Civilization of Stones Miracle, it is incredible

Author: Xie Wei
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-01-01
Features: Journey through thousands of years of time, savoring past glories, and exploring the mysteries of architecture in awe-inspiring ancient civilizations. This enigmatic structure is both baffling and fascinating, with many speculations and studies over centuries about its purpose, builders, and construction methods. Tracing back ancient history, we find that most ancient buildings were made of stone. Stone was the finest natural building material available to, requiring no complex synthesis or manufacturing processes—only mining and polishing. It was both economical and convenient. Therefore, for building houses and creating art with primitive tools, nothing was better than stone. As a result, the majority of ancient buildings and a significant portion of artworks were made from stone. Thus, I resolved to approach the topic from the perspective of stone, searching through the vast history for traces of ancient civilizations left behind by time.
From early summer this year to winter, over roughly six months spanning three seasons, as I created the book now in your hands, 《》, I entered a state unlike any I had before. I knew I had mentally returned to the era known as "ancient times," feeling as though my feet had left the ground of reality, and my entire body seemed to float. I traveled through time and space, wandering among the ruins of ancient civilizations, listening to the stones in the ruins speak of vicissitudes, and following the footsteps of ancient civilizations in search of the brilliance behind those great wonders.
This was a magical and romantic journey. I admit I became somewhat unusual as a result, somewhat absent-minded about everything around me, to the point that even after more than a month had passed since completing the manuscript, when I came to write this preface, I still couldn’t fully return to the real world.
I had always hoped to introduce readers to the great wonders of ancient civilizations in even broader times and spaces, but due to the limitations of this book, I could only select 20 ancient architectural wonders for presentation, including the "Seven Wonders." Although the table of contents of this book is not a complete list of ancient civilization wonders, the wonders included in it are far richer than the "Seven Wonders." However, subjective factors inevitably influence the selection process, and I dare not expect everyone to agree with my choices. I only hope that readers who read this book will not feel too great a lack.
The 20 ancient civilization sites included in the book can be said to be the most important remnants of various civilization centers worldwide. They are extraordinary and outstanding works, including tombs, temples, defensive structures, baths, arenas, roads, megaliths, and statues. They represent the astonishing achievements of ancient civilizations in many aspects.