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The discovery of material remains from the recent or the ancient past has always been a source of fascination, but the development of archaeology as an academic discipline which interpreted such finds is relatively recent. It was the work of Winckelmann at Pompeii in the 1760s which first revealed the potential of systematic excavation to scholars and the wider public. Pioneering figures of the nineteenth century such as Schliemann, Layard and Petrie transformed archaeology from a search for ancient artifacts, by means as crude as using gunpowder to break into a tomb, to a science which drew from a wide range of disciplines - ancient languages and literature, geology, chemistry, social history - to increase our understanding of human life and society in the remote past.

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150 results in Cambridge Library Collection - Archaeology

Page 7 of 8

The Topography of Athens
  • With Some Remarks on its Antiquities
  • William Martin Leake
  • Published online:
    07 October 2011
    Print publication:
    26 August 2010
    First published in:
    1821
  • William Martin Leake (1777–1860) was a British military officer and classical scholar specialising in reconstructing the topography of ancient cities. He was a founding member of the Royal Geographical Society and was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1815. After his retirement in 1815 he devoted the rest of his life to topographical and classical studies. First published in 1821, this pioneering volume contains Leake's reconstruction of ancient Athens. Leake analyses and compares ancient descriptions of the city with the archaeological remains as they existed at the time of publication, identifying ancient structures and suggesting where the remains of other buildings may be found by excavation. This book was regarded as authoritative for the structures of ancient Athens for most of the nineteenth century, with Leake's work being influential in shaping perceptions of classical archaeology and historical topography into the twentieth century.

The True History of the Conquest of New Spain
  • Volume 5
  • Bernal Díaz del Castillo
  • Edited by Genaro García
  • Translated by Alfred Percival Maudslay
  • Published online:
    07 September 2011
    Print publication:
    26 August 2010
    First published in:
    1916
  • Bernal Díaz del Castillo (1492–1584) was a foot soldier in the army of Mexico's conqueror Hernán Cortés, and participated in the campaigns that led to the fall of the Aztec empire in 1521. This 1928 translation of his journals derives from the 1904 edition by the Mexican historian Genaro García - the first edition based on the original manuscript. Written as a corrective to accounts that overemphasised Cortés' exploits, Díaz's epic includes the experiences of the common soldier: hardship, thirst, long marches and unexpected attacks by rebels. The most complete contemporary chronicle of the Mexican conquest, this important historical document is also a captivating adventure narrative that combines factual accuracy with many dramatic anecdotes. This final volume contains chapters 174–214 and historical appendices by the editor. Díaz describes the aftermath of the Mexican conquest, and outlines how the Spanish established their authority over the land and its inhabitants.

The Jaulân
  • Surveyed for the German Society for the Exploration of the Holy Land
  • Gottlieb Schumacher
  • Published online:
    07 September 2011
    Print publication:
    09 September 2010
    First published in:
    1888
  • Gottlieb Schumacher (1857–1925) was an American-born German civil engineer, architect and archaeologist who was influential in the early archaeological explorations of Palestine. His parents were members of the Temple Association, a Protestant group who emigrated to Haifa in 1869. After studying engineering in Stuttgart between 1876 and 1881, Schumacher returned to Haifa and assumed a leading role in surveying and construction in the region. This volume, first published in 1888 for the Palestine Exploration Fund, contains the results of Schumacher's survey of the Jaulân region of Syria, now known as the Golan Heights. Schumacher provides an engaging and detailed description of the geography and archaeological remains of the region, with the culture, society and customs of both the settled inhabitants and nomadic Bedouin also described. The book is richly illustrated with over 140 figures of ancient artefacts and remains, together with a detailed map of the region.

