origins | spring 2013
DESCRIPTION
This 4th issue of Origins, our 2013 Equinox Edition, takes us back to the beginning - the very beginning of Human Evolutionary History. It's time to rediscover where we came from!TRANSCRIPT
Back to where it all beganCULTURE PROPERTY
IVORY WARS
SITES TO SEE
PANGOLINS
THE RISE OF HOMO
2 | ORIGINS
www.origins-magazine.com
The Open Source InitiativeOrigins is a free publication that anyone can access via the World Wide Web. This project was inspired by a group of anthropology and science undergraduates striving to bring science back to its main mission: providing knowledge to all ages in comprehensibleforms and not focusing on profits. Here at BermudaQuest we want you to experienceyour cultural heritage whenever you would like from your favorite Internet-enabledgadget! It is time to rediscover where we came from!
MARCH 21 - JUNE 21 - SEPTEMBER 21 - DECEMBER 21FOUR ISSUES A YEAR :: EVERY EQUINOX & SOLSTICE
Issue 4 | Spring 2013© 2012-2013 Origins, founded by Melanie E Magdalena in association with BermudaQuest
Copyright: This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License. Permissionof the authors is required for derivative works, compilations, and translations.
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this publication are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the position or views of Origins. The publisher, editor, contributors, and related parties assumes no responsibilityof loss, injury or inconvenience of any person, organi-zation, or party that uses the information or resources provided within this publication, website, or related products.
ON THECOVER
Inspired by tribal designs, this issue’s cover was hand drawn
by our Editor-in-Chief. If you would like to design a future cover for Origins, please contact us
at [email protected] with [Cover Art Proposal]
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CONTENT | 3
By BermudaQuest
IN THIS ISSUE:
47
2639
From the Editor
Creature Feature
Sites to See
Review It
DEPARTMENTS
11
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Ivory Poaching EpidemicIvory wars are killing off elephants and rhinoceroses for their tusks and horns.NIKOLE VALENCIA
African OriginsWhere did we come from? Who were the first people like us? MARGARET SMITH
The Rise of HomoOut of Africa, modern day humans began evolving into what we recognize ourselves as today : Homo sapiensJOSE-PIERRE ESTRADA
Culture Property [OP-ED]The Commodification of ethnicity.KATRINA NEWBURN
INFOGRAPHICA Simple Timeline of Homo evolutionMELANIE E MAGDALENA
DAN CULLETON | CC BY 2.0
4 | ORIGINS
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A word from the editorI have to start out by saying...
We “survived” the End of the World!So, shall we party like there’s no to-Maya?
A lot has happened since our last issue and this time we’re traveling back in time to the place where human history all began - Africa.
From our evolutionary (biological) history, to places to see, and modern day issues like the ivory wars and cultural propertyrights – Origins is packed and now officially declared an Open Source Journal of Anthropology and Science.
We hope you enjoy this issue and come back to read our upcoming Summer Solstice issue on all things Fringe in the world of Science.
Happy Spring Equinox!
Melanie E [email protected]
STAFF
MELANIE E MAGDALENAEditor-in-Chief & Creative Designer
The Founder of Origins and BermudaQuest.
MARGARET SMITHCopy Editor
Anthropology undergraduate focusing on Japanese studies for her career in archaeology at the
University of New Mexico.
FIDEL JUNCODirector of Donor Relations
Specialist in marine animals and other exotic reptiles, birds, and
amphibians.
PUBLISHERBermudaQuest
CONTRIBUTORS
KATRINA NEWBURNArchaeology undergrad awaiting her graduation ceremony in 2013 from
the University of New Mexico.
JOSE-PIERRE ESTRADAAnthropology undergraduate
teaching others that there is more to life than meets the eye.
KAREN MEZA CHERITUndergraduate studying
Business Management at El Instituto Tecnológico de Estudios Superiores
de Monterrey (ITESM).
NIKOLE VALENCIAThird year student at the University of New Mexico
studying Elementary Education.
