Author Description

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.