Uncovering the Past

by William H. Stiebing Jr., William Steibing

Uncovering the Past is an absorbing history of archaeology that traces the study of ancient material culture from its beginnings as a hobby for Renaissance scholars to the sophisticated modern discipline we know today. Professor William Stiebing devotes the first part of his chronicle to the exploits of the colorful, dynamic excavators of archaeology's "Heroic Age." One may wonder whether the adventures of Indiana Jones are really far-fetched after reading Steibing's account of Giovanni Belzoni's removal of the seven-ton colossus of Ramesses II, which was dragged by wooden platform and transported by boat from Egypt to London; or of clergyman John Peters' skirmish with Arab tribesmen, who surrounded his excavation site and finally pillaged and burned his camp; or of Heinrich Schliemann's quest to prove the authenticity of Homer's Iliad by searching for ancient Troy in Turkey.The second part of the book shifts the focus to modern archaeology, describing how new methodologies and techniques such as area surveys, statistics, carbon-14 dating, and computer visualization are turning the former pastime of dillettnates into a rigorous science.Uncovering the Past is an excellent introduction to archaeology, both for those who enjoy its romance and those who seek an accurate survey of its history and current status.

Genres: History, Archaeology, Nonfiction, History Of Science

315 pages, Hardcover

First published February 1, 1993

Reviews

[G0thamite · Rating 4 out of 5]

All in all a very entertaining and informative read on the history of archaeology from the mid-15th century until the early 1990's. Dr. Stiebing gives you the broad sweep of discoveries including the major sights and personalities involved. This book will broaden your understanding of this vastly changing discipline. You will not find material from 1993 till present but this is still a valuable overview for its period.

My only complaint is a lack of information for a subject I enjoy studying, i.e., Biblical archaeology. In my opinion a major oversight, but obviously not of interest to the author. This can be remedied with the many books specifically written on this subject. I was especially pleased to find an eight page listing of the major archaeological finds from 1446 to 1991 - something you may not come across in other such works. Highly recommended.

[Riversue · Rating 4 out of 5]

An entertaining and enlightening history of archaeology. The only short-coming that could be attributed to this book is that it is getting long in the tooth and so it doesn't cover the changes since about 1980 when various conceptual theories exploded on the scene.