Dudley Moore (2) (–2016)

The author himself traveled to Crete and as far as possible followed the footsteps of three British gentlemen, Pococke, Pashley, and Spratt, who visited in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries and recorded their observations. Preceding the organized archaeological digs of Evans and others, these men relied on ancient Greek sources and drew personal conclusions that the author compares with generally accepted accounts of Bronze Age Crete today. We know that the Greeks of the Classical era show more were themselves far removed in time from the Bronze Age, and their writings were influenced by tradition and storytelling. So, the author describes the travelers' interest in the legend of King Minos and the Labyrinth, comparing myth and mentions in Homer against current views of Minoan civilization based on decades of archaeological research. The author considers the travelers' motives as well: were they spurred by Enlightenment interest in the ancient world and origins of human society? Were they scientific or looking for souvenirs (here bringing in Lord Elgin and his acquisition of chunks of the Parthenon). He discusses the evolution of historical study and learned societies in England and how these travelers and others like them contributed to the history of ideas. These avenues of thought are what I find most interesting about the book, though some will find it dry. show less