The Greek Revival and the Archaeology of the Classical Past

Introduction

We often talk of the 'rediscovery' of the Graeco-Roman world by western Europeans and other outsiders, but in many ways that world was never lost in the first place. Classical texts continued to be copied and read in a continuous tradition from antiquity onwards, and many of the monuments of antiquity were visible to anyone who looked. What changes is the manner in which people looked at those monuments, and at other aspects of Greece and Crete in particular. In this session we explore the reasons behind why Mediaeval and Modern Europeans became so interested in the Greek and Roman world.

Aims

• To understand why Mediaeval and Modern Europeans became so interested in the Greek and Roman world.

Required Reading

For this session, please read the following:

Renfrew and Bahn, Archaeology, Chapter 1 ‘The searchers. The history of archaeology’.