Scenes from Prehistoric Life

Author: Francis Pryor
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 1789544165
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 355

Book Description
An invigorating journey through Britain's prehistoric landscape, and an insight into the lives of its inhabitants. 'Highly compelling' Spectator, Books of the Year 'An evocative foray into the prehistoric past' BBC Countryfile Magazine 'Vividly relating what life was like in pre-Roman Britain' Choice Magazine 'Makes life in Britain BC often sound rather more appealing than the frenetic and anxious 21st century!' Daily Mail In Scenes from Prehistoric Life, the distinguished archaeologist Francis Pryor paints a vivid picture of British and Irish prehistory, from the Old Stone Age (about one million years ago) to the arrival of the Romans in AD 43, in a sequence of fifteen profiles of ancient landscapes. Whether writing about the early human family who trod the estuarine muds of Happisburgh in Norfolk c.900,000 BC, the craftsmen who built a wooden trackway in the Somerset Levels early in the fourth millennium BC, or the Iron Age denizens of Britain's first towns, Pryor uses excavations and surveys to uncover the daily routines of our ancient ancestors. By revealing how our prehistoric forebears coped with both simple practical problems and more existential challenges, Francis Pryor offers remarkable insights into the long and unrecorded centuries of our early history, and a convincing, well-attested and movingly human portrait of prehistoric life as it was really lived.

Scenes from Deep Time

Author: Martin J. S. Rudwick
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
ISBN: 022614903X
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 295

Book Description
How did the earth look in prehistoric times? Scientists and artists collaborated during the half-century prior to the publication of Darwin's Origin of Species to produce the first images of dinosaurs and the world they inhabited. Their interpretations, informed by recent fossil discoveries, were the first efforts to represent the prehistoric world based on sources other than the Bible. Martin J. S. Rudwick presents more than a hundred rare illustrations from the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries to explore the implications of reconstructing a past no one has ever seen.

Prehistoric Journey

Author: Kirk R. Johnson
Publisher: Fulcrum Publishing
ISBN: 1555915531
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 156

Book Description
An updated edition of the award-winning primer on the evolution of the planet's life forms, "Prehistoric Journey" introduces readers to the wonders of the prehistoric world through an accessible text and 119 strong, colorful photos of world-class fossils.

Home

Author: Francis Pryor
Publisher: Penguin UK
ISBN: 0141971339
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 415

Book Description
In Home Francis Pryor, author of The Making of the British Landscape, archaeologist and broadcaster, takes us on his lifetime's quest: to discover the origins of family life in prehistoric Britain Francis Pryor's search for the origins of our island story has been the quest of a lifetime. In Home, the Time Team expert explores the first nine thousand years of life in Britain, from the retreat of the glaciers to the Romans' departure. Tracing the settlement of domestic communities, he shows how archaeology enables us to reconstruct the evolution of habits, traditions and customs. But this, too, is Francis Pryor's own story: of his passion for unearthing our past, from Yorkshire to the west country, Lincolnshire to Wales, digging in freezing winters, arid summers, mud and hurricanes, through frustrated journeys and euphoric discoveries. Evocative and intimate, Home shows how, in going about their daily existence, our prehistoric ancestors created the institution that remains at the heart of the way we live now: the family. 'Under his gaze, the land starts to fill with tribes and clans wandering this way and that, leaving traces that can still be seen today . . . Pryor feels the land rather than simply knowing it' - Guardian Former president of the Council for British Archaeology, Dr Francis Pryor has spent over thirty years studying our prehistory. He has excavated sites as diverse as Bronze Age farms, field systems and entire Iron Age villages. He appears frequently on TV's Time Team and is the author of The Making of the British Landscape, Seahenge, as well as Britain BC and Britain AD, both of which he adapted and presented as Channel 4 series.

Prehistoric Life

Author: William Lindsay
Publisher:
ISBN: 9780751360240
Category : Animals, Fossil
Languages : en
Pages : 63

Book Description
Follows the footsteps of life from the very first creatures and sea animals, to plants and arthropods leaving the water to live and walk on land, the evolution of reptiles and mammals, up to the early humans. Photographs of fossils, skulls, models and reconstructions are included.

Palaeoartist's Handbook

Author: Mark P Witton
Publisher: The Crowood Press
ISBN: 178500462X
Category : Art
Languages : en
Pages : 460

Book Description
Extinct worlds live again in palaeoart: artworks of fossil animals, plants and environments carefully reconstructed from palaeontological and geological data. Such artworks are widespread in popular culture, appearing in documentaries, museums, books and magazines, and inspiring depictions of dinosaurs and other prehistoric animals in cinema. This book outlines how fossil animals and environments can be reconstructed from their fossils, explaining how palaeoartists overcome gaps in fossil data and predict 'soft-tissue' anatomies no longer present around fossil bones. It goes on to show how science and art can meet to produce compelling, interesting takes on ancient worlds, and it explores the goals and limitations of this popular but rarely discussed art genre. Multiple chapters with dozens of illustrations of fossil animal reconstruction, with specific guidance on fossil amphibians, mammals and their fossil relatives, and a myriad of fossil reptiles (including dinosaurs). Explores how best to present diverse fossil animal forms in art - how best to convey size, proportion and motion in landscapes without familiar reference points. Explains essential techniques for the aspiring palaeoartists, from understanding geological time and evolutionary relationships to rebuilding skeletons and muscles. Suggests where and how to gather reliable sources of data for palaeoartworks. Includes a history of palaeoart, outlining the full evolution of the medium from ancient times to the modern day. Examines stylistic variation in palaeoart. Showcases diverse artworks from world-leading contemporary palaeoartists. Palaeoartistry is a popular but rarely discussed art genre. This new book outlines how fossil animals and environments can be reconstructed from their fossils. Of great interest to everyone interested in palaeoartistry, dinosaurs, natural history and fossils. Superbly illustrated with 195 colour images. Dr Mark P Witton is an author, palaeontological artist and researcher whose palaeoartworks have featured in numerous research papers, television shows, museums and art galleries.

