• In Search of the Old Ones

  • Exploring the Anasazi World of the Southwest
  • By: David Roberts
  • Narrated by: Kaipo Schwab
  • Length: 8 hrs and 57 mins
  • 4.6 out of 5 stars (113 ratings)

Prime logo Prime members: New to Audible?
Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.
In Search of the Old Ones  By  cover art

In Search of the Old Ones

By: David Roberts
Narrated by: Kaipo Schwab
Try for $0.00

$14.95/month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $15.47

Buy for $15.47

Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.

Publisher's summary

An exuberant, hands-on fly-on-the-wall account that combines the thrill of canyoneering and rock climbing with the intellectual sleuthing of archaeology to explore the Anasazi.

David Roberts describes the culture of the Anasazi - the name means "enemy ancestors" in Navajo - who once inhabited the Colorado Plateau and whose modern descendants are the Hopi Indians of Arizona. Archaeologists, Roberts writes, have been puzzling over the Anasazi for more than a century, trying to determine the environmental and cultural stresses that caused their society to collapse 700 years ago. He guides us through controversies in the historical record, among them the haunting question of whether the Anasazi committed acts of cannibalism.

Roberts's book is full of up-to-date thinking on the culture of the ancient people who lived in the harsh desert country of the Southwest.

©1996 David Roberts (P)2017 Tantor
  • Unabridged Audiobook
  • Categories: History

Critic reviews

"[Roberts's] awe at the region's beauty, with its sheer cliffs, canyons and mesas, and at the testaments to an unknown culture will be contagious for readers." ( Publishers Weekly)

What listeners say about In Search of the Old Ones

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    79
  • 4 Stars
    28
  • 3 Stars
    4
  • 2 Stars
    1
  • 1 Stars
    1
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    59
  • 4 Stars
    30
  • 3 Stars
    6
  • 2 Stars
    3
  • 1 Stars
    3
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    66
  • 4 Stars
    27
  • 3 Stars
    5
  • 2 Stars
    2
  • 1 Stars
    1

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

good story if you don't want to learn about Indian

learned far more about the author and his predecessors than the Anasazi. interesting book but the title was deceiving

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

8 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Great introductory book to the Anasazi culture. Very enjoyable and informative. Highly recommended and praised.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

fascinating

great book, the author does a great job of navigating the somewhat precarious balance between cultural and environmental sensitivity and thrill of archeological discovery and adventure. this book will make you want to get outside!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

The outdoor museum…

The prose may be dry in places, (pun unintended) but the authors heart seems to be in the Colorado canyon country, otherwise known as Abbey’s Land. I enjoyed the book.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

well written account of Anasazi history

Narrator did not know how to pronounce many names of places and plants common in the Southwest.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

great book

really enjoyed the book and glad the author did not give too many specifics. thanks for the consideration!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

worst narrator ever

THis would have been good but I almost didn't finish because the narrator was so bad. Do the authors pick the narrators for their books?

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Excellent, compelling history of Anazazi

Must read for anyone interested in SW Indian history. Fabulous book. Exciting to read. Author makes it feel like you are there with him hiking hidden canyons in the 4-Corners region. Poor narrator who mis-pronounced all unfamiliar words, slaughtering words like canyon, shards (as in pot shards), burial, contoversy, Mesa (as in Mesa Verde), Chaco.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Midwest Native American History

Great read, and full of some interesting information! Enjoyed reading more about some of the ruins and those who spent time excavating in the areas.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Anasazi and Wilderness Exploration must read

As a lover of the southwest and Anasazi, this is a favorite of mine. It really captures the thrill of exploring canyon country in search of the Anasazi.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!