CREATURE FEATURE | 7
By BermudaQuest
A pangolin, also called a “scaly anteater,” is a burrowing mammal found across Asia and sub-Saharan Africa. Loss of habitat and illegal poaching has made this incredible animal among the most endangered mammals in the world.
There are eight pangolin species; all are part of the genus Manis (family Manidae). Their closest relatives are Xenarthrans - anteaters, armadillos, and sloths. Of the eight species, four live in Africa: the Cape or ground pangolin, the tree pangolin, the sloth pangolin, and the long-tailed pangolin. The other four Asian species look a bit different since they have bristles that stick out from between the scales.
Pangolins remain among the most mysterious creatures studied. Being a secretive, nocturnal mammal, little is known about their behavior and habitat making it quite difficult for scientists to study them.
KERATIN SHIELDProtective, tough, overlapping scales cover most of their body. Made of keratin (like human hair and nails), these over-lapping scales allow them to roll up into a ball when threatened. Yes, the scales do resemble artichoke leaves and they grow constantly throughout the pangolin’s life.
Just as birds file their beaks on calcium blocks in bird cages, a pangolin’s scales are filed down when they burrow underground. Their entire body is not scaly though; they have furry undersides.
THREE THINGS TO KNOWPangolins have poor vision but a strong sense of smell which helps them find ants and termites to trap on their long, sticky tongues.
Pangolins are skilled burrowers, capable swim-mers, and some species are tree-climbers!
In Chinese legends, the pangolin travel all over the world underground. In Cantonese, pangolin (“Chun-shua-cap”) translates to “the animal that digs through the mountain” or “scaly hill-borer.”
Creature FeatureThe Pangolin Body armor, tree climber, ant eater, oh my!
Fidel Junco
8 | ORIGINS
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CONSERvATION STATuS
Pangolins are disappearing due to illegal wildlife trade; smugglers sell them for culinary and medicinal use. Most illegal trade is into China, Indonesia, and Malaysia. With their meat prized as a delicacy, and fetuses, scales, and blood used in medicine, the high demand for pangolins across Asia is plummeting pangolin populations. Since 2002, nearly 50,000 pangolins have been smuggled into Indonesia and almost 8,000 between 2003 and 2008 into Thailand. Despite the illegal trade, traffickers in Vietnam maximize their profits by fattening up these tree-hugging mammals with force feeding and injections - the heavier the pangolin, the higher the price.
HOPE FOR THE PANGOLIN
There is hope for the pangolins. A new IUCN-SSC (The International Union for Conservation of Nature-Spe-cies Survival Commission) Pangolin Specialist Group was established in 2012 to act as “a global voice for pangolins by working to advance knowledge and understanding of pangolins worldwide, their conserva-tion needs, natural history and ecology and to catalyze action to meet these needs.” Fighting the illegal trade of pangolins is difficult with public and governmental awareness: where are the pangolins coming from and where do they end up. You can be apart of this awareness by sharing what you’ve learned about this remarkable species and celebrating on February 16th World Pangolin Day!
Fossil of Eomanis, an extinct pangolin(from the Eocene-Ypresian, 48.6-55.8 million years ago).
PHOTO CREDITS: GHEDOGHEDO | CC BY-SA 3.0 (ABOVE); VALERIUS TYGART | CC BY-SA 3.0 (PAGE 7); Николай Усик | CC BY-SA 3.0 (PAGE 9).
DID YOu KNOW THE FIRST PANGOLIN LIvED DuRING THE EOCENE?THAT’S ABOuT 50 MILLION YEARS AGO!
CREATURE FEATURE | 9
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Although conservation efforts are being made to preserve this amazingly rare species, more can be done. You can help save the pangolin as well as other sensitive species from extinction.
Any donations made will help provide grants for research and conservation efforts. Donations can be sent to BermudaQuest Foundation
via PayPal on our website:
or via check or money order to:BermudaQuest PMB1902800 E. Whitestone Blvd. Ste. 120 Cedar Park, Tx 78613
FOR MORE INFORMATION
Please visit the following sites (by clicking on the name if viewing digital version) for more information about the pangolin.
