The Cambridge Illustrated History of Archaeology

Cambridge Illustrated Histories

by Paul G. Bahn (Editor), Lord Renfrew (foreword)

This is the fullest and most authoritative single-volume account of archaeology from the earliest discoveries to the great excavations of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Lavishly illustrated throughout and global in scope, it tells the story of those explorations which have helped shape our knowledge of the past. From early digging in Greece and the Near East, through the part played by archaeology in the 'discovery' of the Americas, to the unearthing of sites in Africa, Scandinavia, the former Soviet Union, and Australasia, the book describes individual events as part of a connected narrative amounting to a thorough history of the subject for general readers. It is the first general history of archaeology written by a team of specialists and the first history to cover every part of the world. The book is complete with time-period charts, lists of archaeological events, and a full index.

Genres: Archaeology, Nonfiction, History, Reference, Science

Hardcover

First published June 13, 1996

About the author

Paul G. Bahn is a British archaeologist, translator, writer and broadcaster who has published extensively on a range of archaeological topics, with particular attention to prehistoric art. He is a contributing editor to Archaeology magazine.

Reviews

[Finn]

The illustrated history of archaeology from the start of the 16th century all the way to the nineties of the 20th century.

Paul Bahn describes how the field of archaeology started and how it is going, and how techniques (or lack thereof) have changed over time. How it went from filling museums with artefacts to learning about the past.

Definitely worth the read if you're interested in archeology and everything that goes with, or history in general.

[Lee Broderick]

A very good introductory text to the subject: far more so than the somewhat juvenile title may lead you to believe.

[Alan Kroeber]

One of my favorite archaeology resources.

[Jane]

This was so useful for my History of Archaeology class at uni and my argumentative essay and Archaeology in Film and Fiction creative assignment.