Climate change, global economic meltdown, corrupt politicians, wars. . .If the news about contemporary civilization has you down, how about investigating some highly evolved civilizations of the past?
The UCC Library has recently added some new titles about old places and peoples. Did you know that the Irish neolithic tomb, Newgrange, is older than the Great Pyramid of Giza? It was originally built around 3,000 B.C. As the sun rises on the winter solstice, a beam of sunlight pierces the dark passageway of Newgrange and lights up the inner chamber. Although currently residing in our "New Books" section, these two books will soon move to 936.15 in the back of the library.
Around a thousand years later the mysterious Stonehenge was completed. Who built it and at what effort? Arc
haeologist Anthony Johnson reexamines 250 years of fieldwork and speculation of this prehistoric site, explains the geometry, and lays out the rationale for this monumental landmark in his book "Solving Stonehenge".
"Stonehenge Complete" is a third edition of a classic. Even though 20,000 visitors gather at midsummer dawn, as this new edition explains, "they are in error: although Stonehenge is indeed astronomically oriented, it is not aligned on the midsummer sunrise at all." Our Stonehenge books hang out near Newgrange. Look for them in the stacks at 936.2.
Finally, take a look nearby (932 W) at "Genesis of the Pharaohs: Dramatic New Discoveries Rewrite the Origins of Ancient Egypt". Archaeologist Toby Wilkinson argues that ancient Egyptians were semi-nomadic herders and not settled farmers. The book has dozens of illustrations, including 25 in color.
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