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Virtual Archaeology: Great Discoveries Brought to Life Through Virtual Reality
This work takes advantage of the advances made in recent years in visualizing and analyzing ancient sites and buildings. The computerized reconstructions seen throughout come from laboratories worldwide, including many which have been specially commissioned; together with the hundreds of full-colour maps, diagrams and photographs, they provide a window on the ancient world. This global survey is organized regionally and chronologically, ranging from ancient Egypt to the Americas, from Europe's first settlement, 700,000 years ago, to the China of Kublai Khan, the Mongol ruler in the 13th century. Philip of Macedon's tomb, China's terracotta army and the Moche gold tomb at Sipan in Peru are all given full coverage, as are famous cities, from ancient Rome and classical Athens to Teotihuacan and the Aztec capital, Tenochtitlan, in Mexico. Many of the essays are informed by the insights of the excavators themselves, including Rainer Stadelmann on the pyramids and Paolo Matthiae on the ancient city of Ebla. This is both a survey of ancient civilizations and a guide to the major discoveries of our time.
294 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1996
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January 22, 2012
I purchased this book when it first came out (fifteen years ago) and have only now found that I was misled - and in a way that does Thames & Hudson no credit. What I had thought I was buying was a serious insight into the use of virtual reality in elucidating archaeological discoveries.
After all, this is what it said on the front cover in no uncertain times and this is what Colin (now The Lord) Renfrew seemed to be saying in an extensive quotation on the back. It suggested a treasure trove of excitements that never happened.
In fact this is merely the translation of a general review of archaeological discoveries across the world, with a strong Italian orientation, in which there are some important references to the use of new technology and virtual techniques but, bluntly, not a great deal.
To be fair, in 1997, computer-aided research techniques were still quite expensive and in their relative infancy (or at least adolescence) so perhaps not too much should have been expected.
Today, one would expect links to the internet to see the reconstructions - here we get stills that still depend on the text for explanation.
Nevertheless, the marketing department of T&H of the time needs a strong slap across the wrist for degrading their brand's considerable reputation with excessive puff.
While the translation seems adequate, the essays are of varying quality, bitty and cannot decide whether they are to be tales of technical explanation or narratives of ancient cultures while the maps and charts are often poorly signposted with a lack of clarity over internal numbering.
In short, it looks like a poorly edited rush job to exploit a given text, with Lord Renfrew's brief essay (with his now standard crack at private collectors) and presence tacked on to get prime position on museum bookshop shelves.
So why give it such a high rating? Despite the misleading publicity (which is a matter of judgment), the weak editing and the sometimes parochial Italian content, the book provides, nevertheless, a valuable summary of research that is often not covered in an equally parochial UK.
It also has to be said that those sections that make use of virtual reconstruction do offer excellent accounts of the 'actuality' of sites such as, say, the Acropolis or the great Egyptian sites. There are very clear accounts of, above all, pre-Columban archaeology.
In many ways, the 'substance' is very good and worthwhile but let down by the 'form' - the lack of attention to detail, the lack of tough editorial direction in the original work and the over-selling in the UK. Looking at the back, I note the quite high price at the time at £29.95 (1997).
An extremely uneven work that deserved better and is now considerably out of date. It stays in my library but shows how much bad feeling can be caused when publishers undertake rush jobs to exploit a market. It could have been so much more interesting ...
After all, this is what it said on the front cover in no uncertain times and this is what Colin (now The Lord) Renfrew seemed to be saying in an extensive quotation on the back. It suggested a treasure trove of excitements that never happened.
In fact this is merely the translation of a general review of archaeological discoveries across the world, with a strong Italian orientation, in which there are some important references to the use of new technology and virtual techniques but, bluntly, not a great deal.
To be fair, in 1997, computer-aided research techniques were still quite expensive and in their relative infancy (or at least adolescence) so perhaps not too much should have been expected.
Today, one would expect links to the internet to see the reconstructions - here we get stills that still depend on the text for explanation.
Nevertheless, the marketing department of T&H of the time needs a strong slap across the wrist for degrading their brand's considerable reputation with excessive puff.
While the translation seems adequate, the essays are of varying quality, bitty and cannot decide whether they are to be tales of technical explanation or narratives of ancient cultures while the maps and charts are often poorly signposted with a lack of clarity over internal numbering.
In short, it looks like a poorly edited rush job to exploit a given text, with Lord Renfrew's brief essay (with his now standard crack at private collectors) and presence tacked on to get prime position on museum bookshop shelves.
So why give it such a high rating? Despite the misleading publicity (which is a matter of judgment), the weak editing and the sometimes parochial Italian content, the book provides, nevertheless, a valuable summary of research that is often not covered in an equally parochial UK.
It also has to be said that those sections that make use of virtual reconstruction do offer excellent accounts of the 'actuality' of sites such as, say, the Acropolis or the great Egyptian sites. There are very clear accounts of, above all, pre-Columban archaeology.
In many ways, the 'substance' is very good and worthwhile but let down by the 'form' - the lack of attention to detail, the lack of tough editorial direction in the original work and the over-selling in the UK. Looking at the back, I note the quite high price at the time at £29.95 (1997).
An extremely uneven work that deserved better and is now considerably out of date. It stays in my library but shows how much bad feeling can be caused when publishers undertake rush jobs to exploit a market. It could have been so much more interesting ...
Displaying 1 of 1 review