The History of Esarhaddon (Son of Sennacherib) King of Assyria, B.C. 681–688
  • Translated from the Cuneiform Inscriptions upon Cylinders and Tablets in the British Museum Collection, Together with Original Texts
  • Translated by Ernest A. Budge
  • Published online:
    07 September 2011
    Print publication:
    19 August 2010
    First published in:
    1880
  • Sir Ernest Alfred Thompson Wallis Budge (1857–1934) was a prominent English Egyptologist who was Keeper of the Department of Egyptian and Assyrian Antiquities in the British Museum between 1893 and 1924. Although better known for his contributions to Egyptology, Budge was also a scholar of the ancient Assyrian language, which he first learnt in 1874. This book, first published in 1880, contains cuneiform inscriptions from artefacts in the British Museum, relating to the Assyrian king Esarhaddon (reigned c.681–669 BCE). They recount Esarhaddon's royal titles, describe his military campaigns in modern Iran and Egypt, and list the monumental buildings in Babylon rebuilt during his reign. Budge provides transliterations and English translations, a vocabulary, and a list of texts consulted. This was the first scholarly study of Esarhaddon, and some of Budge's translations proved controversial. The interest it aroused resulted in increased academic study and translation of cuneiform artefacts.

Prehistoric Thessaly
  • Being some Account of Recent Excavations and Explorations in North-Eastern Greece from Lake Kopais to the Borders of Macedonia
  • Alan John Bayard Wace, Maurice Scott Thompson
  • Published online:
    07 September 2011
    Print publication:
    22 July 2010
    First published in:
    1912
  • This study of prehistoric artefacts and ruins discovered in north-east Greece by the team of archaeologists led by A. J. B. Wace and M. S. Thompson was first published in 1912, thirty years after that area first revealed prehistoric remains. The one hundred and twenty sites in the Thessaly area have yielded domestic artefacts and ruins ranging from spit supports to tombs. These are depicted through detailed sketches, photographs and descriptions. The evolving architecture uncovered at different strata at the excavation sites, and the changing forms of the artefacts discovered alongside them, are explored in relation to other Greek excavation sites to determine any possible historic significance. Modern technological advances have taken some aspects of archaeology in a very different direction, but the practices of meticulous data collection and comparative analysis between sites and strata demonstrated here provide a valuable lesson in establishing a chronology of cultural and domestic development.

Incidents of Travel in Central America, Chiapas, and Yucatan
  • Volume 2
  • John Lloyd Stephens
  • Published online:
    07 September 2011
    Print publication:
    26 August 2010
    First published in:
    1841
  • John Lloyd Stephens (1805–1852) was an American politician, explorer and writer who is renowned for his pioneering research into the ancient Maya civilisation of Central America. In 1839 Stephens was appointed a Special Ambassador to the Federal Republic of Central America (modern Belize, Honduras, Nicaragua, Guatemala and El Salvador). First published in 1841, this two-volume work is an account of his travels in 1839 and 1840, visiting and recording ancient Mayan sites. Stephens describes Copán, Palenque and forty-two other ancient sites and includes over fifty illustrations drawn by his travelling companion Frederick Catherwood (1799–1854), a professional architect. Although earlier accounts of Mayan ruins had been published, Stephens' vivid descriptions and Catherwood's meticulous drawings were far more detailed and accurate than previous reports, and kindled Victorian interest in the ancient Maya civilisation. Volume 2 focuses on Palenque, Uxmal and other Mayan sites.

Pre-historic Times as Illustrated by Ancient Remains, and the Manners and Customs of Modern Savages
  • John Lubbock
  • Published online:
    07 September 2011
    Print publication:
    26 August 2010
    First published in:
    1865
  • Sir John Lubbock (1834–1915) was an English banker who was fascinated with biology and archaeology. He was a close friend of Charles Darwin and a prolific writer who made influential contributions to both of these fields, being appointed the President of the Linnaean Society between 1881–1886. First published in 1865, it was written as a textbook of prehistoric archaeology. It became one of the most influential and popular archaeological books of the nineteenth century, being reissued in seven editions between 1865 and 1913. In this volume Lubbock develops an evolutionary interpretation of archaeology, using prehistoric material remains as evidence that human cultures become more sophisticated over time. He also introduces the division of prehistory, coining the terms Palaeolithic and Neolithic to subdivide the Stone Age. Lubbock's interpretation of cultural evolution was an extremely influential social theory which was widely adopted by contemporary archaeologists and anthropologists.

