Bücher der Reihe Cambridge Library Collection - Archaeology

William Martin Leake (1777-1860) was a British military officer and classical scholar. First published in 1835, these volumes contain Leake's account of four journeys in Greece, mingling an account of Greek and Turkish culture with descriptions of archaeological sites. Volume 1 contains two journeys undertaken in 1804 and 1805.

The Assyriologist Julius Oppert (1825-1905) made significant contributions to the decipherment of cuneiform Akkadian. This two-volume work, published 1859-63, describes the 1851-4 French expedition to Mesopotamia, which conducted important excavations at Babylon. Oppert reports on the journey, the archaeological results, and the deciphering of the cuneiform inscriptions.

The excavations of Sir Austen Henry Layard (1817-94) provided important evidence about ancient Assyrian civilisation. Placing Mesopotamian history in the context of the more familiar biblical and classical worlds, this two-volume illustrated work of 1849 is a combination of archaeology, ancient history, anthropology and travel writing.

Published in 1862, this is a seminal two-volume work in the study of early man. Scottish anthropologist Daniel Wilson (1816-92) moved to Canada, where studies of native tribes greatly influenced this work. Using archaeological and anthropological advances, he charts the development of man in the New and Old World.

This is the 1863 second edition of a seminal two-volume work by the Scottish archaeologist and anthropologist Daniel Wilson (1816-92). A pioneering scholar, Wilson brought the word 'prehistoric' into use in English. This richly illustrated work is split into four periods, from the earliest settlers to the Christian era.

Following the Euphrates Expedition of 1835, the surgeon William Ainsworth (1807-96) was made leader of a second expedition through Asia Minor, northern Syria, Kurdistan, Persia and Armenia, of which this two-volume account was published in 1842. Volume 1 covers events up to the battle of Nezib in 1839.

Boucher de Perthes (1788-1868) argued that humans lived in the Pleistocene period. He claimed to have discovered flint tools and human bones during excavations in the Somme Valley. Contemporaries doubted his findings but his work contributed to scientific discussions on human evolution. Volume 1 was published in Paris, 1847.

The British archaeologist Layard (1817-1894) discovered important evidence about ancient Mesopotamia and the Assyrian civilisation. This 1853 book describes his second expedition, which led to the identification of Kouyunjik as the Assyrian capital Nineveh. Volume 1 covers early stages of the excavations and Layard's journey to the Khabur region.

American philologist Edward Robinson (1794-1863), aided by his Arabic-speaking countryman Eli Smith (1801-57), first published this pioneering work of biblical geography in 1841. Following further research, an enlarged edition appeared in 1856. This 1867 three-volume third edition was slightly abridged but contained new maps and plans.

Sir Arthur Evans (1851-1941) discovered Minoan civilisation on Crete through his excavations at Knossos. This multi-volume excavation report, published between 1921 and 1935, was pioneering. With the help of his half-sister, Joan Evans (1893-1977), he published this thorough index in 1936.

This short publication of 1850 summarises the progress up to that date in the decipherment of Assyrian cuneiform inscriptions by Sir Henry Rawlinson (1810-95). It offers a linguistic and archaeological background to his work, along with his interpretation of king lists and other inscriptions.

The antiquary and artist George Petrie (1790-1866) was one of the founding fathers of Irish archaeology. His wide interests included architecture and ecclesiastical history, and he was at the forefront of efforts to preserve endangered historic buildings. This 1868 biography was published by his friend William Stokes, the distinguished physician.

This short handbook on the Palace of Minos at Knossos in Crete was published in 1933 by archaeologist John Pendlebury (1904-41), who had worked for several seasons at Knossos. It provides an architectural history of the Palace of Minos, and a guide to the site, with photographs and maps.

Published between 1894 and 1905, this six-volume set served as a key reference work for students and scholars of Egyptology. Volume 6 (1901), written by Stanley Lane-Poole (1854-1931), covers Arabic Egypt from 639 and the Saracen conquest, to 1517 and the Ottoman annexation.

Published between 1894 and 1905, this six-volume set served as a key reference work for students and scholars of Egyptology. Volume 5 (1898), written by Joseph Grafton Milne (1867-1951), covers the period of Roman rule from 30 BCE to 642 CE.

