Three Stones Make a Wall: The Story of Archaeology

477 Pages·2017·19.39 MB·English

by  Eric H. Cline

THREE STONES
MAKE A WALL

THREE
STONES MAKE
A WALL
THE STORY OF ARCHAEOLOGY
ERIC H. CLINE
With illustrations by
Glynnis Fawkes
PRINCETON UNIVERSITY PRESS PRINCETON & OXFORD
Copyright © 2017 by Princeton University Press
Published by Princeton University Press, 41 William Street, Princeton,
New Jersey 08540
In the United Kingdom: Princeton University Press, 6 Oxford Street,
Woodstock, Oxfordshire OX20 1TR
press.princeton.edu
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Cline, Eric H., author.
Title: Three stones make a wall : the story of archaeology / Eric H. Cline.
Description: Princeton : Princeton University Press, [2017] | Includes
bibliographical references and index.
Identifiers: LCCN 2016041435 | ISBN 9780691166407
(hardback : acid-free paper)
Subjects: LCSH: Archaeology—History. | Excavations (Archaeology)—
History. | Archaeologists—Biography. | Archaeology—Methodology. |
Antiquities. | Civilization, Ancient. | BISAC: SOCIAL SCIENCE /
Archaeology. | HISTORY / Ancient / General. | HISTORY / Civilization. |
HISTORY / World.
Classification: LCC CC100 .C55 2017 | DDC 930.1—dc23 LC record
available at
https://lccn.loc.gov/2016041435
British Library Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available
This book has been composed in Sabon Next LT Pro
Printed on acid-free paper. ∞
Printed in the United States of America
1 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2
CONTENTS
List of Illustrations vii
Preface: A Petrified Monkey’s Paw xi
Prologue: “Wonderful Things”: King Tut and His Tomb 1
Part 1 Early Archaeology and Archaeologists
1 Ashes to Ashes in Ancient Italy 13
2 Digging Up Troy 24
3 From Egypt to Eternity 38
4 Mysteries in Mesopotamia 52
5 Exploring the Jungles of Central America 66
Digging Deeper 1: How Do You Know Where to Dig? 80
Part 2 Africa, Europe, and the Levant:
Early Hominins to Farmers
6 Discovering Our Earliest Ancestors 97
7 First Farmers in the Fertile Crescent 115
Part 3 Excavating the Bronze Age Aegean
8 Revealing the First Greeks 131
9 Finding Atlantis? 146
10 Enchantment Under the Sea 157
Part 4 Uncovering the Classics
11 From Discus-Throwing to Democracy 171
12 What Have the Romans Ever Done for Us? 188
Digging Deeper 2: How Do You Know How to Dig? 204
vi CONTENTS
Part 5 Discoveries in the Holy Land and Beyond
13 Excavating Armageddon 221
14 Unearthing the Bible 234
15 Mystery at Masada 245
16 Cities of the Desert 257
Digging Deeper 3: How Old Is This and Why Is It Preserved? 269
Part 6 New World Archaeology
17 Lines in the Sand, Cities in the Sky 291
18 Giant Heads, Feathered Serpents, and Golden Eagles 303
19 Submarines and Settlers; Gold Coins and Lead Bullets 314
Digging Deeper 4: Do You Get to Keep What You Find? 326
Epilogue: Back to the Future 333
Acknowledgments 341
Notes 343
Bibliography 383
Index 431
ILLUSTRATIONS
Frontispiece: Excavating at Tel Kabri
Hellenistic bronze figure, Tel Anafa xi
Close-up of wine jars, Tel Kabri xiv
King Tut’s gold death mask 1
Howard Carter and assistant, examining King Tut 6
Cave Canem mosaic plus dog in plaster of Paris 13
Mount Vesuvius as seen through Pompeii Arch 16
Street scene, Pompeii 20
Sophia Schliemann wearing Priam’s Treasure; depiction
of the Trojan Horse 24
Wall of Troy VI 25
Rosetta stone hieroglyphics 38
Step Pyramid of Djoser, Saqqara 47
Queen Pu-abi, Ur 52
Man-headed winged bull, Dur Sharrukin (modern Khorsabad) 61
Skull rack at Chichen Itzá 66
Temple of the Grand Jaguar (Temple 1), Tikal 73
Surveyors walking a transect 80
Tractor and ground-penetrating radar, near Stonehenge 88
Laetoli footprints 97
Chauvet cave painting 108
Çatalhöyük figurine: possibly a goddess or queen 115
Plastered skull, Jericho 121
Mycenae: Lion Gate and “Mask of Agamemnon” 131
Lion Gate, Mycenae 133
Akrotiri: miniature wall fresco 146
viii IlluSTraTIONS
Eruption of Santorini 147
Uluburun: copper ingots and other artifacts 157
Uluburun diver 160
Delphic oracle 171
Temple of Apollo, Delphi 179
Roman Colosseum 188
Arch of Titus 196
Close-up, Arch of Titus 196
Digging: tools of the trade 204
Stratigraphic layers, Tel Kabri 213
Megiddo: ivory griffin 221
“Solomon’s Stables” at Megiddo 226
Dead Sea Scroll fragment 234
Caves at Qumran 235
Masada ostraca 245
Masada 247
Palmyra: distant view 257
Triumphal Arch, Palmyra 261
View of the “Treasury” at Petra 263
Tollund Fen Bog Man 269
Terracotta Warriors 274
Nazca Lines: hummingbird 291
Machu Picchu 299
Pyramid of the Moon, Teotihuacán 303
Olmec colossal stone head, San Lorenzo 306
Aztec Moon Goddess, Tenochtitlán 310
Confederate submarine H. L. Hunley 314
Mesa Verde National Park, Colorado 323
Looter digging 326
Looting in Iraq 328
Future artifact 333
Statue of Liberty, head 334
One stone is a stone.
Two stones is a feature.
Three stones is a wall.
Four stones is a building.
Five stones is a palace.
(Six stones is a palace built by aliens.)
—Archaeological axiom