A Little History of Archaeology

January 25, 2020 8:48 AM - by Brian Fagan

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.
posted by Homo neanderthalensis (1 comment total)

So I had no idea this was part of a series of “little history” books which is why I was slightly frustrated at how basic this book was; turns out thats the whole point! Brian Fagan writes a good book about the history of Archaeology as a modern scholastic discipline, starting with the antiquarians and treasure hunters and leading to LIDAR and modern approaches. This was a lot of stuff I already knew, along with some interesting stuff I did not know, but this isn’t really a book for an anth major, rather this would be a great book for someone with no knowledge of archaeology but Indiana Jones who would like a well written concise overview.
posted by Homo neanderthalensis at 8:51 AM on January 25, 2020