► savepangolins.org
► pangolins.org
► bioweb.uwlax.edu
► edgeofexistence.org
► speciesconservation.org
A LITTLE PANGOLIN TRIvIA
1. All pangolin species can climb trees.
□True □False
2. Anteaters, armadillos, and sloths are not related to the pangolin.
□True □False
3. Illegal poaching of pangolins has made them among the most endan- gered mammal species.
□True □False
4. Just like human hair and nails, pangolins have keratin scales that continuously grow throughout their lives.
□True □False
5. Pangolins can swim! They also curl up into a ball when they feel threatened.
□True □False
Answer key:1, false; 2, false; 3, true; 4, true; 5, true
10 | ORIGINS
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Say NO toivory wars!
We’re on
zazzle.com/bermudaquest
The poaching elephants has played a large role in the history of supply and demand of ivory. The tusks of male bulls have been sought for many decades. Since a ban on poaching ele-phants was put into place in 1989, the number of male elephants killed has continued to sky-rocket. In 2011, records show the highest num-ber of male elephants killed in the past de-cade. The poaching of elephants shows that the safety of the animal is being neglected or overlooked. Unfortunately, the lives of the male elephants are becoming exceedingly tragic.
With the efforts of the Africa’s wildlife authorities the number of elephants are slowly rejuvenating. Even with the aid of the wildlife park the elephants are still poached for the very sought out ivory that fuels the black market. According to The New York Times (2012), the hunt for ivory is like blood
diamonds, fueled by conflict across Africa. The poachers are finding new tactics which make it harder for the authorities to counteract them. Poachers are now starting to use helicopterswhile hunting elephants in order to not leaveany footprints behind. The demand of ivory keeps the poachers active.
The wildlife authorities have come across 1,200 tusks in Tanzania, which shows that poachingis still a major problem. Not only do they stumble among illegally acquired tusks, but also they found dead elephants left to rot with only their tusks removed. This is an on going issuethat needs resolution for elephants as well asrhinoceroses. Wildlife reservations are auc-tioning off tusks in order to fund the growing park. In time, the poaching epidemic should see a decline. l
African Elephant, Loxodonta africana Hunted for its tusks, elephant deaths are at a decade high.IMAGE BY THE US FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE, PUBLIC DOMAIN
IVORY POACHING EPIDEMIC NIKOLE VALENCIA
IVORY POACHING EPIDEMIC | 11
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THE RISE OF HOMO | 25
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Humans have their origins in chimpanzees and other non-human primates. In order for humans to jump start their evolution they were reliant on environmental changes. The climate began to dry out causing savannah climates to form and grow. This allowed early humans to migrate to the savannah. Over time they became bipedal allowing them to see over tall grass, run faster, use their hands, and become more energy efficient. Early humans lost most of the body hair they possessed, which enabled them to better regulate their body tempera-ture in the harsh savannah sun. This major change in physique made it possible for humans to succeed in scavenging for food and over time develop tools and hunt. Our Homo relatives, the Neanderthal (pictured left) also had these adaptations.
Through scavenging early humans began a trend that allowed them to grow bigger and bigger brains. By eating meat they were able to consume excess calories that were devoted to early brain development. When humans began to hunt the extra caloric intake allowed even bigger brains to develop, but it was not until much later that brain growth hit its largest spike. This is due to early hunting methods not being very effective. As hunting methods were perfected over time they were able to catch bigger and more elusive prey. Meat proved to be an essential staple to supporting the growth of the large brains that humans have today.
Within the fossil record there is evidence that supports the the-ory of human evolution being ignited by climatic change. Yet, with only 5% of the fossil record available to us there are missing sections to our evolutionary development. Through excavations we have discovered many fossils, but because the conditions in order to preserve fossils are so few there are many missing segments in time that we may never have access to. p
african origins
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Millions of years ago, today’s cultures and politics was an Africa cradling the beginning of modern humans. It wasn’t a simple jump from prehistoric apes to what we are today, several “batches” of hominins were tried and either went extinct or adapted.
