In Search of the Cradle of Civilization

by Feuerstein, Georg; Kak, Subhash; Frawley, David

• ISBN13: 9780835607414
• ISBN10: 0835607410
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2001-09-25
• Publisher: Quest Books

Summary

For decades, schoolbooks have taught that Sumer was the cradle of civilization. Conventional scholarship has also held that Aryan civilization came to India by way of invasions from the north. But in this ground-breaking book, three renowned scholars show that there was no "Aryan invasion," and that India, not Sumer, was the cradle of civilized humanity. Through exploring the rich symbols, metaphors, and myths of the Vedas, this book also examines the wealth of India's spirituality and its relevance for today's world.

Table of Contents

List of Illustrations
Preface
Acknowledgments
Revisioning the Past, Envisioning the Future	p. 3
The Vedas: Pyramids of the Spirit	p. 13
The Aryans: Exploding a Scientific Myth	p. 45
An Archaeological Surprise: The Cities of the Indus Valley	p. 61
The Great Catastrophe and the Reconstruction of the Early Indic Civilization	p. 77
The Vedic Peoples in the Land of the Seven Rivers: The Literary Perspective	p. 101
Deciphering the Indus-Sarasvati Script	p. 127
The Dawn of the Indic Civilization: The Neolithic Town of Mehrgarh	p. 143
Why the Aryan Invasion Never Happened: Seventeen Arguments	p. 153
The Spiritual Heritage of Ancient India	p. 165
The Birth of Science in Ritual	p. 195
Vedic Myths and Their Astronomical Basis	p. 229
India and the West	p. 249
The Vedas and Perennial Wisdom	p. 269
Notes	p. 287
Select Bibliography	p. 305
Index	p. 313
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