
C.W. Ceram visualized archeology as a wonderful combination of high adventure, romance, history and scholarship, and this book, a chronicle of man's search for his past, reads like a dramatic narrative. We travel with Heinrich Schliemann as, defying the ridicule of the learned world, he actually unearths the remains of the ancient city of Troy. We share the excitement of Lord Carnarvon and Howard Carter as they first glimpse the riches of Tutankhamen's tomb, of George Smith when he found the ancient clay tablets that contained the records of the Biblical Flood. We rediscover the ruined splendors of the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, one of the wonders of the ancient wold; of Chichen Itza, the abandoned pyramids of the Maya: and the legendary Labyrinth of tile Minotaur in Crete. Here is much of the history of civilization and the stories of the men who rediscovered it.From the Paperback edition.
This work investigates the history of archaeology by chronicling the dramatic discoveries of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. C.W. Ceram, a journalist and author, utilizes a narrative-driven approach to synthesize the lives of pioneering archaeologists with the physical unearthing of ancient civilizations. The text argues that the pursuit of the past is a human endeavor defined as much by individual obsession and adventure as by rigorous scientific inquiry.
What You Will Find
Scope Limits
Readers and historians frequently note the accessible, dramatic prose style that distinguishes this work from standard academic texts. Experts highlight this as a foundational popular history that successfully introduced the general public to the complexities and excitement of archaeological discovery.
Page Count:
480
Publication Date:
1980-01-01
Publisher:
Penguin Books Ltd
ISBN-10:
0140051295
ISBN-13:
9780140051292
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