Thirty-five years ago, a remarkable discovery was made. A set of footprints resembling those of modern day people were found fossilised south of the Olduvai gorge. Based on their age and size, these footprints were not those of modern humans at all, but of an ancestor 3.9 to 2.9 million years old: Australopithecus afarensis. In 1978, paleoanthro-pologist Mary Leaky made history with her discovery of the Laetoli footprints.
THE RISE OF HOMO
JOSE-PIERRE ESTRADA
The first recognized human ancestor is Homo habilis, one of the earliest members of the genus Homo that lived around 2.5-1.5 million years ago (MYA) in Eastern and Southern Africa. Its name means “Handy Man” in reference to its tool making. One of the specimens was found in Olduvai Gorge along with stone tools, dubbed “Olduvai Tools”. H. habilis still had traces of ape-like features such as arms longer than legs and had a cranial capacity about half the size of modern humans. H. habilis is thought to be the ancestor of the more sophisticated Homo ergaster, which in time H. ergaster developed to be the more human appearing species Homo erectus.
H. ergaster lived between 1.9-0.7 MYA and was one of the first of ancestors to look like modern humans. Its name means “workman” because they show that they were hunter and gatherersthat wielded simple stone tools. H. ergaster could have been the beginning of the last Homo to develop in Africa and be the first homo to leave Africa.
Homo erectus, or the “upright man”, is consid-ered to be the descendant of H. ergaster but others believe them both to be contemporary. H. erectus lived from 1.8-.4 MYA in an area that spreads from Spain, India and china, and is con-sidered to have been the first species to have ex-panded beyond Africa. They were the first early humans to have possessed modern human-like body proportions such as elongated legs with shorter arms compared to the size of the torso. These features are considered adaptations to a more terrestrial life, indicating the loss of earlier tree-climbing adaptations. The elongated legs gave them the ability to walk and possibly run long distances. In the fossil record, H. erectus is often associated with the earliest hand axes, one of the first major innovations in stone tool technology.
Homo antecessor was a very early European,1.2-0.8 MYA. It is suggested that H. anteces-sor is the evolutionary link between H. ergas-ter and Homo heidelbergensis. Its name means “early settler” and was given to the belief that they were the first hominins to enter Europe. In the fossil record there has been tooth marks on their bones suggesting they were cannibals but no further evidence has been discovered, nor any other type of evidence that could also sug-gest funerary rites. Due to the cooler climate in Europe, the hominins were forced to adapt yet again.
Homo Rising
Leaving Home
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Lucy is the friendly name for the hominid Australopithecus afarensis, an early human ancestor who lived three million years ago.
Her remains, found in Ethiopia in 1974, make up about 40 percent of a whole skeleton and was one of the earliest ancestors of man at that point in time.
The remains show a mixture of both ape and human features such as long dangling arms, plus the pelvis and leg bones show that three and a half foot tall Lucy walked upright.
Lucy’s size suggests her as a female since most male A. afarensis were quiet larger.
HOW LuCY GOT HER NAME
Later on the night of her discovery, there was celebration party where the song “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds” by the Beatles was repeatedly played, thus inspiring our bipedal ancestor’s name.
Meet Australopithecus
afarensis.
You can call her
Anatomically modern humans began before the Homo lineage...
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Homo heidelbergensis, nicknamed “Goliath,” lived 850,000 to 400,000 years ago, and was possibly contemporary with Homo erectus. There is also the possibility that H. heidelber-gensis is the direct ancestor of Homo neander-thalensis and Homo sapiens. Since they lived in a cool environment, their bodies were likely the first to adapt to conserve heat; plus, they were the first to control fire. They had a larger cranial volume, but still smaller than the average of modern humans, and had more advanced tools and behavior such as routinely hunting large animals with wooden spears. This early human also broke new ground by being the first species to create simple dwellings out of wood and rock. As time went by, H. heidelbergensis adapted further and became proficient in the
cold and was different enough to have a new name: Neanderthal.
