The Ancient Silk Road Map from Odyssey Books, combines four separate maps with descriptions of 65 locations along the whole course of the route: from Europe, across Asia, to China & beyond. The four map panels present: The whole route from Europe (Venice & Rome by sea, Durres & western Russia by land) to China & beyond it to Korea & Japan. The map also shows the approximate route of Zheng He ...

Designed to assist the adventurous visitor to the region, the book is also an armchair traveler`s introduction to many of the most historic & visually engaging monuments across seven nations: Indonesia, Vietnam, Cambodia, Thail&, Laos, Myanmar (Burma), & Malaysia. In addition to background on & descriptions of individual sites, the guide provides essential tips for travelers & an extensive reading list & glossary. The result of over twenty years of research & site visits by the author, archaeologist, & architectural conservator William Chapman, Ancient Sites of Southeast Asia provides a succinct overview of the region`s many historic ruins & related sites. ...

Tales of the forty-eight classical constellations have captured the human imagination from ancient times to the present. Compiled from literature spanning from Homer to Claudius Ptolemy, with illustrations & star charts reconstructed from ancient sources, Ancient Skies immerses the reader in the world of ancient cosmology & constellation mapping. ...

Dedicated to the art & culture of Thail&, this volume explores the ancient & various origins of this modern country's identity. The Thai identity is the result of an extraordinary process of integration, clash & selection of different cultural traditions, the expression of the various civilisations which inhabited the same area over time. From the XIII century the Thai civilisation became the great protagonist of the political scene & the author of the country's unification, but it was also the heir of a several-thous&-year-old tradition. It would thereby be misleading to identify the culture of the modern country with the single Thai culture, thus ignoring the importance of the origins & the transformation & synthesis operated by the Thai people in producing the original mixture at the heart of their own culture. From the contacts with the Indian world to the beginning of the first Buddhist Dvaravati civilisation, to the provincial features of the Khmer civilisation & the flourishing of the first reign, the book looks over the fascinating route to modern Thail&, through the most up-to-date historical studies & the reconstruction based on archaeological & artistic testimonies. ...

`I felt the powerful strength of my family overrunning me like a heavy rush of water`. For Andre, a young man growing up on a farm in Brazil, life consists of `the earth, the wheat, the bread, our table & our family`. He loves the l&, fears his austere, pious father who preaches from the head of the table as if it is a pulpit, & loathes himself, as he starts to harbour shameful feelings for his sister Ana. Lyrical & sensual, told with biblical intensity, this classic Brazilian coming-of-age novel follows Andre`s psychological & sexual awakening, as he must choose between body & soul, duty & freedom. ...

Many of Britain's finest walks are along tracks that have been in use for thousands of years. From the tip of Cornwall to the Highlands of Scotl&, the island is criss-crossed by ancient paths. The 18 routes selected by Dee Hannigan include prehistoric ridgeways, Roman roads such as Ackling Dyke in Dorset, & routes with religious origins such as the Saint's Way across Cornwall & the Monk's Trod across the North York Moors. In each case the book describes how the route came into being, who used it & why, the glory of the lanscape it traverses, & the historical relics that can still be seen. It supplies detailed instructions for following the routes on Ordnance Survey maps, & shorter, circular walks that can be accomplished in a day or half-day's walking. ...

The National Trust is one of the largest private custodians of ancient trees in Europe. Amidst its properties are oak trees that support entire ecosystems, yew trees that were fully grown before the Romans arrived in Britain, & woodland that has remained virtually unchanged since the last ice age. It is possible to stand under the yew tree that witnessed the sealing of Magna Carta & to picnic near the tree that changed scientific history by dropping an apple on the young Isaac Newton. Ancient Trees of the National Trust is a love letter to Britain`s venerable trees. Author Edward Parker is a highly commended nature photographer & an expert on his subject, & his enchanting book explores the historical & cultural associations of ancient trees & their biological importance, as well as their sheer beauty. It encourages us to pause & look up at their gnarled branches & appreciate these silent witnesses which have remained rooted & constant as the centuries have flickered by & the world around them has changed. ...

` Among all the varied productions with which Nature has adorned the surfaces of the earth, none awakens our sympathies, or interests our imagination so powerfully as those venerable trees, which seem to have stood the lapse of ages...` John Muir, 1868 A fascinating celebration of the some of the oldest living organisms on the planet, from the grand Oaks of Europe & mighty Redwoods of California to Africa`s `upside-down` Baobab tree, & from the Ginkgos of China & Korea to the Olive tree, the worldwide symbol of peace. Ancient Trees covers those species of tree that have lived for more than a thousand years: the Redwood, Bristlecone pine, Montezuma Cypress, the Monkey Puzzle, Amazonian Ancients, Yew, Oak, Sweet Chestnut, Lime, Olive, Welwitschia, the Baobab, Kauri, Totara, Antarctic Beech, the Fig, Cedar, & Ginkgo. Anna Lewington, the well-known writer on all things botanical, & leading wildlife photographer Edward Parker provide an illuminating & visually striking history of each tree species, including where the long-living species can still be found, the tree`s botanical details, & its mythical associations. ...

The history of Vietnam is one of spectacular confrontations, both cultural & ideological between the world of the Chinese
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Ever wondered what the first weapons were made from, or how the ancient Mongol warriors defeated the great armies of China? Famous battles, brave generals, & ingenious weapons all come alive in this exciting illustrated book. Tracing the history of warriors from the Stone Age all the way up to the Crusades, fascinating facts & insights from the battlefield are revealed alongside illustrations by Joe Lillington. ...