A History of Discoveries at Halicarnassus, Cnidus and Branchidae
  • Volume 2, Part 1
  • Charles Thomas Newton, Richard Popplewell Pullan
  • Published online:
    05 August 2011
    Print publication:
    24 February 2011
    First published in:
    1862
  • Charles Thomas Newton (1816–1894) was a British archaeologist specialising in Greek and Roman artefacts. He studied at Christ Church, Oxford before joining the British Museum. Newton left the Museum in 1852 to explore the coast of Asia Minor, and in 1856 he discovered the remains of the Mausoleum of Halicarnassus, one of the seven ancient wonders of the world. This study, first published in 1862, contains Newton's descriptions of the archaeological excavations of the Mausoleum and other sites. Compiled from Newton's official reports, this detailed account of the archaeological procedures used in his excavation and the artefacts he found provides valuable insights into mid-nineteenth-century practice. The original edition included a large volume of plates, which it is not feasible to reproduce at this time. However the information in the text volumes is of sufficient importance to merit their reissue independently. Part 1 contains descriptions of the Mausoleum.

Northern ’Ajlûn, 'within the Decapolis'
  • Gottlieb Schumacher
  • Published online:
    05 August 2011
    Print publication:
    19 August 2010
    First published in:
    1890
  • Gottlieb Schumacher (1857–1925) was an American-born German civil engineer, architect and archaeologist who was influential in the early archaeological explorations of Palestine. His parents were members of the Temple Association, a Protestant group who emigrated to Haifa in 1869. After studying engineering in Stuttgart between 1876 and 1881, Schumacher returned to Haifa and soon assumed a leading role in surveying and construction in the region. First published in 1890 for the Palestine Exploration Fund, this volume contains the results of Schumacher's survey of Northern 'Aljûn in present-day Jordan. This region contains the cities of the ancient Decapolis, a group of Hellenistic cities which were centres of Greek and Roman culture. In this volume Schumacher describes the contemporary villages and ancient ruins in this area, and includes the results of the first surveys of the ancient Decapolis cities of Gadara, Arbela and the disputed site of Capitolias.

Trojanische Alterthümer
  • Bericht Über die Ausgrabungen in Troja
  • Heinrich Schliemann
  • Published online:
    05 August 2011
    Print publication:
    19 August 2010
    First published in:
    1874
  • Heinrich Schliemann (1822–1890) was a successful businessman and self-taught archaeologist who is best known for discovering the site of the ancient city of Troy. In this 1874 work, written in the style of a diary, Schliemann describes his excavations at Hissarlik in Turkey, which revealed the remains of not just one but several substantial, superimposed ancient settlements, the earliest of which dates back to 4500 BCE. Schliemann himself was convinced that he had located Troy, and the spectacular golden treasure which he unearthed made his discovery famous around the world. Although his excavating techniques were crude, and later work on the site has led to the conclusion that the treasure dates from a much earlier settlement than Homeric Troy, Schliemann's achievement was extraordinary and his account makes compelling reading. This book was translated into English in 1875 as Troy and Its Remains, also reissued in this series.

The True History of the Conquest of New Spain
  • Volume 4
  • Bernal Díaz del Castillo
  • Edited by Genaro García
  • Translated by Alfred Percival Maudslay
  • Published online:
    05 August 2011
    Print publication:
    26 August 2010
    First published in:
    1912
  • Bernal Díaz del Castillo (1492–1584) was a foot soldier in the army of Mexico's conqueror Hernán Cortés, and participated in the campaigns that led to the fall of the Aztec empire in 1521. This 1928 translation of his journals derives from the 1904 edition by the Mexican historian Genaro García - the first edition based on the original manuscript. Written as a corrective to accounts that overemphasised Cortés' exploits, Díaz's epic includes the experiences of the common soldier: hardship, thirst, long marches and unexpected attacks by rebels. The most complete contemporary chronicle of the Mexican conquest, this important historical document is also a captivating adventure narrative that combines factual accuracy with many dramatic anecdotes. This volume, containing chapters 137–173, describes the fall of Mexico. An appendix prepared by the editor provides a timeline of the 1521 siege based on both Díaz's and Cortés' accounts of the event.

Ithaka, der Peloponnes und Troja
  • Archäologische Forschungen
  • Heinrich Schliemann
  • Published online:
    05 August 2011
    Print publication:
    22 July 2010
    First published in:
    1869
  • Where is Troy? For Heinrich Schliemann (1822–1890) the search for its exact location became a consuming passion. In 1869, when this book was first published, the existence of a real - as opposed to mythical - Troy was still disputed. The wealthy German businessman, linguist and speculator journeyed to Greece and Asia Minor in order to undertake excavations well before archaeology developed into a modern, scientific profession. This book describes his first expedition in 1868 to Corfu, Cephalonia, the Peloponnese and Ithaca. Schliemann was convinced that the mound of Hissarlik in Turkey was the site of Troy, and the golden artifacts of his 'treasury of Priam' persuaded the public of its historicity, though his destructive methods of excavation caused extensive damage to the site. Schliemann returned to Troy several times during the course of his career and published further books (also reissued in this series) about his discoveries.

