Audiobook8 hours
In Search of the Old Ones: Exploring the Anasazi World of the Southwest
Written by David Roberts
Narrated by Kaipo Schwab
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
4/5
()
About this audiobook
An exuberant, hands-on fly-on-the-wall account that combines the thrill of canyoneering and rock climbing with the intellectual sleuthing of archaeology to explore the Anasazi.
David Roberts describes the culture of the Anasazi-the name means "enemy ancestors" in Navajo-who once inhabited the Colorado Plateau and whose modern descendants are the Hopi Indians of Arizona. Archaeologists, Roberts writes, have been puzzling over the Anasazi for more than a century, trying to determine the environmental and cultural stresses that caused their society to collapse 700 years ago. He guides us through controversies in the historical record, among them the haunting question of whether the Anasazi committed acts of cannibalism.
Roberts's book is full of up-to-date thinking on the culture of the ancient people who lived in the harsh desert country of the Southwest.
David Roberts describes the culture of the Anasazi-the name means "enemy ancestors" in Navajo-who once inhabited the Colorado Plateau and whose modern descendants are the Hopi Indians of Arizona. Archaeologists, Roberts writes, have been puzzling over the Anasazi for more than a century, trying to determine the environmental and cultural stresses that caused their society to collapse 700 years ago. He guides us through controversies in the historical record, among them the haunting question of whether the Anasazi committed acts of cannibalism.
Roberts's book is full of up-to-date thinking on the culture of the ancient people who lived in the harsh desert country of the Southwest.
Author
David Roberts
David Roberts (1943–2021) was the author of dozens of books on mountaineering, adventure, and the history of the American Southwest. His essays and articles have appeared in National Geographic, National Geographic Adventure, and The Atlantic Monthly, among other publications.
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Reviews for In Search of the Old Ones
Rating: 3.84375 out of 5 stars
4/5
48 ratings5 reviews
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Fascinating account of the author's travels in the four corners area and other places trying to learn more about the mysterious Anasazi or ancient pueblo people. Makes me want to learn a lot more. The Wetherills from the Mesa Verde area were early ranchers that discovered a lot of places and sound like people worth learning about.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5A nice travelogue (?). The author isn't the best writer, but he is good at conveying his sense of purpose, and the emotions that he encounters on his trek. It's also a nice intro into the whole Anasazi thing from a non-scholarly type, it puts a more human face on many of the aspects of this particular search for knowledge.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Disappointed w/ this....scattered writing w/ not lots of depth to it. Tis hard to understand why all the Naional Parks sell it....doesn't anybody review these things?
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5This book is similar to Craig Childs' book on the Anasazi culture, House of Rain, although Roberts is a little more orthodox in his thinking and less willing to go out on a limb than Childs. Still, reading the two books together will give you an excellent understanding of the culture and people who disappeared from the desert southwest in the 12th century.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5If you enjoy the story of the Anastazi and the mystery around the Southwest Native Americans this is a great book. Would be a great way to plan a trip to the area or as in my case encourages me to read Hanted Mesa again. A good read for Native American enthusist, Backpacking, camping enthusist and desert entthusist.