Little History of Archaeology / Brian Fagan.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Fagan, Brian, author.

Series:

Little Histories

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Archaeology--History.

Archaeology.

Archaeology--Methodology.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (288 p.) : 40 b-w illus.

Place of Publication:

New Haven, CT : Yale University Press, [2018]

Language Note:

In English.

Summary:

The thrilling history of archaeological adventure, with tales of danger, debate, audacious explorers, and astonishing discoveries around the globe What is archaeology? The word may bring to mind images of golden pharaohs and lost civilizations, or Neanderthal skulls and Ice Age cave art. Archaeology is all of these, but also far more: the only science to encompass the entire span of human history-more than three million years! This Little History tells the riveting stories of some of the great archaeologists and their amazing discoveries around the globe: ancient Egyptian tombs, Mayan ruins, the first colonial settlements at Jamestown, mysterious Stonehenge, the incredibly preserved Pompeii, and many, many more. In forty brief, exciting chapters, the book recounts archaeology's development from its eighteenth-century origins to its twenty-first-century technological advances, including remote sensing capabilities and satellite imagery techniques that have revolutionized the field. Shining light on the most intriguing events in the history of the field, this absolutely up-to-date book illuminates archaeology's controversies, discoveries, heroes and scoundrels, global sites, and newest methods for curious readers of every age.

Contents:

Frontmatter

Contents

1. The 'Backward-Looking Curiosity'

2. Donkeys and Pharaohs

3. Reading Ancient Egypt

4. Digging into Nineveh

5. Tablets and Tunnelling

6. The Maya Revealed

7. Axes and Elephants

8. A Huge Turning Point

9. The Three Ages

10. Stone Age Hunters in an Icy World

11. Across the Ages

12. The Myth of the Mound Builders

13. 'Stepping into the Unknown'

14. Toros! Toros!

15. Searching for Homer's Heroes

16. 'Organised Common Sense'

17. The Small and Unspectacular

18. The Palace of the Minotaur

19. Not 'Men's Work'

20. Mud Bricks and a Flood

21. 'Wonderful Things'

22. A Palace Fit for a Chief

23. East and West

24. Shell Heaps, Pueblos and Tree Rings

25. A Fire-Breathing Giant

26. Around the River Bend

27. Dating the Ages

28. Ecology and World Prehistory

29. 'Dear Boy!'

30. The First Farmers

31. Defending the Emperor

32. Underwater Archaeology

33. Meeting the Colonists

34. The Ice Man and Others

35. Warrior-Priests of the Moche

36. Tunnelling for the Cosmos

37. Çatalhöyük

38. Looking in the Landscape

39. Shining a Light on the Invisible

40. Archaeology Today and Tomorrow

Index

Notes:

Description based on online resource; title from PDF title page (publisher's Web site, viewed 22. Okt 2019)

OCLC:

1048256487