A Brief History of Archaeology: Classical Times to the Twenty-First Century

by Brian M. Fagan

This short account of the discipline of archaeology tells of spectacular discoveries and the colorful lives of the archaeologists who made them, as well as of changing theories and current debates in the field. Spanning over two thousand years of history, the book details early digs as well as covering the development of archaeology as a multidisciplinary science, the modernization of meticulous excavation methods during the twentieth century, and the important discoveries that led to new ideas about the evolution of human societies.

A Brief History of Archaeology is a vivid narrative that will engage readers who are new to the discipline, drawing on the authors extensive experience in the field and classroom. Early research at Stonehenge in Britain, burial mound excavations, and the exploration of Herculaneum and Pompeii culminate in the nineteenth century debates over human antiquity and the theory of evolution. The book then moves on to the discovery of the world s pre-industrial civilizations in Egypt, Mesopotamia, and Central America, the excavations at Troy and Mycenae, the Royal Burials at Ur, Iraq, and the dramatic finding of the pharaoh Tutankhamun in 1922. The book concludes by considering recent sensational discoveries, such as the Lords of Sipan in Peru, and exploring the debates over processual and postprocessual theory which have intrigued archaeologists in the early 21st century. The second edition updates this respected introduction to one of the sciences most fascinating disciplines."

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Science, Archaeology, Anthropology, Read For School

272 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 2004

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

[Rachael · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an additional book for my archaeology I and II courses. It was VERY factual and wordy which made the short 200 something page book feel like 800 pages. I did enjoy it, as I learned a lot, and as the non-fiction format was still more enjoyable than the huge textbook format. I do not think I'd read it again though.

The book went over the history and origins of the discipline of archaeology all the way to modern archaeological capabilities with regards to cultural resource management and new technology. It went over archaeology's transition to a science, and the people that made that transition possible (e.g. The Leakey's, Heinrich Schliemann, John Lubbock, and Franz Boas, to name a few).The book explores the timeline of significant archaeological finds, both big and small, and examines the context of the finds in relation to human cultures and societies. There are pictures (black and white) spread out throughout the book that help explain certain concepts or provide examples of certain archaeological artifacts/sites. There is also a reference section at the back of the book that contains definitions for different sites, cities, people, artifacts, scientific properties, theories, and ancient words. On a final note, there was a publishing error on one of the pages, as what appears to be the photocopy of a sticky note, is covering the words in the middle of the page.

[Krystal · Rating 5 out of 5]

An engaging overview of the history of archeology as a discipline, told through the lens of the most important excavations. Great for archeology students or nerds!

[Riversue · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good concise history with a brief look at the future of archaeology.

[Bruno Pascon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Livro interessante, de leitura fácil com capítulos curtos que faz uma retrospectiva da evolução da Arqueologia amadora até profissional. Dado a área de concentração do autor, o livro concentra-se bastante na pré-história e senti falta de uma pesquisa um pouco mais ampla de arqueólogos e projetos recentes. Como breve história cumpre seu papel, mas gostaria de ver um compêndio mais completo no futuro sobre a Arqueologia como Thompson escreveu para a Egiptologia em 3 preciosos volumes.

[Alexandra · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very interesting read from my history of archaeology class. I learned a lot about archaeology and antiquity from reading this book. Some parts were drier than others, but other parts seemed straight out of an Indiana Jones film.

[Э. Билгүүнтөгс]

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