Quest for the Past: Great Discoveries in Archaeology

by Brian M. Fagan

The highpoints in archaeology! This wonderfully engaging volume tells the story of some well-known archaeologists and some remarkable excavations. In the process, it throws light on some of the ways in which the founders of archaeology unearthed early civilizations, probed the origins of humankind, and explored the history of non-Western societies. Quest for the Past ranges widely over the world of archaeology, detailing great discoveries as diverse as the excavation of 2-million-year-old Hominids, long-forgotten Native American settlements, and spectacular ancient civilizations, describing the sites and discoveries in the context of their finders' times. Each essay serves as an independent description of some of the challenges faced and discoveries made both by adventurous pioneers like Austen Henry Layard and trained scientists like Rene Millon and Gertrude Caton-Thompson. The volume includes important chapters on how archaeology works and on early female archaeologists.

Genres: Archaeology, History, Nonfiction, Anthropology

281 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1978

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

[Mir · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was one of my intro Classical Archaeology books. Amazingly, Fagan actually wrote a textbook that was interesting to read.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

I LOVED THIS BOOK. I read it in a single go one Sunday. I couldn't put it down. Fagan not only manages to tell a story about each featured archaeological find, he tells a page-turning story. I have never been more interested in ancient history than I was while reading this. Wonderful read and great selection of photos from digs. This book brings the subject to life in a way that makes me not merely interested, but invested. I have so many questions now and I want more of this.