The Puzzle Of Ancient Man: Evidence For Advanced Technology In Past Civilizations

by Donald E. Chittick

New Paperback 2nd Edition (as shown) "The Puzzle of Ancient Advanced Technology in Past Civilizations? " minor shelf wear, in great condition. Fast shipping...(A10)

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Science

274 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1998

Reviews

[Gretchen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Part of my “Cool Stuff People Built” theme, I was fascinated by the achievements that historical man has made, with no modern understanding of HOW it was achieved. Dr. Chittick makes a convincing case for the intelligence of ancient man, citing many different regions and examples of high tech culture. Recommended for those interested in history, archaeology, biblical timeline, creation/origins. If you are passing this on to someone who is not a believer, just be aware that there is a preachy time to the biblical sections, so take that into account for tour recommendee. I didn’t mind it, as it reflected to me the heart of the author, which wants everyone to love the Lord.

The sections that directly related to these sites and finds were well done, compelling, and inspirational. I want to learn how to move huge rocks now. Btw, how is it that no one has said that universally, man had the technology/capability to move and place immense rocks, even when they came from far away. There are global examples of these megaliths; this was not a local phenomenon. We can’t move rocks that size anymore. What have we lost? Can we rediscover these techniques?

Other types of monuments are discussed, laying out a wide range of evidence for the long-standing high intelligence of mankind. The case is really undeniable.

In addition to this incredible story of technology, Dr. Chittick also provides thorough biblical background on issues that come up in discussions of ancient man. While I believe many of his insights are correct, some of the buildup to the conclusions was assumed, rather than developed. Especially true in discussions of the Flood; all the geological events that are brought up are assumed, rather than discussed as the other sections were, with evidence, possibilities, etc.

[Molly · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Puzzle of Ancient Man is a fascinating little book. This is by no means an in depth study of ancient man; this is an overview of a very interesting subject. Chittick achieves his goal (at least in my case) of awakening a desire in his reader to further study the topic.He briefly touches on the evidence from several different cultures that ancient man was not primitive and dumb but was, in fact, quite technologically advanced. This is an excellent and very quick read.

[Kathryn Chipchase · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very fascinating. Want to learn more.

[B · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was fascinating, I certainly would have liked more information on many of the items covered. Some of the claims are perhaps a little fantastic I think, but in a book like this one is free to wonder about what ancient man could do. This is not to drawback from the more concrete examples of fascinating intelligence of ancient man. This is a great book to have because it shows the falsehood of the idea that humans are developing upward. Yes we have marvelous things these days, never seen before, but that has come from an accumulation of & easy, wide-spread access to knowledge.

[Nick · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really liked the subject matter of this book. It interests me greatly; however, I feel that it suffers from its lack of academic fortitude. It relied heavily upon extended quotes from other sourses and many of the "finds" are not cited as being thoroughly examined. For example, I don't recall the authors verifying many of their "facts", they simply relied on one or two sources.

[Caleb Seavey · Rating 1 out of 5]

To be completely honest, I thought this book was very poorly written. The author began by straw-manning the darwinistic argument of evolution, and old-earth creationist views. He seems to be unable to accept that anyone else can even present an argument that isn’t completely idiotic and stupid. I agree with the author on many of the arguments he tried to make throughout the book, however his execution was very poor. He clearly seemed to not be writing this book to convince anyone to change their mind, but instead to receive acclaim by those who already agree with his position. He states early on in the book that the Bible is absolute truth and so there is no reason to entertain any ideas that are contrary to it, which is totally fine when it comes to your own belief systems, but not at all a way to build an argument. You’ll never be able to convince someone that your viewpoint is correct if you admit you haven’t even given a second thought to any other view contrary to it. He consistently said random things and stated them as fact, without citations. He really only used one or two sources per chapter for the most part, which wouldn’t even be acceptable in our high-school English class. He made some totally wild and unfounded claims, such as the idea that the Egyptians figured out how to manipulate gravity, that the Nazca built hot air balloons and maybe even normal air planes (he used one source that had been discredited for this claim), and that the Maya had developed some sort of computer system. Chittick continually made completely unfounded claims and practiced intellectual dishonesty which destroyed his ability to make a solid argument when he did bring up good points

[Concetta Kellough · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thought-provoking book about ancient civilizations that built things, e.g., the Egyptian pyramids and the city of Tiahuanaco, that modern man would have a hard time reproducing. These things prove ancient people were far from primitive and, in actuality, were more advanced than us. The author contends it is due in part to the long lives people lived before the flood during Noah's lifetime plus other factors.

[Eddie · Rating 5 out of 5]

The second chapter, “Beginning the Biblical Picture”, was a pleasant surprise and really worth the price of admission for the entire book. I wasn’t anticipating such a thought-provoking look into the nature and cause of human deception, starting from the fall in Genesis. This was a good set-up to frame the human desire to explain away evidence that affirms biblical truth.

Overall, this is a fascinating book and a great length! Leaves you wanting more.

