Ancient Mysteries: Discover the latest intriguiging, Scientifically sound explinations to Age-old puzzles [Paperback]

Ignoring the disastrous review below which consists of pseudo-scholastic diatribes that would rate this book as a blasphemous piece of work, "Ancient Mysteries" on initial glance is an impressive volume that fits numerous subjects in a little over 600 pages. Almost everything that you have been curious about regarding the Ancient World is presented in a vivid and comprehensible manner. The controversy over the Hancock's book is understandable given the recent time frame this book was written (only four years after the Hancock's book was published). There may be a certain bias involved with the writing and even though the authors bravely tried to tread on a middle ground, such bias is unavoidable. Opinions do vary and so the authors may get caught on occasion by trying to oversimplify theories and statements and thus inevitably exposing their preferences. However this book is not supposed to be an authoritative reference and a final say on all matters pertaining to ancient mysteries. In fact it is really a stepping stone for those who wish to pursue a more detailed look into the various intriguing topics. If we take this perspective then this book succeeds on the most part. The reference material for each chapter is comprehensive and the book is organized in an easy-to-find manner with plenty of cross-references. The language is not overly-scholastic and despite the previous reviewer's claims that the book is perhaps poorly researched and written, the resiliance of the authors not to be suckered into one theory is admirable. I will, if time permits, write a more comprehensive account supporting the merits of this book. However after reading the first three chapters thoroughly, I can highly recommend this book. My only real gripe is that Ballantine should have used a better quality printing paper since the pages are rather thin and feel like cheap wrapping paper- even being priced higher with better paper is a worthwhile thought for future editions. Still, for anyone interested in exploring more about ancient mysteries, this book will definitely help you on your journey.

As someone not well educated on ancient history I have to take James and Thorpe's views with a certain level of authority. Besides, I was never one to believe the whole Atlantis nonsense. Likewise, much of the Bible comes off as myth to me. So much of what the authors present here is seemingly logical.

However, in the very first chapter on page 16 the authors write: "Two decades ago some scientists were predicting the impending arrival of a new Ice Age - despite global warming. (One British scientist, with astounding carelessness, predicted both effects in consecutive radio interviews within two days."

This is troubling because it so clearly disregards certain theories that do indeed have legitimacy in pointing towards _both_ global warming and a new Ice Age. For example, there are scientists who believe that the melting ice caps (caused by global warming) are lowering the temperature of ocean water around Europe which could cause a form of an Ice Age for the region. One can't be certain as to the scientist they're mocking, but the quick dismissal of this view is troubling because recent evidence suggests that both are distinctly possible without contradicting each other.

Have the authors, in their rush to judgement, made the same mistakes elsewhere in the book? I have no idea.

So much of this kind of history is theory so I can't be too hard on the authors. However, I do think one needs to have a little bit of skepticism in the portions of the book where the authors are too quick to dismiss a viewpoint without fully explaining why its wrong. And oddly enough, they seem to spend quite a bit of effort going after theories that most people, at least that I'm aware of, don't put much stock into in the first place.

The theory of Atlantis, for example, is given quite a bit of ink. This seems odd because it is rather a fanciful theory to begin with. The evidence put forth by the author's here is enjoyable to read and logical.

I leave the other gaps in the book to those with more knowledge. Suffice to say, I could do without some of the authors' tone in the book which was at times a little too arrogant. But still, it's a good read and a _start_. Given their views about weather patterns, I'd recommend doing further research before taking their views as the end of the debate.

This book presents itself as an encyclopedia of the mysteries of the ancient world. First of all, the authors of this book tale a very rational view towards the subject matter. They present all of the theories for each ancient mystery side-by-side. When you see them this way, you can start to tell which ones are reasonable and which ones are just pure speculation. To be honest, the authors really dig into and destroy a lot of theories, but when you look at the evidence, you have to agree with the authors. If you're a true believer type, this book may not be for you, but those who are just interested in an overview of the unsolved mysteries of the ancient world will find this a very informative and interesting book to read.