Discovery of the Past

ABRAMS, February 1997. Hardcover . Very Good/Very Good. Every civilized society, beginning with that of the ancient Egyptians and Chinese, has entertained a passionate curiosity about its predecessors: we want to know about our past in order to understand and even manipulate our present. The means to that end is archaeology, whose history is the fascinating subject of The Discovery of the Past. Alain Schnapps' study is astonishing in the depth and breadth of its coverage. Beginning with the ancient Greek poet Hesiod and extending thought St. Augustine, Rabelais, Newton, and Thomas Jefferson, he shows that the history of archaeology is not one of uninterrupted progress, but of the rediscovery and reinterpretation -- often erratic -- of forgotten observations. The text is elegantly interwoven with illustrations and descriptions of objects surviving from antiquity, while extensive quotations from primary sources provide a fascinating insight into historical accounts. Contemporary depictions of ancient life, and incidents in its discovery, reveal the excitement of archaeological research. Every civilized society, beginning with those of the ancient Egyptians and Chinese, has entertained a passionate curiosity about its predecessors. The means to that end is archaeology. This fascinating book defines the history of archaeology not as one of uninterrupted progress, but of the rediscovery and reinterpretation--often erratic--of forgotten observations. 370 illustrations, 68 in color.