As someone who, like many my age, was introduced to archaeology by the Indiana Jones film series, I sometimes wondered what books lined Indy's bookshelves. More to the point: how much research goes into archaeology, who's best at it, and how does archaeology in print contrast with what we see on the big screen? 'The House of Augustus: A Historical Detective Story' is a wonderful answer to these questions from Prof. T. P. Wiseman, who coincidentally was J. K. Rowling former teacher. If this stirs your interest, good, because his book is an excellent introduction to archaeology and ancient history from a master of both fields.
'The House of Augustus' centers around a straightforward question: how do we know the "House of Augustus" in Rome actually belonged to Caesar Augustus? Presented as a mystery for super-sleuths, we learn this question leads to many others: How do we know Augustus was a Caesar? What was a Caesar? How can we know anything about an era separated from our own by two thousand years? The approaches Prof. Wiseman provides for these mysteries is fascinating as well as edifying. It shows what we know about antiquity is both conflicting and correctable thanks to the research and evidence available to us today. Simply put, 'The House of Augustus' IS a detective story, and the surprising conclusions it offers will leave readers with an excellent history of Ancient Rome and the sources available for further research. I also which to compliment the layout of this book, which lists sources in its left and right margins for easy access without interrupting the flow of reading.
I'd suggest this to any student, teacher, or reader of archaeology / ancient history, anyone interested in visiting Rome, or anyone searching for a hardcover as handsome as it is informative. There's a library of information within these pages, and I highly recommend it. Great book! 4.5 stars.
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An excellent introduction to archaeology and ancient history from a master of both fields
As someone who, like many my age, was introduced to archaeology by the Indiana Jones film series, I sometimes wondered what books lined Indy's bookshelves. More to the point: how much research goes into archaeology, who's best at it, and how does archaeology in print contrast with what we see on the big screen? 'The House of Augustus: A Historical Detective Story' is a wonderful answer to these questions from Prof. T. P. Wiseman, who coincidentally was J. K. Rowling former teacher. If this stirs your interest, good, because his book is an excellent introduction to archaeology and ancient history from a master of both fields.'The House of Augustus' centers around a straightforward question: how do we know the "House of Augustus" in Rome actually belonged to Caesar Augustus? Presented as a mystery for super-sleuths, we learn this question leads to many others: How do we know Augustus was a Caesar? What was a Caesar? How can we know anything about an era separated from our own by two thousand years? The approaches Prof. Wiseman provides for these mysteries is fascinating as well as edifying. It shows what we know about antiquity is both conflicting and correctable thanks to the research and evidence available to us today. Simply put, 'The House of Augustus' IS a detective story, and the surprising conclusions it offers will leave readers with an excellent history of Ancient Rome and the sources available for further research. I also which to compliment the layout of this book, which lists sources in its left and right margins for easy access without interrupting the flow of reading.I'd suggest this to any student, teacher, or reader of archaeology / ancient history, anyone interested in visiting Rome, or anyone searching for a hardcover as handsome as it is informative. There's a library of information within these pages, and I highly recommend it. Great book! 4.5 stars.
Top reviews from the United States
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Reviewed in the United States on July 21, 2020
'The House of Augustus' centers around a straightforward question: how do we know the "House of Augustus" in Rome actually belonged to Caesar Augustus? Presented as a mystery for super-sleuths, we learn this question leads to many others: How do we know Augustus was a Caesar? What was a Caesar? How can we know anything about an era separated from our own by two thousand years? The approaches Prof. Wiseman provides for these mysteries is fascinating as well as edifying. It shows what we know about antiquity is both conflicting and correctable thanks to the research and evidence available to us today. Simply put, 'The House of Augustus' IS a detective story, and the surprising conclusions it offers will leave readers with an excellent history of Ancient Rome and the sources available for further research. I also which to compliment the layout of this book, which lists sources in its left and right margins for easy access without interrupting the flow of reading.
I'd suggest this to any student, teacher, or reader of archaeology / ancient history, anyone interested in visiting Rome, or anyone searching for a hardcover as handsome as it is informative. There's a library of information within these pages, and I highly recommend it. Great book! 4.5 stars.
An excellent introduction to archaeology and ancient history from a master of both fields
Reviewed in the United States on July 21, 2020
As someone who, like many my age, was introduced to archaeology by the Indiana Jones film series, I sometimes wondered what books lined Indy's bookshelves. More to the point: how much research goes into archaeology, who's best at it, and how does archaeology in print contrast with what we see on the big screen? 'The House of Augustus: A Historical Detective Story' is a wonderful answer to these questions from Prof. T. P. Wiseman, who coincidentally was J. K. Rowling former teacher. If this stirs your interest, good, because his book is an excellent introduction to archaeology and ancient history from a master of both fields.Reviewed in the United States on July 21, 2020
'The House of Augustus' centers around a straightforward question: how do we know the "House of Augustus" in Rome actually belonged to Caesar Augustus? Presented as a mystery for super-sleuths, we learn this question leads to many others: How do we know Augustus was a Caesar? What was a Caesar? How can we know anything about an era separated from our own by two thousand years? The approaches Prof. Wiseman provides for these mysteries is fascinating as well as edifying. It shows what we know about antiquity is both conflicting and correctable thanks to the research and evidence available to us today. Simply put, 'The House of Augustus' IS a detective story, and the surprising conclusions it offers will leave readers with an excellent history of Ancient Rome and the sources available for further research. I also which to compliment the layout of this book, which lists sources in its left and right margins for easy access without interrupting the flow of reading.
I'd suggest this to any student, teacher, or reader of archaeology / ancient history, anyone interested in visiting Rome, or anyone searching for a hardcover as handsome as it is informative. There's a library of information within these pages, and I highly recommend it. Great book! 4.5 stars.
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