Ilios
  • The City and Country of the Trojans
  • Heinrich Schliemann
  • Published online:
    05 August 2011
    Print publication:
    15 July 2010
    First published in:
    1880
  • Heinrich Schliemann (1822–1890) was a businessman and self-taught archaeologist who is best known for discovering the site of the ancient city of Troy. First published in 1880, this volume contains an account of Schliemann's second excavation at Troy in 1878–1879 and places his earlier discoveries from the excavations of 1871–1873 in context with his more recent work. Schliemann provides a detailed description and the earliest interpretation of the seven settlement phases on the site, with over 1,000 illustrations showing details of the architecture he uncovered. He also describes his controversial methods of excavation, recounting some of the monumental buildings he destroyed to reach the earlier settlement phases of the city. Schliemann's discovery of Troy was met with great enthusiasm; it also created a furious debate over the validity of viewing classical epics as historical fact. This volume remains an important source for the historiography of archaeology.

Incidents of Travel in Central America, Chiapas, and Yucatan
  • Volume 1
  • John Lloyd Stephens
  • Published online:
    05 August 2011
    Print publication:
    26 August 2010
    First published in:
    1841
  • John Lloyd Stephens (1805–1852) was an American politician, explorer and writer who is renowned for his pioneering research into the ancient Maya civilisation of Central America. In 1839 Stephens was appointed a Special Ambassador to the Federal Republic of Central America (modern Belize, Honduras, Nicaragua, Guatemala and El Salvador). First published in 1841, this two-volume work is an account of his travels in 1839 and 1840, visiting and recording ancient Mayan sites. Stephens describes Copán, Palenque and forty-two other ancient sites and includes over fifty illustrations drawn by his travelling companion Frederick Catherwood (1799–1854), a professional architect. Although earlier accounts of Mayan ruins had been published, Stephens' vivid descriptions and Catherwood's meticulous drawings were far more detailed and accurate than previous reports, and kindled Victorian interest in the ancient Maya civilisation. Volume 1 focuses on Copán and the indigenous cultures of Central America.

Bericht Über die Ausgrabungen in Troja im Jahre 1890
  • Heinrich Schliemann
  • Published online:
    05 August 2011
    Print publication:
    31 October 2010
    First published in:
    1891
  • Heinrich Schliemann (1822–1890) was a businessman and self-taught archaeologist who is best known for discovering the site of the ancient city of Troy. This short book, published posthumously in 1891, begins with a vigorous polemic in which Schliemann defends himself and Wilhelm Dörpfeld against allegations by Ernst Boetticher, who persistently claimed they had falsified the evidence from Hissarlik and that 'Troy' was in fact a cremation site with ovens, rather than a settlement. The book goes on to describe the pottery of different periods exposed by a river cutting through the site. Schliemann then describes a newly excavated area that had not been razed by the Romans prior to rebuilding and gives detailed accounts of pottery, artefacts and defensive works found there, and the texts of a number of inscriptions. A final section by Dörpfeld, completed two days before Schliemann's untimely death, describes the buildings in more detail.

The Cities and Cemeteries of Etruria
  • Volume 2
  • George Dennis
  • Published online:
    05 July 2011
    Print publication:
    09 September 2010
    First published in:
    1848
  • George Dennis (1814–1898) was a British antiquarian who was the first modern investigator of ancient Etruria and Etruscan archaeological remains. After visiting Etruria several times between 1842 and 1847, Dennis entered the diplomatic service, becoming pro–consul to Sicily in 1863. These volumes, first published in 1848, are the result of his travels in Etruria and contain the first scholarly account of Etruscan archaeological sites. Originally written as a guide for tourists who wished to see ancient sites beyond the familiar Roman remains, the book describes the antiquities in each Etruscan city in great detail, with major centres such as Veii having a section each for the city and cemetery remains. Illustrated with images of antiquities, architectural remains and plans of the larger sites, this volume provides valuable information on sites which have since been lost, destroyed or damaged. Volume 2 includes the sites of Chiusi and Perugia.