[Heidi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great resource! Love how the evidence always points to the truth of God's Word! Ancient man was actually much more intelligent and advanced than we are. Archeological evidence such as henges, pyramids, and observatories from all around the world baffle scientists, but they all come from around the same time, from around the tower of Babel, as would be expected if the Bible is true. :-)

[Cynthia · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was another re-read for me. Well laid out descriptions of OOParts and difficulties with calling our ancient ancestors primitive. Its a good overview with a great bibliography. Simple. Not digging in deep but providing enough context and examples that you can then dig deeper yourself in areas you want to know more.

[Janelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

All about ooparts (out of place artifacts) and ancient technology and how it refutes naturalism/evolution and supports the Bible. Lots of fun research bunny holes despite being an older book. Looved it.

[John Stevenson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well organized, easy reading, quite detailed. Great book.

[Lunarwaterpanther · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is a great book. It ties the biblical narrative to history and it makes sense. I read this for school and it was very interesting.

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting read, with lots of things to think about.

[Neh · Rating 4 out of 5]

an important read. it answers a lot of "aliens did it" questions.

[English · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book does well in challenging the notion that ancient man was 'primitive' and gives some fascinating insights into artifacts and objects which appear to testify to the advanced knowledge, technology and capabilities of the people who made them. I would like to have seen a little more emphasis on non-American cultures, but as the author is American I suppose such was to be expected.

Often, it seems that only some cultures are given credit as being more advanced than others around them, but knowledge of science seems and technology does not seem to have been limited to these civilizations, and may have reached rather far flung regions, even in ancient and pre-historic times.

There are some parts which do seem a little implausible, such as the idea that some ancient cultures may have had anti-gravity technology, but in these passages the author does not state such hypothesis as absolute facts, but as what might have been. Altogether, and interesting Creationist slant on ancient history, which seems do ancient man more justice than the idea that he was stupid and lacking in sophistication. Also, clear the gospel is presented clearly throughout the book.

Altogether, this appears to be a good, sound and reasoned analysis of the facts and evidence, free from the assumption that because man 'evolved' through time, those living far back in the past must not have been as knowledgeable, or capable as us. The appendix with its unusual take on 'bias' is also worth a read.

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have heard of the idea of ancient man being more intelligent than modern man before, and it fascinated me. I appreciated this book, which was written from a strictly Christian point of view (believing that the Bible is the absolute truth, the infallible Word of God), but I can see how someone who does not believe the Bible would disregard this as nonsense. However, the book was filled with many examples and documentations from non-Christian sources. It gave a good overview of the evidence for the theory without getting very scientific about it, and so it is an easy read for pretty much anyone. Once again I was reminded how much the secular, evolutionary thinking of the world today has influenced me in ways I never though of. If for no other reason that to open our eyes to possibilities that we didn't think of, and to make us more aware of how ingrained evolutionary thinking has become to us, this is a good book.

[Tintinrulz · Rating 4 out of 5]

"The Puzzle of Ancient Man" by Donald E. Chittick is a book that follows those in the vein of "The Genius of Ancient Man". There's not really much too say. It includes a little more detail than the aforementioned book but is presented with few photos, and some of them are too small for words. The book was enjoyable, interesting and worthwhile. The only problems I had with "The Puzzle of Ancient Man" were some funky layout problems (paragraph spaces during some sentences) and a 2+ page diatribe in the introduction against gender-inclusive language and how it's non-biblical. Finally, there were a couple short observations from the non-scholarly work "The Two Babylons" by Alexander Hislop, that were sadly presented as facts. Otherwise, a good book.

8/10

[Yibbie · Rating 3 out of 5]

The point was well made. Ancient man was not stupid. He was much more technologically advanced than we give him credit for. Some of the evidences are a little speculative. As the author explains, the Bible clearly teaches that men have been and always will be the same. We were made in the image of God. We just chose sin over obeying our Creator. I appreciated his debunking of some of Von Daniken's ancient astronaut theories.

[Redbeard Anthenat · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wish he'd put the DNA and Fossil evidence (or lack of depending on your worldview)at the beginning of the book. Love that he was taking on Von Daniken's Chariots of the Gods 25 years before the show Ancient Aliens. This is a very accessible read for people not already into the Creation/Naturalism conflict.

[Jessica Letchford]

This book took a loong time to read, but now, as it sits upon the shelf, I look upon it with fond memories of concentration, hard things and broadening of my understanding of the fascinating time of ancient men. Highly recommended!

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am learning an amazing amount from this book! I knew in my heart the Bible is true, but it is a boon to have historical artifact after historical artifact back that up. It's amazing to read how the archeology of ancient cultures supports my faith.

[Isaiah Kwong]

This book is talking about weather ancient people were as advance as people now. This book is from a christian perspective. I really enjoyed it because I enjoy reading stuff about mysteries and stuff like that.

[Royce Ratterman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Most books are rated related to their usefulness and contributions to my research.
Overall, a good book for the researcher and enthusiast.
Read for personal research
- found this book's contents helpful and inspiring - number rating relates to the book's contribution to my needs.

[Meadow Frisbie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Amazing!! It shows that our ancestors were more technically advanced then we are now..which I belive.
I already had faith in that, but proof to back us christians up is pretty cool.

[Jonathan Hoppman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Historically correct. Very interesting.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent, thorough... and now I need to read it again before giving a proper review because considerable time has passed since reading it. Very good information and most intriguing read.

[Rodger Carty · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good information in this book about evidence which contradicts the evolutionary narrative.