The Mystery Of The Olmecs

by David Hatcher Childress

Lost Cities author Childress takes us deep into Mexico and Central America in search of the mysterious Olmecs, North America's early, advanced civilization. The Olmecs, now sometimes called Proto-Mayans, were not acknowledged to have existed as a civilization until an international archeological meeting in Mexico City in 1942. Now, the Olmecs are slowly being recognized as the Mother Culture of Mesoamerica, having invented writing, the ball game and the “Mayan" Calendar. But who were the Olmecs? Where did they come from? What happened to them? How sophisticated was their culture? How far back in time did it go? Why are many Olmec statues and figurines seemingly of foreign peoples such as Africans, Europeans and Chinese? Is there a link with Atlantis? In this heavily illustrated book, join Childress in search of the lost cities of the Olmecs! Chapters The Mystery of the Origin of the Olmecs; The Mystery of the Olmec Destruction; The Mystery of Quizuo; The Mystery of Transoceanic Trade; The Mystery of Cranial Deformation; The Mystery of Olmec Writing; more. Heavily illustrated, includes a color photo section.

Paperback

First published September 1, 2007

About the author

David Hatcher Childress (born 1957) is an American author and publisher of books on topics in alternative history and historical revisionism. His works often cover such subjects as pre-Columbian trans-oceanic contact, the Knights Templar, lost cities and vimana aircraft. Despite his public involvement in the general field of study, Childress claims to have no academic credentials as a professional archaeologist.

Born in France, and raised in Colorado, Childress began his world travels at age nineteen in pursuit of his archaeological interests. In 1983 Childress relocated to Stelle, Illinois, a community founded by New Age writer Richard Kieninger, after Childress was given a book authored by Kieninger while touring Africa. Childress chronicled his explorations in his Lost Cities and Ancient Mysteries series of books, whose core concepts were influenced by the ideas of Kieninger.

While residing in Stelle, Childress began self publishing his own works and later other authors, which focus on presenting fringe scientific theories regarding ancient civilizations and little-known technologies, as well as establishing a travel business in partnership with Kieninger. In 1991, in the nearby town of Kempton, Illinois, Childress, along with historian and linguist Carl W. Hart, founded the World Explorers Club, a group that often travels to the places he writes about, and an affiliated magazine, World Explorer.

David Hatcher Childress has appeared on several television programs on NBC ("The Mysterious Origins of Man"), Fox Network (Sightings and Encounters), Discovery Channel, A&E, The History Channel, as a commentator on subjects such as the Bermuda Triangle, Atlantis, and UFOs.

Childress has been involved in two lawsuits regarding his publishing activities, one of which failed due to the expiry of a statute of limitations and the other, involving his company's publication of a master's thesis without permission, which was settled out of court.
from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Ha...

Reviews

[Andrakuf · Rating 3 out of 5]

Książka niby historyczna, ale jakaś dziwna. Autor niby uznany i dużo piszący w tematach archeologii i dawnych kultury, a mam wrażenie, że pisane to jest na kolanie i ukierunkowane jakby na zaliczenie jakiegoś przedmiotu na studiach. Niby wiadomo kultura Olmeków generalnie jest słabo poznana, pismo nie odczytane, niewiele wiadomo, ale wiedza, którą można wynieść z tej książki jest bardziej niż szczątkowa. Bardzo dużo cytatów i zapożyczeń od innych autorów a już cytowanie w dziele naukowym Wikipedii naprawdę zakrawa dla mnie na wyjątkowe kuriozum.

[Denver Michaels · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read. Childress introduces the reader to a whole new way of looking at ancient Mesoamerica. Were the people isolated from the rest of the world as we have been led to believe or were they part of an ancient seafaring culture? Was the Olmec homeland an important hub in a vast transoceanic trade network? Many of Childress' ideas are worthy of consideration and perhaps we should look at ancient Mesoamerica with a fresh set of eyes.

[Eric · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a good introduction to the Olmecs. Mr. Childress ties together the works of various experts on the subject and includes a lot of pictures. There is a significant amount of disagreement in academia regarding the time-frame and extent of the Olmec society and this is openly documented here.

There is surely more authoritative material regarding this subject but this book may help point you in the direction of which camp you want to side with. A quick, easy read.

However, I am continually disappointed in the lack of proof-reading in the alternative press.