A remarkable journey around the world's major ancient sites from Stonehenge to the pyramids at Giza and from Tenochtitlan to the Lascaux cave in France. Learn how the greatest archaeological discoveries were made and find out about the characters who made them, with over 500 images.

Rediscovering the past through archaeological finds is a deeply satisfying and culturally important process. From desert sands to high mountains, and from deep caves to elaborate monuments, this beautifully illustrated book provides a global survey of the incredible variety of sites and cultures to be encountered in the world or archaeology.

The first part of the book focuses on the men and women who have been responsible for many of the most important discoveries in world archaeology. It begins with pioneers such as Champollion and the Egyptologist Flinders Petrie. There are detailed portraits of famous names such as the excavator of Troy, Heinrich Schliemann, and Howard Carter, the discoverer of Tutankhamen's tomb. The story of modern archaeology is traced through the work of people such as Maria Reiche, who explored Peru's Nasca Lines, and Kathleen Kenyon, who made important excavations at Jericho.

The second part of the book looks at the best-known archaeological sites around the world. The tour begins in Africa, covering sites from Blombos Cave in South Africa to the Pyramids of Giza in Egypt. Next comes the Middle East, with important sites such as Persepolis, Babylon and Petra. The chapter on Mediterranean explores Olypia, Ostia and Pompeii among others, while European sites include Lascaux, Stonehenge and the Heuneburg. The journey continues in the Far East, with features on Chinas Terracotta Army and Angkor in Cambodia, and on to sites in Oceania such as the remote Easter Island. The final chapter on the Americas includes Little Big Horn and the Viking settlement of L'Anse aux Meadows in Newfoundland.