Neanderthals lived throughout Europe during the Ice Age. Even though they lived at the same time during other humans similar to modern hu-mans today, they were different physically. They had larger brains, wider and broader bodies,stocky arms and legs, twice the strengths of modern humans, bodies built to retain heat longer and more efficiently, and larger noseswhich made it easier to take in greater amounts of oxygen in the cold and high altitude environment – they were made to endure the Ice Age. Neanderthals made tools and hunting implements. They were more simplistic and easier made than other tools made from different humans. Scientists today craft similar tools and weapons, using experimental archaeo-
Adapting to the New Land
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logy, to hunt with as an attempt to reenact Neanderthal hunting methods. The reenactedhunt suggests the Neanderthals worked in groups using cooperation and ambush. Bones recovered suggest that they did not throw the tools like spears; instead they confronted the animals and stabbed them using their superior strength. The Neanderthals were not so different form modern humans.
Not every evolutionary adaptation favors larger lifeforms and can act as an impedement. An exception to evolving into a larger figure is Homo floresiensis, a hominin that lived about 94,000 to 17,000 years ago on the island of Flores, Indonesia.They were nicknamed “hobbits” due to their short stature (the average Hominin on Flores reaching three feet six inches), shrugged-forward shoulders, tiny brains and relatively
large feet due to their short legs. Despite their small body and brain size, the fossil record suggests H. floresiensis used fire and had stone tool technology, possibly to hunt game or fight off predators such as the giant Komodo dragons.
Looking back over millions of years, no organism could determine what path life would take. What if the Neanderthals became the dominant species? How would things have played out up to this day? Would we have the vast array of knowledge we developed?Adaptation has always been the key role to life on this ever changing planet. As we developed tools and learned to utilize them, we developed thoughts and instincts that favored us, humans, as a thriving species, and who knows, maybe we are still evolving. fG
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CULTURAL PROPERTY | 23
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When speaking of how culture and ideas about culture are being mobilized today, one must look at what the definition of culture and globalization are. While there have been many definitions of globalization starting in the 1950’s and of culture starting in the late 1800’s by Edward Burnett Tylor, I believe it is important to use a popular source. If we, as Americans, are to discuss how these ideas are being mobilized today then we need to look at these definitions through a lens that is most commonly used by the average American: the internet. Below are definitions given by the Merriam-Websterdefinition online that I think most suit this discussion.
It is important to look at globali-zation whenever speaking aboutculture in a modern sense. Theglobal market affects every-thing around us, including ourbeliefs and point of view. Throughout the history of cul-tural and ethnographic anthro-pology, globalization has been seen as a great evil, de-stroying native undisturbed landscape of culture in the same manner as environmentalists see the wild and exotic rainforest being destroyed by capitalism. It has been the duty of anthro-pologists to protect and pre-serve these cultures for future generations. This view of “us” needing to protect “them” is also how the western dogma of “the white man’s burden” came into being.
John and Jean Comaroff (2009) see it a bit differently. Through their studies, they came across multiple situa-tions where the local culture was being protected
through the capitalistic market. In these situa-tions a society is using the global desire for exotic
cultures and creating corpora-tions or culture parks to attract tourists and bring in revenue. One interesting case is that of the GEMA (Gikuyu, Embu, Meru Associaiton) tribe of Kenya. The president (a Gikuyu) decided they needed a change and formed the MEGA Corporation which is a holdings or venture capitalist corporation with the investments going back to the individuals of the tribe.
The question of how to gen-erate income from tourists by way of using ones culture was answered by the Zulu nationin the way of a Culture park. The Zulu nation has becomea commodity complete with a trademark and advertisingthat includes a badge that looks like a clothing tag. In many cases, this labor-to-culture initiative helps theculture decide which traditions they no longer deem neces-sary from those they wish to reaffirm. In this way, moderncapitalism and the global economy help cultures that are on the fringes to surviveinto future generations. How-ever, if not handled properly, it can generate inequality in the culture, where there was equality before. This generallycomes from outside sources having too much input into the way the society sells it-self (Comaroff et al. 2009: 12). This is Friedman’s point about the Lexus and the olive tree. It is expected that large globalcompanies such as Lexus will
overpower and overrun smaller cultures and individual beliefs (the olive tree) which will break
CULTURE:“The customary beliefs, social forms, and material traits of a
racial, religious, or social group; also: the characteristic features of everyday existence (as diversions
or a way of life} shared by people in a place or time
(e.g. popular culture or southern culture).”
