The Visible Past: An Archaeological Reinterpretation of the Ancient World

Michael Grant, a noted classicist and historian of the ancient world, reviews the findings at some 50 sites excavated over the past 30 years, explaining how new developments in scientific procedures (such as in air photography, chemical analysis, and underwater archaeology) and the use of instruments (the magnetometer and potentiometer) have contributed to the study of Greek and Roman history and life. The book is divided into two major parts, "The Greeks'' and "Italy and the Roman Empire,'' and the sites are discussed chronologically, from Greece's 'Dark Age' to the Hellenistic period and from Etruscan Italy to Rome's late Empire. Grant's lucid prose is supplemented by quotations from archaeologists' works. The emphasis here is on the inextricable role of archaeology in historical studies. Scientific techniques are fully credited and clearly described. This is an excellent interdisciplinary work for laypersons and scholars alike.