Published between 1894 and 1905, this six-volume set served as a key reference work for students and scholars of Egyptology. Volume 4 (1899), written by John Pentland Mahaffy (1839-1919), covers the Ptolemaic dynasty, from Alexander's conquest in 332 BCE through to 30 BCE.

The traveller and archaeologist Edward Dodwell (c.1776-1832) published this two-volume work in 1819. He made three tours of Greece, where he drew the ruins and discovered artefacts. His account of these journeys is a mix of travelogue and serious scholarship. It remains of great interest to classical archaeologists.

Desire Charnay (1828-1915) explored the ancient cities of Mexico and Central America, producing an informative account that surveys art, pyramid architecture, ancient customs and history based upon extant sources. This work, translated into English from French in 1887, remains valuable to scholars of Latin American history and archaeology.

In this highly illustrated work, published in 1901, Sir Arthur Evans (1851-1941), the great excavator of ancient Cretan culture, surveys the archaeological evidence for a common form of religious worship connected with symbols of sacred stones, pillars and trees found on Mycenaean Crete and in other ancient Mediterranean cultures.

Reissued in its 1845 second edition, this illustrated work by George Petrie (1790-1866) helped cement his reputation as a founding father of Irish archaeology. Its theories about the origin and uses of Irish round towers have been refined but broadly accepted by modern scholars of ecclesiastical architecture.

In this two-volume 1901 work, Rogers provides a history of the Mesopotamian civilisations. Volume 1 contains discussions of the material and literary sources, the environmental resources, and the peoples and the chronology of the area, before beginning a narrative of Babylonian history, which closes with the end of the dynasty of Isin.

Pioneer of Cretan archaeology, Sir Arthur Evans (1851-1941) won fame for discovering Minoan civilisation. His highly illustrated multi-volume report of major excavations at Knossos, published between 1921 and 1935, develops his theories about the Bronze Age palace he uncovered and the society to which it belonged.

The archaeologist D. G. Hogarth was, during the First World War, acting director of the Cairo Arab Bureau, and later became president of the Royal Geographical Society. His 1902 survey of the Near East's contemporary political and commercial significance describes the condition of the region in the build-up to the conflict.

The archaeologist D.G. Hogarth (1862-1927) became acting director of the Cairo Arab Bureau during the First World War, and, later, president of the Royal Geographical Society. This account of his early experiences in Ottoman Turkey, Egypt, and Cyprus illuminates the close relationship between archaeology and politics in the period.

William Hutton, a Birmingham bookseller, published his History of Birmingham (also reissued in this series) in his late fifties. Hutton was also famous for his walking exploits, which led to his 1801 expedition to Hadrian's Wall, and his 1802 account, of which the 1813 second edition is reissued here.

The bulk of this 1929 work is an alphabetical list of the buildings, streets and geographical features in ancient Rome mentioned by ancient authors and/or discovered by more recent exploration and excavation of the ruins, with details about literary and historical references, and about the original and any surviving structure.

Charles Thomas Newton (1816-1894) was a British archaeologist specialising in Greek and Roman artefacts. This study, first published in 1862, describes Newton's excavations of sites including the Mausoleum of Halicarnassus, a wonder of the ancient world, and provides valuable insights into Victorian archaeological methods. Part 1 focuses on the Mausoleum.

Hermann Vollrat Hilprecht (1859-1925) was a leading German-American archaeologist and Assyriologist. This generously illustrated book, first published in 1904, describes the early British, French and American excavations in Assyria and Babylon during the nineteenth century. It provides a valuable retrospective account and evaluation of the archaeological beginnings of Assyriology.

Charles Roach Smith (1806-90) had a prosperous career as a druggist. This three-volume work, published 1883-91, reviews his activities as an excavator, collector, and co-founder of the British Archaeological Association. Volume 1 includes essays on the Saxon Shore forts, of which Roach Smith was a pioneering investigator.

This highly influential work, first published in 1849, is a translation of Jens Worsaae's important account of excavations and discoveries in Denmark. It was reworked by William J. Thoms to guide future excavations in Britain, where there were many useful similarities among finds and architectural remains from the Dark Ages especially.