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C. W. Ceram (1915–1972)

Author of Gods, Graves and Scholars : The story of archaeology

23+ Works 3,455 Members 52 Reviews 3 Favorited

About the Author

Works by C. W. Ceram

Associated Works

A Woman in Berlin: Eight Weeks in the Conquered City: A Diary (1954) — Introduction, some editions; Afterword, some editions — 1,840 copies

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Flagged
BegoMano | Mar 5, 2023 |
Actually a 4.5 rating.
This was a really well done book, especially given the available information Ceram had. I really enjoyed it, and it was a super fun read. Ceram kept it clean and clear, which made it easier to read. I also love my physical copy, which is an older publication.
 
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historybookreads | 30 other reviews | Jul 26, 2021 |
C.W. Ceram visualized archeology as a wonderful combination of high adventure, romance, history and scholarship, and this book, a chronicle of man's search for his past, reads like a dramatic narrative. We travel with Heinrich Schliemann as, defying the ridicule of the learned world, he actually unearths the remains of the ancient city of Troy. We share the excitement of Lord Carnarvon and Howard Carter as they first glimpse the riches of Tutankhamen's tomb, of George Smith when he found the ancient clay tablets that contained the records of the Biblical Flood. We rediscover the ruined splendors of the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, one of the wonders of the ancient wold; of Chichen Itza, the abandoned pyramids of the Maya: and the legendary Labyrinth of tile Minotaur in Crete. Here is much of the history of civilization and the stories of the men who rediscovered it.… (more)
 
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Cultural_Attache | 30 other reviews | Jul 13, 2018 |
Interesting book! I learned some things I hadn't known, and details about things I had known. There were also some interesting sidelights on matters - Ceram's attitude towards the early history-hunters (not archaeologists, the ones who were just looking for neat stuff to take back to their countries) is interestingly in-between their own attitudes and how things are thought about today. I was wincing through his whole description of Schleimann's burrowing through the mound of Troy - while he looked for "interesting" things and gold, he was destroying huge amounts of data on the other cities and cultures that had inhabited the same place. The diggers in Babylon were a _little_ more careful, but only a little. And Ceram's views of Cortez and the other Spanish explorers/invaders of the New World were also much more approving than nowadays. Though he did point out some of the reasons for their insistence on "converting the heathens", and their inability to understand that they were dealing with another civilized people (not that that stopped Europeans from imposing their religion on others, anyway - Thirty Years War, anyone?). The level of detail varied considerably - Cortez and Carter we got specific events, with the early Egyptologists and explorers of Babylon and the associated cultures it's much more of an overview with occasional more-detailed descriptions of certain events. Overall, interesting, I'm glad I read it, and I doubt I'll ever want to reread.… (more)
½
2 vote
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jjmcgaffey | 30 other reviews | Oct 26, 2017 |

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Associated Authors

Alan Pryce-Jones Introduction
Peter Spier Illustrator
Simon Brett Cover designer
John Romer Introduction
Heinrich Hartmann Cartographer
Joseph Low Cover designer
E. B. Garside Translator
Hans Hermann Cover designer
Sophie Wilkins Translator
Richard Winston Translator
Clara Winston Translator
Hannelore Marek Illustrator

Statistics

Works
23
Also by
2
Members
3,455
Popularity
#7,359
Rating
4.2
Reviews
52
ISBNs
118
Languages
15
Favorited
3

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