Eyewitness to Discovery First Person

by Brian M. Fagan

Many people believe that the nineteenth century was the classic era of archaeological discovery, that we shall never see discoveries like those of Layard at Nineveh and Schliemann at Troy again. They are wrong, for the pace of spectacular archaeological discovery has contained unabated throughout the twentieth century. Arthur Evans dug into the Palace of Minos at Knossos just three years into the new century and found an entire civilization. After a seven-year search, Howard Carter and Lord Carnarvon unearthed Tutankhamen's tomb, arguably the greatest archaeological discovery of all time. And, only a few years ago, the stupendous graves of the Lords of Sipan in the honor roll of spectacular finds continues to unfold as we write. - Taken from the Introduction.

Genres: History, Archaeology, Nonfiction, Anthropology, Science, Cultural, Adventure

493 pages, Paperback

First published January 30, 1997

About the author

Brian Murray Fagan was a British author of popular archaeology books and a professor emeritus of Anthropology at the University of California, Santa Barbara.

Reviews

[Katharine Holden · Rating 3 out of 5]

Choppy, oddly edited, and oddly arranged collection of excerpts. Contrary to the promise in the title, several excerpts are not first person. The author's introductions vary widely in writing quality and factual help. Meager illustrations, muddy reproduction. Still, there are two excerpts by female archaeologists I had never heard of, and I read the book cover to cover.

[Leslie · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful book with incredible and little known archaeological discoveries across all continents. Not only one of my favorite History Books- but one of my favorite books of all time.

[Frank McAdam · Rating 3 out of 5]

This would have been a much better book if it had had a more competent editor. As it is, the organization is poor, the introductions trite, and the excerpts generally too short to provide any real context. As for the excerpts themselves, they are not all first-person accounts, as advertised, but also contain secondary sources including one written by the editor himself. Their literary quality varies greatly as not all scientists, no matter how well qualified in their areas of expertise, possess sufficient writing ability to hold their audience's attention. Those excerpts which a reader will find most useful will depend upon his or her own interests. For me, the most fascinating was that which dealt with the excavation of Jericho simply for the immense age of the ruins discovered. If the carbon dating is correct, and there's no reason to think it isn't, the walls and tower of Jericho antedate the pyramids by several millennia.

[Sharon · Rating 4 out of 5]

It loses a star for the unnecessary, smug comments from the author about the incompatibility of Catholicism and science. (I'm guessing the Pontifical Academy of Archaeology doesn't exist.)

That being said, it's a great collection of primary sources. The writing styles from the discoverers vary from thrilling to tedious, but they're all worth trying.

[Jandro · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a thick, but satisfying read. It was like a highlight reel of three centuries of archaeology. It’s a great book to pick up and put down.

[Sarah Sammis]

Received as a Christmas gift.

[Jerry-Book · Rating 4 out of 5]

19th centuries greatest discoveries.

[Sarahandus · Rating 2 out of 5]

This seems to be about the people who made the discoveries and not about the discoveries them selves. Which is what I was interested in.