The Discovery of the Greek Bronze Age (British Museum Paperbacks) (Paperback)

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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Only in the last 125 years have archeologists and historians established that classical Greece had roots in the early Bronze Age cultures that flourished in the Cycladic islands in the third millennium B.C.; in Minoan Crete, whose elaborate palaces were built around 1900 B.C.; and in Mycenae, dominant power of the Greek mainland from 1600 B.C. until the collapse of the Bronze Age in the 12th century B.C. In an exciting, useful, attractively illustrated study, Fitton, a curator at the British Museum, begins with the pioneering excavations of Troy, Mycenae and Minoan Crete by Heinrich Schliemann, Arthur Evans and others, then reviews the consolidation and reinterpretation of their finds by succeeding generations. She also discusses remarkable new finds, such as the discovery in 1984 of a Bronze Age sunken cargo ship off Turkey, and the recent excavation of 16th-century-B.C., Minoan-style wall paintings in Avaris, ancient capital of Egypt's Hyksos kings in the Nile delta.

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Review

Fitton's book is an authoritative, well illustrated and highly readable history of [Heinrich] Schliemann's pioneering excavations, the discoveries that followed them and those still under way. She deals with the spirited and sometimes rancorous controversies to which these discoveries have given rise and chronicles the developments of new methods and attitudes in archaeology. But she also presents the reader with vivid portraits of the personalities and accomplishments of a series of individuals who, like Schliemann, devoted their lives to the search for that lost world which, before Schliemann's excavations, had been dismissed as myth and epic fantasy. They are a fascinating crew.
--Bernard Knox (New Republic )

The author's extensive knowledge, readable style, and copious illustrations provide an entertaining and engrossing introduction to a story of historical discovery that is far from at an end.
--Thomas Martin (History Book Club News )

This intelligent and well-informed book provides a wealth of detail about the discoveries of the past 120 years and the archaeologists who made them. Ancient views of the 'heroic' past are summarized in the first chapter, and the final one reports on the results of new work, such as the recent excavations at Thera, Keos, and Troy, the Ulu Burun shipwreck, and the frescoes of Minoan type from Avaris in Egypt. The author's accounts of famous archaeologists--Schliemann at Troy and Mycenae, Evans at Knossos--are enlivened by her awareness of modern critiques of their lives and works...The book is accessible to the general reader--may it inspire many a future archaeologist!--and it will also be useful for researchers in allied fields and even for Greek prehistorians who want to brush up on the development of their discipline...The range of discoveries covered is remarkably complete and the illustrations effective, particularly those in color. Fitton's book has filled an important gap, since nothing quite like it is now available in English. It is likely to be widely read for many years to come.
--John E. Coleman (Classical World )

[Fitton] shows an encyclopedic grasp of details, but rarely lets this disrupt or obscure the flow of her narrative...[A]ll in all, Fitton succeeds admirably in what she sets out to do--to present an entertaining, condensed version of the men who discovered the Greek Bronze Age.
--Ruth Palmer (Bryn Mawr Classical Review )

Lesley Fitton has written a fluent and useful account of the modern rediscovery of the Greek Bronze Age, with a focus on the early phases of archaeological exploration. While it will benefit the non-specialist most, those with an interest in the lives of the great excavators and the history of their discoveries will also find it of interest. Fitton's book is beautifully designed and produced, enlivened by many illustrations. (New England Classical Journal )

When Heinrich Schliemann excavated Troy and Mycenae in the 1870s, he inaugurated a new era of archaeological study of the ancient Greek world. Today, the number of Aegean archaeologists continues to grow at an astounding rate. J. Lesley Fitton's informative and very readable Discovery of the Greek Bronze Age tells the story of this century of discovery--beginning with the 'heroic' age of Greek archaeology, when pioneers like Schliemann and Sir Arthur Evans were loosening the soils of the Greek past at Troy, Mycenae and Knossos. Fitton describes how Aegean archaeology has slowly illuminated the places, objects and peoples of a world previously shaped by hazy legends and myths.
--James D. Muhly (Odyssey )

The story of the rediscovery of the Greek Bronze Age is not a new topic, yet Fitton brings to the subject an interest in the intellectual milestones, historical circumstances, and confluence of disciplines that brought it about. The result is not simply a chronicle of discoveries and discoverers but also a lucid survey of changing methods of study and the creation of an increasingly nuanced picture of early Greece. (Choice )

In an exciting, useful, attractively illustrated study, Fitton, a curator at the British Museum, begins with the pioneering excavations of Troy, Mycenae and Minoan Crete by Heinrich Schliemann, Arthur Evans and others, then reviews the consolidation and reinterpretation of their finds by succeeding generations. She also discusses remarkable new finds. (Publishers Weekly )

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Product Details

• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: Harvard University Press (February 11, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0674211898
• ISBN-13: 978-0674211896
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,854,443 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great Introduction to Greek Archeological Sites, July 20, 2001

By	krebsman (New York, NY United States) - See all my reviews

The Discovery of the Greek Bronze Age by Leslie Fitton is a very entertaining history of the archeological attempts to prove that stories thought to be myths were in actuality history. Starting with Heinrich Schliemann and going up to the present day, Dr. Fitton presents a fascinating overview of her subject, explaining the tools and methods of the archeologist as she goes along. She highlights the careers of Schliemann, Arthur Evans, and other English-Speaking archeologists in Bronze Age studies. Schliemann in recent years has been damned as a liar, hypocrite, thief, Philistine, charlatan and an SOB to boot, but Fitton's appraisal of Schliemann seems fair to me. While abhorring his early methods at Troy, Fitton nonetheless respects the fact that he learned from his mistakes, as evidenced by his work at Mycenae later. I found her presentation of such debates as to whether Crete or Mycenae was the dominant power of the Bronze Age very easy to follow and absolutely fascinating. This book makes an excellent introduction to the whole field of Archeology and I would especially recommend it to anyone who is planning a trip to Crete, Hissarlik or the Peloponnese. I found it a very valuable reading experience.

3.0 out of 5 stars Several civilizations in the bronze age, January 6, 2009

By	R. Bagula "Roger L. Bagula" (Lakeside, Ca United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: The Discovery of the Greek Bronze Age (British Museum Paperbacks) (Hardcover)

The Bronze Age is not where we usually encounter the Greeks: they beat down the Persians with iron swords and military discipline. The competition was between these island civilizations, the mainland civilizations
with interaction with the Phoenicians that formed the very strong culture
that we see in Homer and the much later Greek literature and plays.
The archaeological evidence is that their climb was slow
and competitive and that they learned a lot from the other civilizations around them.
This book puts the discoveries and large amount of work done in digging into perspective. The text is well written and well documented.

2 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Rich in detail, but has small print., October 10, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: The Discovery of the Greek Bronze Age (British Museum Paperbacks) (Hardcover)

The book provides well-informed background on the major players. Primarily a text book, its print is small, with a left margin that takes 1/3 of the glossy page. Get your glasses out.