Cultures of the Past

This series, contributed to by many authors, covers historic cultures from all over the world. All the books follow the same format, with five chapters that cover the history, cultural history, belief system, interaction between beliefs and society, and legacy of the culture. Each book includes a map, sidebars, time line, glossary, list of books for further reading, and bibliography. Most illustrations are full-color reproductions of period paintings or photos of artifacts, including jewelry, sculpture, and buildings.

The titles in this series by Kathryn Hinds are India's Gupta Dynasty, The Celts of Northern Europe, The Ancient Romans, The Vikings, The Incas, Medieval England, and Venice and Its Merchant Empire.


Click on a book cover to purchase through Amazon.com
Reviews

The Celts of Northern Europe

"Though never possessing a unified empire, or even a country, the Celts nonetheless exerted a powerful influence on Europe. Information about their religion, social structure, art, and oral tradition is given. The last chapter discusses the contributions of the Celts to European civilization, especially the preservation of Christian tradition by the Irish. Beautiful full-color photographs and reproductions are a hallmark of this series and they are particularly effective here. Celtic metalwork is displayed in all of its glory in large full-page and two-page photographs. The Celts, perhaps because of their disunity and lack of a written language, have been underrepresented in historical writing for young people. This book will be a useful addition to all libraries."
--School Library Journal


The Ancient Romans

"Hinds covers the Romans' rise to world domination, followed by chapters on their love of practicality, illustrated by the construction of aqueducts and civic buildings; and entertainment, demonstrated by gladiatorial games, chariot racing, and plays. A section on deities and religion is also included. A brief, but worthwhile description of slavery and its place in Roman society is an example of the balanced treatment accorded to all of the topics covered here. A final chapter focuses on Roman contributions to present-day civilization and culture. The inclusion of many fine-quality, full-color photographs and illustrations, especially the reproductions of Roman art, add greatly to the text. The good suggestions for further reading are also noteworthy. . . . The Ancient Romans makes an excellent addition to a crowded field."
--School Library Journal

The Vikings

"This attractive, well-researched addition to the 'Cultures of the Past' series combines many color drawings with interesting, informative text, to help young readers understand and appreciate Viking culture. . . . Readers of all ages and both sexes might be intrigued to learn that the Vikings were cleaner than other Europeans of the time, and Viking women had more respect and power than many medieval women."
--Children's Literature
.
Medieval England

"Like a Gobelin tapestry, this book weaves together many threads to produce a rich picture of medieval England. It begins with the story of rulers and battles won and lost, which is all too often the primary way history is told. But the book doesn't stop there. It goes on to tell about what life was like for ordinary people. How people worked, where they lived, how they worshipped and what they might have read are all described in a clear and interesting way. . . . Told in a style clear enough for children, the material will be of equal value to adults."
--Children's Literature

Venice and Its Merchant Empire

". . . this reference describes the origins, development, height, and decline of Venice as a military and cultural power. . . . The text is engaging and easy to read without being overly simplistic. The narrative is supplemented by beautiful paintings by the greatest artists produced by Venice. . . . Well-written, visually appealing and packed with fascinating information, Hinds' text would be a welcome addition to the school library or humanities classroom."
--Children's Literature

Excerpts
From The Vikings:
The Honorable Housewife

The average Viking woman lived on a farm with her husband and children. Marriage was an equal partnership. Husband and wife each had their own distinct roles on the farm, but both were absolutely necessary to the family's survival.

A wife was responsible for all household matters. She nourished her family with porridges, stews, flatbreads, and cheese. She kept the house clean and tidy. She washed clothes and mended them when necessary. She spent a great deal of time spinning and weaving, then sewed the finished cloth into garments for the family. At harvest time she joined her husband in the fields with her sickle to help bring in the grain and hay.

The Viking housewife had a very dignified position, symbolized by the bunch of keys she wore at her waist. These were for the locks of the house and all the farm buildings, which she alone was responsible for. If her husband went away on a trading or raiding expedition, she took on the complete responsibility of running and protecting the farm.

Some women did not stay at home but took part in their menfolks' adventures. Many warriors of the Great Army that invaded England in the ninth century were accompanied by their wives and children. Women also traveled with the Rus merchants in eastern Europe; most of these women were slaves, but some of them were probably wives, and a few may have been merchants themselves. A great many Scandinavian women braved considerable dangers and hardships to settle in the colonies overseas. Courageous, steadfast, and devoted to their families, such women truly lived up to the Viking ideal of honor.
From Medieval England:
Science Strides Forward

Already in the thirteenth century, Oxford University was producing great scholars. For example, Robert Grosseteste (c. 1175-1253) was first a student and later a teacher at Oxford. He wrote many works about religion, mathematics, and science. He was especially interested in astronomy and optics, the study of light. His belief that light was the root of knowledge made him seek to understand the natural laws that controlled light. He also explored subjects such as the moonís influence on the tides and the way in which the sun produces heat.


Grosseteste's most notable student at Oxford was Roger Bacon (c. 1214-c.1292), who became one of medieval Europe's foremost scientists and philosophers. Grosseteste taught Bacon the importance of scientific methods of observation, research, and experimentation. Both men wrote a great deal about this subject, and Bacon in particular is regarded as one of the founders of experimental science.
Bacon also shared his teacher's interest in optics, studying and explaining such phenomena as the formation of rainbows. He wrote what was probably the world's first accurate description of the optic nerve and the anatomy of the eye. He promoted the study of mathematics as a key to scientific knowledge, especially in the field of astronomy. Bacon was interested in other fields as well. He argued the importance of studying the Arabic, Greek, and Hebrew languages, for mastery of these languages would help people to understand the Bible better and would also give them access to the great body of Arabic and ancient Greek scientific writings. After studying Greek scientific ideas himself--and combining them with his own observations--Bacon concluded that air, like water, has a kind of solidity. He predicted that if someone could build a flying machine in the right way, it would be supported by air just as a ship is supported by water.

Many writers in recent centuries have described the Middle Ages as a period of darkness, a time when people were so ignorant that they even believed that the world was flat. But the careers of Roger Bacon and others like him--who were, in fact, completely convinced that the earth was round--prove that this view is wrong. Today we are finally beginning to appreciate the real vibrancy of medieval knowledge and culture.
From Venice and Its Merchant Empire:
Brought to You by the Venetians

Venice was responsible for bringing many Eastern products to western Europe. From there they were later taken to the Americas and Australia. Chances are that every day you wear, eat, or use something that the Venetians made part of European culture.

Venetian merchants were the West's foremost importers of silk and cotton. For at least two centuries, Venice was virtually the only European importer of spices, especially pepper. Sugar and raisins were among the other Eastern foods that Venetian merchants brought to Europe.

Venice also introduced the West to a new way to eat. When a Byzantine princess married the doge's son in 1005, she brought a two-pronged eating utensil with her to Venice. Before long all wealthy Venetians were using forks. The innovation took five hundred years to catch on in the rest of Europe.
In the 1560s coffee was introduced to Venice from Turkey. Soon the city was full of coffee houses, with twenty-four in Saint Mark's Square alone. These cafés were popular meeting places, where people chatted, flirted, and debated for hours. The Venetian fashion for cafés and coffee drinking spread all over Europe and continues today. It's become popular in America, too.

excerpts copyright © 1998 (The Vikings) and 2002 (Medieval England and Venice and Its Merchant Empire) by Marshall Cavendish Corporation

Web site copyright © 2006-2009 by Kathryn Hinds