pWhat good are the arts Why should we care about the past For millennia, humanity has sought to understand and transmit to future generations not just the know-how of life, but the know-why--the meaning and purpose of our existence, as expressed in art, architecture, religion, and philosophy. This crucial passing down of knowledge has required the radical integration of insights from the past and from other cultures. In emCultureem, acclaimed author, professor, and public intellectual Martin Puchner takes us on a breakneck tour through pivotal moments in world history, providing a global introduction to the arts and humanities in one engaging volume.ppFrom Nefertiti's lost city to the plays of Wole Soyinka from the theaters of ancient Greece to Chinese travel journals to Arab and Aztec libraries from a South Asian statuette found at Pompeii to a time capsule left behind on the Moon, Puchner tells the gripping story of human achievement through our collective losses and rediscoveries, p