The discovery of the past

About this book

The Discovery of the Past explores the ways in which humankind, from antiquity to the nineteenth century, became conscious of its past. Contrary to popular belief, archaeology was not an invention of the Renaissance. It was a discipline known to the scribes of ancient Assyria, Egypt, and China, and a subject of debate for the Sophists of Ionia before it was put into practice by Roman historians. Alain Schnapp's account of humankind's search for its beginnings follows a. Trail that begins with Hesiod and Lucretius and extends through Thomas Jefferson. The history revealed here is not one of uninterrupted progress, but of the rediscovery and reinterpretation - often erratic - of forgotten observations. Schnapp examines the numerous ways in which the past has been used as a means both of understanding and manipulating the present, and shows how a taste for the past unites the most seemingly diverse individuals. The text is elegantly. Interwoven with illustrations and descriptions of objects surviving from antiquity, while extensive quotations from primary sources provide a fascinating insight into historical accounts. Contemporary depictions of ancient life, and incidents in its discovery, reflect the excitement of archaeological research.