Architectural secrets of the world's ancient wonders

This book is a masterpiece in archeological discovery. It not only details the evidence that the moai of Easter Island walked, but it also details the social and environmental conditions that produced the ritual of moai carving. This book also debunks the collapse theory popularized by Jared Diamond by demonstrating the Rapanui were a peaceful civilization with a small population that created incredible artifacts as a result of those conditions.

This book chronicles the absurdly monumental task of transporting and erecting Egyptian Obelisks in Rome. These megalithic landmarks are perceived as permanent and immovable, and yet they are each entangled in complex histories that merge fictions with a plethora of original locations. Obelisks are anything but permanent: they are inconceivably transient.

Dean employs a multidisciplinary approach by merging linguistics with anthropology to help understand the Inka belief that stone is alive. She explains how oral histories can guide truth through captivating fictions and how western misconceptions of stone-worship are missing the mark in understanding the social construct of megalithic civilizations.