Dino World

Author:
Publisher: Applesauce Press
ISBN: 1646430026
Category : Juvenile Nonfiction
Languages : en
Pages : 6

Book Description
See prehistoric predators of all sizes come to life with Dino World, the trifold pop-up book! Experience dinosaurs like you’ve never seen them before with innovative paper crafting that breathes new life into prehistoric scenes. The extraordinary artwork of paleoartist Julius Csotonyi leaps off the page for a stunning experience like no other. Featuring cool facts about each dinosaur, including the massive T. rex and crafty raptors, as well as eye-catching lifelike scenes, learning about prehistory has never been this fun. Dinosaur lovers of all ages will adore this book!

Explorers of Deep Time

Author: Roy Plotnick
Publisher: Columbia University Press
ISBN: 0231551312
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 483

Book Description
Paleontology is one of the most visible yet most misunderstood fields of science. Children dream of becoming paleontologists when they grow up. Museum visitors flock to exhibits on dinosaurs and other prehistoric animals. The media reports on fossil discoveries and new clues to mass extinctions. Nonetheless, misconceptions abound: paleontologists are assumed only to be interested in dinosaurs, and they are all too often imagined as bearded white men in battered cowboy hats. Roy Plotnick provides a behind-the-scenes look at paleontology as it exists today in all its complexity. He explores the field’s aims, methods, and possibilities, with an emphasis on the compelling personal stories of the scientists who have made it a career. Paleontologists study the entire history of life on Earth; they do not only use hammers and chisels to unearth fossils but are just as likely to work with cutting-edge computing technology. Plotnick presents the big questions about life’s history that drive paleontological research and shows why knowledge of Earth’s past is essential to understanding present-day environmental crises. He introduces readers to the diverse group of people of all genders, races, and international backgrounds who make up the twenty-first-century paleontology community, foregrounding their perspectives and firsthand narratives. He also frankly discusses the many challenges that face the profession, with key takeaways for aspiring scientists. Candid and comprehensive, Explorers of Deep Time is essential reading for anyone curious about the everyday work of real-life paleontologists.

The Fens

Author: Francis Pryor
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 1786692236
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 459

Book Description
A BBC Radio 4 Book of the Week. 'Francis Pryor brings the magic of the Fens to life in a deeply personal and utterly enthralling way' TONY ROBINSON. 'Pryor feels the land rather than simply knowing it' GUARDIAN. Inland from the Wash, on England's eastern cost, crisscrossed by substantial rivers and punctuated by soaring church spires, are the low-lying, marshy and mysterious Fens. Formed by marine and freshwater flooding, and historically wealthy owing to the fertility of their soils, the Fens of Lincolnshire and Cambridgeshire are one of the most distinctive, neglected and extraordinary regions of England. Francis Pryor has the most intimate of connections with this landscape. For some forty years he has dug its soils as a working archaeologist – making ground-breaking discoveries about the nature of prehistoric settlement in the area – and raising sheep in the flower-growing country between Spalding and Wisbech. In The Fens, he counterpoints the history of the Fenland landscape and its transformation – from Bronze age field systems to Iron Age hillforts; from the rise of prosperous towns such as King's Lynn, Ely and Cambridge to the ambitious drainage projects that created the Old and New Bedford Rivers – with the story of his own discovery of it as an archaeologist. Affectionate, richly informative and deftly executed, The Fens weaves together strands of archaeology, history and personal experience into a satisfying narrative portrait of a complex and threatened landscape.

Star Wars in 100 Scenes

Author: Dorling Kindersley Publishing Staff
Publisher: DK Publishing (Dorling Kindersley)
ISBN: 9781409345725
Category : Empire strikes back (Motion picture)
Languages : en
Pages : 0

Book Description
Go behind the scenes and relive 100 iconic moments from Star Wars(tm), episode I-VIJoin Luke Skywalker as he battles with the dark side, watch as Anakin Skywalker becomes Darth Vader and fly through space with the Star Wars(tm)ships. Relive the most dramatic and iconic moments of theStar Wars(tm)movies in this exciting new book Star Wars(tm) in 100 Scenes.Rediscover your favourite Star Wars(tm)scenes and characters with this comprehensive guide which spans all six Star Wars(tm)movies. Star Wars(tm)in 100 Scenesreveals all the amazing droids, vehicles and weapons which were part of the Star Wars(tm)universe. Packed full of vivid images and galleries of poignant Star Wars(tm)scenes you'll be transported into the world of Star Wars(tm). Taken from all six movies you'll explore 100 of the most famous and significant scenes plus behind-the-scenes facts from Star Wars(tm) episode I-VI.