Most scientific disciplines experienced fundamental revolutions during the twentieth century. But not archaeology. However its time has come. More and more highly specialized scientists are taking over the investigation of the past. Using satellites, aircraft and helicopters, they are screening entire regions around the world in an attempt to find hidden traces of early societies. What's more, their discoveries are changing our views of prehistoric civilizations - and the new views are often in complete contrast to archaeology's established schools of thought.
It is becoming increasingly clear that the ancients knew more than we expected - perhaps more than we can imagine. And for the first time we are gaining a proper understanding of many of the age-old questions about the past. What was the effect of the volcanic eruption of Thera? What caused the collapse of the Minoan kingdom on Crete? Did Atlantis ever exist? Where was the cradle of Western civilization?
In The Future of the Past, the geoarchaeologist Eberhard Zangger addresses these and many other questions. He takes the reader into the field to look at various excavations around the world; explains current thinking in archaeological research; and explores the sophisticated method and techniques that have only recently become available and the unique insights gained from applying them. The result is a refreshingly novel view of the past and a glimpse of the future of archaeological science.