GLOBALIZATION:(concise Encyclopedia): “Process by which the
experience of everyday life, marked by the dif fusion of commodities and ideas, is
becoming standardized around the world. Factors that have con-
tributed to globalization include increasingly
sophisticated communications and transportation technologies and services, mass migration and the movement of peoples, a level of economic activity that has outgrown national markets through industrial combinations and commercial groupings that
cross national frontiers and international agreements that
reduce the cost of doing business in foreign countries. Globalization
offers huge potential profits to companies and nations but has
been complicated by widely dif fering expectations, standards of living, cultures and values, and legal systems as well as unex-pected global cause-and-ef fect linkages. See also free trade.”
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down communities and destroy their traditions. However, this same system also makes it possible for the smallest politicalcommunity to use the technologies and markets created by the global market to preserve the olive trees (Friedman 2000).
Today there is a degree of integration of markets that has never been seen before. This was easily witnessed by the recession of the United States economy which was quickly followed by the recessions going on all over Europe and the rest of the world. All markets are tied to one another. Therefore if your culture is tied to the market as a commodity, then your cultureis tied to the world and vice versa. “There are few societies todayin which much of life in not interwoven with economic activities in distant parts of the world. Yet throughout the nine-teenth and most of the twentieth century, global markets left most societies virtually untouched. Most of those traditional societieshave now disappeared as such or else they have been drawn irresistibly into the network of global market relationships (Gray 1998:56).” Therefore, globalization is the change that occurs when societies join with and depend upon world markets. Gray is saying that even if a political community uses the global market system to save and preserve its culture, that community is inevitably changed. Traditionally there weren’t markets. The exchange of goods and services were not based on a monetary foundation but on a foundation of relationships usually based on kinship structures. Once western markets were introduced, these basic kinship relationships were disrupted. In modern market based societies, economic activities are separate from the rest of social life and sometimes dominate the whole ofsociety (Gray 1998:12).
Traditionally the globalization of the marketplace was viewed as a simple case of us versus them; the western market inexorably taking over the rest of the world. The questionof if globalization is good or bad remains today. Modernly, the process of globalization is very complex with peoplestanding on both sides of the fence. The Comaroffs make a very interesting point about how the colonized respond to the colonizers culture. The market was not origi-nally intended to be used to safeguard a culture. However, marginalized communities have found ways in the systemto do just that. While globalization may be inexorableat this point, it is not unchangeable. This type ofchange was shown by the Trobriand cricket club changesto the international style of cricket that was brought to the island. This is continually shown through the corpora-tization of communities and the creation of cultureparks. It is becoming evident the culture is the property of the people and can be trademarked, packaged, and sold like any other commodity. y H
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LEARN MORE
Comaroff, John L. and Jean Comaroff.
Ethnicity,Inc.. Chicago, London: The University of Chicago Press, 2009.
Friedman, Thomas L. The Lexus and the olive tree. New York: Anchor Books, 2000.
Gray, John. False Dawn: The Delu-sions of Global Capi-talism. New York: The New Press, 1998.
SITES TO SEE
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AFRICAJoSe-PieRRe eSTRAdA & KARen MeZA cHeRiT
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DOUGGALocated in Tunisia is a well preserved ancient Roman city. The most famous monuments are the Punic-Libyan mausoleum, the Hypogeum, the theater, and the temples of Saturn. Other ancient roman features include baths, temples, and arches.
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There are several claims to fame in Ethiopia. One of the famous is the finding of Australo-pithecus afarensis, aka Lucy, dating to 3.2 million years ago. Other attractions are the mysterious granite obelisks in Axum and the Bet Giorgis (Saint George) Church in Lalibela.
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TSODILOLocated in northwestern Botswana, this collection of four hills is home to a collection of over 4,500 rock paintings, ranging from whales to rhinos and lions. Some of these paintings are 20,000 years old. Each hill also has a name: “male” for the highest, the “female”, “child” and an unnamed knoll.
