The Discovery of the Greek Bronze Age

Rating:
Summary: Rich in detail, but has small print.
Review: 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.

Rating:
Summary: Great Introduction to Greek Archeological Sites
Review: 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.

Rating:
Summary: Great Introduction to Greek Archeological Sites
Review: 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.