Gods, Graves & Scholars: The Story of Archaeology
by C. W. Ceram
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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 show more 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. Illustrated with drawings, maps, and photographs show lessTags
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Member Reviews
I first read this book in primary school, maybe sixth or seventh grade. I guess you could say it had an influence on me. I became an ancient history major.
I fell in love with archaeology reading this book, and even now, in my own novels, I rely on ancient history and myths for topics and allusions as great source material.
I still pull my rather yellowed-paged copy off my bookshelf and re-read it about every ten years. I can forgive the mistakes in archaeology; we always learn new information as time goes on. But Mr. Ceram did something that most of us on this website love to see: he sparked a kid's imagination with a book and that, in my opinion, is an almost holy thing.
I fell in love with archaeology reading this book, and even now, in my own novels, I rely on ancient history and myths for topics and allusions as great source material.
I still pull my rather yellowed-paged copy off my bookshelf and re-read it about every ten years. I can forgive the mistakes in archaeology; we always learn new information as time goes on. But Mr. Ceram did something that most of us on this website love to see: he sparked a kid's imagination with a book and that, in my opinion, is an almost holy thing.
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 show more legendary Labyrinth of tile Minotaur in Crete. Here is much of the history of civilization and the stories of the men who rediscovered it. show less
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 show more 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. show less
Ceram does a wonder ful job bringing to life the early adventurers (not scientists) that kicked off archaeology as a science in the Old and New Worlds, and bringing to life the ancient societies of meso-america.
Classic history of archaeology that I remember reading as a teenager. It was written in the late 1940s with a second edition in 1967.
The subtitle is a clue. This is very much a collection of uncritical stories of heroic figures, grouped into fields of exploration: Part 1 covers Pompeii and the Aegean littoral, Part 2 Egypt, Part 3 Mesopotamia, and Part 4 Central America, with Part 5 as a short epilogue on material that could have been included but didn't fit the author's schema. It's all very enjoyable and a good overview for any budding Indiana Jones or River Song out there before they reach an age where something more detailed or reflective becomes appropriate.
The subtitle is a clue. This is very much a collection of uncritical stories of heroic figures, grouped into fields of exploration: Part 1 covers Pompeii and the Aegean littoral, Part 2 Egypt, Part 3 Mesopotamia, and Part 4 Central America, with Part 5 as a short epilogue on material that could have been included but didn't fit the author's schema. It's all very enjoyable and a good overview for any budding Indiana Jones or River Song out there before they reach an age where something more detailed or reflective becomes appropriate.
I really wanted to to like this book because I was intrigued by the way it is set up, based on the description, as a survey of many of the biggest archaeological finds up until it was published as well as the personalities involved. Although I enjoyed learning about some of the people behind the discoveries such as Champollion and Carnarvon, I found, unfortunately, that I struggled to keep an interest in the book for longer than a few pages at a time and I gave up on it about 2/3 of the way through. The book reads to me as a product of its time, written for a certain audience and with a certain subjectivity.
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.
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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- Canonical title
- Gods, Graves & Scholars: The Story of Archaeology
- Original title
- Götter, Gräber und Gelehrte. Roman der Archäologie; Götter, Gräber und Gelehrte, Roman der Archäologie
- Original publication date
- 1949; 1949, Rowohlt Verlag, Hamburg
- People/Characters
- Heinrich Schliemann; Jean-François Champollion; Paul-Émile Botta; Howard Carter; George Herbert, 5th Earl of Carnarvon; Johann Joachim Winckelmann (show all 7); John Lloyd Stephens
- Important places
- Tutankhamun's tomb, Valley of the Kings, Egypt; Valley of the Kings, Egypt; Pompeii; Troy; Mycenae; Crete, Greece
- Related movies
- Valley of the Kings (1954 | IMDb)
- Epigraph
- Es gibt keine patriotische Kunst und keine patriotische Wissenschafl. Beide gehören, wie alles hohe Gute, der ganzen Welt an, und können nur durch allgemeine freie Wechselwirkung aller zugleich Lebenden, in steter Rücksich... (show all)t auf das, was uns vom Vergangenen übrig und bekannt ist, gefördert werden..
GOETHE
Wer seine Zeit recht sehen will, soll sie von ferne betrachten. Wie fern? Sehr einfach, genau so weit, daß er die Nase der Cleopatra nicht mehr erkennt.
ORTEGA Y GASSET - First words*
- Ich rate dem Leser, das Buch nicht auf der ersten Seite zu beginnen.
- Original language
- German
*Some information comes from Common Knowledge in other languages. Click "Edit" for more information.
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