly called the old testament comes to life. It is the greatest book on Biblical Archaeology ever written. Thank you David !!!
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Reviewed in the United States on March 10, 2019