For more than forty years, Georg Gerster has been travelling the worldhotographing archaeological sites from the air. In "The Past from Above",rchaeologist Charlotte Trumpler introduces 250 of his photographs, taken inore than fifty countries in Europe, North and South America, Asia, Australia,nd Africa. Each is accompanied by a detailed explanatory description.erster's subjects range from the temple complex at Karnak to the Great Wallf China, from the Acropolis in Athens to the temples of Abu Simbel, fromztec cult places in Mexico to monumental designs in the Californian desert.hese colour photographs are not only captivatingly precise, technicalchievements - often produced under hair-raising circumstances - but alsoesthetically fascinating, unique views of our world. The result isimultaneously a spectacular photographic book and a visual history ofankind that stretches back to the very beginnings of civilization.