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MADAGASCARIn Madagascar’s Ankarana National Park, you can see both the flora and fauna along with lakes, caves, and the Tsingy limestone towers - these towers formed over time with the aid of erosion.
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MADAGASCARIn Madagascar’s Ankarana National Park, you can see both the flora and fauna along with lakes, caves, and the Tsingy limestone towers - these towers formed over time with the aid of erosion.
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MALINDILocated in Kenya’s Malindi Marine National Park, this tourist attraction offers not only the possibility to experience Kenyan wildlife on a safari, but also a trip along the edge of Wat-amu to observe the shallow marine-life diversity of Africa. If animals are not your main reason for travel, you can also enjoy diving and water sports.
Located in the Sahara Desert, the caves of Tassili n’Ajjer (meaning“Plateau of the Rivers”) are a library of Neolithic cave paintings depicting animals, such as giraffes, and people, such as shepherds leading their flocks and men hunting. This Algerian territory is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
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MATOBOMatobo National Park is located in Zimbabwe, this park is very interesting because it offers the possibility of carrying out various activities such as climbing, running, horseback riding, all this without forgetting the essence of a national park, and you can also observe the flora, fauna and geography of the place, besides giving you the opportunity to visit archaeo- logical sites within the region.
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EGYPT And last but not least, you have Egypt, which by itself can offer a lot of places to visit, such as the Pyramids of Giza, the temple of Abu Simbel, the Luxor complex and Karnak, to name a few. In every one of these ruins ancient stories of the enigmatic Egyptian culture have been locked away for generations to reveal.
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REVIEW IT | 39
By BermudaQuest
EGYPTIAN MYTHOLOGY
A GUIDE TO GODS, GODDESSES, & TRADITIONS OF ANCIENT EGYPT
BY GERALDINE PINCH
THE COMPLETE PYRAMIDS
SOLVING THE ANCIENT MYSTERIES
BY MARK LEHNER
TEMPLES, TOMBS, AND
HIEROGLYPHSA POPULAR HISTORY OF
ANCIENT EGYPT
BY BARBARA MERTZ
While giving a detailed back-ground on what defines a myth, Geraldine Pinch describes how geography and Egypt’s earlyhistory impacted the myths that were passed down. Within the book there is a timeline that coversthe progression of Egyptian myth-ology throughout the history of Egypt in a clear and concisemanner making the subject matter easier to understand, along with a large amount of pictures. She then goes on and presents several myths ranging from prominent deities to the less known. The book also includes insight on what major events in Egyptian history caused many myths to form and gives insight as to their purpose and meanings.Finally, a glossary of terms used in mythological and culturalstudies allows readers to have quick access to the definition of terms they might not be familiar with.
In Lehner’s book, he provides amazing detail of every major pyramid found in ancient Egypt so far. The book looks into the ceremonial purposes of the pyra-mids as both temples and tombs, by analyzing the hieroglyphs and placement of artifacts within them. He also provides detail on not only the pyramids, but the myths and beliefs the Egyptians had surrounding them that gives
the readers a cultural aspect to relate to and not just the architec-tural design. There is an immense amount of pictures and diagrams used to contextualize the layout and artifacts within the pyramids. By including riveting tales of loot-ers, expeditions, and explorers he spins a world of his own that allows the readers to know not just the ancient history of the pyra-mids, but the recent history as well. Mark Lehner’s book encom-passes a mass amount of detail in a clear and concise manner. It is a long read, but well worth the time.
Barbara Mertz gives realism and comedy in her fiction writing, based during and within the Egyptian Empire. She presents insight and information on the daily life of Egyptians through a fictional archaeologist’s per-spective. The material encom-passes the lives of the pharaohs, everyday lifestyles, culture, faith,looting, exploration, and dis-coveries while making sure your face continues to crack a smile. Within this book there is sound scholarship with a twist of mys-tery and wit enabling the reader to learn interesting facts on Egypt while reading what seems to be just an exciting mys-tery novel. Mertz comprisesher book with proper and clear archaeological methods. Aspiring Egyptologists, students,and enthusiasts can now have their cake and eat it too.
