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Rating: 
Summary: The cover of this book is Mayor's best argument......
Review: ....it shows a Greek vase painted with the image of the monster of Troy. The image, obviously, is that of a dinosaur skull. I have no doubt in my mind that many of the Greek monsters were based on fossilized bones of prehistoric animals. The Griffin based off of Protocerotops remains is almost conclusive evidence; and her research should definately be taken seriously for this matter alone.
My problem with the research lies in her conclusions of the 'hero-giants' of antiquity. Mayor obviously attributes Greece as the origin of giant-myths while she neglects the mythology that originates from every corner of the ancient world. And from every ancient civilization. Of course it's possible that all ancient cultures, at some time, had discovered fossil remains and attributed them to giant humans. But the mythology goes deeper than Mayor allows herself to see (or allows herself to write). Let's not forget that the giants presented in not only Greek, but Hebrew, Norse, Egyptian, Mesoamerican, North American, and South American myths were not only the heroes of old, but had turned wicked and were destroyed collectively.
Mayor has only taken a few steps into a larger world. Only by further research and branching out into other mythological cultures can she finally begin to piece EVERYTHING together. I'm convinced that the answers are not just found in Greece.
Rating: 
Summary: A Splendid, Provocative Look At Classical Antiquity
Review: Adrienne Mayor makes a very plausible case noting the significance of fossils to ancient Greeks, Romans and other early peoples of the Near East and other parts of Asia, most notably the Central Asian Gobi Desert. She may sound repetitive, but she does an excellent job organizing her facts and making her case as persuasive as it is. Students of classical archaeology will have to consider her novel hypothesis in any future work on ancient mythology. It's a pity Princeton University Press hasn't done an excellent job marketing this fine book. Let's hope it earns the wide readership it deserves soon.
Rating: 
Summary: As frustrating as it is fascinating
Review: Don't be fooled by the gorgeous and provocative cover. Mayor has some really intriguing hypotheses to offer and has backed them up with apparently solid scholarship but Princeton University Press has done the author no favors. The book is unbelievably poorly designed - talk about widows and orphans - the maps are unreadable and the photographs rarely appear on the same page as the the relevent text. Mayor is not an especially accomplished writer but I feel sure a competent editor could have saved her from herself. At the very least they should had nixed the frequent paranthetical references to other chapters of the book which are deeply annoying. As eager as I am/was for the information contained here I have not been able to force myself past the third chapter. Mayor's theories are indeed exciting and worthy of discussion, one wishes her publisher had worked as hard at producing a worthwhile book as the author evidently did in researching it.
Rating:
Summary: Exciting Theory Explains the Origin of Mythological Beasts
Review: The thoughtfully and thoroughly presented ideas in this book explain the prevalence of mythological creatures such as dragons, giants and composite beasts throughout ancient cultures all over the world. It is a breakthrough in interdisciplinary thinking. The compartmentalization of scholarly pursuits has kept scientists from realizing the seemingly obvious for over a century. Adrienne Mayor comes upon the truth by returning to the holistic approach of Greek scientists, hitting a scholarly gold mine.
Rating:
Summary: excellent ideas, but repetitive
Review: This book presents the idea that ancients were well aware of fossils, and discusses their interpretations of them. It shows how different members of society tried to interpret them in different ways (most interpreted them as being signs of giants and monsters, but some took this to show divine origins, and others took it to be part of natural history). The ideas are very interesting, and the history of the importance of different fossilized bones in different cities is quite exciting. My only complaint is that the books seems to be quite repetitive. Not only are the points that the author is trying to make repetitive, but she even repeats some of the stories she tells several times. A good editor could have trimmed out 1/3 of the book. All in all, a good book. Interesting, thorough, and decently referenced. For anyone interested in classics or paleontology, this is a good buy.
Rating:
Summary: excellent ideas, but repetitive
Review: This book presents the idea that ancients were well aware of fossils, and discusses their interpretations of them. It shows how different members of society tried to interpret them in different ways (most interpreted them as being signs of giants and monsters, but some took this to show divine origins, and others took it to be part of natural history). The ideas are very interesting, and the history of the importance of different fossilized bones in different cities is quite exciting. My only complaint is that the books seems to be quite repetitive. Not only are the points that the author is trying to make repetitive, but she even repeats some of the stories she tells several times. A good editor could have trimmed out 1/3 of the book. All in all, a good book. Interesting, thorough, and decently referenced. For anyone interested in classics or paleontology, this is a good buy.
Rating:
Summary: Interesting and novel
Review: Upfront I must confess that though I am very knowledgeable about history and science, I am neither a paleontologist nor an expert on Classical History. But I was intrigued by this book, and I found it fascinating.The author begins the book with a slam-banger of an idea--The first chapter discusses the idea that the Greek legend of Griffons originated from Greek fossil observations in Asia. The author has very convincing evidence for this, based on how Griffons were described and handled differently by ancient writers, specific details of ancient writing, and fossil evidence still in place in modern times. I found it fascinating. The later chapters are still interesting, though don't have the novel impact of the first chapter. The ancient attitude towards fossils is discussed, including quarrels between city-states over possession of fossils which were thought to be the remains of heroes and demigods. I found the book interesting and convincing, but I cannot help wondering if maybe there is evidence being ignored when it would discredit the author's hypothesis. I lack enough expertise in either field to be sure. I fell for Von Daniken's Chariots of the Gods as a teen-ager, and the experience keeps me suspicious of revolutionary ideas in archeology and ancient history, even to this day!
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