The Cities and Cemeteries of Etruria
  • Volume 1
  • George Dennis
  • Published online:
    05 July 2011
    Print publication:
    09 September 2010
    First published in:
    1848
  • George Dennis (1814–1898) was a British antiquarian who was the first modern investigator of ancient Etruria and Etruscan archaeological remains. After visiting Etruria several times between 1842 and 1847, Dennis entered the diplomatic service, becoming pro–consul to Sicily in 1863. These volumes, first published in 1848, are the result of his travels in Etruria and contain the first scholarly account of Etruscan archaeological sites. Originally written as a guide for tourists who wished to see ancient sites beyond the familiar Roman remains, the book describes the antiquities in each Etruscan city in great detail, with major centres such as Veii having a section each for the city and cemetery remains. Illustrated with images of antiquities, architectural remains and plans of the larger sites, this volume provides valuable information on sites which have since been lost, destroyed or damaged. Volume 1 includes the sites of Veii and Tarquinia.

Journal of a Tour in Asia Minor
  • With Comparative Remarks on the Ancient and Modern Geography of That Country
  • William Martin Leake
  • Published online:
    13 June 2011
    Print publication:
    30 September 2010
    First published in:
    1824
  • William Martin Leake (1777–1860) was a British military officer and classical scholar specialising in reconstructing the topography of ancient cities. He was a founding member of the Royal Geographical Society and was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1815. After his retirement in 1815 he devoted the rest of his life to topographical and classical studies. This volume, first published in 1824, contains Leake's descriptions and reconstruction of the classical topography in a region of modern Turkey reaching from the Gulf of Izmit to the Mediterranean. Using information gained during his travels in the region between 1799 and 1800 together with ancient accounts of the area, Leake correlates existing geography and ancient ruins with classical accounts to identify ancient sites. Leake's precise observations and detailed descriptions were influential in shaping the study of classical topography and continue to provide valuable information for ancient sites of the region.

Peloponnesiaca
  • A Supplement to Travels in the Moréa
  • William Martin Leake
  • Published online:
    16 May 2011
    Print publication:
    16 September 2010
    First published in:
    1846
  • William Martin Leake (1777–1860) was a British military officer and classical scholar specialising in reconstructing the topography of ancient cities. He was a founding member of the Royal Geographical Society and was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1815. First published in 1846, this volume was originally intended as a supplement to Leake's authoritative topographical survey of the Peloponnese, Travels in the Morea, also reissued in this series. The book is organised as a series of articles referencing historical sites, providing detailed descriptions of artefacts, sites and geographical features mentioned in Travels in the Morea, using information from the French Commission of Geography, Natural History and Archaeology which visited the area between 1829 and 1831. Leake was the first scholar to identify many ancient sites in the Peloponnese, and his precise observations led to his publications becoming authoritative for the classical archaeological sites of the region.

Discoveries in the Ruins of Nineveh and Babylon
  • With Travels in Armenia, Kurdistan and the Desert: Being the Result of a Second Expedition Undertaken for the Trustees of the British Museum
  • Volume 2
  • Austen Henry Layard
  • Published online:
    16 May 2011
    Print publication:
    31 August 2010
    First published in:
    1853
  • Sir Austen Henry Layard (1817–1894) was one of the leading British archaeologists of the nineteenth century. His excavations provided important evidence about ancient Mesopotamia, particularly about the Assyrian civilisation, and his books - part travel writing, part specialised archaeological studies - are beautifully evocative. First published in 1853, this two-volume study follows the earlier Nineveh and its Remains (1849). It describes Layard's second expedition to the Near East, in 1845, which led to the identification of Kouyunjik as the great Assyrian capital Nineveh. In this richly illustrated book, Layard focuses on the description and interpretation of ruins, as he tells of the discovery of the lost palace of the Assyrian king Sennacherib (eighth century BCE) in northern Iraq. Volume 2 describes the discoveries made in the ruins of Kouyunjik, and follows Layard as he travels to the south of Iraq in search of the ruins of the mysterious Babylon.

Page 7 of 8